“I should have. I know that now. But I was just trying to prevent this from being blown out of proportion.”
“We're right back to where we were before. With you keeping things from me and hoping that I don't find out. With you managing me! I'm not one of your companies. We're supposed to be partners.”
Avery spoke up. “I’m so sorry, Mara. I didn't know.”
Mara spun toward her, her rage shifting focus instantly. “I’m sure you are. Sorry that your last little stunt didn’t work out the way you hoped. You may have Trent fooled but that victim persona you've got going on doesn't fool me.”
She was far too disgusted to deal with Avery right then. Because despite her words, she seemed a little too pleased with the way things were going. Every time there was a problem in her relationship with Trent, somehow Avery seemed to be right in the middle of it.
"Why are you yelling at me? It's not my fault." Avery looked over at Trent helplessly.
Trent stepped between them. “Look Avery, maybe you should go. We're all saying things we don't mean right now.”
“Why are you protecting her?” Mara wanted to throw something.
Avery s
tood to the side with that innocent and wounded look on her face and of course, Trent jumped to defend her. As if Mara was a danger to her delicate sensibilities.
“I know you feel bad for her but it's not your fault that she and James have a fucked up love life. We have our own problems to deal with. She’s a liar and she’s just doing what she always does, make up stuff to get between us.”
Avery held up the piece of paper in her hand. “I’m not making this up. James had the DNA test done, not me.”
Mara ignored her and walked back toward the kitchen. Trent seemed to suddenly wake from his trancelike state because he rushed after her, catching her arm. “Please don’t leave. Let me explain.”
“Oh, I’m not leaving.”
“You aren’t?” Trent and Avery spoke in unison.
“No. I live here. You are the one who is going to leave,” she said, looking at Avery meaningfully. “Trent and I have a lot to talk about so we need privacy for that.”
The stunned look on Avery’s face told Mara that she’d made the right decision. Avery was counting on Mara running at the first sign of trouble so she could have Trent by default. Well, Mara wasn’t going to make it that easy. Avery clearly didn’t know what real love was like. She was in this thing with Trent until the finish line, even when things got hard.
Avery’s breath came faster and her hands clenched into fists. “But you have to leave! You aren’t right for him. You’re just like her. God, you died and I still can’t get rid of you.”
A chill went down her spine at the words. “What are you talking about?”
Suddenly Avery grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the hall to the master bedroom, slamming the door behind them. When she turned the lock, Mara’s heart skipped a beat.
“What are you doing?”
On the other side, she could hear Trent yelling. Avery didn’t stop, just started looking around the room. Then when her eyes landed on Trent’s closet, she pushed Mara in that direction. Mara stumbled in and fell. Avery pulled the door closed after them and then pushed the dresser in front of the closet door to block it just as there was a thunderous crash on the other side.
“Now, where would he hide them? This is the only room I haven’t checked.” Avery peered in each of the dresser drawers, leaving them hanging open when she moved on. She ran her hands over the suits and coats hanging on the rack. Mara was about to yell at her to stop touching Trent’s stuff when there was a bang on the door. The knob turned back and forth and then jiggled wildly.
“Avery, open the damned door!”
Mara shivered. She’d never heard him act like this. He sounded different. Violent. Then there was another loud bang and she realized he was trying to force the door open. Avery was now down on her hands and knees looking for … something.
The closet door vibrated again as Trent rammed it. Mara whimpered as the sound reverberated through the room. If he hadn’t been acting so crazy she would have just opened the door and let him in but at the moment she was actually scared to do that.
“Trent, please calm down. You’re scaring me!”
The banging on the door stopped instantly but she could still hear his frantic breaths on the other side of the wood. “Mara, please come out. Come out now so we can talk about this.”
She glanced over at Avery. “What are you looking for?”
“Pictures. Didn’t you notice there are no pictures in this place? I left one for you to find but he must have taken it. You need to see so you can understand. Aha!” She’d found a brown, cardboard box pushed into the corner. After rooting around inside, Avery turned around, a picture frame held triumphantly over her head.