clung to that. Wrongly. All of it was wrong.”
“You saw what you wanted, and you took it. You got the
necklace, and you just about executed a perfect revenge plot.”
Giana started to clap, and the sound rang through the house.
Coralyn felt her face heat up with shame. “Bravo. I have to
say, as one fellow ruthless woman to another, I applaud you.
The world needs more people like us.”
“Stop.” She wanted to close her eyes, to block out the sight
of Giana’s twisted, mocking grin. She couldn’t. She kept them
open. Her bones felt like they’d been rearranged and were
rattling around under her skin, the pain was so great. Pain
upon layer and layer of pain.
“That is, you did want revenge, until what? Because I don’t
buy that it was just your conscience kicking in. That you were
raised better and all that crap. I think you liked being held up
against the wall. Did you like being trapped there, at my
mercy?”
“Please stop saying those things. They’re mean.”
“Darling, we’ve already established that I’m not a good
person.” A twisted sneer formed on Giana’s lips, and it looked
unnatural there when Coralyn had been treated to her kind
smiles, her concern, her empathy, and her care.
Even when she’d thrown her up against that wall, it was all
passion, all feeling. She’d kissed her senseless. There had been
that feeling of right that swept through Coralyn, a feeling like
she’d come out of her body. It was more than just physical. It
felt like a soul connection. She thought of Giana’s soft hands,
massaging her hair in the shower after they’d gotten back from
the hospital. She hadn’t wanted anything more than to help her
grieve and help her heal. She wasn’t going to take from her.