Page 74 of If You Love Me

I kept telling myself I had to let it go, but I couldn’t. I was trying to keep the last couple of screws from coming undone and me blacking out like I did on my sister. I hadn’t spoken to her or my mother since that day, yet Meena had been all over social media blasting me for trash. She never said my name, but I knew she was talking about me. I didn’t care. I couldn’t take back fucking him or that ass whupping I gave her.

Throwing my legs over the side of my bed, I stood and left my bedroom to go into my kitchen. I turned a blind eye to the mess in my living room. Once the movers dropped my shit off, I left it wherever they put it. I didn’t have the energy or the desire to make this place presentable again. In the kitchen, I grabbed a glass and poured myself a nice serving of my strongest wine. I gulped half the glass before setting it on the counter.

The sound of my doorbell ringing caused me to frown. There should be nobody coming over here. I didn’t have friends, andthe only person who visited me was my mother from time to time. I knew it wasn’t her. I picked up the glass and chugged the rest of it before wading through the living room to the front door. When I opened it, I found a delivery driver standing there.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped and stared at me. I frowned until I realized I was standing there in nothing but my bra and panties.

“Hello! Can I have my package?” I snapped, thrusting my hand toward him.

He blinked. “I’m sorry. Here you go.”

I snatched it from him and went to close the door, but he blocked it with his hand.

“Aye, you single?” he asked.

“Boy, fuck you.”

I slammed the door in his face and locked it before heading back into the kitchen with the package. After pouring myself another glass of wine, I tore into the small brown box to find the mini cameras I’d ordered. They had audio and video, so even if I couldn’t see, I could always hear. Unbeknownst to Tyrion, I had a duplicate of the house key he’d given me. Opening my junk drawer, I pulled it out and dangled it in my face with a smirk.

“We’re gonna see exactly what you’re up to, Mr. Lewis,” I said.

After turning the cameras on and setting it up with the app on my phone, it was time to get ready. Polishing off my drink, I went back into my room and grabbed my phone. It was about eleven thirty, so I checked Tyrion’s location to see he was still at work. He was a creature of habit. He took lunch the same time every day. If he didn’t bring food from home, he ate from one of about three places. That gave me plenty of time to get to his house, plant the cameras, and get out.

I stripped down and went to take a shower, not even thinking about how crazy what I was about to do was. It would have beenso much easier to just let him go, but I couldn’t. I’d never been able to just let shit go. Once I felt something, it stuck.

Fresh out of the shower, I dressed myself in a pair of joggers and a matching pullover. I slipped on my socks and sneakers, then shoved my phone and wallet into the pullover pocket before leaving the room. I grabbed the mini camera box from the kitchen, then made way through the living room and out the front door. As soon as I pulled out of the driveway, my phone rang. Surprisingly, it was my mother.

“What?” I answered.

“How long have you been off your medication, Iona?” she fired off.

“What?”

“How long have you been—”

“I heard what you said. Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I’ve checked your medical records. You haven’t filled your prescription in three months. It’s no wonder you’re spiraling.”

I scoffed. “Ma, I don’t need you checking up on me like I’m one of your clients.”

“Iona, if I have to have you committed again, I will.”

“Bye, Ma.”

I hung up and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. I hated when she brought up my commitment. It was only once when I was twenty. I’d just fully healed from my surgery, and I’d stopped taking my medication. I had a long history of mood swings and anxiety. It was something that ran on my dad’s side of the family amongst other things. It was one of the reasons he kept us away from them. He didn’t want us feeding off each other the way they tended to do.

It skipped over him and my sister and hit me pretty hard. Meena was no help for my mental. Every time I came around dressed in something sexy to show off my new figure, she made acomment. The bitch was jealous because I could finally compete with her.

Anyway, it was our mom’s birthday, and she was having a black and white party at the house. I went all out with my hair and outfit, makeup, shoes… everything. I looked damn good, but leave it to Meena to tear into my self-esteem. All night long, she stood with our cousins, pointing and laughing at me. I was just trying to have a good time, and they were ruining it.

When I finally had enough, I approached them, promptly cursing each of them out with insults that hit way below the belt. As I walked away, my cousin Jasmine mumbled something under her breath. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it was meant for me. Before I could stop myself, both of our pretty white dresses were stained blood red because I pounced on her and beat her to a bloody mess.

It took four people to pull me off her. She wanted to press charges, but my mother convinced her not to. Needless to say, the party ended early. My mother questioned me for two hours before threatening to let my cousin press charges if I didn’t agree to go on a seventy-two-hour hold. I was reluctant, but I went. Those seventy-two hours turned into a five-week stay because I kept cheeking my meds and refusing to participate in treatment. Once I saw it was getting me nowhere, I did what I had to do to get out, and I hadn’t been back.

Shaking off the phone call, I continued my journey to Tyrion’s home. I parked in the yard and got out of my car, making my way up to the front door. Because I was a regular here, it wouldn’t look suspicious with me just walking into his home. Using the duplicate spare, I let myself in. I wasn’t the least bit shocked to find everything back to the way it was.

Of course, he would put it back to appease her when he couldn’t even change it for me. Immediately, I felt a surge of anger. I had half a mind to fuck some shit up, but I suppressed it.

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