Page 53 of He Doesn't Deserve You

“Well, it wasn’t Maggie. She would never do such a thing.”

“Then why did you spike Emily’s drink?”

Michael’s nostrils flared with anger. “You should’ve seen how she yelled at Maggie, accusing her of sleeping with her husband. I’ve dealt with women like Emily my whole life—rich, entitled bitches. They think every woman is jealous of them and wants what they have. Well, not Maggie. She doesn’t have a jealous bone in her body. That’s why I spiked Emily’s drink—I wanted to teach her a lesson.”

“So, what was the plan after you drugged her?”

“Nothing. That’s it. I just wanted to make her sick.”

“Do you know what I think? I think you planned to visit Emily that night—to rape her, rob her, and beat her up, maybe. But you couldn’t reach her because someone was guarding her room. Am I right?”

“No, I swear. I wouldn’t do that.”

Lowering his head, Michael’s voice broke. “I can’t believe she’s gone.” His whole body began to shake as he cried.

When he finally lifted his head, he looked at Detective Martin with resolve in his eyes. “You have to make her pay for what she did to Maggie,” he implored.

“If she’s responsible for Maggie’s death, I promise you, I’ll get her,” Detective Martin assured him. He then stood up, walked to the door, and knocked, signaling the guard that he was finished.

28

On Roman’s front porch, Emily leaned in for a goodbye kiss. “I have to go,” she said, gently pushing away from him, but he held her close. He kissed her again, murmuring, “I don’t want you to leave.”

“I have to pick Ava up from school,” she insisted, trying to free herself from his embrace.

“I could come with you,” Roman suggested eagerly.

“You can’t. I need to go home afterward to get our things. I promise I’ll be back soon. The sooner you let me go, the faster I’ll return.”

Roman draped an arm around her shoulder as they strolled toward her car. “I don’t like the idea of you dealing with Gabriel alone. I can handle him while you pack.”

Emily shook her head in disagreement, “Having you there will only make him madder. It’s better if I do this myself.”

When they reached her car, Roman opened the driver’s door for her and Emily slid behind the wheel. She started the engine and rolled down the window. Roman closed the door and leaned inside the window. “All right, you have exactly two hours, and then I’m coming to find you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” Emily assured him, giving him a quick peck on the lips before backing the car out of his driveway.

Forty minutes later, Emily and Ava arrived home, and she was relieved to find that Gabriel wasn’t there. Hoping to gather their belongings and leave before he returned, Emily quickly unbuckled Ava from her booster seat. “We’re going to spend a couple of nights at Roman’s house,” she told her daughter. “We need to hurry. While I pack our things, I need you to grab any toys you want to bring, okay?”

Ava nodded in agreement.

Emily lifted Ava onto her hip and hurried into the house and up the stairs. Once they reached the top, she set Ava down and urged, “Hurry, get your toys.”

Emily dashed to her room to pack while Ava scurried to hers. A short time later, Emily rolled her suitcase out of her room and placed it outside Ava’s door then went inside. She packed Ava’s things as quickly as possible, then extended her hand to Ava, who was sitting on the floor playing with her toys. “Come on, honey, it’s time to go.”

Ava gathered her toys in her arms and tried to get up, but they slipped from her grasp. Emily grabbed a basket from the bookshelf, emptied its contents onto the floor, and said, “Put your toys in here.”

As they were hurriedly placing the toys into the basket, Emily heard the unmistakable sound of a car pulling into the driveway. It was too late—Gabriel was home.

As Emily descended the stairs, the doorbell rang, giving her a faint glimmer of hope that they might still avoid a confrontation. She reached the bottom just as Agnes opened the front door.

Standing there were Detective Martin and Detective Johnson. Detective Martin’s gaze shifted to her luggage. “Going somewhere?” he inquired.

“We’re staying with a friend for a couple of days,” Emily replied, glancing at Agnes just in time to catch her smirk.

“What can I do for you, Detective?” Emily asked.

Detective Martin glanced down at Ava and then back at Emily. “Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”

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