by Rachel Burns
“Thank you.”
“It’s not a problem. He’s my son too. See to it that you get as much sleep as you can. Good night, honey.”
“Good night,” Elise replied.
Throughout the night Elise thought about what happened and what their future together would look like. He would never love her. Could she continue to live like this for Patrick’s sake?
The question was quite simple: Did she deserve to be loved after the lies she’d told?
Chapter 34 – Packing Up
Elise pretended to be asleep when Derrick woke up and got ready for work. She could hear the quiet noises that he was making and knew what each one was. She knew him so well, at least, on the outside.
What he looked like on the inside was still a mystery to her. What she did know was that he didn’t love her, and he never would. He’d found a way to live with her despite her lies. He was going to pretend she was someone else, someone he loved, who wasn’t her.
Elise heard him walking to her and standing over her as she pretended to sleep. She stayed as still as she could, trying to breathe naturally.
He moved away and did things in the kitchen. Elise listened to him eating a bowl of cereal. First, he poured the cereal into the bowl, and then he opened the refrigerator. She heard him pouring his milk and cereal pieces falling on the table. Derrick was greedy with the cereal. He always took too much, and it always spilled. He never learned.
Elise listened to him chewing, waiting for him to leave and praying Patrick wouldn’t cry because she would have to get up then. She feared if she talked to her husband, she wouldn’t go through with her plans.
Finally, Derrick left, locking the door.
Elise threw the covers back and sprang to her feet. She packed in a hurry, fearing Patty would wake up too soon. At ten she woke him. She fed him and dressed him. He was wide-awake and not crying. She used that chance to call a cab, explaining that she was traveling with a baby.
The company would send a taxi with a car seat. Patty-Cake’s seat was in Derrick’s car.
She carried a couple of suitcases out of the door and put them in the elevator. Then she got Patrick and rode the elevator down with him.
It was difficult moving the suitcases with Patty in her arms, but she managed to have them outside on the curb when the cab arrived. The driver got out and put them into the trunk while Elise fastened Patrick into his seat.
She gave the driver her address and was glad to finally be going home where she belonged.
Derrick came home in a good mood. He had a couple of ideas what he could make for supper, in case Elise hadn’t been able to cook.
When he got home, the apartment felt cold, like it had before Elise and Patrick had moved in with him. He looked around and saw they weren’t here.
He figured she probably needed something and went out to get it.
The odd thing was that the baby buggy was still here. He knew the car seat was still in his car.
He was waiting for someone to ask him about it at work. If they did, he would tell the truth. He was proud of his family. Any man would be.
Derrick turned on the TV to fill the silence while he waited for them to come home.
An hour later he was worried. She was a Montfort. That alone made it worth it to kidnap her and Patrick. Marshall would pay the ransom, but still. He didn’t want his wife in a stranger’s hands.
When two hours had gone by, he called Elise’s father.
“I was wondering if you know where Elise is?” Derrick cut right to the chase.
“She’s here.”
“Oh, thank God. I came home and they weren’t here. I waited, and they didn’t come home. Elise must have forgotten to write a note. I was so worried.” Derrick felt his shoulders relaxing as he exhaled in relief. “Should I come and pick them up?” he asked.
“No. Elise wants to stay here. I’m sorry things didn’t work out with you two. I truly am.”
Derrick felt his shoulders going stiff again. He was confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Elise is going to file for divorce.”
“But why?” None of this made sense. They’d had such a nice evening last night.
“She told me that you still love Ashton, and that she doesn’t want to pretend to be Ashton for you anymore.” Marshall hated being the one who had to tell Derrick these things, but Derrick had called him and not Elise.
“What nonsense is that? Elise could never be Ashton.”
Marshall paused, not understanding how Derrick meant that. It sounded like he was offending Elise.
“Elise is way too nice to be Ashton,” Derrick added. Then he remembered that Ashton was also Mr. Montfort’s daughter. “I didn’t mean that against Ashton. I just meant that Elise is different, and she’s fine the way she is.”
“I’m sorry son, but you’ll be receiving papers soon.”
“I’m coming over there right now to get my wife and my son.” Derrick hung up and went down to his car.
Derrick had to stop at the black iron gates of the Montfort Mansion. Would they let him in? Should he try to break in? Elise needed to hear that he loved her as soon as possible.
“Good evening. How may I help you?” a servants voice came on over the intercom.
“Good evening. I’d like to see Elise and Patrick.”
“Who shall I say is calling?” the servant asked.
Derrick figured that whoever was asking these questions knew perfectly well who he was. “My name is Derrick Davis, and I’m Elise’s husband.”
The gate rolled opened, surprising Derrick.
He drove up to the house and parked. A second later he rang the bell.
A maid opened the door. “Good evening.”
“Good evening.” Derrick stepped inside past her and went up the stairs to Elise’s room.
“Elise?” he called out when he opened the door.
She wasn’t there.
“Elise,” he called out even louder, opening all the doors.
He found her in a beautiful nursery, rocking Patrick while she sat in a white rocking chair.
“Hi, I found you, honey.” He went in and knelt down beside her. She looked so breakable. “What’s this nonsense I heard about us getting a divorce?”
“You don’t even have my cell number,” Elise told him.
“You’re right. I definitely need that. I need to be able to get hold of you at all times.” Today was proof of that.
“Your family doesn’t know that we’re married. You haven’t told them.” Elise was listing the reasons that proved he didn’t love her.
“I was planning to tell them very soon – once Patty can travel. I figure they won’t be so mad at me for getting you into trouble if we hold him up in front of us.”
“It was your fault that I didn’t go to college,” Elise admitted.
“I know, honey, but we talked about that. You’re going to go as soon as Patrick can manage a second without you.”
“No, I meant it was your fault I didn’t go to college right out of high school.”
“How could that have been my fault?” Derrick was starting to wonder if this wasn’t some post-pregnancy hormone thing.
“I was waiting outside of my father’s office, so I could talk to him. You came in and scolded me, saying I was costing my father too much money. I believed you and thought that the company was having difficulties. I had heard talk about Ashton losing so much money. I figured my father couldn’t afford to send me, so I worked at the company. I was honestly trying to help him out.”
Derrick thought back to that moment. He remembered the look on her face and the feeling it gave him. He’d wanted to kiss her so badly. “I had no idea. I’m sorry, honey. I never wanted you to miss out on college.”
“Well, I did because I believed you. I was so naïve that it hurts me.” Elise wasn’t looking at him. Her head was turned to the side, giving him the feeling that she was reliving painful moments of her life.
&nb
sp; “Elise, you don’t need to get a divorce, so you can go to college. I told you I would take Patrick in that time. I’ll also make sure you have time to study. When Patty is older, you can come back and work at the company. We could have lunch together every day. It would be nice.”
“No. I want the divorce! Leave, now.” Elise couldn’t look at him. She didn’t want him to see the pain in her eyes.
“No. I think our marriage is something worth fighting for.” Derrick meant what he said. He would lay down his life to protect Elise and Patrick. He wouldn’t give up his happiness without a fight.
“You don’t love me. This marriage isn’t worth continuing much less worth fighting for.”
“Don’t say that, Elise. It isn’t true. I honestly do love you.”
“You only want to keep me because I look like Ashton. You want me in your life, so you can pretend I’m her. I deserve better. I know you don’t agree with that, not after what I did to you. I agree, what I did was horrific, and I’ll never forgive myself for doing that, but I did it because I loved you. I want you out of my life, so I can see what it feels like to have someone love me back.”
“I love you,” Derrick protested.
“Stop saying that!” His lies were upsetting Elise.
“It’s true!”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is. Just because you scream I don’t, doesn’t make you right,” Derrick told her.
Elise gulped. “You called out Ashton’s name last night when you came, not mine,” she whispered.
“No, I didn’t.” Derrick couldn’t believe she would say something like that.
The look on her face was pure pain and agony. “Yes, you did. Please, leave.” She stood and laid Patrick in his bed. She stayed turned away from him.
Elise had to divorce him while there was a piece of her soul left to salvage. She needed to build herself back up. She would start by going back to her psychologist.
Derrick stood behind her. He couldn’t think of anything to say. Were there words to heal the hurt she was feeling?
Had he really done something like that?
It couldn’t be true. He never thought about Ashton anymore. She was his sister-in-law, nothing more.
Did his sub-conscience think something else?
Hell no. Elise was his wife and the only woman he fantasized about. He only wanted to sleep with his wife.
He could feel her pain from where he stood. It was his job to make her feel better. He didn’t know how to do that.
“Please, leave. You aren’t welcome here. We’ll work something out, so you can have time with Patrick, just not today. I don’t feel up to it today.”
“Elise.” He couldn’t think of anything more to say.
She shook her head. There was nothing he could do to change her mind. It was over.
Derrick sensed that too. He turned away from her and went down the stairs.
Ashton was just now getting home from work. “Hello, Derrick. Is Patrick here too?” Ashton would love some cuddle time with her nephew.
“Yes, he’s upstairs.” He stormed out and closed the door behind him. He’d seen Ashton and felt nothing for her, absolutely nothing.
It was Elise who he wanted.
Ashton looked at the maid who was hanging up her things. “What’s going on?”
“Miss Elise arrived with the baby this morning. She said she was moving back in,” the maid answered.
“Thank you.” Ashton went up to Elise’s room and saw she wasn’t there. Then she went directly to Patrick’s room.
Ashton found Elise sitting in the rocking chair in Patty’s room. He was sound asleep. She dropped down to her knees in the same pose Derrick had been in. “I just saw Derrick. He looked furious.”
“We’re getting a divorce,” Elise answered her.
“Why? You two love each other so much.” Ashton thought they were the perfect couple.
“He’s never loved me, and he never will.”
“That’s utter nonsense. You two made Patrick with your love.”
Elise shook her head. To Ashton it was all about Patrick. “Derrick is in love with someone else. He always has been.”
“Why would you say that?” Ashton remembered Elise saying similar things while she was pregnant. It didn’t make sense.
“Ashton, I did something so awful that I’ll never forgive myself. Derrick hates me for it. He’s been playing along for Patrick’s sake, but, in reality, Derrick and I can’t stand each other.”
“I know you love him. I can see it in your face.”
“I loved him too much. It wasn’t good for me.” Elise looked at Ashton. She was anxious, worried about her little sister.
“Love can hurt. But you’re married. That isn’t something you should throw away so easily. You have to fight to hold everything together.”
“Ashton, there was never anything to hold together.”
“What aren’t you telling me? Help me understand,” Ashton begged.
“I can’t. You’ll hate me if you know the truth.”
“I would never hate you. Elise, look at me. I mean that.”
Elise looked at her sister. Ashton loved her so much, and Elise didn’t deserve her love. Elise wanted to confess, so Ashton wouldn’t waste any more of her time with her. “It was the night of the Christmas party,” Elise began.
Ashton brought Elise to bed and covered her up. Poor little Elise was exhausted from crying. She could hardly believe what Elise had gone through. It was too much for her soul to bear, and Derrick had made it worse at every turn.
Ashton went down to the living room. Her father was sitting by the fire, waiting for her. “Elise is sleeping. She’s exhausted.” Ashton looked her father in the eyes. “You knew?”
“Elise came to me on her last day of work and confessed what she did. I heard she wants to divorce him.”
Ashton raised her chin. “Yes, she does. I wholly support her decision.”
“I do too. I never should have let him marry her. I figured he would fall in love with her.”
“He must hate her.” Ashton couldn’t believe that he’d spanked her little sister. Elise was a wonderful person. She needed lots of love. No wonder she was always so depressed.
“Do you know why she didn’t want to go to college?” Ashton wiped a tear away from her eye. She felt extremely guilty about that. If she’d been more careful with her father’s money, Derrick never would have yelled at Elise.
“No. I never understood that,” Marshall admitted.
Ashton turned to her father and buried her head in his chest. “When Elise was waiting to see you, Derrick came in to talk to you about one of my projects. He saw Elise sitting in your waiting room, and he thought she was me. He yelled at her for costing you so much money. Elise thought you couldn’t afford to send her to college.”
Ashton was crying so hard that she had to take a break from speaking. “That was why Elise went from department to department, trying to save you money. She hoped to save enough to go to college, and then Derrick got her pregnant. Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry. If I had been more careful, Elise could have been happy.”
Marshall was choking for air. It made sense. Elise had first started acting unnatural on that day. “Does Derrick know that?” he asked.
“She told him today. Daddy, no matter what, he can’t have her back. I won’t let him hurt her again. You know how sensitive she is.”
“Yes, I know. I’ll stand behind Elise’s decisions. I’ll make everything up to her somehow.”
Chapter 35 – Suffering
Derrick arrived at home, and once again a chill went down his back. The apartment felt all wrong without Elise here. He went over to Patrick’s empty crib and leaned against it.
He stared at the couch. It had been her bed of choice while she lived here. She may have loved him at one time, but those moments were long gone.
Only hate was left in her heart.
Derrick picked up the phone and cal
led his father. The story spilled out of him. He’d started at the beginning, telling him about how he had ruined her chance to go to college. Derrick wanted his father to know everything before he judged his Elise.
“Derrick, if you love her, you have to fight for her again and again. It doesn’t matter if you make a fool of yourself. You have to get your wife back.”
“What if she never wants me?” That was Derrick’s greatest fear. He didn’t want her to reject him.
“Suck it up. You pushed her aside often enough. Maybe you need to suffer, so you know how it feels.”
Derrick did exactly that. He suffered.
His suffering lasted about five minutes, and then he needed to take action again. He got back into his car and drove back to the Montfort’s mansion.
He was surprised when the gates rolled open for him. At the door a maid let him in.
“Daddy, that’s him. Stop him. He can’t go to Elise.” Ashton feared he would spank her broken-hearted little sister.
Then she got an idea. If he couldn’t tell them apart, then she could pretend to be Elise and get rid of him for good. “Have him wait for Elise in here. Alone,” she added.
Marshall knew Ashton was up to something, but he didn’t want Elise to be woken up, so he decided to go along with what Ashton was planning. If need be, he would step in and clean up whatever mess Ashton made.
Ashton went through the rooms avoiding the front hall. Then she went up the kitchen stairs and went into Elise’s room. Thankfully, Elise was still asleep.
Ashton quickly undressed and put on a pair of Elise’s jeans and one of her oversized sweaters that Ashton longed to burn in the fireplace.
She washed her face, wiping all of her make-up away. In the mirror she saw that she looked awful. Her eyes were pink and swollen from crying.
She looked like Elise, she thought sadly. Then she messed up her hair and twisted it into a low bun like Elise wore, so her hair wasn’t in the way when she held Patrick.
Quietly, Ashton went to Elise and opened the necklace, gently tugging it away from Elise's neck.