Page 57 of Betraying Him
Sitting in the chair in the corner of the room is a woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a pantsuit and a soft smile on her lips. I’ve seen her before and know exactly who she is because Harley is the absolute double of her.
But what fuck is she doing inside my dorm?
“Mrs. Thorn,” I murmur hesitantly and take a step back, only now realizing I left my phone in the pocket of a jacket I’d just hung up.
“Savannah,” she says warmly, and I’m caught between being polite and getting the fuck out of here. Years of training to be the perfect daughter coming back in full force, and I have to fight myself to not give in and just put on the dutiful mask.
Whatever reason she has for being here, it can’t be good. How could it be when she’s literally broken in?
She must know where my thoughts are because she sighs and says, “I’m not here to hurt you or threaten you or whatever it is you’re thinking. I’m only here to talk, and to, hopefully, help you, if you’ll let me.”
She… she wants tohelpme?
How on earth could she possibly help me, and why? Does she not know what I did to her husband? To her son? To her family? Fuck, I went sneaking around her house and stoledocuments from her husband’s computer, and she’s here to help me? It doesn’t make any sense.
Still, there’s something in my gut that’s screaming at me to trust her.
I take a seat on the couch, making sure I’m far enough away from her so that I can reach the door if I need to and wait to see what she has to say.
She doesn’t keep me waiting long. No, she reaches to her side and grabs a folder from her bag, leaning forward to place it on the table between us.
“These are all the files I’ve compiled on your father. They contain everything I could find, and while I’m sure there’s more out there beyond my reach, this is the most I could gather in such a short amount of time. Included is the blackmail he used against my husband, though I made sure to leave out your involvement. I don’t know the depths of what he’s threatened you with, but I hope this can help you in some way.”
I’m… stunned.
Absolutely speechless.
I’d heard rumors about the type of person she was. That she was nothing like other people in our social circles, but I didn’t expect this, and it just doesn’t make any sense.
“You’d implicate your husband, just to help me? If I took this to the press or police”—I nod towards the folder—“couldn’t he be arrested? If it was big enough for him to quit his career, then it can’t be good. My father clearly used whatever evidence there is as blackmail, and yet, you’re just handing it over for me to use however I please?”
Mrs. Thorn tilts her head to the side, her brows creasing in a way that looks so much like Harley, it makes my breath halt. “You didn’t read the files you stole?” she asks, and I swallow thickly.
No, I didn’t read them, because I didn’t want to know. Ididn’t want to be implicated in my father’s affairs more than I already was.
I shake my head silently, and a small smile curves her lips. “The files you stole wouldn’t necessarily be bad for my husband, Savannah. It’smethey would implicate.”
That… makes even less sense.
“And yet you’re giving me everything I need to make it public? Why would you do that?”
Silence.
She studies me before flicking her gaze around the room. Her attention settles on the picture I have above the mantle. It’s a picture of a Ferris wheel, to represent both the best and worst times of my life. I fidget in my seat, pulling on the sleeves of my shirt, and she brings her attention back to me.
“My son sees something in you, and I trust him. So, if implicating myself to help you is what I have to do to make him happy, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
My heart stalls, and my breathing picks up. “Does he… does he know about all of this?” I ask, wondering if this is why he’s suddenly had a change of heart and has been almost friendly to me, rather than the usual flares and hate-filled looks.
“I think he suspects there’s more to the story than what he knows, but he hasn’t gotten to the truth. Harley won’t find out from me, Savannah. That’s something that needs to come from you, and you alone.” She smiles mischievously and stands. “I hope I’ll see you soon.”
I nod mutely, in a daze, as she gathers her things and lets herself out.
I don’t know what just happened. It feels surreal, and while I’m sure there’s plenty of things that could help me in that folder, I won’t be using it.
How can I? I’ve already done enough to the Thorn family, and I’m not about to make things even worse.
But I do need to dosomething.
