Page 137 of The Jealous Girl

‘I’ve just spent an hour being grilled by the police,’ Ryan said, turning back to me, his eyes blazing. ‘Listening to them telling me all the things they think you’ve done. And I defended you. I told them there was no way you could have done any of that.’

A glimmer of a smile tugged at my lips as I stepped towards him.

‘Because you wouldn’t even know where to start,’ he continued. ‘Inserting yourself into sales? Skimming money?’ He shook his head.

My smile withered instantly.

He didn’t believe I was innocent. He believed I was incapable.

‘Unless you weren’t doing it alone.’

It was the same conclusion that Ben suspected the police had drawn, and yet hearing it from Ryan was worse. Much worse.

Ben leapt up, dumping the laptop and papers on the sofa. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

‘What am I supposed to think, when I find the two of you cosied up in here?’

‘Cosied up?’ Ben scoffed. ‘We’re having a cup of tea, trying to figure out how to help Kirsty. Which is what you should be doing, instead of throwing around wild accusations.’

‘That’s exactly what I came here to do,’ Ryan said, glaring at Ben. ‘But now I’m thinking that Charlotte was right about the two of you. There was something going on between you back then, and clearly there still is.’

‘Charlotte was a liar,’ Ben snapped. ‘All those allegations she made up about me, claiming Kirsty had accused me of harassment.’

‘What?’ Ryan looked back and forth between us.

‘I told you, he didn’t know,’ I said, feeling a flicker of relief.

‘Maybe not,’ Ben conceded. ‘But shouldn’t he?’ He turned back to Ryan. ‘Or did you just want me gone so badly that you didn’t care how Charlotte did it?’

‘That’s not true, is it?’ I asked, turning to Ryan. ‘If you’d known, you would have intervened.’

Ryan didn’t speak.

‘Don’t be so naïve, Kirsty.’ Ben let out a twisted bitter laugh. ‘He never intervened when Charlotte was making your life hell. When she was framing you for fraud. Or when he was leaving you for her.’

‘He didn’t know,’ I repeated. But it sounded weaker this time.

‘And now he comes marching in here, in your flat, acting like he owns the place. He doesn’t even live here. He chose to leave. To leave you.’

‘Ben, don’t,’ I said, placing my hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

Ben jerked his arm away, staring at me as if my touch had burned his skin.

‘It looks like you don’t need my help any more,’ he said quietly. ‘Now you’ve got Ryan.’

‘Ben—’

He shook his head and walked straight past me, towards the door.

I started to go after him but Ryan grabbed my arm. ‘Just let him go, he’s not worth it.’

Ben didn’t even pause, he just slipped out of the door, letting it clunk closed behind him.

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I snapped at Ryan. ‘He’s been helping me.’

‘Getting you involved in this mess, more like,’ Ryan sneered.

‘That’s not⁠—’