Paige glanced at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time, wishing Pierce would call her. It was three in the afternoon, he wasn’t at work, and his cell had continually gone to voicemail. Had he and Camille somehow worked things out again? They couldn’t have. Not after last night. Not when Pierce had gone to that motel and witnessed everything. He’d caught her with another man, for God’s sake, and she couldn’t imagine any husband forgiving his wife for something so callous. Would he?
Paige took a drag of her cigarette, a habit she’d picked up only a couple of hours ago right after returning from the gas station, and wondered what she should do. Maybe she should try Pierce’s cell phone again, especially since she hadn’t done so for at least five minutes. Or maybe she should try calling Andrea. This morning she’d called Derrick, checking to see if he’d been able to talk some sense into her, but he hadn’t. He’d told her how Andrea was no longer speaking to him, and that she had indeed decided to divorce him. Last night, Derrick had said she’d only threatened him with divorce, but apparently things had changed rather quickly.
Paige picked up her home phone, preparing to call Derrick so she could ask him for Andrea’s number, but she set it back on its base when her cell rang. “Finally,” she said, rushing out of the kitchen and into the living room to get it.
“Hey,” she said but realized she’d answered way too quickly since it wasn’t Pierce at all. It was Camille.
“Hey sis,” Camille said, sounding wounded and troubled. “Girl, you won’t believe what happened.”
“What?”
“Pierce found me at a motel with some man who claimed he was that William guy. The man who I’ve supposedly been having an affair with.”
“No way.”
“Yes, and Pierce is angry enough to kill someone. We argued until the wee hours of the morning, and then when the kids went to school, he packed his things and left. And Paige, I think he’s gone for good this time,” she said, crying. “He was so hurt and disappointed.”
“But how did you end up at a hotel?”
“I don’t know. The last thing I remember is you and I stopping for coffee.”
“Well, that’s strange, because right after that, you drove me home.”
“All I know is that Pierce found me half-naked, and I can’t explain why.”
“Do you think maybe you’re having memory problems?” Paige said, lighting another cigarette and feeling a hundred percent better about things.
“Funny you would say that, because I’m starting to think the same thing. There has to be something wrong, otherwise how could I have sent emails to someone I don’t know, end up in bed with him, and then not remember any of it?”
“I think you need to see a doctor.”
“Paige, I really need you right now. I feel like I’m losing my mind, and I don’t know if I can handle this.”
“Do you want me to come over?”
“Can you? I’m going to call Mom and Dad, too, because it’s time I tell them what’s going on, but I really need my sister.”
“I’ll be there soon,” Paige said.
She went into her bedroom, dropped her phone inside her tote, grabbed her leather jacket, and hurried out to her car. She couldn’t have been more thrilled. Her plan had worked perfectly, and now that even Camille knew Pierce wasn’t coming back to her, Paige couldn’t stop smiling. She actually laughed out loud as she drove out of her subdivision, heading to her sister’s house—the house she would soon be living in and completely taking over. This had all been a long time coming, but now that the day was here, she decided it had all been well worth waiting for. It was true that she’d had to stoop to the lowest of levels and create more trickery and deception than most people saw in movies, but this was the reason she’d won. Her willingness to do whatever it took to get what she wanted had paid off, and if more people shared her philosophy they’d get what they wanted, too. But maybe they didn’t have the kind of drive or desire she had and would simply have to settle on being miserable and unsatisfied for the rest of their lives. If so, she felt sorry for them and wished them well.