Page 57 of His Little Secret in Discretion
My fingers trembled as I opened the second envelope, and tears came to my eyes at what was inside.
Cash.
Neatly stacked. Bound by a thin rubber band. By the looks of it, it was probably around five grand. I just stared at it. Stared until the words started to blur. Until the walls of my apartment felt like they were folding in on themselves.
He knew. Knew exactly how to pull me back. Not with the threats or the blackmail. But with the one thing he knew I’d never stop protecting.
My Uncle Wes.
I didn’t know what to even do with the money. The obvious thing to do would be to return to sender. And I would… soon enough. Besides, it was just another thing Felix had dangling over our heads, but this was also… safety.
Who knew when my sugar baby days would run out; who knew if my uncle would relapse again, and I would have no way to pullhim out of his gambling habits again; who knew when I’d stop being blacklisted from every job to have a living wage.
I should have thrown the money into the trash. But instead… I reached for the cabinet under the sink. Pushed it to the very back behind a busted blender and a box of expired pasta… and shut the door like it was nothing. I couldn’t stop the tears that fell as I sat on the floor in the middle of my kitchen.
The tile was cold beneath my thighs. The walls closed in, trapping me in my head.God, I just want to go to bed.
I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, already angry at myself for crying. For hiding the money instead of burning it. For letting him win.
Again.
My phone buzzed on the counter, and for one wild second I thought it might be him… Felix.
It could be a follow-up message. A taunt. A confirmation that I’d done exactly what he wanted.
But it wasn’t. Reaching for the phone, I rubbed my shaky fingers down my thigh as the phone silently hummed in my hand.
Answering the call, I held it up to my ear. “Hi,” I said gently.
“Sunshine.”His voice always sounded smoother at night.“I was wondering when you’d remember to call me back. Started thinking I needed to call in a wellness check.”
I smiled through my tears as I toyed with the hem of my pajama shorts. “I said after rehearsal.” I tried to sound normal. Like I hadn’t cried in the middle of my apartment with five grand and a nervous breakdown. Hopefully, it was working.
“Mhm. That was three hours ago. You usually call on the car ride home while you pretend not to miss me. And tonight, you didn’t even entertain me convincing you to stay the night at my place.”He paused.“Which tells me something’s wrong.”
I swallowed hard. “Nothing’s wrong. Just tired.”
“Sunshine, you and I both know we can’t lie…”I rolled my eyes at him, another smile coming to my face. Then, he spoke softer.“Do I need to come over?”
“No,” I answered too quickly, mentally scolding myself afterward.
“Because I will,”he responded without hesitation.“I know your building, your floor, your door code—”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “I never told you my code.”
“Not the point here. If I think you’re not okay, you know I will be there in a heartbeat. Don’t forget who you’re dealing with here, baby.”
“Oh, please, I don’t need another reminder.”
“You think I won’t threaten you with a good time, baby?”
“You always do.” I tried to laugh, but it came out weak. I’m sure he caught it since there was another short pause.
“…You didn’t eat after class, did you?”
“Is food the only thing on your mind, Mr. Porter?”
“The only thing other than you. And you didn’t answer the question.”
