Page 77 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

“Wednesday night.”

“So it’ll be a farewell get-together then.”

“No…”

“We’re going to hate to see you go, but you’ll have to let us send you off in style.”

“Can’t we do it earlier in the week?” Or not at all?

“It’ll be fine. We’ll bring everything. No need to fuss. I can’t believe we’re losing you.”

“I really think it would be best if we did it maybe tomorrow night?”

“Nonsense. It’s already set in stone. We’ll see you Wednesday afternoon. Bye now.”

“But…” the line was already dead. What a bitch. She couldn’t come on Wednesday. I needed all day to booby-trap the house. I’d call her again tomorrow and be more firm about my demands. Sometimes I thought I hated Charlotte more than I hated my husband.

I eyed the basement door. What on earth was he up to? He’d been hard at work all day down there. He hadn’t even stopped for lunch. Despite my conversations with Ben and Charlotte, I felt relatively calm. Packing tended to do that for me. I liked that everything had a place. And that everything ended up in said place once packing was complete.

I opened up the fridge and pulled out some lunch meat and lettuce. The least I could do for my dear husband on one of his last days was make him a sandwich.

Besides, I had always loved making him sandwiches. I hated mayonnaise. Just the thought of it made me want to gag. He happened to like it. But I always felt satisfied smearing it onto his bread. This gross, gloppy stuff. I liked to pretend that I was ruining his sandwich. That he’d choke on the greasy mess.

I smiled as I placed the slice of bread on top. Perfectly disgusting. I might actually miss this. I laughed out loud in the empty kitchen. Who was I kidding? I wouldn’t miss a thing about him. I walked down the basement steps to find my husband pulling a folder out of a filing cabinet.

“I brought you a sandwich. You could probably use a break, huh?”

“Thanks, babe.” He took the plate from me and set it and the file down on a folding table.

“Have you found what you’re looking for?” I couldn’t help my curiosity. He was so intent on finding something. And I had no earthly idea what he was looking for.

“No, not yet.” He took a bite of the sandwich.

I smiled at the thought of the gross mayonnaise. Take that.

“Thanks, this is delicious.”

He had the palette of a child. “Mhm.” I rested my back against the banister. “What is it exactly that you’re looking for?”

He looked up from the file. “You’ll see soon.”

How irritatingly vague. “I was thinking. If we move…I’ll need to find a new doctor. Maybe I could choose my own this time?”

He sighed and closed the file, tossing it into a nearby box. “That won’t be necessary.” He walked over to the filing cabinet and pulled out another file.

“You think I’m well enough to stop going to therapy?”

“No, I didn’t say that, Adeline. Dr. Nash will be joining us in Florida.” He opened up the file and started reading it. As if he hadn’t just said the most absurd thing in the world.

“She can’t come with us. She has a practice here. I’m not her only patient.”

“You’ve made a lot of progress with her guidance. I don’t want our move to have negative consequences for your health. The whole idea is that this will be best for you.”

“She won’t agree to it. She hates me.”

He looked up at me. “Dr. Nash doesn’t hate you. And she’s already agreed to come.”

“What do you have on her?”

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