I’m shaking, but not from fear. I’m so angry. At her. At me. For getting involved. For allowing myself to get caught up in her shit. For not trusting Nate the way I should have. For the way she turned him against me. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me when he called me a liar, the way he sounded, so distant and cold. I hate her for that. I want to abolish it all from my memory, mummify it with all those other things that hurt more to remember than forget.

“Don’t patronize me,” I say. “I know about the money.”

She makes a face like she’s confused, still performing for this captive audience, or maybe she’s truly confused as to how I know. “What money?”

“I saw your dad’s will. You’re the sole beneficiary to his two-billion-dollar estate.”

“You...”

I lean into her, pushing up on my tiptoes and bringing my lips to her ear. “It’s disappointing, really. I mean, to be such a cliché.” My words come harsh and reticent.

She laughs against my cheek.

I can smell the rancid bitterness of hard liquor on her breath. I pull back. My eyes flick around the room. More people have gathered. I feel like I’m in a haunted house.

Taylor’s blue eyes flare. “You think you know everything, don’t you? I had nothing to do with my father’s murder. I just trusted the wrong people. Jared and Mei went behind my back. They—”

“Bullshit. You planted that cyanide in my room when I left for my interview.”

She scoffs. “What, are you suffering from PTSD after being locked up for a few days? It’s not my fault the cops got it wrong. How was I supposed to know the emails weren’t actually between you and my father? They looked real.”

Taylor struts off. This diabolical bitch thinks I’m going to make this easy for her.

I clench my fists at my sides, so tired of her shit. And then I force myself to take a breath.

I’m not going to do anything stupid.

I’m not going to do anything stupid.

I follow her, my heels slapping against the floor. “Because you wrote them.”

She stops. I can’t describe the look on her face as she turns to me. It defies all etymology, a mix of determination and terror and psychosis.

“Jared and Mei were nothing but leeches,” she declares. “They did all of this behind my back. I had no idea—”

“Don’t think just because you were able to gaslight Nate that I’m gonna fall for your bullshit too. This was all you. You wanted your dad’s money and you wanted me out of the picture so you could get Nate back.”