Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend (by Silverwriter) novel Chapter 86

I couldn’t go to Francesca if I needed anything because she’d be the one coming to me… only to take everything from me.

Desperate to leave before she got the chance to corner me, I showered quickly, brushed my teeth, then changed into burgundy pants and a white linen dress shirt before styling my hair into a high ponytail. Grabbing my bag, stepped out of the room.

The moment I entered the living room, I spotted Francesca waiting by the front door.

Bile rose in my throat, and my anxiety spiked at the sight of her absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair around her finger while holding an envelope in her other hand. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw me.

“Hi!” she squealed, hurrying toward me. “I’ve been waiting for you for…” She glanced down at her wristwatch. “Like thirty minutes now?” She shook her head and pouted. “Where have you been?”

This was the calm act she always put on before slowly letting her psychotic side slip through.

I took a step back, putting some distance between us. “I need to leave for work, Francesca,” I said calmly. “I don’t have time to waste.”

She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have time to waste? But what does that even mean?”

I tried to sidestep her, but she grabbed my shoulders, dropping the envelope onto the floor as she held me in place. “I’m still talking to you!” she screamed, her nostrils flaring.

I flinched and tried to step back, desperate to get out of her grip. “Let me go.”

Her nails dug painfully into my shoulders. “Let you go?” She scoffed. “I’m never letting you go, Arabella.”

Dropping my purse to the floor, I grabbed her wrists and, with all the strength I could muster, pried her hands off me before stumbling a step backward. “You’re a psychopath.”

Francesca burst into laughter. The sound was so unsettling that I had to fight the urge to cover my ears.

She looked like a madwoman whose mask had finally slipped, her eyes swimming with so much darkness that it was hard to believe she was the same woman my brother was hopelessly in love with.

But it was real, and I couldn’t even blame him. I’d believed the act too… Until she’d shown me exactly what hell looked like.

“You already knew that, sweetie,” she said, a wide grin stretching across her face as her laughter slowly died down. “Why do you keep repeating it every time?”

I scoffed and shook my head. “Maybe if I say it long enough, you’ll finally realize just how sick you are.”

She smacked a palm dramatically against her forehead and giggled. “I already know, silly!” She bent down to pick up the envelope before walking toward me again.

Slowly, Francesca peeled open the seal and pulled out the contents inside. “But it seems like you need a reminder.”

10:26 Wed, Sep 9 MJU.

Ruined By My Brother’s Best Friend

Evidence?

ARABELLA’S POV