Page 143 of Worthy

Her fingertip trails lower over the soft swell of my lips as I reply, “Your mom had an affair with my dad. When my mom found out, she got in the car, and, well… you know the rest.”

Her finger lingers on my mouth while she scans her eyes over my face as if searching for something. “Your parents had already split when your father met my mom.”

Slapping her hand away, I push up on my elbows. “That’s bullshit.”

Unfazed by my acidic gaze, she sighs. “It’s true. Your parents kept you in the dark because they worried about how you would take the news. They di…”

She trails off when I shoot to my feet.

“You don’t know anything about my family,” I hiss, pointing an accusing finger at her. “You need to stay out of shit you know nothing about.”

“Melanie,” she calls after me when I stride out. “I’m sorry.”

Chapter five

Jessica

I watch her slam the bedroom door shut. Silence descends on the cottage in the minutes that follow.

Shifting onto my ass, I hug my arms around my knees and rest my chin atop them while I watch the flames dance.

I try to relax. I do. But I can’t. Imaginary shadows crawl along the walls the longer I sit by myself. What if the man finds us?

Suddenly, I picture him staring at me through the window behind me. Imaginary eyes prick my neck, sending chills down my spine.

I rise to my feet and pad softly to the door. I hesitate for a short moment before pressing down on the handle. The door creaks open, revealing Melanie’s hunched figure on the bed where she sits, gazing out at the dark forest.

Stepping inside the room, I softly shut the door, then walk up to the window. I close the curtains, unable to stand the thought of anyone watching us from the tree line.

When I turn around, her blue eyes lock on mine.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“What are you sorry for?” Unlike my shaky voice, hers is strong, tinged with bitterness.

Worrying my chapped bottom lip, I wring my hands. “I don’t want to bring up old scars.”

She says nothing.

The silence is almost too much to bear. Even the wind that whistles through the house can’t break the silence that reigns between us.

“I overstepped.”

“Yeah, you did.” She looks through me. It’s as if I’m not even here.

Pointing to the door, I make to leave, even though the last thing I want is to be alone. “It’s late. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“You can sleep here. I’ll take the couch.”

I pause, watching her carefully before admitting, “I don’t want to be alone.”

Melanie scoots back on the bed and pats the empty space beside her. “I’m not fucking spooning you.”

Before she can change her mind, I move back the thick blanket and slide in underneath while she stays lying atop. “I wonder how worried our parents are?”

“They will have contacted the police by now.”

I wince, imagining how frantic they’ll be. This was supposed to be a nice family vacation, not this…

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