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SUNDAY
A gentle hand stroking Nina’s cheek woke her. She opened her eyes, expecting to see Rodney, though he never stroked her cheek. Instead, Deja lay next to her. Nina shot up to a seated position. It hadn’t been a nightmare.
“It’s okay, Nina. It’s just me.” Deja seemed worn and weary, a dark bruise on her neck.
Nina placed her hands on her head. “It’s not okay! I killed—”
Deja cupped her hand around Nina’s mouth. “Shh.”
Tears flowed from Nina’s eyes. “Where’s Rodney? Where are the girls?”
“They’re eating in the kitchen. I told Rodney you weren’t feeling well, so he’s going to take the girls and Miles out for the day. Like I said last night, I need to figure out a more permanent solution to getting rid of Kevin’s body. I’m just not sure how much it’s going to cost.”
“Oh my God. The body.” Nina dry-heaved. She ran to the bathroom and threw up.
Deja joined her in the bathroom, closing the door behind them. She held Nina’s hair as she retched. Once she was done, Deja handed her a cold washcloth. “It’s going to be okay.”
Nina couldn’t still her trembling body.
The bathroom door swung open, and Rodney glared at Nina. “For god’s sake, you know you’re not supposed to be drinking on your medication. We just went over this a few days ago, and you specifically said you weren’t going to drink anymore.”
“It’s my bad. I’m sorry,” Deja said.
“I’m taking off.” Rodney slammed the bathroom door shut as he left.
Though her head throbbed as though she had been drinking the night before, Nina’d been completely sober when she’d killed a man. She sank to the floor. “I need to go to the police, and I have to—”
“You can’t do that.” Deja spoke slowly but firmly. “Given your illness, they’ll lock you away forever, Nina. You can’t do that to yourself or the girls.”
Nina threw her hands up. “I can’t act like everything’s normal. Where the hell did that Kevin guy come from? Is he Miles’s dad?”
“It’s an on-and-off thing with us. We were”—Deja shrugged—“on last night.”
This was a different side of Deja, a secret side Nina didn’t know and didn’t like. “You could have told me. It would have saved a lot of—”
Deja lowered her voice. “I did not invite you to storm into my house.”
Nina dropped her head. “You’re right.”
“Why don’t you splash some water on your face and brush your teeth? You’ll feel better.” Deja turned on the faucet and handed Nina her toothbrush. “Come on.” Deja helped Nina up then left the bathroom.
Nina gasped at her reflection. A black-and-blue knot lined her forehead. Her tangled hair hung in clumps.
After splashing water on her face, she brushed her teeth. She trudged back to her bed and lay back down. Squeezing her eyes shut, she wished everything could go back to normal. Though she hadn’t intended to hit him too hard, she had apparently hit exactly the right spot and killed a man.
Deja entered the room, carrying Nina’s day planner, pill bottle, and a glass of water. “Here.”
Nina didn’t move.
“This is really stressful, and you need to keep your head on straight. Please, take your medication.” Deja placed the pill bottle in Nina’s hand.
Nina forced herself to a sitting position. She jostled the pills out of the bottle and swallowed them with a drink of water before lying back down.
“Your day planner says that you go to the gym. Other than that, it’s empty. Why don’t you just sleep? I’m going to make a few calls, then I’ll be back.”
“Okay.” Nina slid under the covers.
Deja left the room, and Nina stared at the ceiling. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
She should have known Rodney and Deja wouldn’t be sleeping together. She’d made a similar mistake over a year ago when her breakdown started.
She’d come home from work close to nine o’clock, tired and exhausted as usual since sleep had been eluding her for days. Following the laughter in the kitchen, she’d gone in and found Rodney leaning against the counter, sipping red wine. Perched on a stool with a diet coke, their nanny, Belle, leaned toward him. Though only starting her senior year in high school, Belle looked and acted much older. Even though that’d been a reason Nina had hired her, in that moment, Nina didn’t like it anymore. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” Rodney straightened up. “We were just talking about something the girls said earlier.”
Belle yawned and stretched her arms. “It’s getting late. Now that you’re home, I should go. Can you take me home, Rodney? My parents are out of town and can’t pick me up.”
“Sure. Let’s go,” he’d said, a little too excitedly for Nina.
“Nina, why don’t you get ready for bed. I’ll drop Belle off and be right back.”
“Sure,” Nina said, though she had no intention of doing that.
After Rodney and Belle drove off, Nina had locked and alarmed the house then followed them. Something was up; she felt it in the way they looked at each other, the way they talked to each other, and the things they said. Nina had no plans to sit around like an idiot while her husband fooled around with their nanny.
But Nina was open to reason. So if Rodney just dropped Belle off then drove home, she’d do the same.
But he didn’t. Rodney followed Belle into her house.
Nina couldn’t believe it. She worked her ass off, paid all of the bills, and spent the most time caring for the girls. The hell if Rodney was going to sleep around on her with the person she paid!
Nina slammed her car door shut and marched to the house. She rang the doorbell and waited, trying to decide the best approach. Whether the best approach or not, Nina swung and clocked Belle in the face when she opened the door.
“What the hell?” Rodney yelled.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Nina screamed.
“What are you talking about?” Rodney helped a clearly shaken-up Belle up from the ground.
Nina’s heart felt as if it would explode in her chest. “I know you’re sleeping with her. Stop acting like you’re not!”
Rodney pressed his hands to his heart. “Swear on my life. Nothing is going on, Nina. Ask her.” He pointed to Belle.
Belle had her hand to her pale face. Pure terror shone in her eyes, and a red splotch formed where Nina had hit her. “I would never, Mrs. Taylor. Never.”
Nina started to doubt her suspicions. “Why’d you come inside, Rodney?”
“To get this.” He lifted Bree’s jacket in the air. “Bree left it in Belle’s bag yesterday, and she’s been asking about it ever since.”
“Oh.” Nina had recalled Bree saying that. She had backed slowly to the door, wondering how the hell she’d fix this.
Needless to say, that ended Belle’s days working for them. It had taken a hefty “severance package” to convince Belle not to press assault charges.
Apparently, Nina hadn’t learned her lesson. She had accused Rodney then, and now she had jumped to the assumption that he and Deja were sleeping together. She’d acted like a crazy person searching for proof, and with everything else going on, she could no longer convince herself that she wasn’t.
She’d never been suspicious with Damien. She’d always known he would never hurt her, and she’d never had to doubt his fidelity. Though handsome and desirable, Damien never let his eyes wander like Rodney’s did, and she’d always known his whereabouts.
That was the real problem. Regardless of the fact that they’d been married seven years, Nina didn’t really know Rodney, not the way she’d known Damien at least. She knew he liked healthy food, snored when he slept, and loved his momma more than anyone else. But those were surface things, and Nina had never gotten to know his heart and soul.
Still, she couldn’t fault Rodney. Nina deserved all the blame. She had no idea how she’d get past this. Even if Deja came up with a plan to get rid of the body, money wouldn’t be able to get her out of the hell and torment she’d thrown herself into.