Page 13 of Mind Maze

I stiffen at his words. “You said it was an accident.”

We both know it was a lie.

I just need to hear him say it.

“Your DNA is all over his body, love. In fact, I’m pretty sure he took a handful of your hair there at the end.” He pauses as the memory floods in. He’s right. Oh my God, he’s right. “They might conclude after a drunken evening where you had an affair with my brother, you pushed him over the edge of the yacht to hide what you’d done. Dad and Theo would be devastated at such a betrayal. There’s no telling what they’d do and who they’d involve to bring justice for their family.”

I whip my head up to glower at him. “You’d frame me for murder?”

“I’d never do that to my girlfriend and mother of my child.” He smirks and then plants a hot kiss on my lips.

Point taken.

Play along and keep up the lie.

Or else…

Caius

Sometimes she makes me uneasy with how she internalizes whatever I throw her way. Like now, I’ve threatened her in a pretty fucked-up way. She’s definitely irritated, but it’s like she shoves it all down someplace deep inside her.

Does it ever come out?

I’m curious to know what else she hides in the dark recesses of her mind. The part of me that likes a challenge craves to take a flashlight to it, inspecting every corner and crevice. Could what lurks there be worse than my own shadows and demons?

Days ago, Gareth raped her. Weeks before that, she was kidnapped, run through parts of the CUP program, and manipulated at every turn. How is she not losing her shit by now?

I’ll admit, she’s a lot tougher than I originally gave her credit for. A deep dive, after she showed up in our home revealed a sheltered young woman. She’d been born with a silver spoon in her mouth and it didn’t get pulled out until she went to college. I’d expected a lot more tears and one helluva mental breakdown.

And yet, she kept her head.

She still manages to keep her head and the blows keep coming.

A woman with jet-black hair and sharp features opens the door to Gideon’s home. The lips on this woman are almost cartoonish—overly huge, pouty-shaped, and Barbie doll pink. It’s clear her husband spared no expense on just her mouth. Makes me wonder what else he put money into. To others, thewoman is beautiful, maybe even Hollywood gorgeous, but she’s nothing compared to Romy.

Romy, with her messy blond hair twisted into a bun, wearing no makeup, is a thousand times prettier. Though the curves along her jaw and upturned nose are soft, she has an edge that gleams in her keen blue eyes. Her lips—lips I’ve had the secret pleasure of kissing—are supple and tasty. How someone can always taste sweet is beyond me.

“Romy, darling,” the woman croons. “It’s been ages. We’ve missed you dearly.”

The woman, wearing tall heels and a form-fitting turquoise dress, sashays over to Romy and plants an air kiss over each of Romy’s cheeks. Romy seems to like this woman because she remains relaxed in her presence.

Unlike when she’d seen Vivienne…

Her reaction to Kaitlyn’s nanny has had me edgy ever since. There was an unnatural quality to how she reacted. As if she were afraid of the harmless woman. What’s weirder is that once I picked up on Romy’s mannerisms around the nanny, I noticed similar ones with Kaitlyn.

That makes me suspicious.

What could Vivienne have done to make both Romy, who I know to be strong, and my little niece both tense in her presence, I’m not sure. I do know, however, I’ll find out.

As soon as we’re alone.

The thought of being alone with Romy is more palatable than being here at her father’s home.

“You must be the new boyfriend,” the woman greets, extending out a French-manicured hand. “I’m Eva, Romy’s stepmother.”

I shake Eva’s hand and give her a polite smile. “Romy’s spoken so highly of you. Nice to finally put a face to the name.”

Eva blushes at my praise and gives Romy a sweet smile. “I love her like she’s my own daughter.”

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