Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 819(@200wpm)___ 655(@250wpm)___ 546(@300wpm)
“Argh!” I flung back, adopting the same hands-on-face position Micah did. “I know, I know. He just pissed me off so much because I know he agrees with me. He knows Courtney didn’t do this and the missing bloody clothes are important, but he’s not going to do anything about it, because he’s a shit-his-pants coward. How is that not supposed to piss me off!”
“It pisses me off too. Especially because they were fucking lazy. After they found the knife in Thorne’s bag, they stopped all the interviews and I never got to tell them that there was an eleventh person who went upstairs that night,” he dropped on my head like a ton of bricks. “Someone who wasn’t in the ballroom the next morning. Someone they missed.”
“Excuse me?” I flipped over, jumping on him and tearing a grunt from his chest. “What are you talking about?”
“There was another person wandering around our house instead of at the party where they should’ve been,” he said. “Dad’s gout was flaring up but that didn’t stop him sucking down the steak, and draining every glass of wine the waiters put in front of him. I went upstairs to get his medicine, and when I came out of their room, I saw a woman whip around the corner. I caught a glimpse of her face, but I did not see that face again the next morning when they gathered us in the ballroom.”
“Meaning they missed someone.” I rocked back on his lap, chest squeezing. “And you’re just telling me this now. What. The. Fuck. Spencer! You and your damn secrets!”
“Whoa, whoa, easy,” he said with a laugh. “It wasn’t a secret, and I’m only bringing it up now to back you up.” Micah grasped my hips. His thumbs slipped under my shirt, rubbing slow circles on my rising goose bumps. “You’re right, they did a terrible job investigating both murders, and you have every right to be mad about it.”
“But why bring it up now?”
He cringed. “I didn’t want to say anything before because it’s a sore subject. I recognized her immediately. It was Dana Finley, Colin Finley’s mother.”
A ringing sounded in my ears—drowning out Micah and my own shouting mind.
“C-Colin’s mother?” I rasped.
“That’s right.” He was still smiling like it was no big deal. “I saw her upstairs but there’s no way she attacked your mom. I mean, why would she? But it does bring up a good question—if she slipped by them unnoticed, who else did?”
I barely heard him, my eyes were searching every twitch of his muscles. My ears obsessed over the slightest inflection of his voice. “Micah.” My voice came from far away. “You’re asking why would she kill my mother? Seriously? How could you possibly believe Dana Finley doesn’t have reason to hate this family?”
“Nah.” He waved that away, widening my eyes. “I’m sure she doesn’t hate your whole family, but that Sarang girl—”
I fell off his lap, stumbling away.
“—she must hate her... for sure...” Micah sat up, squinting at me. “You okay? What’s wrong?”
“Sarang?” I was still breathing, but somehow air wasn’t in my lungs. “You know... about Sarang?”
“What? Of course, I do.” He laughed. “Well, I know what you told me. Sorry, babe, I still don’t remember that year we were all at school together, but”—Micah hissed—“I do remember the day Colin went through the floor. Shit, that was horrible.”
Micah reached his hand out to me. “I know you said the whole family cut her off after she was expelled, but I still don’t think it’s right. She should’ve gone to prison for what she did.”
I stared at him, making no move to take his hand. One question and one question alone swirled through my mind.
Is this a trick?
“Micah,” I whispered, taking a step back. “I really do want us to start over and make different choices this time. Become a stronger couple.”
“Uh, okay?” His hand slowly returned to his side. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, I did, and now I don’t remember what lies I told you about Sarang and Colin.”
“Lies?”
“Yeah, lies,” I said firmly, falling back on the vanity seat. “Remind me what I told you, so I can tell you the truth now.”
Alarm wrinkled his handsome features. “The hell? Sue, you told me Sarang was your cousin. She was messed up on drugs and a loser boyfriend, so her parents shipped her across the world to stay with you and your mom. But a bad pattern is called that for a reason. She came to Titan Prep and got mixed up with losers again. She was obsessed with looking good to her rich friends, so when they dared her to sabotage the stage, she did it.” He scoffed. “I’m assuming she didn’t see the pipe sticking out of the ground and wasn’t planning for Colin to get impaled on it, but seriously.