The Lying Season (Seasons #1) - K.A. Linde Page 0,81

come out of his own stupor. He gripped Claire’s shoulders and held her at arm’s length. She stumbled backward a step, but I could see her red-rimmed eyes and puffy face.

“What are you doing here?” Sam finally asked.

“I-came-home-early-and-everything-is-awful-and-I-missed-you,” she said, unintelligibly stringing all her words together with tears springing to her eyes again.

“Wait…wait,” he said, gently guiding her back into the apartment. “I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

“I missed you. I was wrong. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left,” Claire said, swiping at her cheeks. “I realized that I still love you. I’m still in love with you. I came back to make this better.”

I stood awkwardly on the threshold between walking into that apartment and staying out here. Because nothing good was going to come from me stepping inside and hearing what the fuck was about to happen. Claire was a mess. And still, I wanted to tell her to fuck off. That she was too late.

The old Lark…Bad Lark…would have done it. The other side of me reared its ugly head. It made my claws come out and my teeth lengthen into fangs and my instincts take over. I wanted her to hurt. She had no right to be here. She’d left Sam. He was mine.

But…the other part of me knew I couldn’t say any of those things. It hadn’t worked last time with Melissa. It certainly wasn’t going to work this time with his ex-girlfriend sobbing into his shoulder.

All it would do was make things worse. Make Sam see that I hadn’t changed as much as I’d claimed. That deep down, that viper still existed. As much as I tried to charm that snake to sleep inside of me and never come back out, I couldn’t escape who I was. I was my mother’s daughter. I was Katherine’s best friend. I was Upper East Side. There was no denying that. And I could feel it in the vengeance that sprang up when I looked at that crying girl and felt nothing, except that I wanted to make her pay for touching him.

I’d say it was the normal sort of anger. The normal sort of don’t touch my boyfriend. But it wasn’t.

It was the Upper East Side level of I’ll ruin your life, and no one will ever know. And it terrified me.

Terrified me that it was still in there.

And that somehow…Sam was the only one who brought it back out in me.

I took a step backward. I couldn’t walk in there. I didn’t know what he’d say or what kind of con Claire was trying to pull. But I knew if I walked in there, the part of me I’d tried so hard to bury would surface. And I had no clue if I could put her back in a box.

“Lark,” Sam said, glancing up at me.

Claire seemed to notice me standing there for the first time. “Hey, Lark,” she said, sniffling. “I didn’t mean for you to see me like this. I just got in from Rome and it’s a bitch of a flight and I’m so tired. Such a mess.” She glanced down at my swanky outfit. “Oh god, am I keeping you from something? Do you have a banquet?”

“Uh…yeah,” Sam said. “Something like that.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I came straight here from the airport. We need to talk.”

“Yeah, I think we do.” He glanced back up at me.

I was halfway out the door like I was ready to sprint in the other direction. I saw his gaze soften for a minute. As if he wanted to say something to appease me, but there was nothing there.

“You want to head to the party? I can meet you.”

“You want me to leave?” I asked in surprise. Even though I’d been ready to run, I hadn’t thought Sam would send me away.

“Yeah. I mean, Claire and I have some unfinished business. I’ll meet you there.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll text you,” he said carefully.

I took another step back. “Fine.”

“Lark…”

“I’ll see you at the party.”

And then I turned on my heel and walked out.

My heart pounded the entire drive from Brooklyn to the private location Thomas had booked for his party. I realized when I was almost there that I had both invitations, and you could only get inside with one. Too late now.

I couldn’t go back there.

Not to figure out what the hell had happened between Sam and Claire.

Not to see my worst self reappear before my very eyes. Like watching a dark energy seep into my