My Immortal (Seven Deadly Sins #1)(71)
Author: Erin McCarthy

"I hate you!" Lizzie said, crying. "Everyone thinks you’re so goddamned perfect, Marley who never does anything wrong, who everyone likes, who everyone always told me I should be more like, and it’s all a big fat lie. You’re just a selfish, jealous bitch who can’t get a man and resents that I can. I don’t believe for one minute that Alex said anything more than hi to you and I’m sick to death that I’m the only one who ever sees what a manipulator you are. You fool everyone with that stupid helpless good girl act, but not me."

"Lizzie…" Marley wasn’t sure what to say, was shocked to the core that her sister had such hateful feelings toward her. "I’m only trying to protect you."

"I don’t need protecting. I can take care of myself, way better than you can, because you never see the obvious. You walk around all shy and insecure and you never seem to get that people adore you, they admire you, they think you’re a f**king angel, and while everyone thinks I’m fun, it’s you they really like. And you never even know it. Remember John Schwartz, your friend from college? When you’d bring him to our house for the weekend, I used to sneak into the family room where he slept and go down on him. Why do you think he always loved coming to our house? It wasn’t because Mom and Dad were such great company. But the ironic thing was that he never liked me, he just wanted the blow job. It was you he liked, you he wanted to spend time with, but your virgin act finally turned him off."

Marley held her throbbing cheek and listened to her sister rant, felt her twist the knife inside her heart just a little more. She had loved John as a friend, wished he could have been more, but thought he wasn’t interested. "You did that to hurt me?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Yes. And because you never got that sex is what makes the world go around. Everyone thinks you’re so smart, but I’m the one who knows the score. You could have had John wrapped around your finger if you’d thrown a little pu**y his way. You’ll never get ahead unless you figure out how to use that."

"If I have to use sex, then I’ll gladly stay right where I am and never get ahead." Marley started shoving T-shirts into the suitcase.

"Hey, guess who Sebastian’s father is?" Lizzie’s anger seemed to have abated and she was holding on to the bed post, swinging back and forth, her hair streaming around her.

Marley was really sure the answer wasn’t going to please her, but this might be the only opportunity to learn the truth, and for Sebastian’s sake, she needed to hear it. At some point, he had the right to know who his father was. "Who?" she managed to say, despite the fact that her tongue felt three sizes too big.

Lizzie gave her a perky smile. "Alan Daniels."

Now that hurt. Marley blinked hard. Alan had been a lawyer she’d gone out with twice, an older guy, in his forties, who she had really, really liked. They’d been friends for several months, introduced through a criminal case he’d been prosecuting that involved one of her students as a witness. She had thought their dinners had gone well, but he’d stopped calling her, and had been extremely uncomfortable around her the next time she’d bumped into him. "Before or after I went out with him?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"After your second date, of course. I was at your place and he dropped by to see if you wanted coffee. I invited him in, and an hour later, I was f**king his brains out. I knew it would bug you, and I was curious how an old guy would be with stamina and stuff. He loved it, believe me, but he pissed me off by talking about you afterward. How it had been a mistake, that he really liked you, thought you were smart and funny and sweet." Lizzie made gagging motions. "Please. I told him to leave you alone or I’d tell him about us. I didn’t mean to get pregnant, that really was an accident."

"You never told him about Sebastian, did you?"

"Hell, no. I don’t want a lawyer of all people screwing around in my life or my kid’s life."

"But he’s entitled to know he has a child."

Lizzie scoffed. "No, he isn’t. Serves him right for having sex with a woman he only knew for an hour."

It was logic that made no sense to Marley. Lizzie had set out to entrap Alan… then somehow blamed him. Marley couldn’t listen anymore. Her sister was beyond being rational, and she couldn’t fix that, couldn’t change that standing in a room at Rosa de Montana at midnight.

"Okay, you’ve succeeded. You’ve hurt me. Though I don’t know why you felt like you had to compete with me. You’re the one who was always popular, with guys and girls."

Lizzie sat back down on the bed, her expression indignant. "You are so in denial. You compete with me all the time. Always making me feel bad about Sebastian. And now you’ve gone and slept with a guy I told you I liked, and you’ve thrown yourself at the man I’m in love with. You don’t want me to be happy."

Marley sighed, her heart shattered, her will gone. She couldn’t fight this, couldn’t change Lizzie. "Believe what you want. Stay here and do whatever you want, Lizzie. But tell me why you sent me Marie’s letter in that e-mail. What was the point in that?"

"Who’s Marie?" Lizzie shrugged. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Which made Marley wonder if it had been Rosa who’d attached the letter. But she didn’t see how that was possible.

"It was a confession, from Marie du Bourg. It was attached to your e-mail to me."

"Oh, that." Lizzie leaned back on the bed, bouncing again, tossing her head side to side, looking utterly disinterested. "Rosa thought it would help get you down here to visit. And she was right, wasn’t she?"

"How do you know Rosa?"

"She’s at all of Damien’s parties. Duh. You know, I never thought I could get into the girl-on-girl thing until she talked me into it." Lizzie grinned. "Now I can’t believe what I’ve been missing out on. You should try it, Mar."

Marley closed her eyes. Rosa had known all along. Had planned for Marley to come to Rosa de Montana. Had used Lizzie. Marley felt ill, her fingers clamped onto her suitcase.

"Going somewhere?" a voice asked from the doorway.

Spinning around, eyes flying open, Marley felt her heart rate ratchet up again. It was Alex, looking refined and in control.

"Alex!" Lizzie ran over to him and kissed him, wrapping her naked body around him.

He tolerated the embrace, but no more. "Seeing your sister off?" he asked. "It looks like she’s leaving in the morning."

Actually, she’d been intending to leave right then, and hope like hell she could find a hotel room at one in the morning in New Orleans. In retrospect, it didn’t sound like a great plan. Maybe Damien would let her spend the night in his town house on Esplanade.