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“Play with you?” I mock. “Not once did I ever say there would be anything more between us. In fact, I think I made it quite clear that fucking was all that it was.”
“I want you out of my house.” The loathing in her eyes tells me all I need to know. She has finally accepted that she failed. All her games and pretending have been for nothing, and there will be no big payday for her.
I grin because now we’re getting to the good parts. “In a moment. We still need to discuss my promise.”
She opens her mouth to argue but blanches, her jaw snapping shut at the look of fury I pin on her.
“As I was saying. It never made sense to me how you could afford all this, so I decided to do some digging.”
Her face pales, her throat working as she swallows convulsively. The beginning tendrils of fear creep into her eyes as she finally starts getting it.
“At first, I thought maybe Mommy and Daddy were sponsoring your lifestyle. But that’s not it, right?” I hum. “There’s no way a teacher and police officer in small-town Fairhope could fund all this. So my next question was, who is? Do you care to enlighten me?”
Her mouth tightens, and she stays silent. So damn stubborn.
“No worries. You don’t need to. The man doing the digging for me is quite good. It didn’t take him long to find the payments being paid to you monthly, regular as clockwork. Quite a nice sum, I must say. It took him a day to figure out who the shell company belongs to.”
Monica jumps up, her whole body trembling. “Get out,” she hisses.
I get up slowly, taking a step towards her, my eyes narrowing.
“Does your sister know you fucked her husband? How happy do you think she’ll be when she finds out her husband is sponsoring this lavish lifestyle of yours?”
“You have no proof.” Her words are defiant, but she can’t hide their shakiness.
“Ah, but I do.” I reach into my suit pocket and pull out the flash drive containing a video of them having sex. “Very careless of you to hide the key to your lifestyle in a shoe box,” I tut, a grin playing on my lips. She lunges forward, but I jerk it out of her reach, barking out a laugh. “Even if you could get it from me, my guy has a backup copy ready to send to Erin, so it wouldn’t matter.”
“Please, don’t do this. It would kill her,” she begs, trying to touch frantic hands to my chest. I take a big step back, not wanting anything of hers touching me ever again. I’ve always thought I was a good judge of character, so it alarms me that I didn’t recognize just how manipulative Monica can be. She’s trying to appeal to me to not ruin her sister’s life when all she really cares about is not losing the things she gained through deceit and manipulation.
“Your Mom is quite active in church, isn’t she? I can imagine her devastation when she finds out her golden child had slept not only with a married man but her sister’s husband. The husband who owns this house and your car. The husband who will surely evict you once your dirty little secret isn’t a secret any longer. Tell me, will your parents welcome you back with open arms once you have nowhere to go, or will the shame you brought on the family be too big?”
“Please, Lucas, I’ll do anything you want. Don’t do this to Erin. She’s such a good person, and she doesn’t deserve this. This will break up her family.”
Like you broke up mine, bitch.
Big fat tears are rolling down her cheeks creating the illusion of a compassionate and caring person. The way she blackmailed Erin’s husband shows her true colors. She doesn’t care who she hurts or what she has to do to get what she wants. It’s hard, but I control my disgust, allowing sympathy instead to creep into my face. I hesitate, allowing her to think I’m considering her words.
“You accused me of playing games, so let’s play a game. If you answer my question truthfully, I’ll consider keeping this to myself.” I don’t care what her answer will be because I’m set on seeing her life go up in flames. At this point, I’m toying with her, giving her hope before I snatch it away.
She nods eagerly, looking relieved.
“Are you two still fucking?” I know they’re not thanks to Clayton’s excellent skills, but I love dangling a carrot in front of her.
“No, it was only that once.” She takes a huge breath, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “It was a huge mistake, and I regretted it immediately. I love Erin dearly, and every day I have to live with that guilt.”
I clap slowly, “I have to hand it to you, Monica. Your acting skills are impressive. I’m sure they’ve gotten you far in life. You felt zero guilt. Even if there was a tiny flicker, it wasn’t enough to not blackmail Anthony.”
Her eyes widen, making me chuckle.
“When I told you my guy was good, I meant it.” I take my phone out of my pocket, unlock it, and dial Clayton’s number.
“What are you doing?” She lunges for my phone, the shrillness of her voice echoing off the walls. At the last moment, I turn so she hits my back instead. Clayton answers on the first ring.
“Go ahead. Send the video to Erin. Oh, and all the email correspondence where she threatens to expose him if he doesn’t pay up.”
I hang up and turn back to Monica, who’s given up her struggles. There’s nothing left to say, the devastation etched into her face saying it all. It’s a look I’ll never forget.
“Better start packing, sweetheart,” I say, tossing the key she gave me on the floor before turning and walking out.
Once outside, I stop and take a deep breath. This is the last time I’ve stepped foot in that house, and I know Monica’s days of living here are numbered. I feel sympathy for what this will do to Erin, but if what’s happened to me has taught me anything, it’s that nobody can live a lie forever. Eventually, the truth will come out and better if it happens to her now rather than later. Nothing can save her from the pain she’s about to go through, but the longer she lives in ignorance, the more it will hurt.
