Page 21 of The Vow Thief
“I know,” he cut in gently.“I know exactly what you would have done, and that’s why I didn’t tell you until she was already in cuffs.”
“So she’s coming for my kids now,” Sarah said, a deep hum rising in her throat.“She wants to raise the stakes and put her life on the line? I'll oblige. My children are not negotiable, Matt. She lays a hand on them, and jail won’t save her. Nothing will. Do you hear me?"
“I do,” he said.“Which is why I’m going to see her at the jail.”
“You what?”
“I’m taking Jim with me. I’m going to make it crystal clear that I’m not brainwashed, I’m not trapped, and I’m in love with my wife. She needs to hear it straight from me.”
Sarah’s breath came fast, and when she spoke, it was through clenched restraint.“You think talking to her is going to make her stop?”
“No. However, I do think she will keep spinning this idea in her head that she still has a chance. Sarah, she told the cop today that you were a danger to me. She thinks you have some kind of mind control over me. I need to shut it down. With Jim there as a witness.”
There was a pause, her anger wrestling with the practical part of her brain.“I hate this. I hate that she gets one more second of your time.”
“I do too. But if it keeps her from circling back around the family again…”
Silence again, then she finally relented.“Fine. But you stay with Jim the whole time. And you watch her eyes. You’ll know if she’s listening or just storing up more crazy.”
“I will,” he promised.“I’ll call you after.”
When they hung up, Matt drove straight to the office where Jim was waiting by the curb, leaning on his truck. They didn’t waste words, just climbed in and headed toward the jail.
They waited in the small, airless lobby for nearly fifteen minutes, just long enough for Lily to be processed and moved into a holding cell. A guard finally approached, letting them know she wasn’t cleared for the standard visiting room due to“behavioral concerns.”
Matt didn’t have to ask what that meant.
They followed the guard through a side hallway, the air colder, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. He could hear Lily before he saw her, the rise and fall of her voice carrying from the back. When they reached the cell, she was pacing in slow, deliberate turns, her eyes locking on him like she’d been waiting.
Her smile was soft at first, almost tender, but there was nothing sane in her gaze.
“Matt,” she breathed.“You came.”
“Lily, this has to stop,” Matt said, his voice hard enough to cut.“You’ve gone too far. My kids? What the hell were you thinking?”
“Matt,” she said, with a slow shake of her head,“I know Sarah has you brainwashed. You aren’t yourself right now.”
Jim stayed just out of sight, but Matt caught the way his mouth dropped open at her words.
Lily kept going, her voice taking on a feverish edge.“Between her and Mr. Holloway, they’re conspiring against you. Against us. Don’t you see? They are deliberately keeping us apart because they know what we are. They see how real it is.”
Matt laughed once, sharp and humorless.“Lily, I’m the one keeping us apart. There is no us. I am in love with my wife. You are a regret. I’ve told you this before. What will it take to make you see you’re wasting your time? You’ve been in jail twice now. You’ve been dragged out of places by security. You’re acting like a complete and total fool. And breaking into my house? Telling people I gave you a key? Trying to get to my kids? This ends now. No more, Lily. Get it through your head. You mean nothing to me, and everyone knows you are not well.”
Her eyes narrowed at that last word, and her voice dropped to a hiss.“No one thinks I’m crazy. You loved me once. When you lived with me, you were happy.”
Behind him, Jim’s jaw unhinged again, but he said nothing.
Matt raked a hand through his hair, his patience thinning to threads.“No, Lily. I never loved you. You were the biggest mistake of my life. Stop fantasizing about something that never happened and never will.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, then she snapped her head up and screamed,“Then get out! You bastard, get the fuck out of my sight! You will know real regret, Matt Taylor. Mark my words!”
Matt didn’t flinch.“Don’t ever come near me or my family again. Ever.”
He turned and walked away without looking back. Jim followed, silent, the echo of Lily’s rage chasing them down the hallway.
Jim caught up to Matt, who was moving fast, almost like he couldn’t get enough distance between himself and the sound of Lily’s voice.
“Matt… you lived with Lily?” Jim asked, his face filled with disbelief.“I thought it was just that one night.”
