Page 94 of Whispers in the Dark
“Yeah, he did.”
It was one of the best moments of my life.
And it was all thanks to him.
To the man who has done everything to put a damn smile on my face when I haven’t deserved it.
“Oh, he has it bad for you,” Madeleine says, tugging off her hair net and letting her black strands fall loose. “I’ve never seen my brother in love. Come to think of it, I’ve actually never seen him with another woman before.” She shrugs. “Thought he was going to spend the rest of his life living alone up in those mountains, but I have to say, I’m happy that’s not the case anymore.”
“Yeah…” I turn the faucet, letting the warm water run over my hands as I scrub at the remnants of flour and sauce. My chest tightens at the thought of ending this arrangement. Especially since I can’t remember a time in my life I’ve ever felt this happy despite everything else swirling around me. Speaking of… “I have to make a call,” I say, forcing my voice steady. “I’ll be right back.”
“We’re just about finished here. Do you want us to wait for you?” Madeleine asks, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Eli won’t mind.”
“No, no. Don’t worry.” I wave them off. “Joey’s waiting in the car out front for me, anyway.”
“Okay.” Scarlett turns on the dishwasher and then straightens, smiling. “Guess the next time we’ll see you will be at the fundraiser.”
“And please go spend my brother’s money on a new dress,” Madeleine insists as she walks away. “Something that says glam and not library chic.”
I scoff, raising a hand to my chest, pretending to be offended. “Are you calling my black dress library chic attire?”
She lifts a shoulder and smiles. “Yes.”
The two of them disappear down the hall toward the exit, and since the place is now empty, I pull out my phone. A shiver washes through me as I scroll through the list of contacts, finally finding the one I want. Pressing my back against the wall, I inhale sharply. “Here goes nothing.” My finger hovers over the contact, trembling just a fraction before pressing down and then lifting the phone to my ear.
It rings.
And rings.
Maybe he won’t pick up—
“Alina,” he answers cooly, his voice sending an unpleasant shiver across the back of my neck. “You’ve been ignoring me. Thought I was going to have to come out there and pay you a visit.” There’s a warning in his voice. An underlying calm threat to his words.
“I’ve been busy,” I say, keeping my tone steady, though my stomach twists with nerves.
“Busy or not, you will still be expected to—”
“I’m not doing it,” I spit out.
The silence that follows is suffocating, constricting my lungs.
I can almost feel his gaze on me, though he can’t possibly know where I am.
Or could he?
“Come again? I think I misheard you. It sounded to me like you said you weren’t doing it.” His words crackle with fury, cold and unrelenting, eliciting a chill across my skin.
I force out a breath. “I can’t… I can’t do this.”
My fingers curl around my neck, as though to ease the pressure of his invisible grip tightening like a noose I can’t escape.
“You’ll regret this.”
The line goes dead.
Fear surges through me, sharp and frantic, but underneath it, a steady pulse of relief thrums through my chest.I did the right thing. I know I did.
Now, all I have to do is find the perfect moment to explain everything to Mauro. And hopefully… Hopefully he won’t hate me too much after I tell him the truth.
