I can’t help the sob that bubbles up and he slaps his hand over my mouth, pushing the back of my head to the door. Leaning in, he presses his hard body into mine, his face dropping to whisper in my ear, “You were always meant to be to someone’s secret, Elli. You’re a good fuck, I can’t deny that. But no one will ever love you. Not the real you.”
He shoves me to the side, grabs his shirt off the counter, and rips the door open, slamming it shut behind him, hiding me in his bathroom. “Let’s go,” I hear him say.
“What were you doing in there?” she asks him, obviously thinking something is up.
“Nothing,” he answers. Then I hear his bedroom door open and close as he leaves with his future bride.
_______________
“IN HERE,” KIRA states. “Put her in bed,” she tells Corbin who carries me.
After Sin left me in his bathroom, I fell to my knees. Crying so hard that I crawled to the toilet and got sick. Kira found me and had Corbin drive my car home while she drove me.
I curl up into a ball, no longer crying. My mind has gone numb, I wish my body would too. The tattoo burns more than the brand ever did. I can feel it throbbing, a reminder that I was so fucking dumb to let him tie me up and have his way with me. He’s right, no man could ever love me.
“Hey.” She kneels beside the bed to get eye level with me.
“Did you know?” I whisper, finally speaking to her. There’s been nothing to say since she found me. She knew I would show up when she informed me Sin was there. And then I overheard Corbin tell her when they entered the bathroom that he had seen Sin and Amelia arguing while he rushed her out of the house. My car was parked right out front. A part of me hopes that Amelia saw it and put two and two together. But if she’s as dumb as me, she won’t even care. She’ll take him any way she can get him.
She sighs. “I found out this morning.”
I sniff. Why didn’t she tell me? Warn me? Did she not stop to think how I’d find out? She’s known that I’m sleeping with her brother. Not that I’m in love with him, but it was obvious that we were together and that I was distraught when I found out he was sleeping with Amelia when she found us in the bathroom. “How long have they known?”
“I don’t know.”
“Three weeks,” Corbin answers, leaning up against the doorframe.
“Babe,” she snaps at him.
“Three weeks?” I whisper, my throat closing up on me all over again.
“They were going to wait until next year after she graduates from Barrington,” he goes on. “But her mother decided to move it up.”
Her mother? Did she do it because of my mom? She told me this morning in my kitchen that they are friends. Did they plan this? “I tried calling him…”
“He’s blocked your number,” he adds matter-of-factly.
“Corbin,” she snaps at him.
“She deserves to know.” His cold eyes meet mine. “It’s over, Elli. It’ll be best for you to come to terms with that sooner rather than later.”
Kira jumps up and goes over, slamming the door in his face.
CHAPTER FORTY
SIN
“WHAT DO YOU think about this, baby?” Amelia calls out and I grind my teeth at the nickname. Elli hated it and so do I. It’s too sweet. Too generic.
Walking over to her, I look at the sample of plates they have out before us to taste. They all look like overpriced shit, if you ask me. But what do I know? “Doesn’t matter,” I say, pulling out my cell from my jeans pocket and walking away to get some privacy.
I pull up the camera footage just in time to see Corbin’s eyes look at me through the screen as if he knows I’m watching, then Kira slams the bedroom door in his face. My sister walks over to the bed and I watch Elli bury her face into the pillow. Kira rubs her back, but Elli pushes her away.
“Babe?” Amelia barks out. “What are you doing?” She’s in front of me the next second, trying to get a look at my phone.
I lock it, narrowing my eyes on her. Opening my mouth to speak, it rings in my hands. Tyson lights up the screen. “Hello?” I answer, stepping away once again to put some distance between us.
“It’s done. You have a meeting. Friday morning. Ten a.m.,” he answers in greeting, getting to the point. “Meet me at Blackout. I’ll drive.”
“You’re coming too?” I can’t help but ask. Surprised by that.
“That’s the only way they’ll see you,” he growls, obviously not pleased with the situation but understanding how important it is to me.
I nod to myself. “Thanks, man.” Knowing that I’m not only going to owe Ryat but I’m also going to owe Tyson as well.
He hangs up without another word and I turn to see Amelia glaring at me. Arms crossed over her paid-for chest. “Why is Tyson Crawford calling you?” she demands, pushing a hip out.
“It’s nothing.” I give her my back, going to look at the camera again.
She grabs my arm, her nails digging into my skin, making me grind my teeth. “Easton—”
“None of your goddamn business,” I snap, spinning back around to face her. Silence falls over the room. All eyes are now on me.
The woman who is helping us plan our wedding gasps. Her eyes wide, hand now over her injected lips.
Fuck this day.
I reach into my back pocket and remove my wallet. Handing my card to Amelia, I say, “Get whatever you want. Just don’t expect me to care.” Then I walk out the front door and go to my car. I fall into the driver’s seat and pull up the camera footage.
Elli is lying in the bed, eyes closed. She looks to be asleep. Pulling up the rest of the house where I’ve installed cameras, I see Corbin and my sister in the living room. I turn on the volume to the max setting to listen in.
“Why did you tell her all that?” she growls at him. “Elli is fragile.”
“Like I said, she deserved to know.” He shrugs. “Sin’s marrying Amelia. The poor girl needs to get over it and move on.”
“Oh, because that’s so easy.” Kira laughs but it holds no humor. “Would I be that easy to get over?”
“Kira,” he snaps. “Don’t start…”
“What would you do if I dumped you to marry someone else? Hmm? You’d just let me walk away?”
“That’s different.” Corbin runs a hand through his hair.
“That’s a cop-out if I’ve ever heard one.” She rolls her eyes and steps away from him.
He reaches out, grabbing her upper arm, and spins her around. She goes to push him away, but he pulls her in, kissing her.
I go back to the camera in the bedroom, not wanting to watch that shit, and see the bed now empty. I sit up straighter. Where the fuck did she go?
Pulling up another camera, I look at the bathroom. It shows her walking up to one of the double sinks. Her hand over her face. She turns on the faucet and cups the water, rinsing out her mouth.
I turn on the volume as my sister enters. “Knock, knock.”
Elli looks up at her, tears silently falling down her puffy face.
“You okay?” she asks softly.
“Fine,” Elli answers and starts to walk back toward the bedroom.