Page 81 of Unveiled

Adalyn cringed as Jenn threw the coffee mug against the wall, where it shattered with a crash.

“Until I found out you lied about that, too, and you’re not really divorced,” she hissed.

Adalyn raised her hand in supplication. “I thought we were. I had no idea we were still married until Jaxon showed up.”

“Exactly,” Jenn snapped. “Then you threw yourself right back into his arms, knowing he would have to take you back.”

Adalyn’s mouth gaped open. She couldn’t believe Jenn thought that. She was the one who kept pushing Jaxon away, not the other way around. “What is this really about?”

“It’s about him!” she screamed. “It’s always been about him.”

For a moment, Adalyn was stunned speechless. She had no idea Jenn had even known Jaxon before he showed up the other week. A horrible thought occurred to her. “Were you ever… together?”

Almost immediately, she dismissed it. If Jaxon knew Jenn, he’d have said something.

Anger creased Jenn’s face. “Of course not. I could never get close to him with sluts like you hanging around. But it should’ve been me. I’ve loved him since I was five years old.”

“It was all you.” Adalyn almost couldn’t believe it. “The money, the break-in. Everything.”

Jenn rolled her eyes. “You made it so easy, and you were too stupid to suspect a thing. Even Megan,” she scoffed. “All I had to do was look over her shoulder a couple of times while she was at the register to get her code.”

“You hate me that much?”

Contempt curled Jenn’s lip. “I wanted to make your life miserable any way I could. Getting Megan out of the way gave me the opportunity to get into the salon that night.”

Suddenly, it made sense. Had Megan been there, Jenn would’ve had to leave with her. The security company said the alarm had been set at the normal time; Jenn would have set it without actually leaving the salon, giving her plenty of time to tear the place apart.

“But you helped⁠—”

“That’s right,” she cut over Adalyn. “I helped. It was me in there that morning with Jaxon, me saving the day.”

Adalyn jumped as a loud bang filled the air. Jenn’s head snapped toward the kitchen, and she grasped Adalyn’s arm, pulling her to her feet just as Jaxon came into view. Adalyn’s breath stuttered to a stop as cold metal pressed to her temple.

CHAPTER

FORTY-FIVE

Cold fear mixed with fury snaked through his veins as Jaxon held his hands up, his gaze fixed on Jenn. “Jocelyn… Put the gun down.”

Eyes filled with fire, she shook her head. The gun swung in his direction, and he sucked in a breath as she leveled a glare at him. “So you finally figured it out.”

It was a statement, not a question, and he nodded. “I remember you.” Now that he saw her—really saw her—all the pieces fell into place. He remembered the young girl who’d followed them around when she was younger, her flaming red hair and freckles nothing like the black bob she now sported. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you at first. You look… different.”

Her posture relaxed a bit, but she didn’t lower the gun. “I had to do something to get your attention.”

His attention? He fought to control his reaction. “I didn’t realize…”

Jenn let out a soft snort. “Of course you wouldn’t. I was never good enough for you. My hair was too red, I was too fat. I was just the ugly duckling that no one wanted around.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true.” He remembered the chubby little girl who’d always been covered in dirt, trying to keep up with the neighborhood boys. And, apparently, him.

“I’m sorry you got overlooked. Guys are dumb.” He spread his hands wide, trying to come up with the words. “You know how it is. In high school, you think image is everything. We shouldn’t have cast you aside, and I’m sorry. But please don’t take it out on her,” he pleaded. “This is my fault.”

A sad expression entered her eyes. “It was supposed to be me. You were supposed to love me.”

“Jenn…” He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t risk her hurting Adalyn. “Just… put the gun down so we can talk, all right?”

Her head tipped slightly to one side. “About what?”