house?” His voice was a desperate plea. Wow. He’d uttered only a few words, and he was already losing his shit.
She yawned. He was such a bore. “I did. I’m surprised you couldn’t smell little Hunter on me when we were making love. Hang on,” she said, tapping on her photos. “I’ll text you a picture of the little guy with me.” With one finger, she sent the photo to Hugh.
“Stop it! Do you hear me? This has to stop!” he spat.
She held back a laugh. “Stop what? Feeding your baby or sending you photos? You’re not being very clear, now, are you?”
“Stop contacting Lily. Stop coming to my house. All of it. I’m telling you right now!” His words were slow and measured, as though he were trying to gain control. “If you—”
“Wait!” she interrupted, infusing her voice with excitement. “Hugh? Can you hear it?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t hear anything.”
“You have to listen carefully!” Her voice was fit for a mother delighting in her child hearing Santa’s reindeer on the rooftop. “Do you hear it?”
“Hear what?” he snarled. Poor guy wasn’t having as much fun as she’d hoped.
“It’s the sound of your world shattering around you,” she said cheerily. A laugh rose from her throat, and he went silent, just as she knew he would. There was nothing more unsettling than hearing someone laugh at a serious situation. Is the person nervous? Caught in a lie? Deranged? Yes, a perfectly executed laugh was an effective tool. “You played me for a fool, Hugh, and now it’s my turn to play. Isn’t this fun?”
“You’re crazy! What the—”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She assumed a pitying tone. “I get that it’s probably only fun for me, not so much for you. But you’ve had your good time, haven’t you?”
“We’re done.” His voice was a seething whisper. “And if you dare come to my house again, I’ll . . . I’ll have you arrested!”
“Okay,” she sang. “We’ll see how that goes. I hear the police aren’t big on arresting visitors, but okay.”
“Shut up! I could kill you right now!”
“Oh, Hugh. Now, that’s something that’ll get you arrested. And besides, I’m like a phoenix. I’ll rise from the ashes. Nothing can kill me.”
“I don’t even know you anymore. You’re a fucking cockroach.”
She ended the call and ignored the unrest in her belly. Hugh deserved this. He had worked hard to gain her trust, only to light a match to it and watch it burn. The man didn’t deserve even a moment of sympathy. No, she wouldn’t hesitate. The smart thing was to forge ahead with her plan and allow him to suffer.
Her phone buzzed with a text, and she glanced at it.
Don’t ever call me again!!! I’m serious, Sylvia. Bad things will happen!!!
“Ooh. Bad things will happen,” she mimicked. “Yes, they will, Hugh. I’ll just go ahead and save this text so I can use it later. No one likes to be threatened by an ex, Hugh. But you keep them coming,” she whispered. “Keep them coming. I’ll destroy you with your own words.”
She closed her eyes and tried to clear the noise from her head. The clock was ticking. She pressed “Recents” on her phone and tapped the number. This time as it rang, she wasn’t interrupted.
“Management. This is Brian,” a man’s voice said. He sounded bored, like he’d spent too many hours staring at a crossword puzzle or, more likely, inane videos on his phone. Lucky for him, she would rattle him from his stupor.
“Hi, Brian. This is Lily Pacheco. My husband and I have been keeping an eye on Sammy’s place while he’s been out of town, and I’ve locked myself out.” She faked a girlie sigh. “I popped out to my car for a second to get the window cleaner that I left behind, and of course I left the keys inside,” she added with a laugh. “It’s been one of those days. Would you mind opening the door for me?”
“Last name of the tenant?”
“Gilligan.” That hadn’t been too hard to find, thanks to the internet.
“Hang on. Lemme check.” There was a pause and the sound of tapping on a keyboard. “Got it. Unit 305. I’ll meet you there.”
“Thank you!” She took the grocery bag filled with household cleaners from her car and walked toward the lobby elevator as she checked her watch. It was her lunch hour, and she needed to get in and get out.
By the time Brian arrived, she was outside Sammy’s all-too-familiar door.