Chapter 13 #4
“Oh! And I went to Merge’s house! Girl… I know you said he had money, but I ain’t know you meant private-compound-with-security-detail money!
That man got guards everywhere! Big gates opening automatically like the damn White House, cameras everywhere, and marble floors so glossy I almost busted my ass trying to walk regular! ”
Talia sniggered. “You know… killing Dottie was one thing. I don’t wish death on anyone, but yeah, she kinda had what was coming for her. But this? This feels like the beginning of a true-crime documentary, and a damn good lifetime story.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, if they make one about me, I just hope the actress is pretty.”
If judgment could physically shove somebody, I would’ve been on the floor.
“Haelyn, are you seriously not afraid of going to jail… or back to the psych ward?”
Immediately the voices started again.
She’s judging you.
She should be.
Don’t answer that.
Tell her the truth.
No. Lie.
“Of course I am,” I admitted, my voice tinged with nervousness.
“But I won’t because who’s gonna find out?
You can’t spill a word about Dottie without incriminating and dragging yourself into the mess as well.
” I pointed out. “You might not have been the one to poison her directly, but you knew what was taking place. You stood by and watched as I slipped that rat poison into her coffee, each day a little more than the last. Day by day, we watched her deteriorate, and all the while you watched me spiral deeper into my obsession, never once intervening. You even overheard her complaining of the stomach pains and cries for help that went unanswered. Instead of reaching out to anyone, you chose silence… all these years. So, my sister, that little knowledge has unintentionally made you an accessory to this crime. You could have stopped me, but your choice to remain quiet has entangled you in this dark web.”
My heart raced as I continued, the memories swirling in my mind like a storm.
Talia’s face hardened slightly.
“Yeah… so don’t start acting morally superior now that shit has gotten real. But no worries. Dottie is gone, Zonnique doesn’t know anything, and Merge definitely doesn’t. Let’s try really hard to keep it that way.”
For now, one of the voices whispered darkly.
I ignored it quickly.
“Anyway, Merge is overly excited, girl… more than he’s trying to act!”
That was a lie, but Talia didn’t need to know that.
“So, you’re staying with them, I’m guessing?” Talia questioned. “I mean, that was one of the requirements.”
“Well… neither me nor Zonnique is staying in his house at this exact moment; we’re technically roommates in hers,” I explained casually.
“Merge is doing renovations or whatever rich men do when they randomly decide walls need to move. He just wants to make sure everything will be perfect before he fully brings me in.”
I leaned forward slowly.
“You wanna know another secret? Zonnique isn’t even his fiancée.”
Talia blinked repeatedly. “W-What?”
“Right!” I exclaimed. “Girl, that was my exact reaction! The bitch was lying! She wants him that bad she literally went behind his back and found a surrogate trying to secure herself a baby and a ring at the same time! Girl, you know Jace cut up!” I shook my head, relishing the moment, but the moment I realized I said Jace instead of Merge, a cold wave of panic washed over me.
Shit.
Talia froze mid-bite of her food.
“Jace?” she echoed slowly, suspicion creeping into her voice. “As in your ex Jace?”
My stomach tightened instantly, but I forced a casual smile anyway, tilting my head slightly as if she was the confused one.
“I said Merge. You must’ve heard me wrong.”
“No, I didn’t.”
I waved her off dismissively. “Talia, it’s clear that you’re tired, stressed, and malnourished. Hell, you might even be delirious.”
Talia squinted at me. “I may be all those things, but I know what I heard. You called Merge Jace. Back here, you spoke as if Merge was supposed to be this other guy from your past. Despite you saying otherwise, I still suspected that you were referring to Jace, but I let it go. But this time, you actually said Jace.”
The voices instantly erupted, screaming over one another.
Fix it!
Lie!
Kill her!
No! Don’t kill her!
You’re caught!
I’M NOT CAUGHT!
Technically, you are a little caught.
Shut up!
Between the voices shouting contradictory instructions and Talia staring at me like she had just solved the mystery of the century, I said fuck it.
I was tired of defending myself and tired of everybody acting like I was too stupid to recognize the man I loved just because he had changed his name and committed himself to the lie.
“Okay, yes! I’m talking about Jace!” I exploded, my voice cracking with frustration. “Is that what you wanted to hear?! Congratulations, Detective Talia! You cracked the case. Somebody alert the authorities and get this woman a badge!”
I threw my hands into the air.
“There! Happy now?”
“Oh my God,” Talia muttered, like she was finally piecing something terrifying together. “You really do believe Merge is your ex, Jace, huh?”
“That’s because he is!” I snapped, way too fast, too defensive, and too unstable.
“And could you please stop calling him Merge?! Every time you call him that, you make it sound like he died and came back as somebody else! I know I have to call him Merge when I’m in his presence…
for now. And trust me, I hate every second of it. Ugh!”
I twisted my face in disdain.
“But that’s only until he gets out of his feelings and admits who he really is.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get back in his good graces, even if that means pretending I believe the lie, acting like we’ve never met, and calling him by that ridiculous name until he feels safe enough to become Jace again. ”
I sighed dramatically.
“Love will make you be a damn unpaid actress in somebody else’s identity crisis.”
Talia stared at me, visibly stunned by my outburst. Her expression softened in that careful way people used when they thought one wrong word might send a wild animal charging.
“Haelyn…” Her voice dropped to a cautious whisper. “Jace… Jace is dead.”
Something inside me snapped.
“He did not die!” I bellowed in anger.
My hand swept across the table, sending everything on top of it crashing to the floor.