Chapter 190: Deeper Than the Oceans (6)
Georgia’s POV
It warmed my heart that Katie still searched for me before bed, even though she adored Wendy and clung to her like a grandmother. Just hearing her voice tonight, after everything with Raymond, had steadied the storm inside me.
But peace never lasts. Not for me.
Out of nowhere, Nancy appeared in front of me like a snake slithering from the shadows. Her timing was too perfect, too calculated. She’d been waiting. Lurking.
"What do you want, Nancy?" The words slipped out with an eye roll sharp enough to cut glass. It wasn’t a question; it was a warning.
Her lips curved into a venomous smile. "I want you gone. Vanish if you have to. Because as long as you’re around, Raymond will never stop wanting you."
I nearly laughed. If my eyes rolled any harder, they’d spin out of my skull. The absurdity of her jealousy almost made me forget how dangerous she was.
"That’s not my problem, Nancy. He’s yours. Every rotten, disgusting piece of him. I wouldn’t touch that man even if my life depended on it." I stepped past her, ready to leave this nonsense behind, but her claws snapped shut around my arm. The grip was so vicious I flinched.
"Not so fast," she hissed.
My blood boiled. I turned slowly, my voice razor-sharp. "Squeeze harder. Leave a bruise. I dare you. My lawyer and the police will be at your throat before you can blink." It was exactly the kind of thing Nick would say, and channeling him gave me an edge I needed.
Her hand dropped, but she smirked, crossing her arms with infuriating arrogance. "So this is you now? Brave because you’ve got Nick by your side? You don’t even know that man. Sure, he was cleared of David’s murder, but trust me—there’s a darker side to him you couldn’t handle."
My eyebrow arched instinctively. Her words hit like sparks, scratching at my curiosity, but I refused to let her see it.
"Oh?" My tone dripped with sarcasm, baiting her. "And what makes you such an expert on Nicholas Knight? Don’t flatter yourself. If he has a darker side, he’d never waste it on you."
I leaned closer, my eyes locking on hers. "But go ahead, Nancy. Prove me wrong. Talk."
And I was right. Her scorn melted into something worse—a smug, poisonous smile that reeked of victory.
"You know why Nick was accused of killing your brother?" she purred, each word filled with venom. "Because he beat David bloody after catching us in bed together. He couldn’t handle it. While he was out there playing captain on his precious ship, David and I were fucking. And the worst part?
David was the better man. At least he had the balls to propose to me. And Nick? He was a pathetic man-child—too broken, too wrapped up in his family drama to even ask the woman he loved to marry him."
Her words hit like daggers, and bile rose in my throat. My guts twisted so violently I thought I’d be sick right there.
But she wasn’t done.
"He will never marry you, Georgia. You’re just another warm body he uses until he gets bored. Just like me. Just like Sarah."
My chest constricted. My voice came out shaky, betraying me. "Y-You know about Sarah?"
Nancy’s laugh was dark, hollow, cruel. "Of course, I know about Sarah. We shared him. At the same time. On the same bed." Her eyes gleamed with sick delight as she leaned in closer.
"You can’t imagine the disgust, Georgia. Watching him fuck Sarah while his mouth and hands were on me. That was Nick’s idea of satisfaction. That’s the man you think you love. He’s not worthy of anyone’s love. He never was."
"I only did it once. Never again. That’s why I broke up with him—because I couldn’t. I refuse to share my man with another woman. I did what I needed to do. The mighty Nicholas Knight, abandoned.
He couldn’t believe a woman would walk away from him first. He’s a narcissist. A broken little boy who can’t stand rejection. Maybe he didn’t strangle David with his own hands or push him overboard, but don’t fool yourself. He hated your brother. He envied him.
And maybe, just maybe, he had someone else finish the job for him. And who knows, maybe he is just using now to get back to David, even if he’s already dead. That’s how sick he is in the head, Georgia."
My skin prickled, heat crawling up my neck as her words sank in, but she was relentless.
Her gaze sharpened, cutting through me like glass. "Don’t trust him, Georgia. If you care about yourself or Katie, you’ll pack your bags tonight. Disappear. I’ll even give you the money to start over, far away from both Raymond and Nick. Men like them will destroy you, and her."
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. "And I’m supposed to believe you? You, who tried to kill me?" My voice rose, defiance clashing with the fear boiling in my chest.
Her smirk only widened, crueler than before. "You should be grateful I tried. If I hadn’t, you’d be Mrs. Davis by now. Don’t pretend you could’ve escaped that wedding. Even if you caught us making out, you were trapped on that cruise ship with nowhere to run. You would’ve been dragged down the aisle whether you wanted it or not."
She tilted her head, her smile the kind that could suffocate. "Am I wrong?"
I glared at her, but deep down inside, I admit that she was right. Pushing me off that ship was the best way to escape that wedding.
Because I know that even if I refuse to marry Raymond that day, even if I make a scene. Jefferson Davis would allow me to stop that wedding. If he needed to drag me to walk down the aisle, he would.
I know that Nick was a playboy, but not to this extent. I am not even sure if what Nancy’s words are true. But then why would she say all of these when Raymond is the one she wanted and not Nick?
*******
Thanks for the Golden Ticket!
KATHLEEN_COLL