Page 119 of Beautiful Terror
She’ll see through Timmy’s games, and when she does, I’ll be there.
Ready to remind her of what it feels like to be truly loved.
Ready to show her that she was never the problem—she was always the prize.
CHAPTER 48
NO BIG DEAL
MARGAUX
THE NEXT DAY
“Dad, Margaux is being a bitch again.”
Timmy has his dad on speakerphone, a smug look plastered across his face. He leans back against the counter like he’s just delivered the zinger of the century.
I stare at him, my jaw tightening as I brace for whatever spin he’s about to put on reality, how he’ll twist things around to make himself look like the victim this time.
Phil’s voice filters through the phone, calm but direct. “Well, son, you really need to get to work and make some money.”
Timmy’s face drops like a kid who’s been told there’s no dessert after dinner. It clearly wasn’t the response he was looking for. With a huff, he takes the phone off speaker and bolts to the back room, slamming the door shut.
Even muffled, I can hear his voice rising and falling as he rants to his dad. ‘She’ this and ‘she’ that. I know exactly what he’s doing—turning me into the villain to wring out some sympathy.
I used to care about how his parents perceived me. That need for approval gnawed at me in the early days of our relationship. But now? I’ve realized it’s pointless.
Timmy himself doesn’t even know where the truth ends and his lies begin. How could his parents ever form an accurate impression of me when their only source is a chronic fabricator?
It’s out of my hands and always has been.
When Timmy finally returns to the main room, his eyes are sharp and accusing.
I meet his gaze, unwilling to back down. “Your behavior is so gross,” I say evenly.
He glares at me. “I’m going to get you kicked out of here.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because you called me gross,” he says. He storms off like an angry teenager.
I tell Alice.
Alice:
Where’s he think he’ll fucking go?
Me:
Lmfao.
That’s a good question.
Maybe to his parents. He’s all braggy because he has parents.
Must be nice.
It’s true. Timmy loves to twist the knife, reminding me that he has parents who will always be there for him. That he can call them anytime, they’re only a flight away, and they’ll pick up the pieces for him.
