Page 100 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
Perhaps this rejection is nothing more than what I deserve. Tit for tat. Why should Iris want to accept my proposal when I wasn’t brave enough to accept her tattoo? She erased it after, scrubbing her body clean of any declaration of love, just like she scrubbed her mind clean of my presence.
When I finally emerge from the bathroom, Iris is already dressed in a blue tunic top and black pencil skirt. She’s put on some makeup, but it can’t hide the dark circles under her eyes or the way the ends of her mouth curve downward.
Wordlessly, she leaves the closet and walks out of the room. It feels too much like a final goodbye—the way Mother turned her back on me at the terminal when she was sure I had the boarding pass for my one-way flight to Zurich. I start to follow, then stop and put on my work outfit in record speed before bounding downstairs.
Bobbi’s handing Iris a cup of coffee. Iris holds it for a moment, then takes a small sip before setting it back on the counter.
“Iris,” I begin.
“I need to get going. I’m going to be late.” She looks at me with infinitely sad eyes and walks away.
Bobbi mouths, I’ll keep her safe, and follows Iris out.
Iris slips out of our home like sand sifting through my fingers. Panic pulses, growing louder until it drowns out everything except one thought—whether she learns the truth or not, I’m going to lose her.
