Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Miranda

"Have you locked down that relationship with your baseball player yet?"

My jaw clamps shut at Mom's question. "It's only been three months, Mother."

"That's more than enough time. I usually have a promise of a marriage by the second month."

That's why your relationships never work .

I can't say that to her, though. It would hurt her feelings and wouldn't do any good, anyway. Mom does what she wants.

"You haven't dated baseball players during their season, either. He's gone a lot. But he's coming to see me before his game."

"I'm so proud of you. You really hit it big this time. And it comes in at a great time. I really could use the extra money."

I walk over to the window, needing a change in scenery. Mom will never change. It's the same old routine. Find a guy. Use a guy. Lose the guy. Then move on. I don't want that life. Is stability too much to ask for?

But I wish I could get behind her enthusiasm. I have an ominous feeling that Drake's talk won't be pleasant. Call it intuition, but something is off. When he called earlier, he had that heavy tone I know all too well from past boyfriends right before the "we need to talk" conversation.

"Are you listening to me, Miranda?" My mom's voice snaps me back to reality. She's going on about a ring or something, but I'm not paying attention.

"Yeah," I reply, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. My professionally done makeup is on point as usual—smoky eyeshadow, precise eyeliner, volumizing mascara … yet my eyes give away my apprehension.

I turn back to look out the window, scanning the street for his car, and spot Lila with her hood up. "He'll be here any minute."

"Don't forget what we talked about. Make sure you secure the deal." Her tone makes me wince.

"I know, Mom," I mutter. But my heart isn't in it.

My eyes prick with unshed tears, and I blink them back hastily. No way am I ruining my makeup over this. Just like I'm not going down to see what Lila's problem is or to offer her help. She's lying about their past relationship. I can feel it.

My lips curve into a smile despite the turmoil raging in my stomach at the sight of Drake's flashy car pulling into the parking lot. But it's when he stops in front of Lila's car and races out of it over to her that rage consumes me.

Her hands flail as if in a frenzy. And then he … Fuck. He grabs hold of her and places a finger on her mouth.

My fingers grip the phone tighter as Mom continues to blab. The walls seem to shrink around me as I watch their embrace.

"Miranda. You've gone quiet again."

"Yeah, Mom, I'm still here," I say as I rip my gaze away from the window. Hurt courses through me like a raging river.

"Good," she continues. "Remember what I taught you. It's survival of the fittest out there, baby girl. Don't let anyone stand in your way."

I swallow hard, my throat thick with guilt and rage. That's precisely what I plan to do: not let anyone stand in my way. Right now, that means eliminating the only threat—Lila.

Straightening myself, I pull back my shoulders and lift my chin. "Mom, I have to go." I hang up abruptly without saying goodbye. Kaplan's name flashes across my phone screen next, a message full of promises he'd whispered to me in secret corners over the past few weeks. But I'm done with sweet nothings and empty words. He had his chance. I'll never know why he waited until Drake and I became an item before making his move.

I glance out the window one last time and see Lila putting Jake's car seat in the back of Drake's car. What the hell?

I place my hand on the window as fury swells within me. "This isn't how the story goes," I whisper. The flutters of doubt in my stomach merge with the anger, forming a beast of a feeling that wants nothing more than to lash out and take control. I watch with utter disgust as they drive off.

That's it. I'm done waiting on the sidelines while Lila gets everything she didn't even want. I will sort this out once and for all.

A cold, cruel smile forms on my lips as a vengeful idea forms in my mind. I'll confront them tonight and make them face their unresolved feelings for each other. Let them rip each other apart while I watch the game from the sidelines.

The old Miranda would have cringed at such a spiteful plan. She wanted genuine, honest love, not some twisted game of power and control. But that Miranda is long gone, buried under disappointment and betrayal.

My gaze flickers back to the space where Drake and Lila had stood. My heart lurches painfully as I realize I've been made a fool.

Well, it's high time for this fool to get her revenge.