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kisses on her brow and Renee found the last bit of her strength to free herself of his embrace. “Just go, Jackson. Just, please, please, leave me alone,” she begged, closing her eyes as she lay back on the bed on her side and then pulled her knees to her chest.
    Eventually he did leave the room. Renee knew she should go after her children. Soothe them. Tell them it would be okay.
    Renee didn’t feel like lying . . . to herself or to anyone else.

Chapter 3
    One week later
     
    A ria drove through the winding streets of Richmond Hills, pausing at the intersection at the top of the small hill and looking down at the cul-de-sac. She could see the houses. Jaime and Eric’s house, Renee and Jackson’s, and that of Jessa Bell.
    “Who was she fuck- ing ?” Aria asked herself out loud, her eyes going from house to house to house.
    Jaime had said that Eric denied being the one but then she left him anyway. Was she just too ashamed to admit that her husband was Jessa’s lover? In the first couple of weeks after that day, Aria had tried calling Jaime, but she either never answered or short-talked her like she was too busy with something to talk for very long.
    Renee said that it wasn’t Jackson, but then the rumors being spread over the picket fences and morning cups of coffee was no one had seen Jackson Clinton in a long while. Had Renee discovered in time that he was Jessa’s lover? Aria didn’t have the clit to call Renee and question her. Not after the anger she had for Renee once she found out that her older friend had come so close to cheating. Their relationship had been cool and distant ever since.
    After the dust had settled only she and Kingston were still together, but no one knew better than her how tenuous things were between them.
    She let her eyes fall on Jessa’s grand house at the end of the cul-de-sac. It sat empty, almost a mocking tribute to the affair their friend had so flippantly announced via text message. Sometimes her anger for her college friend burned so deeply that Aria could easily imagine soaking the entire three thousand square feet with gasoline and lighting the motherfucker with a match, then standing and watching it burn.
    Her eyes focused on two tall male figures stepping out the front door of Eric and Jaime’s house. Her eyes squinted as she leaned forward.
    “Kingston?”
    As far as she knew the men’s friendship had slacked off as well. She couldn’t remember Kingston mentioning them meeting for any golf games or fishing expeditions. She pulled up in front of the house and lowered her window. They both looked over at her.
    “Hey, baby. Hi, Eric.”
    “How you been, Aria?” Eric asked as Kingston stepped down off the porch and walked over to her vehicle.
    “Busy working. Just trying to make it. You?” she called back.
    “Just doing the same.”
    It was odd not asking him about Jaime. The brief silence felt so awkward.
    “All right, man, I’ll talk to you later,” Kingston said, before climbing into the passenger seat.
    Eric waved and turned to walk back into the house. “Have you talked to Jaime?” Kingston asked as soon as Aria pulled off for the very short drive to their own home.
    She frowned. “I called her last week, but she rushed off the phone talking about a pleasure session or something or ’nother. Why?”
    “It’s just that their marriage seemed to be doing fine and Jaime left the same night you all got the message from Jessa.”
    Aria glanced over at him before she slowed down and turned left onto their paved driveway. “And?”
    “It’s time to get to the bottom of this Jessa Bell mess.”
    Aria said nothing as she climbed out of the vehicle and grabbed the canvas shopping bag of groceries she’d just purchased. “You think it’s Eric?” she asked, coming around the front of the SUV.
    Kingston took the bag from her hand. He shrugged. “The only thing I know for sure is that it’s not me but I’m catching all kinds of hell because you think