Deadly Illusions(60)

Emma finally swiveled so she could meet Finn’s conflicted gaze. “I want to thank you for all you’ve done. I can’t tell you how much the past two weeks have meant to me. You made me feel like … a normal person. You listened to me, and laughed with me, and you never once tried to change me. I’ve never had that before, and I’ll cherish that memory for as long as I live.”

Finn opened his mouth to say something, but Emma silenced him with a look.

“I’m sorry for lying to you,” she said. “I’m sorry for not telling you the truth. I knew what would happen when I did. I was just being selfish. I didn’t want to let you go. And, the truth is, I knew that the minute you found out exactly how … ruined I was, that you would run. I was just delaying the inevitable.”

Emma brushed her fingers against his arm lightly as she moved past him, casting one final glance over her shoulder as she paused at the front door.

“I wish you all the best,” she said. “I really do.”

With those words, she disappeared out the door – and Finn’s heart shattered into a million pieces, while Mandy exploded in rage.





Twenty-Four


“What is wrong with you?” Mandy’s was irate, her face flushing with abject fury.

Taken aback, Finn flinched. “What?”

“Why did you let her go?” Mandy pressed.

“She didn’t give me a chance to do anything else,” Finn protested.

“She gave you ten different chances, you moron,” Mandy said. “She was practically begging you to stop her.”

Finn turned to James, bewilderment coursing through him. “What is she talking about?”

James looked equally confused. “I’m not sure.”

“You two are such … men,” Mandy said. “She wanted you to stop her. She wanted you to tell her it didn’t change how you felt about her. Instead, you just reinforced everything she’s been telling herself for a decade.”

“And, just for clarification, that would be what?” James asked.

Mandy’s face was dour. “That she’s worthless.”

Finn stirred. “What?”

“That’s how she feels,” Mandy said. “She feels worthless. You heard her. She thinks she’s ruined. She thinks her father spoiled her for the rest of her life. That no man could care for her because the one who was supposed to when she was a child used her and abused her.

“She thinks she’s damaged goods, Finn,” Mandy continued. “You know, the night of the fire she said something to me that didn’t make a lot of sense then, but it does now. She said that she wasn’t good enough for you, and you would figure that out one day.”

Finn swallowed hard.

“Well, congratulations,” Mandy said, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. “You just told a woman who was finally starting to feel that she was worth something that she wasn’t worth shit. You deserve a flipping medal!”

Mandy turned on her heel, stalking toward the door. James shot out an arm to stop her. “Where are you going?”

“To take her to the apartment,” Mandy said. “She doesn’t have a car here. Do you think she’s going to just walk or something?”

Sanity finally reclaimed Finn and he moved past Mandy, pushing her to the side so he could get to the door. “I’ve got it.”

“Don’t go out there if you’re just going to hurt her again,” Mandy warned. “Don’t go out there if you’re just going to make things worse.”

“I’m not going to make them worse,” Finn said. “I’m going to fix … I’m going to try to fix what I broke.”

Finn pushed the door open, disappearing through it. As the door closed, Mandy turned to find James watching her suspiciously.

“What?”

“You did that on purpose,” James said.

“What?”

“You yelled at him on purpose because you knew that he would want to follow her,” James said. “You just kind of gave him a little push so he would do it sooner rather than stewing about it all night. You wanted to save him from groveling – and Emma from suffering any longer than she had to.”

Mandy made a face. “I did not.”

“You did, too,” James said. “You totally manipulated him.”

Mandy shrugged. “I’m wounded by your words.” She started to climb the stairs.

“Where are you going?” James asked.

“I can’t see them make up from down here,” Mandy replied, taking the stairs two at a time. “The view is a lot better from the second-floor landing.”