Page 171 of A Smile Full of Lies
Ros stood just behind the couch, wide-eyed, already bracing herself.
Nina pointed a manicured finger at her.
“You selfish little bitch. You really thought you could hijack the entire story, self-publish, and just erase me? You greedy little ungrateful cunt?—”
“She didn’t choose to erase you from the equation,” I said, stepping between them. “Idid.”
Nina’s jaw dropped.
I didn’t blink.
“You want to be mad about getting cut out?” I asked, voice low. “Be mad at me. I’m the one who told her to walk away from you. I’m the one who refused to let my family’s story be tainted by your greed.”
“You—” she sputtered. “You made her cut me out?”
“She wasn’t yours to manipulate, Nina,” I said. “You don’t own her. You never did.”
She turned on Ros again.
“And youagreedto his terms? After everything I did for you?”
“She didn’t have a choice,” I said flatly. “I made it a condition.”
Nina blinked, stunned.
“I wasn’t going to let your name anywhere near my parents’ legacy. Or my sister’s. You would’ve pitched it to Netflix before their fucking bodies were even cold if you had your way. I haven’t forgotten the way you came sniffing around four years ago, right after they died, you know.”
Her mouth twisted.
“So she’s your little puppet now? Is that it?”
“No,” I said, my voice turning razor-sharp. “She’s mywife.”
Nina’s eyes snapped wide.
Ros sucked in a breath behind me.
“Wife?” Nina laughed. “Oh myGod. She played you. You really think she’s in this for love? She saw an opening, Philip. An angle. She used you.”
I stepped forward, looming over her. Her laugh died in her throat.
“She took a knife to the chest to protect me,” I said. “She put herself between a murderer and the only evidence that could close my family’s case. And she didn’t do it for profit, Nina. She did it forme.”
“She used me,” Nina snarled. “That book was my fucking idea.”
“No,” I said. “She survived you.”
Nina flushed.
“You want credit for making introductions? For answering a few emails? You think that means you deserve a cut ofthis?”
She crossed her arms, lips curling.
“She’d still be flailing if it weren’t for me.”
“She’d besafe,” I said. “And maybe a little less tired.”
Ros’s hand landed on my back — just a soft, grounding touch. But I wasn’t done.
