Page 5 of Devoured

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” I asked.

“I figured it was best to keep your lap dog outside.”

“Don’t call Ian that.”

Mr. Pruitt raised his eyebrows at me. “I’ll call him whatever I please in my own home.”

I’d come here last night to have a reasonable conversation with him. Even though I hadn’t said why I needed to speak with him on the phone, he knew I was here about the divorce. Why else would I have come by? And he’d set me up. He’d told Isabella I’d be here. He never had any intention of speaking to me.

But he was here right now. This was my chance at freedom. But this was not a good start. Sneaking down from his daughter’s room. Telling him to shut up. I ran my hand down my face.Breathe.What had I planned to say last night? My headache seemed to grow by the second. I’d just cut to the chase. “I need Isabella to sign the papers.”

“Are you sure about that?” His eyes wandered back up the stairs.

Isabella had followed me out. She made a show of pulling her robe over her ridiculously short nightgown and running her fingers through her hair. Sex hair. I was definitely going to throw up.

“Daddy!” She hurried down the stairs. “James and I have decided to give it another go. Haven’t we, darling?”

I shook my head. “No. She…”

“I what? I didwhat?” she said.

She was right. No one would ever believe that she’d taken advantage of me. It was her word against mine. And I didn’t even know what had happened. If anything.

I glanced into the dining room at the Pruitt family mural. One person was noticeably missing. Isabella used to have a sister. She’d passed away in high school. Where Isabella was cruel, her sister was sweet. Innocent. I’d had a crush on her, I think because of that. Because she never belonged in our world. And even though she was never mine, I really wished I could have married her instead of Isabella. I’d thought about that a lot over the years. How different my life would have been.

And they’d just erased her from existence. Some days I thought I was the only one who still missed her. What would she think of how my life turned out? I didn’t need to dwell on it. I knew the answer. She’d be furious with me for marrying Isabella. And I was done being manipulated by this toxic family.

Isabella could mess with my head all she wanted.

But I wouldn’t let her ruin my life again.

“We’re not giving it another go,” I said. “Sign the papers, Isabella. And if there’s a problem with them, I’ll alter whatever you’d like. Just call me with any changes, Mr. Pruitt.”

Mr. Pruitt lowered his eyebrows as he looked at me.

“That’s not the deal,” Isabella said. “Come home or I’ll tell everyone, James. I’m being serious.”

“You’re right, that’s not the deal. I’ll be adding a new clause too. If you say one word about Penny to anyone, you won’t get a cent from me.”

“Daddy!” Isabella yelled. “He can’t do that. He’s cheating on me with that teenage slut.”

God, I wanted to hit her for calling Penny that. Instead, I clenched my hand into a fist and kept it by my side.Breathe.

Mr. Pruitt wasn’t an idiot. He knew the truth as well as I did. Isabella was the cheat, not me. And I’d said my piece. “Not a cent,” I said. I knew the Pruitts didn’t need the money. But the fact that Isabella wouldn’t get to stay in our apartment would hurt her public image enough. It was the only threat I needed. Isabella only cared about how she looked.

Mr. Pruitt cleared his throat. “Princess, I think it’s best if we take another look at the papers.”

“But, Daddy!”

It was really gross that she still called him Daddy. She was a grown woman. Even if she was currently acting like a deranged toddler.

I ignored Isabella’s protests as I walked over to the front door and opened it. Ian practically fell into the apartment.

“What the fuck, man,” Ian said. But his anger quickly turned to confusion as he looked at Isabela and then back at me. Specifically, he was looking down at my shirt.

I followed his gaze. I’d put my t-shirt on inside out.Damn it.I closed the Pruitt’s door before Ian had a chance to say anything else.

“Are you kidding me right now? I called you a hundred times. I thought you’d be twenty minutes tops.”

---