My Ex's Uncle, My Trap novel · Chapter 7 of 24

Chapter 7: Peyton

I held both phones side by side so he could see.

March 9, 7:15 a.m. She won't have a degree by May.

March 10, 9:02 a.m. babe let me handle the presentation.

Pierson read them. He read them again.

Then he sat back in the chair and covered his mouth with his hand.

"I told him," he said through his fingers. "I told him I wanted you. And the next morning he decided to take you apart."

"You didn't know."

"I should have."

"Rule one," I said. "Is that a lie?"

He took his hand down.

"No. I knew who he was at twenty-one. I just didn't think he'd do it to a stranger."

"I'm not a stranger to him. I ate Thanksgiving at his house."

That was the worst part, I realized. He'd passed me the cranberry sauce.

Pierson stood and went to the window. The city was black and gold below him.

"Tell me what you need," he said. "And I'll do exactly that. Nothing else."

"I need proof that I was in that shop. Every night for eight months."

"The shop has a key-card log."

"Then I need the log," I said. "And I need to know who else believes him."

I knew exactly who.

At 12:40 the next day, the student union was a zoo.

Every table was full. The line for the bowl place went out the door.

Peyton Sewall sat by the windows with four girls from the design club, all in pastel fleeces, all looking at one phone.

I walked over with a tray I hadn't bought anything on.

The girls stopped laughing.

"Hi, Peyton," I said.

She looked up. Her ponytail swung.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," she said. "There's a complaint."

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