and assaulted. It was a loss of control. Guilt, shame. It enveloped me. I had been too afraid to tell Grant what had happened to me. Would he have blamed me for drinking that night, putting myself in that situation? For a week I tiptoed around him, keeping my secret to myself. Even though he was injured, we made love one last time. Once I found out I was pregnant, I tortured myself, not knowing if my baby’s father was Grant or my attacker. My baby’s daddy could’ve been Mitch—that thought alone made my skin crawl, reproducing with this Neanderthal. But ultimately it didn’t matter, I never found out who my baby’s daddy was. I loved my baby more than anything in the world, regardless of his paternity.
It had to have been Mitch who had ruined my life. There was no other explanation. I would hate him until the day I died. And I would seek revenge. I would make him pay, make him beg for mercy, make him suffer at my hands.
Even so, I refused to allow my desire for revenge to get in the way of my one goal—freeing my brother.
I had successfully portrayed the wounded-bird stripper. Men loved to save women, especially men like Mitch. Little did he know he was caught in my web. He might have fallen for Ksenya, but my soul was still Mia’s.
I woke with a wicked hangover , not just from the copious amounts of whiskey I’d imbibed, but from Mia’s intoxicating scent. But the sharp rage that pulsed through my body quelled any desire to see her.
That lying bitch. Not only did she think I was stupid enough not to figure out her identity, but she felt that it was okay to lie to me about why she left me. I’d spent most of last night trying to figure out the timeline. The only time I hadn’t seen Mia for nine months was after she’d left me, which means that had to be when she had the baby. Even though we’d broken up, because of Joaquín I’d always seen her around at least every five months. She was petite, and there was a slight possibility that she had been barely showing and I had missed it, but that was unlikely, since every time I’d been in the same room with her, my eyes were helplessly drawn to her curves. I needed to know where her baby was, and if I was the father.
I picked up the phone and dialed. “Hey, I need to see you.”
The voice on the other line quickly agreed, and we arranged to meet at a coffeehouse.
An hour later, I sat at an outdoor table impatiently waiting with Hero curled by my feet.
I’d almost given up and headed back home, when I saw her walk through the door. I barely recognized her.
Gone were the fake eyelashes, the caked-on makeup, and the ridiculously high heels. She wore white short-shorts, a loose-fitting T-shirt, and flip-flops.
I stood up to greet her. “Hey, Autumn.”
“Hi, Grant. Sorry I’m late, the traffic was just crazy, you know? All the tourists just flock to the beach here in the summer. I totally hate it. Oh my God! Is this your dog? He’s gorgeous.”
I smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She knelt down to pet Hero, rubbing his ears until he groaned. This girl was refreshing. I’d liked her since the moment I’d met her at the party where Tiffany died. And when I’d run into her at the party I took Ksenya to last week, she’d approached me and offered to help Joaquín any way she could. She’d confided in me that she thought Tiffany was involved in something dark. At the time, I was hoping she could find some clue about who had actually killed Tiffany—now I hoped she could help me find Mia’s baby.
We waited in line at this beachy coffeehouse. Surfers with sand still on their wetsuits strolled in, and some hot girls in yoga pants crowded the bar. A young mom walked in, clutching her toddler’s hand, and I couldn’t help but stare.
After we were served our drinks, Autumn and I sat at a small table outside, a view of Moonlight Beach in the background. She squinted from the sunlight and then put on her oversized sunglasses. “So, what’s up? You
It had to have been Mitch who had ruined my life. There was no other explanation. I would hate him until the day I died. And I would seek revenge. I would make him pay, make him beg for mercy, make him suffer at my hands.
Even so, I refused to allow my desire for revenge to get in the way of my one goal—freeing my brother.
I had successfully portrayed the wounded-bird stripper. Men loved to save women, especially men like Mitch. Little did he know he was caught in my web. He might have fallen for Ksenya, but my soul was still Mia’s.
I woke with a wicked hangover , not just from the copious amounts of whiskey I’d imbibed, but from Mia’s intoxicating scent. But the sharp rage that pulsed through my body quelled any desire to see her.
That lying bitch. Not only did she think I was stupid enough not to figure out her identity, but she felt that it was okay to lie to me about why she left me. I’d spent most of last night trying to figure out the timeline. The only time I hadn’t seen Mia for nine months was after she’d left me, which means that had to be when she had the baby. Even though we’d broken up, because of Joaquín I’d always seen her around at least every five months. She was petite, and there was a slight possibility that she had been barely showing and I had missed it, but that was unlikely, since every time I’d been in the same room with her, my eyes were helplessly drawn to her curves. I needed to know where her baby was, and if I was the father.
I picked up the phone and dialed. “Hey, I need to see you.”
The voice on the other line quickly agreed, and we arranged to meet at a coffeehouse.
An hour later, I sat at an outdoor table impatiently waiting with Hero curled by my feet.
I’d almost given up and headed back home, when I saw her walk through the door. I barely recognized her.
Gone were the fake eyelashes, the caked-on makeup, and the ridiculously high heels. She wore white short-shorts, a loose-fitting T-shirt, and flip-flops.
I stood up to greet her. “Hey, Autumn.”
“Hi, Grant. Sorry I’m late, the traffic was just crazy, you know? All the tourists just flock to the beach here in the summer. I totally hate it. Oh my God! Is this your dog? He’s gorgeous.”
I smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She knelt down to pet Hero, rubbing his ears until he groaned. This girl was refreshing. I’d liked her since the moment I’d met her at the party where Tiffany died. And when I’d run into her at the party I took Ksenya to last week, she’d approached me and offered to help Joaquín any way she could. She’d confided in me that she thought Tiffany was involved in something dark. At the time, I was hoping she could find some clue about who had actually killed Tiffany—now I hoped she could help me find Mia’s baby.
We waited in line at this beachy coffeehouse. Surfers with sand still on their wetsuits strolled in, and some hot girls in yoga pants crowded the bar. A young mom walked in, clutching her toddler’s hand, and I couldn’t help but stare.
After we were served our drinks, Autumn and I sat at a small table outside, a view of Moonlight Beach in the background. She squinted from the sunlight and then put on her oversized sunglasses. “So, what’s up? You
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