Page 134 of The Sinner: James

“Are you fucking her?”

His eyes slip away from mine for a second, giving me the answer.

“What do you want to hear, Rain?”

“The truth,” I shout, realizing how useless this is.

“I used to before she became my lawyer. She’s married now. Does that make you feel any better?”

“No,” I say and bite my lip to stop the quivering of my chin. “What about last night? Where were you?”

“At Silver with Lex.”

“What’s Silver?”

“A striptease club.”

The blood draws out of my body.

He looks at me intently, gauging my reaction. As hard as it is to swallow the news, it’s better to hear this than another lie.

“You wanted the truth,” he says.

“What were you doing there?”

“We drank and got a couple of lap dances before we checked into a hotel. Are you going to tell me now?” he asks, growing impatient.

“I’m moving to New York.”

“You what??”

He looks at me, perplexed.

The light dies out in his eyes, and for the first time ever, I see his raw, unguarded emotions rolling over his face.

“I leave at the end of the week. I have a job lined up and a new place. I rented a room in someone’s apartment. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

His lips part in disbelief, his eyes narrowing with surprise, darker than a stormy sky.

He blinks a few times, unable to pull his guard back up.

He looks at me as if I've given him an unexpected blow, struggling to understand.

It only lasts a few moments before he straightens his back, his fingers sliding through his hair, a sad smile frosted on his lips, a pained expression claiming his face.

“How long have you been planning this?”

His voice sounds cold and hurt.

“I wanted to tell you, James.”

He looks away, shaking his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

“I didn’t want it to happen this way, but I can no longer live with my parents. And I can’t live with you either. I have no other choice, James,” I hastily say.

His eyes cut back at me, drilling me fiercely.

“You have no other choice??” he thunders, the hair bristling on the back of my neck. “Are you fucking kidding me? Has it ever crossed your mind to talk to me?”

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