Page 24 of He Doesn't Deserve You

Holding her breath, she stared at the phone, anxiously waiting for the three blinking dots to appear. When they finally did, she read his response: “OK.” She let out a sigh of relief. Quickly, she deleted her message and his response, then placed the phone back on the coffee table exactly where she had found it.

A few minutes later, Roman emerged from the bathroom and joined her on the couch, seemingly oblivious to what she had just done.

13

Emily stood in front of the mirror, delicately lifting a scarf over her head. She tucked the sides of her hair neatly beneath the fabric and secured it under her chin with a precise knot. Next, she slipped on dark sunglasses and admired her reflection. Pleased with her incognito appearance and confident she could move unnoticed, she turned away from the mirror and went to the kitchen.

She slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the deck. Noticing Roman seated in the Adirondack chair by the sandbox, she called out, “I’m leaving now.”

Turning his attention to the deck, Roman raised a hand and waved, “Okay, be careful.”

Ava paused her play, looked up with a smile, and waved enthusiastically. “Bye, Mommy.”

With a smile, Emily focused her attention on her daughter. “I’ll be back in a few hours,” she said warmly. “If you’re good, I’ll bring you a surprise.”

“Okay,” Ava said and went back to her play.

Emily turned and went back inside, making her way through the cabin. She grabbed Roman’s keys from the key holder by the front door and exited the cabin. The drive to Deli Delight took twenty-five minutes,and she deliberately arrived five minutes late, ensuring that Travis would already be there.

She found a parking spot in front of the deli and stepped inside, greeted by the bustling lunch rush. Scanning the crowded room, she quickly spotted Travis sitting at a table, waiting for Roman. Her eyes then caught sight of two uniformed police officers at a nearby table.Perfect, she thought as she casually made her way over to Travis. She pulled out the chair across from Travis and sat down.

“I’m sorry, that seat is taken,” Travis said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Emily removed the scarf and sunglasses and said, “Roman isn’t coming.”

As recognition dawned, he asked, “How are you doing?”

“Better, no thanks to you,” she said, pulling out the chair and sitting.

Travis quickly stood to leave, but Emily grabbed him firmly by the elbow, halting his escape. “Sit down,” she commanded in a low, threatening voice, “or I will call those policemen over here and tell them what you did to me.”

Travis’s eyes instinctively darted to the right, catching sight of the officers. With a heavy sigh of resignation, he reluctantly sank back into his seat.

“Did Roman hire you to drug me?” Emily spat.

Travis’s eyes widened in shock, and he threw his hands up. “You have this all wrong. Roman and I had nothing to do with drugging you. We helped you.”

“Roman was there that night?” she said, sounding surprised.

“Yes.” Travis placed a hand on his forehead, his elbow resting heavily on the table, his voice strained. “No one hired me to do anything. When I sat next to you that night, it was purely random. I had never seen you before, but you looked familiar to me for some reason. It wasn’t until you were incapacitated that I realized I had seen your picture at Roman’s house. I didn’t know what to do, so I texted him for help. I checkedyour purse and found a room key. I took you to the lobby just as Roman showed up. He helped me get you to your room and said he would take it from there.”

Emily’s eyes searched his face, trying to detect any hint of deceit. The gravity of his words pressed on her, warring with her emotions. “I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to take my word for it. I’m sure the hotel has security cameras. Get the tapes, and you’ll see I didn’t spike your drink; we helped you.”

Uncertain about what to believe, she decided it was time to involve the police—they could obtain the tapes and uncover the truth. She stood and slowly walked toward the table where the officers had been seated, only to find it empty.

Travis bolted out of the deli.

Shaken to her core, Emily drove straight to the police station to file a report. The weight of what she had just learned filled her with regret for leaving Ava in Roman’s care. She first debated returning to the cabin to get her daughter but quickly dismissed the idea. If Travis had already tipped Roman off, she would need the police’s help to ensure Ava’s safety.At least I have the car, she thought, trying to calm herself.He can’t go anywhere.

Upon reaching the police station, she hastily parked the car in the parking lot and charged into the building. She rushed to the front desk, her voice trembling with urgency. “I need help. I’m being blackmailed; they threatened my daughter,” she declared.

The female officer behind the desk immediately stood up and approached Emily, gently placing an arm around her shoulder. Guiding her towards the back of the station, she asked, “Come with me.”

“What’s your name, ma’am?” the officer asked, gently guiding Emily through double doors.

“Emily Anderson.”

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