Chapter 2

2: 2

2

The boy who'd spoken was Cedric Cobb, Camille's five-year-old son.

In my past life, Cedric and Sadie were close too—childhood playmates who eventually became a couple.

I heard they even set a wedding date on the quiet, though they never told me.

But the Cedric standing here now looked at her without a trace of the tenderness from that other life.

Not that it was strange.

I never knew how good Cedric was supposed to be to Sadie.

What I did know was that as a boy, Cedric beat her more than once at school. The worst time, he shoved her head into a toilet.

I went down to the school and made him drink toilet water before I'd agree to let it go.

And for that, the whole school whispered that I was a shrew—six years of it, right up until Sadie finished elementary.

Sadie stared at Cedric, stunned, her eyes swimming with tears and hurt.

“I never lied about anyone… why…”

Giles carried Camille's things through the door, his tone sharp with reproach.

“Keep Sadie in line.”

He reached out, peeled Sadie off of Camille, and shoved her toward me.

Sadie looked like the whole thing had frozen her solid.

I caught her steadily, bent down, and told her,

“Sadie, a couple of days ago you had bruises on your legs. You said Aunt Camille pinched them.”

Her eyes went wide, full of shock.

Too many years had passed, and she was so small now she didn't remember any of it. All I could do was walk her back through it.

Giles stood in front of me and handed the bag to the nanny.

“Quinn, watch Sadie. Cammie is my late childhood friend's widow, and she's my most important guest. I don't want to lose my temper with either of you.”

I nodded.

“Understood.”

Giles took off his coat and said to Camille and Cedric, “Lunch is ready. Go wash up and eat.”

Camille smiled brightly, said yes, and fell into step behind him.

As Cedric passed, he pulled a face at Sadie.

“Jinx. Nobody wants you. Your daddy loves me and my mommy, not you and your mommy.”

Then he darted off.

Sadie's eyes brimmed over with tears.

I went to wipe them, but the second my hand reached her, she slapped it away.

“It's all your fault! They don't like you, so now they hate me too.”

“If you weren't in this house, the four of us would never fight!”