Page 92 of Charlie
I was going to protest, but Sara had flirted with me at the conference and made me think I had a chance with her before she invited me to join her mastermind group.
“I’m not sure. Maybe.”
“Well, I figured we could reverse the method and send someone to lure you out.”
“Are you saying that you paid Liv to be with me?” It felt like an iron band was squeezing my lungs making it hard for me to breathe. “Was she just acting?”
He sighed again. “Here’s where it gets tricky. You see, when I told her about you being wrapped up in a cult, Liv was eager to go and help. I offered her money but she didn’t want it. I think she was genuinely happy to connect with you again.”
“Then why is she there and not here? She made me believe she was in love with me.” My head was about to explode with confusion and my eyes were getting moist.
“Sheis, Charles!”
I made a sound of skepticism and sat back down on the bed.
“Whenever she called me to report about the progress that she was making, she would talk about falling in love with you. I believe that part was very real.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Don’t insult me. You know me better than that. I’m sorry Liv chose to stay at the manor. It wasn’t part of the plan.”
I was quiet, trying to calm my emotions and think rationally. “So, what was the plan?”
“To open your eyes and see Conor for the Machiavellian character he is.”
“Only you would use a word like that. Can’t you just say villain?”
“I’m old and I’m using old words, but you know what I mean.”
My chest rose and fell. “Why did she sleep with him then? Was it her way of showing me that I couldn’t trust him? Was that her plan to get me out?”
“Liv slept with Conor? No. That makes no sense. She would never do that.”
“That’s what I thought, but tonight, I found Conor and Liv in a bathroom with their clothing disheveled. She was pulling her shorts up and he was unzipped.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Big oh.”
“That’s surprising.”
“Uh-huh. I got mad and asked her to leave with me, but she wouldn’t.”
“That’s strange. I only received a text from her saying that you left and that she worried about you. I wonder…” My grandfather coughed again. “I wonder if it’s because of the children. She has been talking a lot about wanting to save the children from Conor.”
The image of River clinging to Liv and asking her to stay came back full force. “Actually…”
“Yes?”
“Today, Liv and I found Nathan in the pond. The boy said it was Conor who had told him to go and meditate in the pond, but he denied it. Liv believed the boy while I believed…”
“Conor,” my grandfather finished the sentence for me. “It’s because she knows Conor is nothing but a liar and a cheat.”
“Do you think that’s why she stayed? To protect the children?”
“It sounds like Liv. She is surprisingly willing to put herself at risk to save others.”
I shook my head. “It’s not like anyone in that house is a danger to her. They’re good people.”
