Page 5 of Mind Maze

Yes, this is better.

Much better.

It’s been a few days and I’ve hardly left my spot on the comfy chaise by the fireplace. Caius has been virtually nonexistent, taking care of family matters.

The two pills he left me sit untouched on the table beside my phone. I’m tempted to swallow them down and go to sleep, but I know it’s long past time I wake up from this fog I’m in.

What happened with Gareth can’t be drugged away.

The truth is a much harder pill to swallow. Gareth hurt me and took something from me. Sex was something I wanted when I found someone I had chemistry with—someone I loved. I’d waited for that. In fact, I’d even toyed with the idea of giving that part of myself to Caius.

Gareth never gave me the chance.

He’s dead, though. And it’s been confirmed. Caius texted me earlier to inform me the police located Gareth’s body. They think he fell, broke his neck, and then slid into the water. He didn’t suffer, they’d said. We can at least find comfort in that.

A part of me wishes he’d suffered.

Caius quickly snapping his neck was a gift he didn’t deserve.

Tears threaten again and I have a sudden burst of anger. I’m tired of obsessing over Gareth.

My phone pings, giving me a much-needed distraction. I lean over, retrieve it, and discover a text from Theo.

Theo: He’s being cremated. Dad doesn’t want to have a service for him. I think he wants to pretend he’s just away on a trip. Not sure he’s come to terms with his death yet.

Theo doesn’t know what really happened. That Gareth hurt me and Caius saved me. Or how Caius covered up Gareth’s true manner of death. Because of what Caius did, I feel a sense of loyalty to him. He’s been doing his best to brainwash me into believing the same story he told his brother and father. I remember the truth, but his secret is safe with me.

Me: I’m sorry.

Not sorry Gareth is no longer a threat, but I do feel badly for Theo.

Theo: I just worry about Dad and Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn.

My chest aches at the thought of the little girl playing with her dolls in his cabin. Now she’s all alone. With her nanny.

A spike of adrenaline courses through me, making me feel more alive than I have since before I met the Crowne family.

Me: Are you with her? Is she okay?

Theo: Yeah. Been hanging out in his cabin. I told her he died and she shrugged. Probably need to get her counseling or something.

Bile creeps up my throat. I need to eat something, shower, move. I’m in this stupid haze and I want out of its clutches.

Me: Bring her here. I can play with her. We can do puzzles. Please.

Theo: We have a nanny for all that.

Me: Give her a break. Please, Theo. Let me help. You need a break.

Theo: Okay, sure. We’ll get ready and head that way.

I toss my phone down and race through showering and dressing. I’m just stuffing my face with a bowl of cereal when Theo and Kaitlyn show up. They’re both bundled up, dusted in snow. Kaitlyn holds a small pink backpack in her grip, standing close to her uncle. I’m thankful to see it’s just the two of them.

Theo doesn’t remove his coat. When our eyes lock, his features fall. The heartache on his face is a punch to my gut. I rush over to him and hug him tightly. He sniffles, squeezing me to him. The breath is sucked from my lungs. Just when I think I might struggle to breathe, he releases me. I don’t miss the way he quickly swipes away a rogue tear.

His brother is dead.

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