Page 190 of Money Reigns
The thought twists sharp in my chest, too heavy, too much.
I sit down on the edge of the brand-new bed, staring at the life he built for me here, insecret.
At first, it feels like too much to hold in my chest.
Somethingsoft.
My fingers press into the comforter, plush and new, and I let my eyes drift to the closet door again. New clothes. New life.
Maybe he wanted this for me.
My heart flutters. Maybe War meant this place to be ours too, anothernest. Somewhere closer to my favorite food haunts, the places I’ve forced him to order from a hundred times. Maybe this was his way of saying,I see you.I know what you love.
For a dizzy second, I let myself believe it.
My phone rings. The sound breaking my thoughts
I fumble it out of my purse, heart still fluttering, until I see the name on the screen.
Mama.
I swipe, breathless. “Hey, Mama.”
“Hey, my Liv bug,” she coos, warm as sunlight. “Happy birthday, baby girl. Is Warren around?”
I freeze.
“…Warren?”
My phone vibrates. War’s name flashes. I decline it.
“Yes, Liv bug,“ she answers teasingly. “We all know about Warren Beaumont.”
From the background, I hear my brother making obnoxious kissing noises.
My stomach plummets. “How?”
“Because he called,” Mama says, matter-of-fact. “And we want to thank him, Liv… he paid for the Inn for the rest of the year! He—”
Hervoice is bubbling with joy, but my heart drops so fast it hurts. I don’t hear her anymore.
My phone vibrating in my hand, his name flashing as my mother sings his praises.
No.
No,no, no.
He wouldn’t.
He wouldn’t go behind my back after I asked him not to. He wouldn’t snoop.
“Did you… did you tell him about Ronnie?” My voice splinters on the name.
Silence.
Then Mama, quietly answers. “No, Liv bug. I figured that’s somethingyoushould do.”
My chest tightens. The edges of the room blur.
