Page 134 of Strange Seduction
No Body, No Crime.
Still Day Nine.
“What?”
The word barely made it out of my mouth.
My stomach dropped as I looked up at Vince’s face. I tried to blink him away.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No. I don’t believe you.”
“It’s the truth,” he said quietly.
I stared at him. My chest tightened, vision narrowing like I was about to black out.
Doubt: Was it Leah?
“With who?” The voice didn’t even sound like me. It was stripped of all the confidence.
“Carmen, maybe I shouldn’t have told you like this—”
“With. Who?” I pushed. “Please, just tell me with who.”
He stared at me for a while as I fought back the tears stinging my eyes.
“Last Thanksgiving,” Vince went on. “We had a staff party. He and Guila left together.”
“Guila?” the name cracked in my throat.
“The receptionist,” he explained. “That’s why she’s so cold to you. Everyone in the office knows, but we’re not allowed to talk about it. Especially with you here.”
My heart split open.
He’s lying. He has to be lying. Theo wouldn’t do that.
Not to me.
We just had a discussion on the balcony less than five hours ago about how committed he was to me. Theo told me he didn’t know why the receptionist was rude to me. Vince just wanted to turn me against Theo.
Doubt: But the way he said it…
“You’re lying,” I said, voice breaking just slightly.
“Ask him,” Vince said. “Ask him about it.”
“Vincent, what the hell are you doing?”
Carter’s voice sliced through the tension as he turned the corner, his expression hard as he took in the scene.
“Let her go, man.”
Vince stepped back, hands up. “She deserved to know.”
Carter’s gaze flicked to mine. “Carmen… Theo’s looking for you out front.”
I didn’t say anything. I turned and walked.
My heels echoed down the hallway, but all I could hear was that one sentence:
