Page 26 of Paid With Innocence

“How’d she even know where this house was? And who let her in?”

Oh God…

“Maybe Orson told her before…” I mutter. “When they had a date scheduled…”

“Or maybe she’s been seeing him behind your back and the guard knows her so he let her in?”

The look on Chuck’s face makes my stomach turn. His suggestion hits me in the chest like a boulder.

My lungs burn as I gasp for breath.

“No.” I shake my head. “They would never—”

“And where is he right now?” Chuck continues. “Come on, Megs. No offense, but do you really think a man like Orson, a man who can have any and every girl he could ever want, would settle down with you?”

Tears spill from my eyes. My legs start to tremble.

“Get out!” I scream, the words tearing out of my throat. “Get out of here now!”

Chuck shrugs and gives me a look that could only be described as pity.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Megan. But some men are just used to having everything.”

It takes all of my strength to remain standing as I watch him go. As soon as the door shuts behind him, I collapse. I fall to my knees, tears pouring from my eyes. My reflection stares up at me from the perfectly polished marble floor.

What do I do now?

I don’t want to believe it. I can’t believe it.

Chuck is lying. Orson would never betray me.

That’s what I’ve been telling myself for the last half hour as I repeatedly call Orson’s phone. But every single time it goes to voicemail.

“Pick up, damn it!” I scream, kicking a can of primer across the studio. Pain floods through my big toe, and I tumble over. Yeah, that’s broken.

My eyes sweep the plethora of gifts—all the paints, the brushes, the canvases. I should have known it was all too good to be true. He probably just did all this for me so he could keep have a girl around to fuck whenever he wanted while he went out with other girls on the side. Not like it would put a dent in his bank account.

Why would he want me?

I know nothing about his world. I’m a broke waitress who has dreams of being an artist—

“Oh no...”

I was a waitress, but I haven’t been to work in three days. I check my missed calls and see a bunch from the diner.

Yeah, I’m definitely fired.

As hard as it is to believe, as much as it pains my soul, I can see how Orson could have played me. But what I can’t understand is why Trish would go behind my back and be with him.

We made a promise years ago to never go after a guy the other one of us liked. Of course, she never had to worry about that with me, seeing as how I basically had the sex life of a nun until I met Orson.

Trish could never do this to me…

…could she?

Seeing as how Orson isn’t answering, I pick up my phone and FaceTime her. But she doesn’t answer either.

“Great,” I grumble. I almost hurl my phone at the wall, but somehow, I manage not to. Once I leave here—which will be soon—I’m going to need everything I own. I can’t afford to be throwing several hundred dollars of electronics away.