Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 95676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
"What happened?" I ask softly, leaning forward in my seat, absorbed in her story.
"I fell in love. Jay was…Lord, that man was something. He made me so hot, the way he talked to me. I fell hard and fast. So did he." She smiles fondly at the memory of Jay, but then her expression twists. "And then he started talking about meeting me. Now, let me tell you, honey, I ain't afraid of much. But the thought of him finding out that I wasn't the woman I'd been pretending to be? That made being gunned down in the streets look like a cake walk. I panicked. There isn't another way to explain it. I flipped my shit. The day we were supposed to meet, I faked my own damn kidnapping."
My mouth drops open.
Cam squeezes my hand and shakes his head slightly, urging me to let her finish.
"It was the dumbest damn thing I've ever done," she says, chasing syrup around on her plate with a forkful of pancakes. "I didn't think it through. Naturally, Jay lost his mind and called the police."
"Is that how you two met?" I look between her and Cam.
"Sure is," Daphne says. "Took this gorgeous bastard all of five minutes to figure out Daphne wasn't real. Took him all of two days to find me. I was scared shitless I was about to go to jail, so I told him the whole damn sob story. I expected him to haul my ass in and throw away the key." She laughs again, shaking her head and smiling fondly. "This fool wasn't what I expected though. He listened to my story and convinced me to tell Jay the truth."
I look over at Cam to find him watching me, those gray eyes drinking in every shift of emotion across my face. He smiles at whatever he sees there and gives my fingers another squeeze.
"He went with me to meet Jay," Daphne says, recalling my attention. "Stayed the entire time to make sure I was okay. And when Jay dropped me like a hot brick, Cameron dragged my ass to a gay bar his friend owns and introduced me to a few trans women like me. My life hasn't been the same since." Daphne nods at him. "This man is the reason I'm alive today. He'll never admit it, but his friendship gave me the courage I needed to accept who I was."
My eyes mist over and pride wells in my chest. I barely even know Cam, but I'm proud of him.
"I'm even gonna lie and say it's been a walk in the park," Daphne says, "because it hasn't. I've lost most of my friends and family since I started transitioning, but the ones who stuck by me? They're the real deal. I'm happier today than I've ever been. I owe that to your man."
"He isn't mine," I mumble.
Daphne looks between us and then laughs to herself, but she doesn't argue with me. Instead she says, "I know a lot about catfishing and most of us are harmless, like I told you. Our lies get a little too big and we get in a little too deep. But I'm telling you now, honey, whoever yours is ain't playing a harmless game. She bled this kid dry and then dropped him like trash. I doubt he's the first."
My breath stalls in my throat. I haven't even considered the possibility that there are other victims, other people she's done this to while hiding behind my name. How many people has Fake Ivy hurt? How many have died?
"Breathe, kitten," Cam murmurs, leaning in to whisper the words in my ear.
I take a shallow breath and then another.
"Your catfish had no problem borrowing your life to play his or her little game. I don't know who you pissed off, but this has personal written all over it. Whoever is behind this either hates you, or really wants to be you. Either way, you need to be real careful, honey."
"You okay?" Cam asks, leaning against the front door to my apartment, watching me pace around in circles.
"No." I stop pacing and spin to face him. "Why would someone do this to me? I mean, I'm not a bad person. Sometimes, I say things I don't mean. And sometimes, I get a little cranky. I hate hairless cats because they freak me out and I don't understand the Kardashians. I think Lady Gaga is overrated and Beyoncé is probably the devil, but I'm not mean to anyone. I pay my taxes and make sure I don't annoy my neighbors." Tears fill my eyes for the thousandth time since my life imploded. "What about me is so terrible?"
Cam pushes off from the door and strides toward me. He tilts my chin up until I'm looking into his eyes. "Nothing about you is terrible," he murmurs, wiping away my tears. "You didn't do anything to deserve this."