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Back One White Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. DEDICATION
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

McKnight waited a moment longer for me to change my mind, then sighed. ‘I can see you’re quite shaken up, Miss King. It’s only natural to be scared and try to make sense of things when something like this happens. Just try and get some rest. We can have an officer drive by and check on you once an hour for the next twenty-four hours. We’ll make sure you’re safe.’

But he wouldn’t, I knew that.

Guys like him, they never did.

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FORTY

It was impossible to rest, of course it was.

My thoughts spun. It wasn’t just the break-in, the note; it was more than that.

What if what Rachel had told me really was true?

Last night, in the shock of it all, it had been hard to believe, but in the cold light of morning, it was becoming more and more difficult to defend John. McKnight was right, in a way – stories didn’t just bloom out of nowhere.

Had I let my feelings get in the way of seeing John for who he really was? Had my relationship with Davis fucked up my judgment even worse than I’d thought?

John was wonderful, he was kind – he was a man’s man in a way that Davis never was. He had seemed to love Vera, but at the same time, he had kissed me. He’d inexplicably taken that photo of me in bed. He’d lied to Vera, making our night together sound far more innocent than it had been. He had protested his innocence about Claire, and yet rumors seemed to follow him wherever he went, even after his death.

Perhaps my crush, my love – for him, for them, for the safety I thought they provided – had gotten in the way of seeing it all.

It broke my heart, but it was impossible to get past: John wasn’t who I thought he was. He never had been.

I didn’t remember drifting off, but when I woke again, it was early evening, half past five. I pulled the drapes back, looking for any sign of a police car. After fifteen minutes or so, I saw one drive by, just as McKnight had said it would. Watching me or protecting me? At this point, it was hard to know.

I texted Vera.

Sam broke into my house last night

She started typing immediately.

Oh my god, did you tell the cops? I’m coming over.

She was there in minutes, a black wool poncho tossed over a long black dress, a drawn look to her face, like she hadn’t slept in ages. She opened her arms, quickly pulling me in for a hug. ‘My god, what is going on, Lucy? Did you actually – Jesus. Did you see him?’