The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 37

Petty had already done her homework. Franco bought that house before they even got married, which meant it wasn’t part of their shared assets. When the divorce came, she had no right to a single brick.

So now, that house was her only bargaining chip. She’d have to trade for it, one way or another.

Leaving Misty Vale, Petty slid into her car, her mind spinning. She didn’t even know where Franco was traveling, or what the time difference might be. But every minute Laura stayed in that house felt like another knife twist. Petty couldn’t stand to wait.

She called Franco right away. The phone rang and rang, then clicked over to voicemail. No answer.

She tried Jay next. Same thing. Nothing.

Outside, the wind was shrieking through the parking lot. Petty sat in the shadows of her car, her jaw clenched, a cold smile twisting her lips.

Her phone suddenly lit up with a call. For a second, she hoped it was Franco. But the number was unfamiliar, just a string of digits she didn’t know.

She hesitated, then pressed the answer button and brought the phone to her ear.

A soft, icy laugh came through the line. “Petty.”

That sound hit her like a punch, her bones aching, the ringing in her ears making it hard to breathe.

Hassan.

“So you recognize my voice,” he said, almost amused. “Do you know what I’ve been thinking about every day in this hospital?”

He paused, letting the silence curl around his words.

“I keep thinking about how careless I was. Why didn’t I just finish you off that night? If I’d known you were this tough, I wouldn’t have bothered letting them take turns with you. I should’ve just stabbed you and been done. Wouldn’t that have been easier?”

The pills clinked around and she realized there were only two left.

A year ago, after she lost the baby, she only needed these pills once in a while. But ever since Hassan’s attack, she couldn’t sleep without them. The only night she’d managed without was that night Franco had come back to Misty Vale, wild-eyed and desperate, and they’d ended up together.

Now, somehow, the pills were almost gone.

Petty didn’t even think about it. She popped both pills in her mouth, swallowed them down with a gulp of water, and climbed back into bed.

She curled up, hugging her knees to her chest. Everything hurt, but she couldn’t even say where. She pressed her hands all over, searching for the source, but it was everywhere and nowhere at once.

The pain made her bite down hard, tears soaking into the pillow. Her body shook, so small and fragile, until finally, as dawn crept in and the sky grew pale, she drifted into a restless, exhausted sleep.