73. Chapter 73
Cate
Present
The house was too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not neutral.
Watchful.
Trevor moved through it like nothing had shifted. Like our conversation had been a disagreement about finances instead of a confession about murder.
I stayed on the couch.
Still.
Measured.
Breathing shallow, careful breaths like too much air might count as resistance.
From the kitchen, I could hear the soft clink of glass.
Ice.
He was making a drink.
Of course he was.
He always made a drink when he needed to think.
The sound of liquid pouring was steady. Controlled. Almost soothing.
I didn’t move.
I didn’t reach for my phone.
Not because I didn’t want to.
But because Trevor would expect that.
And right now, the only thing keeping me safe was visible compliance.
He came back into the living room carrying two glasses.
He handed one to me and I accepted it, my fingers brushing his.
I didn't flinch.
He noticed.
He sat across from me this time, not beside me. Studying.
“You’ve talked to Seth,” he said calmly.
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“How much does he know?”
The glass felt too heavy in my hand.
“He knows what I know.”
“And what’s that?” Trevor asked.
The temperature in the room shifted by a degree.
“That John was killed the week he disappeared,” I said carefully. “And that the case was covered up.”
Trevor nodded once. “And?”
I swallowed.
“And that it was someone close.”
His eyes sharpened. “Did you tell him you suspect me?”
The bluntness hit like a slap.
I forced my shoulders to stay relaxed. “I told him I found something that confused me.”
“What did you find?” His tone was still.
I met his gaze. “The ring.”
He didn’t blink.
Silence stretched between us.
“And you showed it to him,” Trevor said.
“Yes.”
That was the first real risk I’d taken tonight.
His jaw tightened slightly. “Did he confirm it?”
“Yes.”
Trevor leaned back slowly, considering.
“So now,” he said, “Seth believes I killed his best friend.”
“He already did,” I replied before I could stop myself.
His eyes darkened.
“And you?” he asked quietly.
The question pressed into my ribs. “I didn’t know what to believe,” I said.
That, at least, was true.
Trevor stood.
Not fast.
Not violently.
But the movement made my heart spike anyway.
He walked to the window, staring out into the dark street.
“You know what’s interesting?” he said after a moment.
I didn’t answer.
“Seth has always hated me.”
The word hated carried weight.
“From the beginning,” Trevor continued. “He didn’t like that I was there for you. That I stepped in when he couldn’t.”
I stayed silent.
“He’s been waiting for something like this,” Trevor added. “A reason.”
He turned back toward me.
“And you handed it to him.”
There it was.
The shift.
The blame.
“I didn’t hand him anything,” I said softly. “I needed to know if I was crazy.”
Trevor’s mouth twitched. “You’re not crazy.”
There was no warmth in it.
Just assessment.
“Did you tell him where you found the ring?” Trevor asked.
My pulse jumped. “No.”
He watched me carefully. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He moved closer.
Slow.
Predatory calm.
“If I call him right now,” Trevor said, “and ask him where you found it… what would he say?”
My heart pounded so loudly I thought he might hear it. “He’d say he doesn’t know.”
Trevor studied my face.
Searching for micro-reactions.
Lie detection mode.
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
I held still.
“You need to understand something,” he said softly. “If Seth thinks he can go to the police with this, if he thinks he can make noise, he’s wrong.”
A chill slid down my spine. “You wouldn’t…”
“Wouldn’t what?” Trevor asked gently.
Hurt him.
Kill him.
Do it again.
The words stuck in my throat.
Trevor smiled faintly. “I am not the villain here, Cate.”
The calm certainty in his voice was worse than shouting.
“I solved a problem,” he continued. “Ten years ago. A problem that would have destroyed you. John was going to leave you.”
Even though it wasn’t the first time he’d said it, the words hit so hard I almost dropped the glass. “That’s not true.”
Trevor’s eyes remained steady.
“It is,” he said. “He told Seth he was having doubts. He didn’t want the wedding.”
The room tilted.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” Trevor asked.
He stepped closer. “You think I would do something like that without a reason?”
My breathing fractured.
“He was going to humiliate you,” Trevor said softly. “In front of everyone.”
“That’s not…”
“I protected you.”
The word snapped through the air.
Protected.
My stomach churned. “You’re rewriting him,” I said.
Trevor’s face hardened. “I’m telling you what you were too blind to see.”
He leaned down slightly, forcing me to look at him. “You want to know why I’m testing you?” he asked quietly.
Testing.
The word rang in my ears.
“Because I need to know you’re still with me,” he said.
My throat went dry.
“And right now,” he added, “I’m not convinced.”
The glass in my hand trembled.
Just slightly.
He noticed. “There it is again,” he said softly.
The fear, and this time, he didn’t smile.
“Cate,” he said, his voice lowering, losing its polish, “if you’re not with me… you’re against me.”
The air left my lungs.
“And I can’t afford that.”
That was the threat.
Not shouted.
Not explicit.
But clear.
Across the room, my phone buzzed.
Once.
Then again.
Seth.
The name lit the screen.
Trevor’s gaze flicked toward it, then back to me. “Well?” he asked.
The test.
And I knew, instinctively, sickeningly, no matter what I chose next…
I was going to fail.