Chapter 32
thirty-two
It is a code.
But what does it mean?
Sighing, I tuck the journal underneath my arm as I stand from the bed and make my way toward the door, grabbing her bottle of perfume along the way. I stop, taking a deep breath as I take one last long look around the room.
I miss her, but I will never, ever go a day without remembering her. And I will make sure Christian pays for what he did. I will find Kenzi, wherever she is, and make sure she is safe. That is my promise, because my sister’s death will not be in vain.
The soft click of the door signals an end. Tomorrow, after the gala, I will be sure to tell Vas what her journal says about him, but right now I need space as I continue to decipher what I have read.
Who is the man meeting with Elias?
Libby’s entry states he looks like me. The man with the cross cane. What does that even mean? Does he have a cane with a cross on it? What does the cross look like? What does he mean he sent a woman to deal with Elias’s obsession?
The only obsession I have ever known him to have is my mother. I always thought her death was the result of a home burglary gone wrong. The man who killed her confessed, but now that I am in this world and have seen first-hand the kind of power Elias held, I wonder if that had all been a setup.
Now that I think back on it, I was never given up to social services. The CPS worker on the case place gave me directly to Elias without checking anything.
The fucker was on his payroll.
And what is The Chameleon Agency?
Do they have something to do with Kenzi’s disappearance?
And the numbers. I think I know how to decode them but—
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Dashkov.”
I am buried so deep in my head that I am not paying attention to where I am going and run right into Ben, Matthias’s lawyer, as he comes striding out of his boss’s office.
“No, that was on me.” I give him a small smile, hoping he doesn’t notice my blotchy, tear-stained cheeks. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”
“I would understand that you would have a lot on your mind,” he assures me somberly.
“Matthias isn’t here,” I tell him. “He said he wouldn’t be back until right before the gala.”
“Ah, yes.” Ben nods, his eyes full of pity as he looks down at me. “He told me that he wanted me to drop off the paperwork for you two to sign.”
“The paperwork—”
“I know this is a trying time, Mrs. Dashkov,” he says as he reaches into his coat pocket.
“Coming out of this won’t be easy, and honestly, we all think he is making the wrong decision.
” He hands me his business card. “Just know, if you ever need anything once this is all over, don’t hesitate to call. ”
He walks away before I have a chance to even consider what he is saying. A heavy ball of dread drops into my stomach as I turn Ben’s card over in my hand.
I would understand that you would have a lot on your mind.
At first, I think he is referring to the gala tonight, but the mention of paperwork has my stomach twisting with unease, the ball of dread inflating by the second. I step into the office, eyeing the manila envelope Ben placed on his desk with a heavy dose of anxiety.
Jesus, this is not what I need.
Not now.
I gulp back the lump stuck in my throat, fresh tears welling in my eyes as I slowly unwind the twine holding the envelope closed.
I should have expected this, but the last week has been going so well. I never thought this was an option.
Hell, even if the last week hadn’t gone well, I didn’t think this is something he would do. It is a low, dirty blow, and he knows it.
Maybe he hasn’t told Ben he has changed his mind.
Maybe, just maybe, this is all a misunderstanding.
But as I slip the papers back into the envelope and place them back on the desk, I begin to doubt everything we’ve done since the night I told him everything.
He could have been playing me this whole time.
Pretending. Getting his money’s worth. After all, he lost 5.
5 million dollars because of Elias. He took me as collateral, and he has been doing nothing but collecting for it since the night he took my virginity.
And now—now he is making sure to get a few last dips in before he shuts me out completely.
I tried to play his game by throwing the truth in his face. By telling him I can’t do it anymore, and that I am leaving. On the dance floor of Clover, I made my move. And when he came to me to hear me out, I thought I had finally moved a few steps ahead.
When he fucked me that night, I knew I was winning, and when he kissed me goodbye this morning, I thought I had finally won.
But the papers in his office stamped in bold red ink that read DIVORCE tell me I am the one who has been played.