Page 45 of Entrapped
I didn’t waste time. I needed to know if Logan was the mystery man coming and going from the guest house. The very thought made me shudder, but I had to confront it. "No, we did not. I want the truth."
His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I’m not sure what you mean."
"Are you dating anyone?" I asked, my voice firm.
Logan sighed, the weight of whatever he was hiding evident in his expression. "I’m seeing someone."
"Who? And why haven’t I met her?"
My brother’s shoulders slumped, and he looked away. "It’s complicated."
A cold realization washed over me, and I could barely keep my voice steady. "Is it because the woman you’re seeing is Simone?"
He tensed, his silence more telling than any words could be. "It’s complicated," he repeated, avoiding my gaze.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My voice cracked with emotion as I pressed on. "Bullshit! You know what she did to me. God, Logan, she tried to kill me."
Before he could respond, the door burst open, and there she was—Simone. She froze when she saw me, the tension in the room thickening.
"I’ll come back," she said quietly, her eyes darting between Logan and me.
"No, stay," I said, my voice cold as steel. The confrontation I had been avoiding for years was finally here, and I wasn’t backing down.
Simone hesitated for a moment, then crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to mine. I stiffened, crossing my arms tightly over my chest, my gaze swinging between her and Logan. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
"Well?" I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended. "Someone want to start explaining?"
Logan looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. "Joey, it’s not what you think?—"
"Don’t," I cut him off, my eyes narrowing. "Don’t insult me by pretending this isn’t exactly what it looks like. I’m not blind, Logan. I know you, and I know when you’re hiding something."
Simone shifted in her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her usual air of confidence was gone, replaced by something I couldn’t quite place. Was it guilt? Regret? I couldn’t tell, and it infuriated me.
"Josephine," Simone began, her voice soft but steady. "This wasn’t planned. It just... happened."
I let out a bitter laugh, uncrossing my arms to point an accusing finger at her. "What happened, Simone? Did you just conveniently forget the hell you put me through? The lies, the manipulation, the fact that you tried to kill me? Or did you think Logan wouldn’t care about any of that?"
Simone flinched, and for a split second, I saw something like pain flash across her face. But I wasn’t about to be fooled. Not again.
Logan finally looked at me, his eyes filled with something I hadn’t seen in a long time—shame. "Joey, I know what she did. But people change. She’s changed."
"People don’t change," I snapped, my heart pounding in my chest. "They just get better at hiding who they really are."
Simone leaned forward, her voice desperate. "Josephine, I’m not that person anymore. I regret everything that happened between us, but I can’t undo the past. I can only try to be better now."
"Better?" I echoed, incredulous. "You think dating my brother is somehow better? You think that’s going to make me forgive you?"
"I’m not asking for your forgiveness," Simone said quietly, her eyes locked on mine. "I’m asking for a chance to prove that I’m not the same person who hurt you."
I shook my head, disbelief washing over me. "You’re seriously sitting here asking me to be okay with this? With you two together?"
Logan stepped in, his voice calm but firm. "Joey, I wouldn’t have started dating her if I didn’t believe she’d changed. I wouldn’t put you through that."
"Then why didn’t you tell me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why keep it a secret?"
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Because I knew how much it would hurt you. And I wasn’t sure... I wasn’t sure if we could make it work. I didn’t want to drag you into something that might not last."
I stared at him, my anger battling with the hurt that was quickly rising to the surface. "So, what now? You expect me to just accept this? To pretend that everything’s fine?"
