Never Lie

by Freida McFadden

If a real estate agent were showing a house, wouldn’t she turn the lights on downstairs? But the entire first floor of the house is dark. There’s only that one light upstairs.

Strange indeed...

Ethan flashes me a withering smile. Something about the painting has disturbed him, and he doesn’t seem like he wants to talk about it.

Hmm…interesting

“Aren’t you glad I saved you from all those jerks?”

I don't trust you big bro.

The painting of Dr. Adrienne Hale. The one that Ethan took down and placed facing away from us. It’s back on the wall. And Dr. Hale’s green eyes are boring into me.

Who is in the house, EJ?

“I moved the painting.”

Why would he move it back if he was creeped out by it? Yeah Ethan, you're suspicious

I pass by the living room and discover he’s taken the portrait down again.

So...he took the painting down, put it up in the night, and then took it BACK down? What sense is that?

“I thought you wanted to wait. Honestly, I wanted to start a family right away, but I didn’t want to freak you out. I’ve already traveled and done all that stuff. But what I really want right now is to have a baby…”

Did you tamper with the birth control, big bro? You can be honest

From an evolutionary perspective, females are more reproductively valuable than males. After all, we can only carry one pregnancy at a time while men can spread their seed more freely. As a result, male mammals must “earn” female reproductive access by offering gifts. It’s certainly not unique to humans, although I would say sheep or cows rarely find themselves in this particular conundrum.

Too real

I’m impressed he figured it out, having never been here before.

Or HAS he? Sususpicious. And what is he doing upstairs?

“Right. Of course, Doc. I’m not going to ask you for oxycodone again. I mean, unless I hurt my knee again.”

He is making me so upset

I don’t know why my husband would have been reading about things pregnant women should and shouldn’t do years ago.

Yeah, why WAS he reading about pregnant people?

EJ claimed it would be the only prescription he would ask of me, but he was lying.

He has been foot-in-the-dooring the hell out of you

He slams the cover of his laptop closed but leaves it there. He’s obviously planning to do more work later. He’s thrown his all into this startup company.

What work is he doing without wifi?

Ethan’s mother.

Was he actually trying to kill her...what in the world