Chapter 3

The cigarette burned down to my fingers before I came back to myself. I glanced at the blood on my hand and calmly took the last drag.

The girl was still crying. Crying enough to give me a headache.

Sniffling and hiccupping, though I couldn't tell if she was worried about Julius or scared of what was coming for her.

Then she looked up and glared at me.

That fragile, pitiful act was gone now. "What is it you actually want? Why can't you stand seeing us happy together?"

The more she talked, the more worked up she got. "This is breaking in and attempted murder!"

Her voice went shrill, like she'd finally found her chance to point the finger at me.

I let out a short laugh. "Murder?"

I glanced at Julius on the floor. "He's too thick-skinned to die that easy. How does the saying go? Right, the wicked live a thousand years."

Julius was in so much pain his face was twitching. He glared at me. "Patsy Winfield, you're insane!"

I strolled over to the bed, bent down, and looked at him. "That all you've got? Nothing else to add?"

The girl wouldn't let me get close. She shoved me. "Who are you to butt in on us? His own wife hasn't even said anything!"

I looked at her and said flatly, "You're right. She's a pushover. I'm not."

"Patsy…"

He barely got the word out before I cut him off.

"And breaking in?"

I looked around the room. "This house, if I remember right, is mine. How is it breaking in when I'm standing in my own house?"

The words landed, and Julius and the girl both froze.

The house really was mine.

Back when Paige and Julius had just gotten married, they had no savings.

With one wave of my hand, I'd bought them this place.

Julius, for his part, had lived here comfortable and content, and forgotten whose house it even was.

Now Julius finally panicked.

He crawled toward me, the anger draining away bit by bit, replaced by fear.

He struggled up to a sitting position and grabbed for my hand. I shook him off.

"Patsy… I was wrong."

"I'll apologize to you, okay? No, I'll apologize to Paige. It's my fault, I'll change, I really will!"

As he spoke, he actually lowered himself to his knees.

"I'll never do it again, I'll make her leave right now!"

Beside him, the girl stared at him in disbelief. "Julius, baby? What are you saying?"

She pointed at herself, disbelieving. "You want me to leave?"

Julius didn't even spare her a sideways glance. "Shut up. Get out first."

The phone on the bed suddenly lit up.

I said nothing and picked it up. It was Julius's phone, the lock screen still a photo of him and Paige.

The phone was on silent. Three missed calls on the screen.

All from the same person.

Paige.

My heart sank, little by little.

She'd been out working all day, couldn't reach Julius, and still had to worry over his mess.

I picked up the phone and threw it straight at Julius.

He flinched, thinking I was going to hit him again, and threw his arm up on instinct to block.

The sight of him cowering there made my blood boil. "Call Paige back. Don't leave her worrying about you."

Julius froze. "Now?"

I stared at him, and the longer I looked, the more he turned my stomach. "She's out there entertaining clients and still worrying about you. You really do deserve to die."