Page 41 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

Ben,

Something came up. I’ll be back later. Thank you so much for the best first date ever.

-Addy

I ran to the door and cringed. His tongs were still on the kitchen counter. I didn’t want him to put butt tongs back in his drawer. And I didn’t have time to wash them. I went back to the kitchen and stuffed them in my purse. He stole my sneaker, I stole his tongs. We were even.

I grabbed the note I had left him and added my number to the bottom. Just in case he needed to reach me. Hopefully he’d call me instead of showing up unannounced. I was already in enough trouble.

Chapter 21

I paused before opening the back door of my house. My only play here was to pretend I hadn’t seen any of his calls or messages. I turned off my phone and shoved it back into my purse. The back of my hand brushed against my engagement ring. I pulled out my two rings and slid them on. The diamond glinted in the sun, teasing me into thinking it was beautiful. But it wasn’t. It was hideous and so was everything it represented. I unlocked the door and prayed he was in a good mood.

He was pacing the floor. His cell phone was pressed to his ear and he was yelling into the receiver. His other hand was waving in the air frantically. When we locked eyes, we both froze.

Me in fear.

Him? I had no idea what was wrong with him. But something was definitely wrong. And I had a feeling that it actually had nothing to do with me.

The silence was unnerving. I wanted to turn around and run. I wanted to disappear into the woods and never be found. But I couldn’t move. “You’re home.” I plastered a smile on my face. “What a wonderful surprise.”

“Never mind. She’s home,” he said into the phone and tossed it onto the table.

In two steps he was right in front of me.

I closed my eyes, expecting the worst.

He wrapped his arms around me, leaving a trail of kisses from my jaw to my neck. “I thought something happened to you, babe.” He took a deep breath, like he was breathing in my scent in order to remember it for eternity. The thought was haunting.

I tried to step back, but he wouldn’t release me. “Why? Have you been home long?” The scent of him made me gag.

“Hours.” His arms wrapped tighter around me, suffocating me.

“I’m so sorry. I went for a walk. Why didn’t you call?”

He took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair. “I did call. I left dozens of voicemails and texts. I was so worried.”

“What? I would have heard it.” I pulled my phone out of my purse. “Oh, no.” I put my hand on my forehead. “It’s off. Something in my purse must have bumped the power button.”

His sigh was heavy. I was terrified he wouldn’t believe my lie.

He went to the fridge and opened up the freezer. “You have a twisted ankle. What on earth were you doing walking around for hours? Sit down, Adeline.”

“It’s a mild sprain. And I was growing restless. I needed exercise. It’s hard to be cooped up in here all day when I’m used to running in the mornings. I must have lost track of time.”

He pulled an ice pack out of the freezer. “Sit. Down.”

I sat down in one of the kitchen stairs and took my boots off. He watched me the whole time. Assessing me. Analyzing me.

“I drove around looking for you. I didn’t see you out walking.”

“I was walking in the woods.” It wasn’t a terrible lie. It’s not like he knew I was scared of the rustling of leaves in the wind. Or the shadows that lurked in the darkness.

“The woods.”

I watched his face as he let the thought settle. He believed me. I took a deep breath.

He placed the ice pack down on my ankle. “You missed your last appointment with Dr. Nash.” He didn’t look up at me. He kept his gaze on my ankle. Like he cared.

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