“And how, exactly, are things now?”
“We’re together,” Jessica whispered. “Jon and I are together.”
Holly imagined throwing herself at Jessica, raking her fingers down those youthful cheeks, slapping that pretty face until her palms burned.
Instead she gathered herself, taking a step back and standing up straight. She waited a long moment until she had command of her voice. “You should be ashamed of yourself for what you’ve done to our family.”
“I told you. We didn’t get together until after he left you.”
The whole point had been to remind Jessica her lover was still married. But Jack had, astonishingly, told her he and Holly were separated. Disowned her. In that moment, Holly no longer wanted to claim him, either.
Her chest ached. “Jack has been lying to me for years. What makes you think he’s not lying to you?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
JESSICA
The three Rs: roll with it, reassess, and recover.
—“How I Lied about My Name and Discovered My Truth,” a TED Talk by Jon M. Wright
“Your ex accosted me at Whole Foods last night,” Jessica said as Jon came into the apartment the next morning, not even waiting for the door to close behind him.
“Shit!” Jon let go of his suitcase, and the plastic clatter of its wheels echoed through the apartment. “What happened?”
“I was headed home from the airport but decided to stop for some groceries. She must have been stalking me, because she suddenly appeared and made a scene in the middle of the prepared-food section.”
“Jesus,” Jon said as he stepped toward her and wrapped her in his arms. He looked worn out from his trip.
Despite her own bone-deep exhaustion, Jessica had spent the night tossing and turning with fragments of the crazy conversation repeating on an infinite loop.
You’ve been having an affair with Jack . . . Separated isn’t married . . . What makes you think he’s not lying to you?
As he held her tightly, the tears finally began to flow.
“I tried to stay calm and defuse the situation while she caused a huge scene,” she choked out. “I really did.”
“It’s okay,” he said.
“She basically accused me of wrecking your family. Everybody was watching.”
“You didn’t tell her we were married, did you?” he asked, releasing her from his embrace and looking at her intently.
“You told me not to tell anyone. Of all people, why would I start with her?”
“What did you say then?” Jon pressed. “Tell me everything both of you said.”
Jessica wiped her eyes. “What scared me most was her anger. She was literally shaking with rage.”
“That’s how she manipulates people,” he said. “But what words did she use?”
“I . . . I’m not sure I can remember word for word.”
“Try.” Jon’s voice had an unexpected but somehow familiar edge.
As Jessica recounted the exchange, starting with her feeling of being followed, Jon began to pace back and forth from the entryway to the living room. His phone chimed, and he glared at the lock screen before silencing it and shoving it back in his pocket so hard she thought it would rip out of his coat. His expression grew darker and more intense as she added every detail she could remember, reiterating that she’d told Holly, “We—you and I—didn’t get together until after the two of you separated.”
Jon put his head in his hands. “Oh god.”
“Should I not have said that?”
“She shouldn’t have chased you down,” he said, not entirely answering her question and sounding even angrier than before. “This is a fucking nightmare.”
“Jon, she really seems to believe you two are still together.”
“Because she’s a lunatic.”
“What do we do?”
“You do nothing,” he said pointedly. “You’ve had your last-ever conversation with Holly. If she comes near you again, we’re getting a restraining order.”
“Do you think it’s going to come to that?” Jessica asked, dreading another encounter with his deranged ex-wife.
“I won’t let it,” Jon said. “Besides, if I know Holly, she’s done with you for a while. I’m the one who’s on her hit list.”
“Could she be dangerous?”
“You never know,” he said. “I have to go deal with this.”
“You’re leaving? Right now?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get this all under control.”
“But when will you be back?”
He kissed her on the forehead. “As soon as it’s safe.”
Chapter Thirty
HOLLY
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: no is a transitive word.
—“How I Lied about My Name and Discovered My Truth,” a TED Talk by Jon M. Wright
Long before dawn, Holly dragged herself out of bed, her head cloudy from a third glass of wine, and dressed in barn clothes using arms that didn’t seem to work quite right. She fed Mini-Me first, then tramped through the yard and across the dirty snow to the barn, where she fed the horses and, one by one, turned them out to the pasture. They didn’t like the chilly gray morning any more than she did; Alderman, who had finally shed a few pounds, stood morosely in the barn door before reluctantly following the rest.
She saved Wags for last. Ever since he’d kicked her, Holly had been more determined than ever to help him rediscover his gentle inner nature. And though her head still sometimes throbbed involuntarily when she entered his stall, she never flinched, showing him only love and affection. In a strange way he was becoming her favorite.
Now she cooed to him as she stroked his flanks, resting her cheek against his muscular neck and feeling his strength and warmth as he playfully tossed his head.
“Go on, get,” she said fondly, urging him outside.
Who knew? Maybe she’d keep him after all.
She tackled the rest of her chores as if in penance before going in to find Paige, her early riser, at the breakfast bar with a cup of the extremely sweet and creamy coffee she was experimenting with, and Galenia already packing lunches.
Glancing at her phone, Holly saw a new text from Brian, adding to the two unanswered ones
