Page 415 of The Sinner: James

“I know I was mean to you in the past...” she says. “I always thought the things I wanted always fell into your lap.”

“Are you saying you wanted James Sexton?”

“I didn’t necessarily want him. I wanted someone like him and the money and freedom that comes with it.”

My life parades before my eyes, and I’m not so sure this is the freedom that she wanted.

“Your life is not that bad right now,” I say. “You have a nice place, a good man, and a baby on the way. You look good, and you’re healthy. You have a college degree,” I add.

“I didn’t go to school because I wanted to. I had to.”

She pauses.

“You know I tried to do what you did,” she says after a few moments of silence.

I look at her, frosted.

“The kind of ‘work’ you used to do in New York,” she clarifies.

I stay mum while she breathes a chuckle.

“Funny thing was, I wasn’t very good at it. And that’s when it dawned on me that you were much more than I thought. And that completely changed my opinion about you.”

“Is that why you didn’t show up at my wedding?” I toss at her, letting out my frustrations.

“It was more than that,” she says, not giving me more.

“What was it?”

She stares at me in silence.

“I promised James I’d stay away from you.”

I look at her incredulously.

“What? You promised him not to come to my wedding?”

I can’t believe how ridiculous it sounds.

“I promised him to stay away from you.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“It’s a long story.”

She studies my face before continuing.

“I’m not very proud of it.”

My pulse races.

“Why am I hearing about this only now?” I ask.

“Because I kept my promise. And seemingly, he did too.”

“What exactly are you talking about?”

Silence falls over the room.

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