AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her neighbors liked her and were dependent on her. She had one neighbor, Mrs. Belcher, who was a giant pain in the arse. But Daphne Winslow was nothing if not unfailingly kind. Always willing to help even when Mrs. Belcher was taking the piss.
She had a sister she loved. They saw each other a couple times a week. Sometimes with the sister's fiancé, sometimes without.
And I'd known she had this boyfriend. More than once I'd been tempted to just fucking get rid of the twat already. Leave evidence of his cheating ways. But I had to wait. So far, Massimo hadn't come near her, and I wasn't getting involved until he did.
And what do you call this?
Surveillance. I bloody called this surveillance. But given the breakup, I now needed to act as if Massimo was going to make a move. So far he’d just kept tabs on her social media, which honestly, only consisted of photos with her attempting death defying stunts like the bungee jumping. There was also race car driving, a helicopter flight, and a motorcycle lesson. Pictures of her standing next to things, but never…on the things.
There were no photos of any family other than her sister and Grandmother. Her Grandmother lived in a memory care facility and she saw her religiously every Wednesday night. I knew her mother was still alive, but they didn't see each other much. And outside of her sister Willow mentioning her mother now, they hadn't had any contact. Given Daphne’s response, the way she clutched the steering wheel and had to take several deep breaths as she sat in the car and cried, there was a story there.
Not a story you give a fuck about. You are here for Massimo.
No. I didn't give a fuck about her family drama. But I did need to understand her if I was going to do this.
She would make the perfect bait.
4
Daphne
Present Day…
“Your mother is going to be there?”
My best mate, Talia Reynolds, took a large sip of her martini as she tried to process the information.
“Yep. And Willow dropped this little piece of magic on me right after I chickened out of bungee jumping and got dumped. I had no more adrenaline to spare, so I couldn't even react.”
“Mate, I'm so sorry. What are you going to do? I mean, I know you're the maid of honor and you hadn't really planned on taking a date, but you need someone there. I'll come with you. We'll tell everyone we’re a couple now.”
I couldn't help but laugh. Talia was my first real friend. We’d met when I’d moved in with Gran. She lived down the road and decided we were going to be best mates at first sight. She didn’t give a shit that I was the weird girl. She said my past made me interesting.
“Thank you. I love you for offering, but I wouldn't subject anyone to my mother voluntarily.”
I knew it would be bad. My mother was a malignant narcissist with a slew of mental health issues.
“I mean why would Willow do this if she knows you don't get on.”
I chewed my bottom lip trying to think of the best way to answer this question. “It's not her fault. When we were taken away to live with Gran, she didn't know any of the reasons why. All she really knew was that she missed her mother. She knew mum was sick and had to go away and get better. Gran convinced me it was better to not tell her.” I shrugged. How could I explain that it was my job to look out for her. And that meant emotionally as well as physically. “Willow is sweet. Always was. She wouldn't have understood.”
“And now? Because this is a bloody big deal. And she's hurting you by having her there.”
There was no other choice. I shrank from the truth. It was the question I couldn't ask myself out loud. What if Willow knew and still wanted my mother in her life?
Who was I kidding? “The truth is, I’m a chickenshit.”
It had been nearly a week since Willow had dropped the bombshell on me, and I still hadn't managed to sit her down and have a conversation about it. Just the thought of it made my stomach knot with fear.
Talia lifted a delicately arched brow as she tossed her silken black locks over one shoulder. “Her mother is a narcissistic attempted murderer. If Willow knew, you know she would take your side. You know she wouldn't let your mother anywhere near you.”
Did I know though? What if she still chose mum after hearing the truth?
I shoved that thought aside. This wasn't about being chosen or believed. I had moved on. I just had to survive this damn wedding.
“…I mean, he's always an option. But what you want is somebody really fit.”
It took me several moments to realize that Talia had been speaking. And I had just spaced out on her. My brain scrambled to catch up.
