Chapter 5 - THE MASK OF KINDNESS
The next few days were a masterclass in deception.
I watched Marcus move through our home,
a ghost of the man I thought I knew.
He was extra attentive,
extra loving.
He brought me coffee in bed.
He complimented my work.
He even suggested we take a vacation once the "audit" was over.
“We need to reconnect,
Addie,”
he said,
his hand resting on my thigh.
I felt a wave of revulsion,
but I let it pass through me like a current.
“That sounds lovely,
Marcus.”
“Maybe somewhere tropical?”
I was watching him,
counting the seconds it took for him to look away.
He was already thinking about how he could bring her along.
I went to visit Vanessa on Friday afternoon.
I brought more "gifts"—baby clothes,
organic lotions,
a stroller that cost more than her car.
She welcomed me with open arms,
playing the part of the grateful sister.
“You’re too good to me,
Adeline,”
she said,
kissing my cheek.
I looked at the baby,
Leo.
He had Marcus’s chin.
The same stubborn set of the jaw.
“He’s beautiful,
Vanessa,”
I said,
my voice soft.
“He looks just like...
well,
he’s a Thorne,
isn't he?”
Vanessa stiffened,
her smile faltering for a second.
“He has the family eyes,”
she said quickly.
I held him for a moment,
feeling the small weight of him.
He was innocent in all of this,
yet he was the living proof of their betrayal.
I felt a pang of sadness for him,
to be born into a house of lies.
“I’m hosting a brunch on Sunday,”
I said,
setting him back in the crib.
“I want you to bring him over.”
“Marcus and I want to celebrate properly.”
Vanessa’s eyes lit up with greed.
“We’d love to come.”
I looked around her apartment,
noting the expensive art on the walls that Marcus had "found" for her.
It was all going back into the Thorne collection.
As I was leaving,
I saw Marcus’s spare gym bag in the closet.
The same one he said he had lost a month ago.
I didn't say a word.
I just smiled and walked out the door.
I had played my part perfectly.
The prey was comfortable.
May you like
The trap was set.
And the clock was ticking down to the final hour.
