Page 18 of The Vow Thief
Matt stepped out onto the porch, scanning the space. His gaze fell on the plant lying on its side, then he stepped forward, looking left and right down the street.
From her hiding spot behind a dense hedge, Lily could see him perfectly. She could almost smell the faint trace of his cologne on the cool night air. Every part of her wanted to step out, touch his arm, tell him this was his chance to leave with her. But she stayed still. Small.
Matt lingered a moment longer before Sarah joined him.“Is it our stalker?” she asked.
They both laughed, and Jim’s voice called from inside,“I heard that.”
Still grinning, Matt said,“I’m certain our stalker doesn’t want your hands around her neck.”
They went back inside together, the solid click of the new lock sealing the door. Lily had noticed it earlier when she first approached. Brand new. Shiny. Another layer of Sarah’s obsessive little fortress.
Jim began saying his goodbyes while buttoning his jacket.“Dinner was excellent. Thank you both.” He slipped his keys from his pocket.“I want you to consider Charleston. I’ll need Matt there a week from Monday regardless, but a change of scenery could serve the family well.”
Matt nodded, glancing toward Sarah before answering.“We’ll consider it.”
They saw him off, exchanged polite words, and watched his car disappear into the darkness.
When Matt closed the door, the new lock clicked into place. The sound was loud in the quiet house, sealing them in.
Sarah turned to Matt, her hand finding his almost without thought.
“Matt,” she said, steady but soft,“even if we don’t work out, you should take that job in Charleston. It’s an important step for you.”
He didn’t hesitate.“I’m not leaving you, Sarah. If you don’t go, I don’t go.”
The words weren’t dramatic, just plainspoken, and that was what made them land. For the first time, she saw how fixed his focus had become. It was no longer about partnership or prestige. It was about her.
Sarah held his gaze a moment longer, a strange pull working in her chest. She wasn’t ready to believe him, not yet. But the conviction in his voice was undeniable, and it unsettled her more than any lie ever had.
The house went to sleep, but outside, the night was not empty. Lily had been there the night before. She was there tonight. And she would be there tomorrow, watching, waiting.
She had become part of the darkness that pressed against their house. Her presence was as certain as the plants on the porch and the cars in the driveway. She was making herself at home, only on the other side of the door. She was the sound that went bump in the night, waiting for an opportunity she hadn’t quite worked out yet.
Chapter 9 - School's Rules
The next morning, Lily stood in the center of her bedroom, scanning the walls like an artist preparing a gallery showing. Every inch was covered. Matt at the grocery store, Matt jogging, Matt walking to his car. Matt in sunglasses. Matt in a suit. Matt laughing with his head tipped back. Some photos were printed and tacked in neat rows, others taped over mirrors, the edges curling. A few she had framed.
It was a shrine, and she knew it. She didn’t care.
She walked the perimeter slowly, touching each image with the tips of her fingers. On some, she lingered. A candid shot of Matt sipping coffee in his driveway, she pressed her lips to it, whispering his name. Another of him leaned into his car with his tie loosened, she blew it a kiss. The sound was soft, almost reverent.
“You’ll understand soon,” she murmured, as if the photos could hear her.“You’ll see what she’s done to you.”
On her dresser sat a single photo of Matt with the kids, framed in silver. She picked it up and stared at their little faces. Innocent. Clueless. It made her smile and clench her jaw all at once.
“They’re in the way,” she murmured.“They always have been.”
She set the photo back down gently, as if the image were fragile, though the thought in her mind was anything but.
She turned upConfidentby Demi Lovato and got dressed with precision. Navy pencil skirt, crisp white blouse, low heels. Hair pulled into a sleek bun. Minimal makeup, professional, respectable. Exactly the kind of woman a school secretary wouldn’t hesitate to hand children over to.
A final glance in the mirror. She straightened her collar, smoothed her skirt, and smiled at herself.“Matt’s sister,” she rehearsed.“Family emergency. No time to explain.”
By the time she walked into the elementary school office, she had the script down cold.
The receptionist, a woman in her fifties with reading glasses perched on her nose, looked up from her computer.“Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Lily said, adopting a concerned tone.“I’m here to pick up Tommy and Emily Taylor. Their mother had an accident. I’m Matt’s sister. He asked me to get them right away.”
