Chapter 2

The private room stank of booze.

The game kept going.

"Austin wins again!"

Someone groaned. "Rafael, are you seriously that dumb? You do whatever people tell you! You made me lose again!"

Another laughed. "Eliana, you've got him trained. Teach us your secrets."

Austin slung an arm around her, looking way too pleased with himself.

"The three of us grew up together. Rafael's always been easy to mess with.

"Every time Eliana and I made him part of a bet, it brought us closer.

"Honestly, I should thank him for guarding our relationship all these years."

Everyone cracked up.

I shut off my phone and walked out.

I quit on the spot.

Back home, I found every hidden camera and taped over the lenses.

Then I packed my stuff and started looking for a new place.

Didn't take long.

Everything I owned fit in one small suitcase.

Everything else was Eliana's.

Her wheelchair. Cushions. Massage pillow.

Limited-edition collectibles I'd hunted down for her. Perfume. Handbags.

That was when I noticed she'd dumped them all in a corner.

Covered in dust.

She'd never even used them.

I grabbed a cardboard box, threw everything inside, and hauled it down to the dumpsters.

On my way out, an older guy stopped me. "Hey, you live in 605, right?"

I nodded.

He hesitated. "Your wife's legs are fine now, aren't they? I've seen her walking downstairs with some guy a few times. Who is he?

"And that same guy tossed the milkshakes and desserts you brought home last time.

"You better watch out. Don't let her bring random guys into your place."

I nodded my thanks.

By the time I got back upstairs, tears were running down my face.

A total stranger had figured it out.

And I'd been fooled for six freaking years.

I shoved the last few things into my backpack.

Then the lock clicked.

Austin wheeled Eliana in, both of them laughing like nothing was wrong.

The second Austin saw me, he walked over and bumped my shoulder.

"Rafael, I'm back! Six years and you're still exactly the same.

"Clueless as ever."

I forced a smile. The insult in his voice wasn't exactly subtle.

Austin dropped his bags, then helped Eliana from the wheelchair to the couch.

He slung her arm over his shoulder and pretended to struggle.

Eliana played along, acting like her legs could barely hold her up.

I almost laughed.

They were really committed to this whole act.

'Fine. I'll play along.'

Soon, Eliana and Austin were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch.

"Man, that trip wiped me out. Rafael, make me something to eat."

Eliana looked at me. "Yeah, I'm hungry too. Make seafood pasta. Austin loves it."

"I'll make tomato pasta."

Her face fell. "Austin just got back. Why are you making this a big deal?"

I almost laughed.

"Eliana, I'm allergic to seafood. Remember?"

"You're not eating it. You can't even touch it?" She couldn't care less.

Austin blinked. "Come on, Rafael. I even brought you a gift!"

They kept tag-teaming me, so I dropped it and went to the kitchen.

When dinner was ready, I brought everything out.

Shrimp pasta for them. Tomato pasta for me.

Halfway through, red welts started crawling up my neck and face.

I couldn't stop scratching.

Austin just laughed.

Then he dumped all his shrimp onto Eliana's plate. "I win. A bet's a bet. Peel these for me."

She smiled at him. "Fine. You got me. Rafael didn't notice a thing."

Then she started peeling his shrimp.

They laughed together.

I just sat there, frozen.

Austin reached over and poked one of the welts on my face. "Dude, you're red as a clown. How are you this clueless?

"When you went to grab a fork, Eliana and I made a bet. We slipped a tiny piece of shrimp shell onto your plate to see if you'd notice.

"I said you wouldn't. Eliana said you would. Guess I win again. I still know you best!"

The itching turned into fire.

My throat tightened. I could barely breathe. Tears streamed down my face.

Daisy had been hiding in the corner, but it must've sensed something was wrong.

It charged out, barking twice at Austin.

His laughter died instantly. His face went pale.

Eliana's expression hardened. "Daisy! Back off!"

She smacked it hard on the head with her fork.

Daisy whimpered and backed away from Austin.

I quickly pulled it behind me. "Eliana, what the hell are you doing?"

"It tried to bite someone. I'm disciplining it." Her voice went ice-cold. "It almost bit Austin. Did you not see that?"

My chest clenched. "Daisy's a retired police dog. You know it wouldn't bite anyone. It was just warning Austin."

"Still not okay." Eliana glared at me. "Rafael Reid, control your dog!"