Page 21 of Circle of Strangers
“No. Someone from around here.”
“It’s not Austin, is it?” She slaps a hand over her chest, her expression falling.
“Nope. Not Austin.”
She releases another breath. “Thank goodness. You’d tell me, right? I’d want to know.”
“Of course.”
“So,” she says, angling her head in that way she does when she’s prying. “Who’s this current idiot? Would I know him?”
If Oscar’s willing to be so blatant and careless with his indiscretions, I don’t need to protect him.
“You have to swear you won’t tell anyone I catfished him,” I say.
She drags her index finger across her heart, drawing an X. “I swear on everything and everyone.”
I pause for dramatic effect. “Oscar.”
Sozi freezes mid-step, her eyes widening. “Moreno?Mara’s Oscar?”
I nod.
The grin that spreads across her face is wicked. “Oh, this is too good.”
“He has no idea it’s me,” I say, feeling the need to clarify. “He thinks I’m some perfect woman who gets him, but he’s just projecting some fantasy. It’s honestly concerning how fast he latched on. Very desperate. Troubled almost.”
“Just be careful.” Sozi winces. “Oscar’s a piece of work.”
I think about the shattered sounds coming from the Morenos’ house the other week and Mara mentioning Oscar’s “tendencies.”
“He’ll never know it’s me,” I say. “You’re theonlyone who knows.”
My words are a threat and a promise at the same time. I might as well be saying, “I promise to confide in you as long as you keep my secrets. If you tell, I’ll know.”
Sozi runs her fingers across her lips, pretending to zip them.
Message received.
We walk in silence for a moment, the sound of our sneakers tapping lightly against the pavement.
“You going to tell Mara?” She glances at me, squinting from behind her shiny Ray-Ban aviators.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I tell her. Half of me wants to expose Oscar’s cheating ways. The other half of me isn’t sure what to make of Mara yet, and I don’t appreciate the way she looks at my husband.
I’m not threatened by her—Will would be an idiot to leave me for someone like her and he’s a brilliant man.
“I actually had coffee with Mara the other morning. She told me she thinks Oscar’s cheating, then she burst into tears. I thought you saidshewas the cheater?” I ask. “What’s really going on there?”
Sozi’s eyes flicker with something—a mix of amusement and exhaustion, like she’s been sitting on too many secrets for too long. “Where do I even begin with those two?”
“Start anywhere.”
Sozi laughs, a sharp, bitter sound. “Well, for one, they’re toxic as hell. They’ve been cheating on each other for years. Mara can’t stay faithful to save her life, and Oscar’s ... well, you know what he’s like. Always looking for the next shiny thing to chase. He’s got a new car in his driveway every six months. Every outfit he wears looks like it came straight off a high-end department store mannequin. Even his skin is flawless. People who are too perfectionistic, too in control, scare me.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make him toxic.” I can’t believe I’m defending Oscar.
“No, I know. I’m just painting a picture,” she elaborates. “He comes off as this clean-cut, business-man type, but you can tell there’s something deep below his surface. You can see it in his eyes, his body language. Something’s repressed. Secrets. Emotions. Rage. I don’t know.”
