home, my family, and you have exploited and abused me.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Annabel says. “This was never what I intended.”
“I don’t really care whether you meant to or not. When you slept with the father of my children, you betrayed me, and hurt me beyond measure.”
“But . . . he’s your ex-husband,” Annabel attempts. “I thought it was over. You have Steve. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
“Nobody could think that sleeping with Adam, ex or not, is right, or appropriate. And frankly, I’m not that interested in even discussing it with you. I’m sorry too. I’m sorry that it has to end like this.”
“But what does that mean? End? You’re my sister,” Annabel pleads.
“A few weeks ago I didn’t have a sister. Right now, I wish I still didn’t.”
“Please let’s talk about this?” Annabel’s face flushes. She hasn’t realized how much she cares, how unprepared she is for this rejection.
“I can’t,” Kit says. “Not now. I’m not saying never. Maybe in time we can talk, but right now I just need to regroup. I ordered a car for you.”
“But where am I going to go? ”
“I have no idea. There are a number of flights out of Kennedy this evening. I’d suggest you make some phone calls on your way to the airport.”
“So . . . that’s it? ” There is panic in Annabel’s voice but Kit ignores it.
“For now. Please give me your key.” And she holds her hand out, only realizing, as Annabel places the key in her palm, that both of their hands are shaking like leaves.
Chapter Twenty-eight
For other people, Robert McClore might look like the perfect exit route. Just as, once upon a time, Richard Stonehill had appeared to be the perfect exit route.
She had got away from Jed for a while. Had planned on staying away. And befriending him on Facebook after she moved to Highfield turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.
When he first came back, he vowed things would be different. Everything was different, he said. She had a business, his business venture was going well, he was happy now, he’d never hurt her.
He’d been in therapy, he said. Had got help with his problem. He’d never lift a finger to her again.
For months things were wonderful. As they had been right at the very beginning, when they’d met, when she’d been little more than a child. He said he’d turned over a new leaf, no more crime, no more scheming, no more abuse—although he never called it abuse. He said he hated himself for raising a hand to her, but that it was her fault for making him so crazy.
That first time he did it again, she knew she couldn’t stop it. When Jed was nice, he was the greatest man she’d ever met. But it was like watching Jekyll and Hyde. She never knew what would set him off, but he would sit simmering with fury, and there would be nothing she could do.
If she left, he’d be worse by the time she came home. Trying to calm him down seemed only to infuriate him more. It was a lose-lose situation.
After his explosions, there is none of the contrition he showed in the early days. Now he is cruel. Disdainful. Vicious. She has heard women on television say they didn’t leave bad boyfriends because they were scared of being killed by them. These days, she knows what that is like.
There have been times when she has packed her things, with pounding heart, determined that this time will be the time she will make a fresh start, but she is the one with roots in Highfield, with a business, with friends. And where would she go?
His latest scheme has got bigger and bigger. As soon as he heard Robert McClore lived in Highfield, and one of Tracy’s friends worked for him, he started to think of extortion. He just needed time to work out the details.
Tracy would seduce McClore, and he would seduce the assistant, get closer to McClore through the assistant, keep a close eye on the scheme to make sure he could deal with any unforeseen circumstances.
And then another idea, in case that didn’t work out: raising money from people Tracy loved and trusted, to open a new yoga studio in Norwalk. His plan was to disappear with the money, but the financial world collapsed, and it was back to plan A.
A part of Tracy hoped Jed would fall in love with Kit, anything