Page 91 of Somewhere Without You
“I didn’t know you two were married,”I confessed.“I only found out when I saw you at the hardware store.”
She took a step closer, jaw clenched.“Was that before or after you fucked him?”
“We didn’t—”I started, but stopped. There was no point. She wasn’t interested in the truth.
Madeline resumed pacing, more agitated now.“I didn’t want it to come to this,”she mumbled.“I thought if I scared you enough, you’d run back to California and leave everything alone. Leavehimalone.”
I stared at her, the pieces clicking into place. My breath caught.“Oh my god. . .”My voice trembled as realization crashed into me like a giant wave.“The door. . . the rock through the window. . . the car. All of it. That wasn’t Jackson—it wasyou.”
Madeline’s lips curled into a cold, triumphant smile.“You’re harder to scare off than I thought. So when the subtle warnings didn’t work, I had to move on to plan B.”
“Was this your plan B?”I asked, nodding at the barrel, only inches away.
“No silly,”she replied with a satisfied smirk.“This was plan C.”
I watched as she reached for the photo of Gran, still standing on the mantle. Her fingers curled around the frame, examining it. Then, without a word, she let it drop. It hit the floor with a dull crack, the glass splintering across Gran’s face. A soft, involuntary whimper escaped my throat.
“I have to admit,”she said, turning back to me,“your husband was a hard man to track down. But not impossible.”
“Youbrought Jackson here?”I asked, forcing my voice to stay level.
“I thought it was the right thing to do.” She adjusted her grip on the gun. “Youarehis wife, after all. He deserved to know you’ve been sneaking around with another man.”
My pulse roared in my ears. I tried to stay still, to hide the rage boiling in my chest, but it was no use. Anger burned hot on my tongue.
“You bitch,”I cursed.“Do you have any idea—”
“Ah, ah, ah,”she cooed, waving the gun in my face.“One more outburst like that and it’ll be your last.”
My voice lowered, ripe with fury.“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Jackson could’ve killed me.”
“He could have,”she said with a casual shrug.“But he didn’t. Logan made sure of that. He really can’t help himself when it comes to saving you.”She paused, then tossed a phone onto the couch beside me.“Speaking of which. . . call him.”
I stared at my phone like it had grown teeth.“Where did you get this?”
Madeline rolled her eyes.“You ought to be more careful about where you leave your things.”
My stomach twisted.
“Call him,”Madeline snapped.
My fingers shook as I unlocked the phone and dialed Logan’s number.
It rang once. Twice.
“Emily?”His voice came through, groggy and thick with sleep.“Is everything okay?”
Madeline leaned in, her eyes sharp as knives.“Tell him Jackson’s here,”she whispered into my ear.
“Jackson’s here,”I repeated.“I need you to come. Now.”
“I’m on my way,”Logan answered, suddenly wide awake.“I’ll be there in—”
The line cut out. Madeline had snatched the phone and ended the call without flinching. She flung it across the room, where it hit the wall with a loudthudbefore clattering to the floor.
“He was a wreck when you left. Did you know that?”Her voice steady.“Do you have any idea what it did to him, coming home to find his perfect little Emily gone? And after everything he did for you?”She shook her head, almost laughing.“I was the one who picked up the pieces.Me. I stitched him back together when you tore him apart.”
She started pacing the room again, voice rising.“And what do I get for all of it? A lying, cheating husband and a messy divorce.”
