Page 100 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2
I nodded. I tried to focus on my breathing.
"Do you want me to go get you something else to eat? Or maybe some water or something?"
I shook my head. She wasn't saying it was going to be okay. She wasn't throwing out meaningless words to try and make me feel better. And for the first time I realized why. She knew what loss was. James had said she had lost her brother. She knew this suffocating feeling. The first thing I wanted to say was, "I'm okay," but I knew that was almost as bad as hearing it from someone else. Instead, I said, "I feel like I can't... breathe."
"Sit down," Daphne said and gestured to a nearby seat. "Try to take another slow breath."
I nodded my head.
"Here, this might help distract you. Something just came for you." She handed me a manila envelope.
"Where did you get that?" Mason said. I hadn't realized he was standing next to us.
"The UPS guy dropped it off a few minutes ago."
"Where did he go?"
"He left through the doors he came in through." Daphne gestured to the door that led to the exit of the hospital.
Mason sprinted toward the doors.
"What was that about?" Daphne asked.
But I barely heard her. I opened up the letter and pulled out the note. It read:
"If I can't have him, no one can."
I put my hand over my mouth. Did she know his lung collapsed, or was it just impeccable timing? It felt like she knew. It felt like she was watching me. I looked over my shoulder.How does she know everything?
"Penny?" Daphne put her hand on my shoulder. "Penny, what's wrong?"
"Who's telling her?" I whispered.
"Who's telling who what?" Daphne said. "Penny, breathe in for five seconds and then release."
"Who's telling her?!" I screamed.
"Hey," Daphne said and put her hand back on my shoulder. "Please take a deep breath."
Mason came back into the waiting room and shook his head.
"No." I pushed Daphne's hand away and stood up. "One of you is telling her. One of you is telling her!" It felt like I was breaking.
"Hey, Pen, calm down, okay?" my dad said and lightly touched my arm.
I flinched and stepped back. The cops suspected Tyler. They suspected Melissa. Mason knew about the envelopes. Had James told him? Or was he a part of it? Daphne had given me this one. Austin had given me one. Who else had? I tried to remember. There had been one at the office. A switch seemed to go off in my head. Zach. Zach had been the only one at the office when I had gotten one of the manila envelopes there. And he had continuously badgered me about James being abusive. He had been at our wedding too. And James had a fucking list of people who were potential threats. What if the cops were right? What if this wasn't Isabella? What if it was someone else? And what if it was someone in this room? "No."
"Pen."
I didn't trust anyone. I took another step away from my father. "It's one of you."
"Sweetie," my mom said. "What are you talking about?"
"Someone call Officer Daugherty right now. I need to speak with him."
"Okay," my mom said and pulled out her phone. She put her cell to her ear and started talking on it. But I didn't hear what she was saying.
"Hey." Rob gently touched my back. He was the only one I knew for sure wasn't doing this. He loved James. He loved me.
