Page 37 of Secrets (The Sins Trilogy 2)
I hate it that she’s drawn the same conclusion I did because it means I’m not just being paranoid. “Very likely, yes. I still have no clue who did it, or why. But the man you went to see—Sam Peacher—is part of it somehow. He’s worried about the videos and people figuring out who she really is. If he knows that she remembers everything or that she realizes her real identity is Ivy Smith, she could be in even greater danger.”
She blinks a few times, trying to get her head around it. “I see. So who does Ivy think she is?”
“A girl named Iris Smith from a place called Almond Valley.”
“Iris Smith?”
“Distantly related to Sam—the uncle you met. He’s a… Well, he’s an asshole, no other way to put it. From my mother’s side of the family. The Smiths. He’s claiming that Ivy is Iris Smith.”
“Is Iris Smith even a real person?”
“Yes, but she died a while ago.”
“I see.” Yuna sighs. “Is it safe for her to meet me?”
I debate telling her no. She’ll go away if she thinks it would put Iris in danger again. But somehow I can’t. I’ve already lied enough to Iris, all in the name of keeping her alive. When she turned to me for help, instead of promising to do everything I could, I told her there was no way to find the girl in the blue dress. I don’t have the heart to deceive her again, even by omission. “I think so, but you can’t tell her who she really is.”
Her chin trembles, and she clenches her jaw. “I don’t want to lie to her. I’ve never done that.”
I look away. I can’t claim I’ve never lied to Iris. And here I am, trying to co-opt Yuna. “It’s only until I can get to the bottom of what happened back then and make whoever’s behind it pay for their crimes. I have to make sure nobody’s going to target her again.”
She sits up straight. “Let me help you.”
“Thank you, Yuna. I’ll certainly ask if I need your help. Believe me, I want to keep her safe as much as you.” Probably more than you.
“How much of our past can I share with her?”
I think quickly. Iris would want to know everything Yuna can share. I’d prefer that Yuna lie about everything, but given how reluctant she is about hiding Iris’s real name, it’s not going to be possible. Besides, I don’t think Iris can piece together much from hearing about the three years she spent at the conservatory. “It’s probably fine to tell her how you met and your time together at Curtis, without revealing her real name or the fact that she and I used to know each other. She thinks she went to high school until she was eighteen. Sam made her believe it.”
“That dog. If this were Korea, he would be finished.”
I have no doubt. The Hae Min Group is powerful and ruthless in its home country.
“Now, can I see her?”
She’s eager and open, and I’m starting to see why Iris became such great friends with her. But too many things are different now. I don’t know how Iris will react to Yuna. “Let me ask her first. Just in case. She doesn’t remember you or anything that happened at Curtis as far as I know.”
“Do you think she won’t want to see me?” Yuna’s voice is small.
I look at her helplessly. “I have no idea. I don’t know what kind of poison Sam put into her mind about her old friends.” If that bastard is devious and nasty enough to lie about Iris’s past, he’s gross enough to lie about her friends. Didn’t she imply Sam made her think a lot of her past friends abandoned her or only wanted to use her? “Look, I’m heading home to have lunch with her. Do you mind if I take a quick picture of you so she can see what you look like? Maybe it’ll trigger something.”
“Of course.” Yuna takes a breath, then smooths her hair and smiles.
I snap a shot. Yuna and I leave the office together, her father’s secretary following. I climb into my car, with TJ in the driver’s seat, and she gets inside a black Mercedes that follows us.
I look down at the photo. Yuna looks friendly, but there’s a hint of nerves in her smile. Sympathy stirs. Here’s a young woman who easily gets more or less everything she wants. But not this. Not somebody’s heart.
I look out the window. It isn’t easy to win somebody’s heart, and even harder to keep it. The web of deceit I’m weaving around Iris is growing wider and more complex. I just hope that when the time comes, she’ll understand I had to do it and forgive me.
In front of my building, I come out and turn to Yuna, who’s trotting toward me in her heels. “Wait in the lobby. I’ll call the concierge to bring you up if Iris says yes.”
“How long do you think it’s going to take to convince her?” she asks.
“I don’t know.”
She takes my wrist as I turn around. “You have to make her understand how much I want to see her.” She licks her lips. “Please.” The pride has vanished, and in its place is naked longing.
If she were just a little less likable, it’d be easier to pretend I couldn’t help her. But she and I share the same pain, born out of our love for Iris. I pat Yuna’s hand gently, then pull it off me. Secretary Kim is staring at her like he’s never seen her before.
