My phone chimes as I turn and head toward the exit.
Sleep well, kitten?
Ear to ear, the smirk extends. I can’t freaking help it.
Mmm…very well. Dreamy.
How about you, killer-boy?
Do tell.
I definitely did not sleep as well as you.
This is a story worth telling in person. *wink*
What’s keeping you up?
You’ll get your wish soon enough, kitten.
A mild case of home invasion, among other things.
Oh, goody, my prayers will finally be answered.
Now who would dare break into The Carver’s house?
Walking toward the café’s exit, I tap my finger against the edge of the phone, watching those three dots appear and disappear as Carter types.
Who indeed…
I’ll share my theory if you tell me your dreams.
I walk out onto the street, biting my lip as I begin to type. But I smash right into someone and barely manage to hold on to my coffee without spilling it.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” I bounce back, fumbling to stick my phone into my handbag. “That was totally my fault, I do apologi—”
That last word sticks in my throat like hot tar when I see the person I just bumped into—my soon-to-be motherfucking ex-husband. And look at that, he’s hand in hand with hisnew squeeze.
What a fucking delight.
“I would say this is an interesting coincidence, but you live an hour and a half away. So...” I trail off, tension rippling through my muscles as I take them in.
“You would be right. There’s no coincidence at all.” A smug satisfaction laces through Bernard’s eyes.
He steps forward and I step back, but I almost bump into the café’s wall. Before he can corner me, I shift quickly to my right so my back is clear and I can escape if needed.
“You’ve been following me.”
“You didn’t give me any choice, Scarlet. If you don’t see reason, I have to make you understand. In person.”
“And you chose a busy café in which to throw your pathetic threats at me?”
I scoff, and his smug grin switches to disdain.
“You have a tendency to hole up in your hermit hide for weeks, and I can’t afford to wait until you decide to crawl out of it,” he says.
“Crawl indeed,” Ariana adds. Her voice is so much more annoying than I ever noticed before. She cocks an eyebrow, looking me up and down with such an air of superiority. She’s lucky I can’t spit in her face right here, right now. Though a vague ache pulls at my heartstrings at what we once had.
Deceit, Scarlet, that’s what you had. She was never your friend!
