She grabbed my wrist.
“Don’t you dare!”
I pulled out my phone, opened the recording I’d saved, and pressed play.
Patricia’s voice filled the room.
“Vanessa is coming tomorrow, Rachel. I suggest you stay home.”
Then my own voice.
“Does Sam know you’re inviting her?”
“Of course. They’ve been seeing each other again.”
My stomach tightened, just as it had yesterday.
“Seeing each other?”
“He wishes he’d never let her go.”
“Does he actually want me gone?”
Patricia laughed.
“He told Vanessa he regrets losing her. What do you think that means?”
“Then why hasn’t he told me?”
“Because my son has never had the courage to tell a woman when he’s finished with her.”
A chair scraped.
Sam had gone pale.
The recording continued.
“Vanessa gave him a daughter. You gave him eight years of excuses for why that daughter won’t come home.”
