Page 235 of A Taste of Vanilla

“How did you get access to these?” I ask.

She smirks a little. “He was never great at locking down his phone. And I had access to his emails already.” She bites her lip. “It wasn’t fun anymore. It wasn’t exciting. He needed someone to blame, and I was convenient once you weren’t there to absorb it.”

A sharp, unpleasant understanding moves through me.

Because as much as her confession stings, I understand it.

Powerful men do not destroy only one woman at a time.

She reaches into her bag and takes out a small black flash drive. “This has all the digital files. I didn’t alter anything. There are also names of people Grant has spoken to. It’s not all proof—some of it is just notes I made from calls. You can use it, or don’t.”

I take the drive from her hand.

“Did you keep copies?” Warren asks.

His voice makes Elise straighten.

“Yes. In case anything happens to those.”

“Where?”

“In my personal email and with a friend.”

He nods. “Okay.”

“You should send them to yourself, too. Somewhere you can make sure Grant can’t access.”

A bitter smile pulls at my mouth. “Grant has never had access to anything important in my life.”

The lie hangs between us. Because he did have access to some important things. He made sure to destroy some of them.

“What do you want from me?” I ask her.

“Nothing.”

“No one wants nothing.”

“I wanted to tell the truth.”

“That’s what you did. What do you want?”

Her eyes move to the floor. “I wanted you to know I’m sorry.”

“I know you’re sorry.”

“And?”

I look at her.

“I believe you,” I say softly.

Her eyes fill with tears.

“And I’ll use what you gave me.”

She nods quickly. “Good. That’s good.”

“But I don’t forgive you today.”