Page 114 of Our Darkest Summer
“Helena and I have dissolved our contract.”
Kinsley’s head snapped toward me from behind Joshua’s back. I didn’t react. Couldn’t. That was exactly what he wanted. To see something shift in me. A weakness he could control somehow.
Instead, I took another sip of water and set the glass down carefully. “Good for you,” I said evenly. “Is that why you came all the way up here?”
Do you even care about your wife?The one who had been missing for over a decade? The one who was gone and would never come back?
“Isaac Miller had called me around midnight. He needed me up here, so I came.”
Sure. It sounded nice, didn’t it? Until he revealed his real reason. His real intention. Joshua Rhodes didn’t do things unless they benefited him.
“How kind of you,” I muttered, brushing past him.
His hand caught my arm, his fingers pressing harder than necessary. My body tensed, and my skin burned where he touched me.
Do. Not. React.
“Back to your old way, I see,” I gritted, my voice quiet, but sharp. His gaze flicked to his fingers as if he hadn’t realized what he was doing. Then, abruptly, he let go. Like I was the one who burned him. Like it wasn’t an old habit he couldn’t quit.
“I’m here because I wanted to talk to you,” he exhaled. “I realized I hadn’t been fair to you. About… Kinsley.”
My jaw clenched. Not being fair didn’t even begin to cover it. But I had been the weak one. The one who let myself get pushed around.
I stepped closer, towering over him, using those few inches to my advantage. “Here’s the thing,” I said, my voice low. “Even if your ridiculous contract hadn’t been dissolved, I wouldn’t have cared. I’m not your puppet.” I gave him time to process. “If you want to sell the house… go ahead.” The words burned on their way out.
Joshua watched me. Analyzed me. He was trying to see just how much I was telling the truth. Just how much controlled he had left.
Then—
“About the house.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white sheet of paper. Nausea twisted my stomach. Had he already sold it?
“It was in your mother’s name.” He paused dramatically, letting the silence stretch between us.
The word landed heavier than I expected; it carried a weight he was never willing to hold. For a second, I could seeherplaying with us in the living room, her laughter echoing downthe halls, like this place still belonged to her. Because it did. It should have.
The pressure in my chest coiled tighter the longer I looked at him.
“Did you know she was in the house?” My voice was low. His posture didn’t change, but the air around us did. “After she murdered her,” I clarified, the word sharp, cutting. Eric Jones told Isaac Miller all about it. About what his mother did. About how she did it. Everything, except where to findher.Joshua’s brow twitched—barely—but I saw it. “Those fresh flowers on the counter... she brought them here. Not Mom.”
His lashes flickered. It was the only sign that he heard me. He looked down and adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. I clenched my jaw as I swallowed.
“It should be yours,” he said, his voice controlled as always. None of it mattered to him. “Or,” his gaze moved to my brother, “both of yours. I’ll let you two decide.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the house, unwilling to hear what I just said.
Incapable of hearing me.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Thomas
The sun was low,painting the lake in gold, the pines’ dark reflections stretched tall across the surface. Joshua had left an hour ago. Maybe more. I wasn’t keeping track. I sat at the edge of the pier, rolling my mother’s ring between my fingers.
The gold band was warm as the light caught on the emerald in the center. Eleven years and 364 days, and my father’s reaction had been a simple eyebrow twitch. My eyes narrowed at the ring.
What the hell was I supposed to do with it?
The boards creaked behind me, and the faintest trace of coconut lingered in the air.Connor.He didn’t say anything, just sat down beside me, sinking his feet into the water. Birdsong threaded through the trees. I turned the ring, letting the edges press into my fingers.
