Page 125 of Committed to You

“Chase, are you still there?” Her tone holds panic—and I don’t want to hear that.

I clear my throat. “Yes. Sorry. I ummm—”

“Don’t be mad at me!”

“I’m not mad at you, Meredith. Why would I be mad?”

“Because of what my mother said.”

“I’m sorry that you and your mother fought regarding me.” And I genuinely am. Once again, I hear Vivian’s voice telling me that I’m the one doing the hurting. Meredith is crazy and in the wrong, but I have played my role in her getting to this place.

“She shouldn’t have said that about you.”

I try to change the subject. “It’s okay. So, Meredith, this place of yours, what is it like?”

“It’s small. There is only one bedroom. The kitchen and living area are together. It’s outdated, and there isn’t a lot of furniture. But it could be okay if it was fixed up. The lake is nice in the summer.”

“That sounds nice. Did you go there a lot as a child?”

“Yes. I spent summers here with my grandparents while my mom worked. I slept on the couch, but it was fine. I loved it here.”

Noah shows me his phone, where he’s typed a message. It says: Ask her why she brought Vivian there.

“Meredith, if you love it there, why did you bring Vivian there?”

“I told you not to say her name!” she yells.

Noah’s eyes widen.

I shake my head. “I’m sorry. What do you want me to call her?”

“Her. That’s all she deserves. She doesn’t need to be called anything other than that.”

I close my eyes. “Okay. We will say her when referring to her.”

“Good. That’s better,” she says sweetly.

Noah shakes his phone at me again.

“Tell me why you brought her to the lake if you love it there.”

She giggles. “You know why!”

“No, I don’t. Tell me.”

She giggles more. “So I can kill her.”

29

Vivian

Meredith wearsa crazy smile while telling Chase she is going to kill me.

I inhale through my mouth as any attempt at breathing through my nose has been a failure. Blood has clogged my airways. I’m shaking from the cold of the unheated cabin and my wet clothes from falling in the snow. My entire face is throbbing in pain from Meredith’s smacks. The rope she has secured around me is tight, and I’m grateful she didn’t make me remove my coat.

She talks to Chase for a long time. I can only hear her side of the conversation, and she never stops watching me.

She waves the gun all over the place. I can see the time on my watch, and, as more time lapses, I remind myself that Chase will be here soon.

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