Cunning (Infidelity #2) Read Online Free PDF

I’d stay invisible so no one could see me, and if I were lucky, I wouldn’t see them.
    “Alexandria, baby, I’m talking to you.” Her tone was soft yet firm.
    “N-No, you’re not. I’m not here. You can’t talk to someone who’s not here.” My words were muffled as I kept my head down.
    “You’re not here? Then where are you?”
    “I’m invisible. You can’t see me.” At nine years old it made perfect sense. People did it in books. They used cloaks or took potions. Maybe if I believed, I could make it true.
    “Invisible? If you’re invisible, aren’t you still here?”
    I shrugged. She was right. Invisibility was the wrong wish. I wanted to be someone else in another life.
    Jane eased herself to the floor beside me. As she did, she blew out a long whoosh of breath and moaned, settling into her new position. Warmth radiated from her skin and covered me with a different cloak, one that enveloped both of us and only us. My cheeks briefly rose in a small smile.
    “I’m getting too old to be sitting on the floor.” She rubbed the top of my head. “But I did it for you. Now look up at old Jane. I want to see those beautiful eyes.”
    I gave up on my invisibility, since it obviously wasn’t working; however, I didn’t look up as she asked. Instead, I fell across her chest, landing with my face against breasts as her arms encircled my shoulders.
    “Shhh,” she said as she stroked my hair. “What’s this all about?”
    It took minutes or longer before the words came. “Do you think I could move away?”
    “Move away from Montague Manor and your momma? Do you want to do that?”
    “I do. Will you come with me?” It was the first spark of hope I’d had since Alton entered my room, mad again at something I did or didn’t do. I couldn’t tell. As much as I loved when he was out of town, his return was rarely worth the days of reprieve. He came home angry, as if he wanted to still be gone. I wanted him gone too. Why wouldn’t he stay gone?
    There was always some unforgivable sin that I’d committed in his absence. Many times like this evening, I didn’t even know what he was talking about. That didn’t matter. I’d learned that pleading my case was the spark to his rage. Admitting my guilt and taking my medicine , as he called it, was the quickest way to a speedy end. Tonight with his disgusting breath smelling like the drinks he always drank, he ranted on about how I was a disappointment—to Mother, him, and the Montague name. It was as if he blamed me that there wasn’t another Montague heir to take my place.
    Jane’s reassuring tone broke through my thoughts. “Now tell me how we’re gonna live. And where do you think we can go where your momma won’t find us?”
    “We can change our names. I read a book about people who did that. You can work, and I bet momma doesn’t look. He said she’d be happier without me.”
    Jane continued to rub my back. “Alexandria, your momma loves you.” She tapped my chest. “In here, you know that. Don’t you ever forget that. And one day you can move away.” She lifted my chin. “And when you do, old Jane will be so proud of you.” Her warm lips kissed my forehead. “Not just then—now too. Right now I’s proud of you. So is your momma.”
    I lowered my eyes. “That’s not what—”
    “Shhh. What did I say about that? You’re as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. Some peoples not. Some people look pretty but they’re ugly on the inside. Don’t let that ugly inside of you. You keep it out.” She tapped on my chest again. “That heart inside of you. Child, that’s yours. You protect it. One day you may decide to share it, but don’t do that because no one told you to. You do it because you found someone who is as beautiful on the inside as you.”
    I nodded and laid my head back against her chest. After a few minutes, I confessed, “I really hate him. I do.”
    “No, there’s no room in that beautiful heart for