Page 70 of The Lies That Shatter
I note again that neither McKenna nor Kellan have replied. It’s not unusual for Mac, as she doesn’t use her phone much when working, but it’s very fucking strange for Kel.
I send a quick message to Bree, letting her know where I am and what I’m doing, whilst also informing her that Kel hasn’t replied. So even if he is busy, everyone knows where I am.
Before I can think about it anymore, I notice Mel standing by the restaurant door, her mouth turned into the thin line. She’s obviously pissed that I’m keeping her waiting, and the rebelliouspart of me wants to stay in the car a little longer to piss her off more, but I know that won’t help things. So, begrudgingly, I climb out of the car and plaster a fake smile on my face as I head to greet her.
“Mel, you look beautiful,” I say brightly, as I pull her into my arms the way I always do when we meet.
She stiffens beneath my touch. I go to press a soft kiss to her lips, and she tilts her head at the last minute, so my lips press against her cheek instead. Alarm bells go off in my head.
“You’re late,” she snaps.
Initially I thought her tensing was a sign my cover has been blown, but it’s more logical to assume she’s just pissed at me for not meeting her sooner, and for being late. I try not to think of the worst case scenario, but I remain highly vigilant, just in case.
“Sorry, this was a rather last-minute date, and I got here as quickly as I could,” I reply, taking hold of her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze as I follow the man who is leading us to our table.
She looks exactly the same as on other dates; hair styled in a sophisticated up-do, make-up subtle but enhancing her best features, and her dress is the perfect mix of conservative and tight. She’s presenting the high society image that she always does, but there’s something off. Her facial features are tight, her eyes are duller than normal, and her smile doesn’t seem as genuine. This puts me further on edge.
Maybe she’s just pissed at me, or it could be my worst-case scenario come to life. I wonder if I’m viewing her differently now that I know the truth. Now we know how truly evil she is, maybe I can’t look at her the same way. Before I wanted to believe the best in her, to think she was ignorant to the horrors of her husband’s world, but maybe finding out she’s more involved than we ever suspected has changed how I see her.
I try to keep my emotions off my face, presenting the fake version of myself I’ve been using for the last few months. We go through the motions, making small talk while we order wine and our meals, each of us skirting around the elephant in the room that I can’t quite see. I’m not stupid enough to raise the issue with her, as I might walk myself into something I can’t back out of. I trust she will tell me what’s bothering her soon enough… I just have to wait.
Turns out, I have to wait until we’ve both finished our main meals before she finally addresses what has her in a sour mood. The server takes our plates, and as soon as we’ve finished ordering our desserts, Mel turns to me, her eyes no longer hiding her emotions. Her silver eyes have darkened to an ugly grey colour, and she glares at me as a sneer tilts her lips.
“I know you’re going to break up with me,” she snaps, and my eyes widen in shock.
I quickly school my features as my brain thinks through what to say. I decide to play dumb until she gives me some more information to go on. “What?”
She shakes her head, nose wrinkled in disgust. “Don’t lie to me. I know you’re cheating on me.”
I freeze at her words. Part of me wonders if she’s just having a stab in the dark because she’s insecure, or if she really knows about McKenna. And if she does, how much does she know? Is my cover blown?
Rather than panic and jump to conclusions, I keep a cool head and let her tell me what she knows. “I’m not cheating on you.” I force the words out with as much sincerity as I can, genuinely thankful that lies come easy to me.
“Bullshit,” she snaps, as she pulls her bag up onto the table.
She lays out a couple of photos of me going into McKenna’s apartment, and one of us kissing as she’s closing the blinds. There’s nothing I can see to indicate my cover has been blown,but for now, I’m going to have to assume that it could’ve been. Which means I need to get out of here as soon as possible, pull Mac out, and tell my family what’s happened.
“Look, Mel…” I gather the pictures up into a bundle, but she snatches them out of my hand.
“Don’t even bother coming up with an excuse. I’ve had my men following McKenna for weeks. When she told me about her boyfriend, I thought I was wrong about the situation, but a woman’s intuition is never wrong. I know you’re fucking her,” she snaps, and despite the intensity of her voice, I relax slightly.
She’s only been following McKenna, and she still believes Ethan is real, which means she probably doesn’t know who I really am. She thinks I’m just a cheating boyfriend, which I can work with.
I can’t help but think that my reckless behaviour has led to this. I knew I should have stayed away from Mac until the job was over, and because I wasn’t strong enough to do that, it’s put my entire fucking family in danger.
“I’m sorry, Mel. I really don’t know what to say. It was a fling… It meant nothing.” The words taste like ash on my lips, and the lies are harder to form than I expect.
I’m trying to claw my way back, to hold onto the assignment for just two more days, and I know Mac would understand my doing whatever is necessary, but my lies feel too much. It’s disrespectful to McKenna to even suggest that my relationship with her is anything less than the most important thing in my entire world. But I need to keep up the pretence.
“Oh, I know it was only a fling. That cheap, nasty whore is only good for one thing—fucking. I’m sure the sex with her was good, as sluts like her are willing to do anything to get a man’s attention. But let's be real, she’s not the sort of girl men settle down with, whereas I am.”
The venom in her voice makes her face shift into an ugly sneer, and I ball my hands into fists to get control of the rage that simmers under the surface with each insult she throws at McKenna. My girl is more than she will ever be, and if she keeps talking about her in this way, I’m going to struggle not to blow my cover.
“It’s true, any man would be lucky to settle down with you,” I say through gritted teeth, keeping the words I really want to say from my lips.
I mean, she’s clearly forgotten that she’s married. She’s probably the most evil, vile woman I’ve ever met, but she thinks highly of herself, so I need to play into her boosted ego. But you can sure as shit bet I’m not saying anything negative about McKenna, even if I’m only pretending.
“But not you? You want her?” she asks incredulously, like she can’t quite believe that I might choose McKenna over her.
