“By breaking into my house?”
“Whoa, let’s not use such harsh language. We didn’t break in,” I said. “You opened the door. That’s basically consent.”
“That is not how that works,” he snapped, stumbling after us when we kept moving deeper into the house. “You cannot justbunchin here.”
“Barge,” Colin said happily from behind him. “That’s the word you’re looking for.Barge. Not bunch, but I get it, man. You’re probably just thrown off by the surprise of it all.”
Zach cleared his throat, his gaze flicking around the same as mine, no doubt also clocking the dog toys and the blanket spread near the bed on the floor. “Don’t sweat our visit too much, bro. We won’t take much of your time.”
Thomas’s eyes narrowed slightly, darting between the three of us. “Where’s Jacqueline?”
Pain twisted in my chest, but I kept my expression easy and neutral. “Oh, she’s not here.”
“Then you don’t have any reason to be?—”
The soft sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs cut him off. A young woman appeared on the landing. She was pretty—no Jacque, but still—in her early twenties, barefoot, and wearing only one of Thomas’s shirts.
Her eyes widened when she saw us and Thomas paled, but I tilted my head and grinned. “Ah, there she is. Good morning, Celine.”
“This is none of your business,” Thomas snapped. “How do you even know her name?”
I let out a quiet laugh. “I think you’ll find it is very much my business, and I know her name because I know all about her.”
The girl looked between us, confusion all over her features. “What’s going on?”
“Great question,” Colin said brightly. “We were just getting to that part.”
I stepped a little closer to Thomas. “How long has this affair of yours been going on?”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t.”
“Years?” I guessed out loud. “That’s what the timeline suggests, that you were seeing young Celine here for a long time before you left Jacque.”
She frowned. “Thomas?”
“Don’t listen to him,” he said without moving his gaze from mine. “You have no proof.”
“Financial records are very convincing,” Zach said calmly. “Consistent cash transfers. Travel overlaps. It’s actually a pretty thorough pattern, but you’re not on trial. We don’t actually have to prove anything.”
She took a small step back, looking at Thomas like she was seeing him for the first time. “You said?—”
“We can guess what he said.” I glanced at her, genuinely feeling a bit sorry that she had to see this. It worked in our favor that we’d caught them red-handed, but we would’ve had enough for Hubert even if she’d been spared having to witness it go down. “You’re one of his grad students, Celine. That’s not good for anyone.”
Thomas’s composure cracked. “What do you want, Jesse?”
“The same thing I’ve always wanted. I told you what would happen, right?” I smiled. “Let Hubert come with me and we’re done.”
The girl frowned. “Hubert?”
“The dog,” Colin supplied helpfully.
“Yes,” I said. “The dog.”
Thomas scoffed. “You flew all the way toParisfor adog?”
“Forthatdog, yes.”
He shook his head. “That’s insane.”