by Lynn Faye
“Have one with me, just one,” Andrew had said. Then, after the first drink, he said, “Have another.”
It was strange that after three of those drinks, Ethan was woozy. He’d completely forgotten about that night until now. Ethan agonized about it in order to come up with an explanation. It couldn’t have just been the scotch. Although he hated the drink, he could more than hold his own.
How did he end up in bed with his brother’s wife and why wasn’t Andrew upset about it? Did Andrew plan the whole thing?
“No, that’s impossible,” he whispered in the dark. “Andrew wouldn’t have done that… would he?”
Could his brother have drugged him? Where would his brother get such a drug? Why would he give it to him? Ethan needed the answers to so many questions. Only two people could provide the answers. One of them was dead and the other had lost her memory.
It took some time for Ethan to fall asleep. With all the questions on his mind, the one that haunted him the most if Dr. Michaels was right. Was Kristen displaying feelings she’d previously suppressed?
Chapter 18
Helen gripped the handset tightly, causing her knuckles to become white. Staring at the portrait of her and Harold over the mantle, she listened to the voice on the phone.
“I’m sorry, but her docket is sealed,” a man said.
“What nonsense! You’re the head of surgery, how can you not have access to her files?”
There were a few seconds of silence before he responded. “The patient is a private patient. She or her guardian may have requested it be kept confidential. The head of the neurosurgical department is the only one who would be able to access her file. In addition, I understand that she’s been moved to a private facility.”
Helen’s nostrils flared as her blood ran hot through her veins. No one around her had the competency to assist her efforts. Now, Kristen has disappeared from the hospital. Was Ethan responsible for that? In any case, from what she learned, the girl had not regained consciousness. Therefore, her whereabouts were of little importance.
She hung up the phone and walked to the side table where the housekeeper placed the mail. She quickly pushed Kristen to the back of her mind and focused her attention on a large brown envelope. Turning it over, she noted that it had no return address, nor any stamps or markings to indicate where it came from. Helen didn’t like mysteries and this looked suspicious.
Using the letter opener, she ripped the flap and shook the envelope. Out fell two photographs. She picked them up with a frown, then pursed her lips tightly.
The first one she stared at was of Harold in front of a hotel. The name on the building was blacked out with a marker. The place looked familiar, but what caught her attention was the woman on her husband’s arm. She could not see the face at all, as the photographer took the photo from Harold’s right side and the woman was on his left arm.
The next photo was of a little boy, about two years old sitting in a high chair. A woman was bent over feeding the child, but her face was not visible. The picture was taken when the woman turned her face away. It seemed to have been taken in a public place.
“What is this?”
Wanting to see if there was a note explaining the photos, she peered inside the envelope. There was nothing more in there. She turned over the photos and there was nothing written on the back either.
Helen didn’t need a note to explain to her what the message was. She was a smart woman and knew that Harold wasn’t always faithful. But that was something she could live with, so long as he kept his affairs secret. This was somehow different. These photos implied that he had a child outside of the marriage.
Even with the evidence, Helen was not quick to jump to conclusions. With a sinister mind of her own, she knew the possibility existed that this was a ploy to extort money. The only way to figure out the truth was to find the source of the photos.
She returned the pictures to the envelope and took it with her when she went to her room. She’d need John to look into this. The hotel in the first photo she knew to be a prominent one in New York.
It was then she remembered Harold’s telephone conversation and his subsequent behavior. He’d been telling the person on the phone that they should have stayed in New York because returning could cause problems. Helen sneered, her face twisting scornfully. “So, this was the reason,” she said to her empty bedroom suite.
Helen was six years younger than Harold was. She’d married him when she was twenty years old and had Andrew when she was twenty-two. Her precious son would have been thirty-six, while Ethan was thirty-two. Helen and Harold hadn’t been a happily married couple for a long time. It had been months since they’d been intimate. Briefly, she wondered if having separate bedrooms had contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.
She knew about his little affairs, but they were never anything serious. How could he create a child with another woman? He was sixty-six years old. His children are grown, how could he be this careless?
A part of Helen was skeptical about the photos, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she believed it to be true. Harold had been acting strangely of late. His secret phone calls and his nervous tension was evidence that something had happened.
Before going to bed, Helen made plans to investigate the situation. What she would do about it eluded her, as she wasn’t sure she was ready for the inevitability of a divorce.
Chapter 19
Kristen could not imagine being happier than she was. She wondered what her life had been like before the accident and why she could not remember everything. She knew who she was and she remembered being married before, but could not remember her husband. She did not remember Ethan, but she knew they belonged together. He was caring and attentive and she was secure when she was with him.
They were married one week after she returned from the hospital and were now heading to the courthouse for the hearing. Her palms were sweaty and the smallest sounds had her jumping.
“Relax,” Ethan said.
They were about to leave and Kristen’s legs were wooden as she stepped through the front door. Ethan eyed her carefully for a moment and took her hand. They’d bought a new car, which was parked out front. As she made a step towards it, her knees wobbled, causing her steps to falter.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
However, the closer she got to the car, the more her legs shook. Her stomach quivered and sweat ran down her back. When she was about a foot away from the car, her feet refused to go further. She was breathing through her mouth while staring at the vehicle with a stricken look on her face.
Ethan gripped her shoulder and willed her to look at him. “It’s okay. Nothing is going to happen.”
He pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. The security of his warm embrace and his soothing voice calmed her. She listened as he told her that he would drive slowly and be extra careful. She trusted him. After a few minutes, she broke the embrace and took a brave step forward. Ethan never let go of her hand until she was safely in the front passenger seat.
Ethan gripped her hand as soon as he was behind the wheel. Occasionally, he let go when he needed both hands to steer. However, most of the drive he did with her gripping his hand tightly. Her fear of being in the car soon evaporated, only to be replaced by her fear of what lay ahead.
Unconsciously, she chewed her lips. She couldn’t help the quivering feeling in the pit of her stomach and nausea from rising to her throat. Having no clue what she was getting herself into made her tense.
“When we get there, you’ll stay in the car until Camila comes to get you,” Ethan advised.
She nodded. “Are you sure Helen doesn’t know I’m better?”
“She thinks you’re at a private facility and still in a coma. She didn’t even bother coming over to the house to check. She believes whatever they tell her at the hospital. As far as she’s concerned, her influence won’t allow anyone to deceive her.”
Ethan hesitated. “I think the brakes were tampered with, it’s just that I can’t prove it. The mechanic said the hose was new. He said you serviced the car a few days before the accident.”
“I can’t remember doing that. But couldn’t the hose break even if it was new?”
“The mechanic insists that somebody messed with it.”
“You think Helen is responsible?”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “I hate to admit it, but yes. I think she did this. She’s my mother, but I swear, I want to wring her neck!”
“Ethan, I just want my daughter back, so drop the issue, will you?”
Kristen thought of the day when the accident came back to her memory. It was three days ago while watching the nightly news with Ethan. A bird crashed against one of the windows in the house, startling her. A sharp pain tore through her head that she had to grip the sides. The pain was swift and strong and in the process, she saw herself in the car. She’d just tried calling Helen and received no response. She was about to make another call when the car hit a bump and hurtled into the air. The vehicle spun a few times before coming down hard. “AAAAHHHH!” A bloodcurdling scream ripped from deep inside her as Kristen envisioned the car coming down.
“Kristen!” Ethan was beside her in a flash. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her as she continued screaming until her voice became hoarse. Her screams soon turned into sobs. For about half hour, she blubbered, her tears soaking Ethan’s shirt.
Since the memory returned, she tried to recall more but failed. The crash was about the only thing she remembered except for her daughter and a few more details of her life. She’d had the car serviced a week before her accident. The car was in great condition as far as her memory served.
Since the day she told Ethan she remembered the accident, he was unrelenting in finding the truth. He retrieved the car from the police pound and had someone check it. The insurance cleared her of any misappropriation and the police faulted the accident as a broken brake hose.
She reached over and touched his arm. “I know this must be affecting you too. She’s your mother,” she said in a gentle tone.
He looked across at her. “If she did this, she needs to pay for it.”
“Leave it, for our sake and Hailey’s. If she did this, what is to prevent her from hurting Hailey if she feels threatened?” She knew the panic registered in her voice, but she could not help it. The thought of Helen scared her. All Kristen wanted was to put the past behind her if possible.
“But…” Ethan started, but she cut in.
“Ethan, we can’t prove it and you know Helen, she won’t take this lying down.”
His shoulders sagged. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. I don’t trust her not to retaliate. I just have this weird feeling about her.”
“I’ll let this go, only because we have no proof. But I can’t promise I’ll do the same next time,” he declared.
Kristen fell silent. She couldn’t argue with that. All she needed was to ensure her daughter was safe. From what little she remembered of Helen, the woman was bad news. The fact that a grandmother was willing to drag a little girl through court for revenge, meant the woman was dangerous. Try as she might, she could not remember why Helen hated her so much.
Kristen remembered that her husband’s name was Andrew. He must have been a good man. He left her a few million dollars and a trust fund that his daughter, Hailey could access when she turned eighteen. But something felt off about her past marriage, yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She needed to know the reason why Helen was trying to take Hailey from her. Ethan refused to tell her any details, citing that the doctor said not to push it.
Hailey was about the only one she remembered entirely. She remembered Camila as being her best friend, but some of the years of their friendship also lost. She kept seeing bits and pieces of Ethan as well. She remembered when they met, but nothing much after that surfaced.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize that they were at the courthouse. Ethan found a parking space around the back of the building. She knew he chose the spot because of its location.
“I’ll be going inside and Camila will come get you,” he said, leaning over and kissing her. “Be strong. I won’t let Mother win this.”
She gripped his sleeve and kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, their eyes locked and she was swept away by the magnetic pull of his eyes.
Ethan broke the spell by backing away and opening his door. What Kristen wanted to say was stuck in her throat. She wanted to tell him how much she appreciated him, that she cherished so many things about him. Ethan took her breath away, making her forget her nervousness. He calmed her whenever she was anxious.
She watched him walk to the front of the building and disappear around the corner. Leaning back against the seat, Kristen closed her eyes and imagined what would happen in court. Would the judge realize she had lost her memory? The plan was to act as though everything was normal.
An hour later, someone knocked the window. She turned to see Camila’s smiling face. “Hey,” Camila greeted when she opened the door. They hugged while her friend reassured her that everything would be fine. “Don’t worry about a thing. The judge will see Helen for what she is,” Camila said.
They began walking to the front of the building. “I have something I need to tell you,” Camila said. “I was waiting for the right moment, but I don’t want you finding out from someone else.”
Kristen paused, not liking the sound of that. “What is it?”
Camila urged her to come along. “We’ll talk afterward. Your case is next.”
When they reached the courtroom, the door was closed with a guard stationed outside of it. He stepped aside to let them through. Kristen hesitated, her heart thumping heavily like a bongo drum.
“It’s okay,” Camila soothed, caressing her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
The guard pushed open the double doors and smiled. Camila took her hand and led her into the room. Helen’s lawyer was at the front of the room with a sheet of paper in his hand, addressing the court.
As she stepped inside the room, all eyes turned in her direction. It didn’t take long to see Ethan. Their connection was strong enough that she knew where he was. He gave her a reassuring nod as she moved forward.
Her eyes shifted to her right, settling on the woman she knew to be Helen. The woman’s face was ashen and her mouth hung open. Her lawyer’s eyes bulged as the two of them stared at her.
Mark rushed forward to meet her and seated her in an empty chair beside Ethan. The audience in the room spoke in low hushed tones, perhaps whispering about her. Kristen wondered if anyone knew she had amnesia.
“Mrs. Broderick, it’s wonderful to see you,” the judge declared.
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Kristen said.
Mr. Brown turned to Judge Lord. “Your Honor, this is highly unusual. We were told that Mrs. Broderick was still in a coma.”
Mark stood and addressed the judge. “Your Honor, due to the situation between Kristen Broderick and her mother-in-law, we deemed it necessary to keep this information classified. Kristen was involved in a motor vehicle accident and was unconscious for some time. During the time, she was in the ICU, her mother-in-law visited. That visit resulted in Kristen’s heart rate and blood pressure going through the roof until she collapsed, she had to be resuscitated.”
Judge Lorde held his hand up. “Are you saying Helen caused it?”
“What I’m saying is, that visit was traumatic for the patient.”
“I object,” Mr. Brown said. “We can’t be certain that my client was the cause of the patient almost dying.”
“Your Honor,” Mark countered. “Hours after that visit, Mrs. Helen Broderick requested that the court date be changed to an earlier date, which is today. I tried to have it moved back but w
as refused a new date.”
Judge Lorde frowned. “I don’t like where this is going, Mr. Rickards. Let’s get to why we are here. I understand that Kristen has complied with my recommendation and has gotten married?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“She married her brother-in-law? Isn’t that a little unusual?”
Kristen stood. “May I speak your honor?” He consented. “I met Ethan ten years ago before I met Andrew. We started dating but he was not ready for commitment. When I met Andrew, I had no idea they were brothers. What I’m saying, I think I was meant to be with Ethan.”
Mark interjected. “Your honor, they both love each other.”
“Then I see no reason why Hailey can’t go home. Mrs. Broderick, I’m sorry, your granddaughter will return to the custody of her own mother immediately.”
Mr. Brown protested, “Your Honor. Think about this!”
“My ruling is final, Mr. Brown. I have accommodated this case as much as I can. We will not waste any more of the court’s time with this. This case is adjourned.”
With his last word, his pounded the wooden block with the gavel and stood. Helen hadn’t said a word or moved since Kristen walked into the courtroom.
Mark punched the air with his fist, happy about the outcome. Everyone rose as the Judge left the room. Helen looked about to faint as she stared straight ahead, avoiding looking at Kristen.
They didn’t take long before leaving the courthouse. Ethan drove directly to the mansion to pick up Hailey. They wanted to get there before Helen to avoid any confrontation. Kristen didn’t waste time packing. She threw just a few items in a bag and asked the housekeeper to pack up the rest. Finally, she had her daughter back and was headed home. The only problem now was regaining her memory, or so she thought.
Chapter 20
Helen didn’t think the fight was over. The idea that Kristen outsmarted her was incomprehensible and unacceptable. Then there was that witch, Camila. Helen picked up the photo of the baby from the envelope which she’d received and compared it to the photo of a baby John sent her. The two were one in the same. The woman’s face in the photo John sent was now visible.