Page 86 of Fight Or Flight

“Excuse me, Ms. Alvarez. You’re the first call I made.”

“Good. What the hell is this crap you sent me?”

“That is Anne’s offer.”

“This isn’t what we talked about. She offered five million and said she would sign off on not having the land developed.”

“Well, it appears as though she lied. Her lawyer countered with this offer. I sent back a counter-offer, with an addendum to protect the land from being developed, but she refused it.”

“But why would Ethan and Chelsea sign this? It’s bullshit.”

Speeler’s face flashed in her mind, twisted in annoyance. “Because, Ms. Alvarez, you left them no choice. They can’t fight this without you. Even with you, there was a ninety percent chance they’d get nothing. This way, Ethan is guaranteed his pond, and Chelsea gets something. Anne had them bent over a barrel.”

Natalie squeezed her eyes shut. “Is she going to give the house to Emily at least?”

Speeler snorted. “Emily knows nothing about this. Anne is already in contact with a developer that she knows from her time in office. They’re going to offer a quick closing, and Anne is going to walk away with millions.”

Natalie’s head shook. “I don’t understand why she’d do this.”

“She isn’t who you think she is. Look, I may overstep my role here, but Elizabeth told me all about your history when she changed the original will ten years ago. You were ashamed of your mother . . .”

Natalie was ready to hang up the phone. “I can’t listen to this—”

“But Anne isn’t a victim. She’s manipulative. Elizabeth once described her as ‘emotionally violent.’”

Emotionally violent.

Natalie let out a breath. “What about the Monroes?”

“Victor’s lawyers have been quiet. So far . . .”

She didn’t like the idea that Anne had manipulated her. But it was hard to deny that was the case. She’d stayed in Mapleton because the thought of leaving made her want to cry. When she unpacked her suitcase into her dresser, she’d had an overwhelming sense of relief. But speaking with Anne had propelled her into a full-blown panic attack, and she’d fled Mapleton faster than a jet-fuelled cheetah .

She wanted to leave Mapleton because of Anne. But then she met Ethan. The memories of him left a weight resting on her lungs. She hated leaving him, hated feeling alone. Especially now that she’d had a taste of the alternative. She’d justified it when Ethan and Chelsea were both going to get what they wanted. But now . . .

Her throat closed, and she swallowed. “I can’t sign that. I won’t do that to them.”

“Good.”

“But I can’t go back there. At least, not like before.”

“I’m afraid I’m not following you. Are you coming back or not?”

Natalie looked around her empty hotel room, at her suitcase on the rack, at the empty bathroom counter. She closed her eyes and remembered the laughter around Ethan’s parents’ dinner table, and the weight lifted off her chest a little. Maybe shewashomesick. Maybe Jess was right, and Ethan was her home. She wanted Ethan permanently, and she also wanted all the things they talked about: a bathroom, a warm pair of slippers, a couch, a fuzzy blanket.

Once she allowed herself to picture a home with Ethan, she craved it. More than she wanted to travel Australia. More than she wanted to avoid Anne. More than anything.

“Yes,” she said and couldn’t believe the conviction in her voice. But she smiled anyway. “I’m moving back to Mapleton. But I need to deal with Anne. And I think I might know how.”

“I’m all ears, Ms. Alvarez.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking . . .”

twenty-one

Lindsay parked in front of Adam’s house, then turned in her seat to face Ethan. He’d planned to let her speak and get this over with. But as soon as she began, a million thoughts came to mind.

“Ethan—”

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