Chapter 229

Lisa entered Bob’s apartment using the spare key that he had given her. She tossed her purse on the couch and plopped down beside it, burying her face in her hands. With a great shuddering breath, she let the tears flow.

She had told her father that she was coming to the apartment to gather the rest of her things. In truth, she just wanted to escape the outside world for a while. Anything to get away from the whispers, the stares, the pity in everyone’s eyes—or the looks of disdain.

She didn’t know which was worse, the people who hated her because of Bob’s arrest or the people who felt bad for her. Both were everywhere, even among the people who were supposed to be closest to her. She didn’t know where she could turn anymore.

Either way, she felt belittled, like nothing in other people’s eyes. She felt like people did not see her but the problems attached to her. She wondered briefly if this was how Crystal had felt when she had revealed the other woman’s criminal past.

Lisa sighed and ran her hands over her face. Crystal and Andrew. That was another mess that she couldn’t get off of her mind.

She stood up and walked back into Bob’s bedroom, where she kept a suitcase, some clothes, and some jewelry. She began to pack her clothes as her mind wandered to thoughts of Crystal and Andrew’s breakup.

Her father had been so down since Crystal left him that letter. He tried to present a strong front for his constituents, his advisors, and the Werewolf Council, but Lisa could tell that he was still very depressed. He was always distracted, and he did not exhume quite the same air of authority and power that he used to.

Lisa paused in her folding, staring out the window. She watched as the cars passed by on the streets below. She couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for Andrew’s current state.

If she and Bob hadn’t tried so hard to break Crystal and Andrew up, maybe Crystal would not have turned to this other man, this Noah Bernard, and left Andrew. Maybe Andrew would still be happy, and he would be of a mind to help Lisa pull through her own problems…

Lisa shook her head and returned to her packing.

No. Lisa had done what she’d done for her father’s own good. The fact that Crystal left him for another man and gotten engaged so quickly only proved her point.

Lisa’s stomach churned.

Still, if she hadn’t put such a strain on their relationship…

Lisa forcefully folded her sequined tank and threw it into the suitcase. She couldn’t think that way. Besides, there was nothing that she could do to repair their relationship now, especially not with her own life falling apart.

She huffed.

“My life,” she muttered. “I don’t have much of a life left.”

She cringed as the rumors floated through her head.

Bob killed the accountant to cover up the fact that he stole the business from his ex, Crystal Blanchard.

Bob was the one who framed Crystal Blanchard for the accountant’s murder in the first place.

The accountant isn’t the first person that Bob has killed.

Bob is behind all the attacks against Alpha King Andrew Dubois’s ex, Crystal Blanchard.

Lisa Dubois has had a hand in some of Bob’s illegal activities. At the very least, she’s helped to cover it up.

Lisa had known that Bob’s dealings had not always been above board. After Crystal was kidnapped and attacked by vampires, she had even suspected that he had murderous intentions. Yet for him to actually go through with a murder using his own hands…Lisa trembled at the thought of the man that she loved doing something so gruesome.

She tried to get her mind off these thoughts by focusing on the task at hand. She went over to her bedside table and started to collect the jewelry there.

Among the emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires, a singular ruby caught her eye. Large and heart-shaped, the gem was set in a simple laced gold chain. Other than the size of the ruby, there was nothing special about the necklace, and yet it was one of Lisa’s favorite pieces.

She picked up the necklace and held it up to the light. She admired as the jewel sparkled and shined, making her smile through her tears.

Bob had given her this necklace on their first anniversary. It was extra special because Bob had remembered her admiring it at Jules’s Jewelry an entire month beforehand and used his own money to buy it.

That was before Lisa knew about Crystal, before everything became so complicated. She wished that they could return to that.

Lisa clutched the ruby in her fist and hugged the necklace close to her chest.

She had hoped that getting married would be like hitting the reset button and make their relationship like it was during those early days: loving, affectionate, devoted. Instead, it only seemed to steal her one way out.

“No,” Lisa told herself, staring at her reflection in the ruby, “I wouldn’t do that to him anyway. I love him. I will still with him no matter what.”

She gently placed the necklace on top of the piles of clothes in her suitcase and closed the lid. Zipping the suitcase closed, she caught a glimpse at the pale skin of her arms. At least the bruises had gotten a chance to heal.

Lisa bit her bottom lip. Bob could definitely have a temper when he wanted to. She always had to be careful what she said around him, especially when he’d had a bad day.

Still, she wondered, is it as bad as the rumors?

Her social status has taken a dive since Bob was arrested. People rarely talked to her anymore, except to share their condolences or their concerns regarding her father’s relationship status. She had not been invited to a single social event when, normally, she would have at least one to attend every day of the week.

Lisa sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, next to the suitcase.

Secretly, at least at first, it had been a bit of a relief to not have any social obligations, especially with all the rumors and grief she had been receiving. Yet as the days passed, Lisa began to miss the opulence and pageantry. Most of all, even among her father, his servants, and his inner circle, she grew lonely.

Bob might have had temper issues, but with him around, she still had friends to lean on. Now that he was in jail and everyone suspected that she had a hand in his illegal matters, she had no one.

Lisa was startled by his phone buzzing. She looked at the screen and saw a text from Andrew.

How’s it going? he asked. Have you found everything you’re looking for? Do you need any help?

Lisa smiled slightly and sniffled. She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.

Everything’s fine, she replied. Just getting lost in some memories.

OK. Try not to stay there too late. Let me know if you need anything, Andrew texted back.

Lisa ran her fingers over the screen. Maybe she did have someone after all.