Page 85 of Sweet Possession
“No. We…erm, we had a massive falling out a few days ago.She tried it on with Robbie andthentold me he came onto her. We haven’t spoken since,”she replied, a pained expression twisting her face.
The two of them had been friends for several years, if Lily wasn’tworking,thenshe’d be with Annaliese. Sucked to have a friend betray you likethat.
I sighed.“I’m sorry things are rough between you two. Think you’ll beable to sort it out?”
She shook her head.“Is there any way to come back from your bestfriend trying to make a move on the guy youreallylike?”
“Her loss, Lily. You don’t need a friend likethatin your life,”I replied,a brief pang of sympathy running through me for her.“Anyway, I should get going, I’m sorry to have barged in the way I did.”
“It’s okay,”she said, walking me to the door.“If your girlfriend was upset,thenit’s only right you’d want to get to the bottom of it.”
I opened the door, pausing before I stepped out.“If you andAnnaliese have fallen out, why would she imply to Corathatthere was a chance of you and I getting back together?”
Lily shrugged.“Maybe she thought if she managed to break you andCora upthenI’d finish things with Robbie in hopes we’d rekindle something?Thenshe could steal him like she wanted to? Or maybe she figured you’d react like this, and it would result in me getting fired? Anything is possible. I’m beginning to realize I didn’t know herthatwell after all.”
I churnedthatover. Both were a possibility, but it had backfired onAnnaliese, whatever her game plan was.
“Take care of yourself, Lily. And I hope things work out well with youand Robbie,”I said, stepping out onto the landing.
“Thanks, Fox. And I hope things work out with Cora. Itreallyseemslike she makes you happy.”
I bobbed my head before heading back out to my car, more thanready to get the hell away from Lily.
I didn’t go back to the hotel after leaving Lily’s, nor did I go home. Foran hour, I drove out of the city limits and along the winding roads, wanting to clearmy head.
Cora’s reaction to what Annaliese had said to her shook me morethan I cared to admit. When Cora had disappeared into the bedroom after telling me she wanted to sleep alone, I told myselfthatI needed to stay awake all night for fearthatshe would sneak out and vanish into thin air.
I wasterrifiedthat I was going to lose her.
I couldn’t lose her.
I’d barely survived the heartache of losing the only other person in mylife who I loved. Losing Jessie had been the worst time, but I’d gotten through it.
I wasn’t sure I would be as successful if I lost Cora.
The answer to proving to Corajusthow much she meant to me, andensuringthatshe couldn’t walk away from me was obvious. Slamming my brakes on, I spun the car around on the deserted road and headed back into the city.
For the next couple of hours, I browsed jewelry shop after jewelryshop trying to find the perfect ring, but none were special enough for my girl. I needed help to pick one, and I knew exactly who I was going to ask to come ring shopping with me.
CheckingthatNash had taken Cora back to the house, I headedhome, desperate to see her. When I reached the house though, Nash’s car was nowhere to be seen.
I cursed him for not staying with Cora until I got back.
The house was quiet as I threw my house keys into the bowl I kept bythe door. I expected Cora would be in the kitchen, her safe haven, but the kitchen was empty. Figuring she was in the bedroom, I headed for the stairs but I didn’tmake itthatfar when my gaze caught on a figure at the bottom of the garden.
By the pool.
The blood in my veins turned to ice at the sight. Panic crawled up mythroat and gripped my windpipe, preventing me from taking in any air. I tore through the house, ripping open the backdoors, and storming towards Cora, who sat on the side of the pool dangling her feet in the water as she read a book.
She promised.
She fuckingpromisedme she wouldn’t go near the water without me.
“Cora!”I bellowed, my voice reverberating around the garden.
I couldn’t say whether she heard me calling her name, she musthave, it was loud enough. But around me, my garden vanished, replaced by the garden of my childhood home.
Cora was nowhere to be seen, but as I neared the pool, my stomachlurched into my throat as her petite form floated facedown on the surface of the water. She was still. Her long, brown hair gently swayed around her as the light breeze blew her body across the water.
