Page 20 of Chasing Forever

The piece she was looking at was pretty, but from where I stood, I could see the price tag attached, and it was enough to make my jaw drop. “It’s nice, but it’s crazy expensive. I could find you something beautiful at an estate sale for next to nothing and restore it for you way cheaper.”

She swung her gaze my way. “You know how to do that?”

It was something I’d learned from my mother. When I was a kid, we’d hit up estate and garage sales on the weekends, hunting for treasures we could restore to their original glory or better. Some of my favorite memories of my mother were of us working for hours on pieces that others saw as junk. After she passed, it had been a sort of therapy for me, a way to feel close to her.

“I do. It used to be a hobby of mine.” Warren wasn’t a fan of anything that took my time and attention away from him. It was a wonder he’d even let me get the job at the doctor’s office. “I’m a bit out of practice, but I could still make you something you’ll love.”

She let out a little squeak and bounced in place. “Deal! You let me know when you’re free and we’ll hit up some estate sales. It’ll be fun.”

A bud of excitement sprouted to life inside my chest and began to bloom. The thought of getting back to something that used to bring me so much joy took one of those jagged pieces and slid it back into place. “You’re on.”

“There you are!” a deep, familiar voice called out behind me, smothering the warmth that had been building inside me and turning my blood to ice. Warren was moving toward me at a fast clip, his expression a combination of concern and relief. A voice in my head was screaming to run, but every muscle in my body seized with fear at the sight of him, making it impossible to move. “God, baby, I’ve been going out of my mind. I haven’t been able to think straight since I heard about your brother. I’ve been so worried about you. Thank God you’re finally home.”

Chapter Twelve

Merritt

Panic set in the instant he pulled me into an embrace. My lungs constricted so tightly no air could get in or out. Blackness started to creep in around the edges of my vision.

“I’m so happy you’re safe. Now that you’re back, we can go get Levi and move him in with us. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll keep both of you safe.”

The mention of Levi broke through the panic that had been holding me in an iron grip. The underlying threat hidden beneath the shiny veneer of a loving, adoring husband and uncle. I would die before I let him anywhere near Levi.

My fight or flight instinct finally kicked in, and I began to thrash in his hold. “Let go of me!” I shouted, shoving at his arms until I broke free and stumbled back. Blythe was there in an instant, wrapping her arms around me to hold me steady.

He actually had the audacity to look shocked, and slightly wounded, at my outburst. “Merritt, sweetheart?—”

He took a step toward me, but Blythe moved fast, shifting me to the side and stepping in front of me. “Don’t you touch her!” she barked, the rage in her voice drawing several of the people around us up short. We were attracting an audience, but in that moment, I couldn’t find it in me to care. I was too busy trying to keep my knees from giving out as my body started to tremble uncontrollably. “You stay the hell away from her,” Blythe continued.

Warren’s head jerked back at the venom flying in his direction, but I had to hand it to him, the man was the best actor I’d ever seen. He deserved an Oscar for how well he played the role of a bewildered, worried husband.

“What in the world is going on? I’m just trying to talk to my wife.” He shifted his attention over Blythe’s shoulder. “Baby, I’ve missed you so much.”

“You don’t get to talk to her. You shouldn’t even have the right to look at her or breathe in her direction. You need to turn around and walk away.”

“Look, I don’t know what this is all about, but this is between me and my wife. It has nothing to do with you.” The clench in Warren’s jaw and flash in his eyes was one I recognized well, and seeing it directed toward my friend made me fear for her safety.

“Blythe.” I grabbed hold of her arm and tried to tug her back, to get her the hell away from the monster she was standing up to, before something unthinkable happened. I didn’t know what I would do if Warren hurt her because of me. “Please,” I begged quietly, not sure exactly what I was pleading for. For her to stop? For her to walk away? To forget about me and protect herself?

Blythe snorted derisively, her glare intensifying by the second. “You know, you might think this adoring husband act is working for you, but I know the truth,” she said threateningly. “I know it’s all bullshit. And I know the monster you are beneath this façade.” She waved her hand in front of him.

That tick in his jaw became more pronounced, and I knew he was struggling to keep the hidden dark side of him—therealhim—from breaking free in the face of Blythe’s dressing-down.

“Look, I don’t know what she’s told you, but my wife is confused. She’s been under so much stress lately, and she’s never been one to handle pressure well. It’s my job to take care of her. I’m the only one who can help when her mind starts playing tricks on her.”

My skin grew clammy as fear washed over me. This was what he did, what he was so brilliant at. Convincing people to come around to his way of thinking was a skill he’d fined-tuned and used regularly, and the thought that the only real friend I’ve had in years might actually believe him twisted my stomach as bile clawed its way up my throat.

However, as it turned out, I was scared for nothing.

“I know what I saw,” she threw back, the anger practically vibrating off her and causing the air around us to shimmer. She stepped closer, her tone full of menace. “And I know she didn’t do that to herself.”

Warren stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re accusing me of, but I’d be very careful if I were you,” he said on a low growl.

She wasn’t deterred in the slightest. “And I also know a narcissistic, manipulative, gaslighting piece of shit when I see one.”

Oh God.

“Now, if you don’t turn around and walk away right now, I’m calling the police.”

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