Page 135 of The Sinner: James

“I called you several times.”

“You called me?” he snaps. “You’ve already made up your mind. What about asking me?” he shouts, gripping my arm harshly, his eyes bleeding with anger.

Deeply hurt, he searches my eyes, disappointment quickly setting on his face. Seemingly, he can’t find what he’s looking for, so he pulls back.

His eyes turn cold, frosting into two pools of darkness.

“You know what? Go. Just fucking go,” he barks, his voice slicing through me like a sword, ripping me apart.

Without another word, he turns around and walks away.

“James?”

My desperate call falls flat into the loneliness surrounding me as he vanishes into the building.

22

RAIN

The room is quiet.

Politely, we pass the steamed greens and the potatoes around the table as if we’re strangers in a restaurant.

I shove down food that tastes like nothing, having a hard time swallowing.

It’s been like that for the past two days.

The issue of James Sexton is moot.

In private, Daria exults. My mom has regained her serenity, and my dad is still clueless. Nat is on a business trip, out of the loop entirely.

And… I’m dying.

The news that I’m moving to New York was received with mixed reactions, none of them notable.

All in all, it looks like my family embraces the idea, even sighing with relief.

The evening news comes on TV, a welcomed distraction from the grim atmosphere. It’s only a brief respite before the words roll in my ears.

“The Sexton International Casino and Entertainment Resort is set to be inaugurated one year from today. According to local banking sources, the projected annual revenue will surpass three hundred million dollars. Two days after the local City Council had approved a zone change, James Sexton sat with us for a brief interview.”

My eyes fly to the screen, the sight of him smashing me straight into my heart. Daria catches my gaze and turns up the volume, rejoicing over my misery.

My mom glances over her shoulder before focusing on her food, the issue no longer on her radar.

My dad’s eyes dart in that direction before he shifts his attention back to his food.

I no longer watch it when Daria turns the volume down.

“It’s going to be a disaster,” my dad mutters.

“What’s that, Dad?” Daria asks, eager to start a conversation.

“This stupid project. It’s going to make the owners super-rich, especially this James Sexton guy. He owns the majority, from what I understand. And it will mean nothing good for the community. It will generate low-paying jobs, increase the number of temporary workers, draw a lot of traffic, and possibly cause a crime wave. Stupid, stupid business, but nobody wanted to listen to me. They all bought into this crook’s stories. He even tried to convince me...” he mumbles, looking so content for not falling for James’ tricks as he cuts his steak.

What??

I furtively glance around. The only other person interested in my dad’s story is Daria, but even she cannot grasp the full meaning of it.

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