by Lynn Faye
Her husband’s concubine and bastard child stared back at her from the photo. Helen had never felt hatred as she did now for both women. Two friends, one took her son and the other her husband. Something had to be done with both of them. She tried eliminating Kristen and she failed. Next time, she must succeed. For now, she would concentrate her efforts on Camila and making her as miserable as she now felt.
Still staring at the photo, she imagined what she would do to this woman. She’d ruin her, but first, she’d teach her husband such a lesson he would never look at another woman. With that thought, she crumpled the photo and tossed it across the room. It hit the wall in her bedroom and slid to the floor.
Her mind buzzed with thoughts of how she would bring down her husband. They were equally wealthy in their own right, so stripping him of money was of no use. The only thing she could think of was using any shady business dealings he had against him. There must be something, she surmised.
This was a different chapter. Helen had never investigated Harold’s business dealings before. Now that he’d crossed the line and impregnated another woman, she would do anything to make him pay.
Chapter 21
Kristen watched her daughter from the corner of her eye as the child sat at the kitchen table. Hailey stared at the cookie jar, then glanced at her mother. She wrung her hands together, then cast her eyes down at the table.
Kristen continued preparing dinner while observing her daughter. Since coming home a few days ago, Hailey had been somewhat subdued. She didn’t speak much and when she needed something, it seemed as if she was afraid to ask. She wasn’t the bubbly, happy child that Kristen remembered. Sometimes she wondered if perhaps her memory of Hailey was flawed.
Kristen washed her hands and dried them on paper towel. She then took two cookies from the jar and handed one to Hailey. The little girl hesitated before taking it.
“Thank you,” Hailey said in a small voice.
Kristen pulled up a chair at the table and bit into her cookie. “What’s the matter pumpkin?”
Hailey barely nibbled the cookie and shook her head. “Am I going back to grandma’s house? I don’t like it there.”
“No honey, you’re not going back to grandma’s house. Did something happen over there?”
“She told me you were dead and gone to heaven.”
“What?” Kristen felt numb from what her daughter just told her. How could Helen lie to a child she claimed to love? She would make sure that woman stayed as far away as possible from her child. On questioning Hailey, she also discovered that she was not allowed snacks at all. They forced her to eat what was served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without regard for her appetite as a child. When Helen wasn’t home, the cook would make her something nice, but the cook asked her not to tell her grandmother.
“Sweetie, Mommy is so sorry. I won’t ever let you go back there, OK?” Taking her daughter in her arms, she reassured her that they would always be together. In the back of Kristen’s mind, however, she knew that Helen wasn’t done with her. The woman hated that Ethan had married her. She wondered what Helen was planning now.
After dinner, Kristen voiced her concerns to Ethan. He was not happy about his mother manipulating Hailey and made a suggestion. “Can’t we file a restraining order or something?” he asked.
“We could consult Mark about it.”
They spoke about the possibility of having a security system installed in the house. Ethan didn’t trust his own mother and Kirsten saw it was difficult for him. They talked for a while about what they would do now that the case was over.
Resting her head on his shoulder, she allowed him to stroke her hair. He smelled divine. She snuggled closer and was about to nibble his neck when he spoke.
“What time is Camila coming over?” Ethan asked.
“Oh, I almost forgot about that!” she sat upright with a snap.
Camila had told her she needed to tell her something on the day of the hearing. Things got hectic for the last few days and they hadn’t had a chance to talk. Her friend promised they would talk later that evening. Kristen was looking forward to the time alone to reacquaint herself with her old friend.
“She’ll be here any minute. Now scoot,” she shoved Ethan from the sofa.
Ethan’s face fell. Cuddling on the sofa after dinner had become a ritual of theirs. It was one of their favorite things to do. Usually, they would discuss life, their relationship, and family.
Kristen’s memory was returning in bits and pieces, such as remembering that both her parents were dead and that she had no living relatives in the United States. Her father was Columbian and her mother American. She’d only been to Columbia twice to visit her father’s relatives. Ethan complaining brought her out of her reverie.
“What will I do all by myself?” He stood and stretched.
“I don’t know,” she replied also standing. “Do what men usually do when they’re alone… masturbate or something.”
She was about to walk away when he circled her waist and pulled her up against him. “Now, that’s no fun without you,” he murmured against her ear, brushing her lobe with his lips.
A ripple of current ran through her and she leaned back, resting her head on his shoulder. “You need to behave, Camila will be here any minute.”
“She’s not here yet,” he whispered, nibbling her neck.
“Ethan, what if Hailey wakes up and comes downstairs?”
“She won’t.”
Kristen twisted in his arms and circled her arms around his neck. Ethan sealed her lips with his. As he was about to wrap his tongue around hers, the doorbell rang. They broke apart with a groan.
“We’ll finish that later,” he whispered, kissing her soundly on the lips before leaving the room.
Kristen watched Ethan take the stairs two at a time before opening the door for her friend. They hugged and Camila shoved a bottle of wine in her hand. “Very low alcohol content,” she said when Kristen cocked a brow. “I know you’re still on medication, but this will be fine.”
“I’ll have one glass, I don’t want to get drunk and have you taking advantage of my innocence,” Kristen joked.
“Very funny. I’ll excuse you because you hit your head. You have obviously forgotten, pun intended, that you were the one who lost their virginity first!”
Kristen leaned close and giggled, asking, “Who was it?”
“A boy named Larry. You cried for three days after it happened.”
They both rubbed shoulders as they burst out in a fit of laughter. Kristen’s laughter died, to be replaced by a solemn expression.
“What’s the matter?” Camila inquired.
“I see these images and I can’t make sense of them. I remember who I am and some of my past. I remember meeting Ethan ten years ago, but why can’t I remember my husband and the life we had?”
Camila brushed Kristen’s hair aside, tucking a lock behind her hair. “Oh honey, you mustn’t worry about such things. The important thing is that you’re now making new memories with the man you were meant to be with.”
Kristen felt unsure. After the conversation with Hailey, she’d begun to feel that a huge part of her life was Missing and that there were things vital to the here and now she needed to remember. She was happy with Ethan, but something felt strange about her past life, which made her anxious.
“Camie, I get the feeling that this is all a dream and someday soon, I will wake up and remember, and that will change everything.”
“At least you remember the name you used to call me,” Camila said. “I needed to hear it.” Now it was Camila’s turn to become serious. They had moved to the kitchen to open the wine and get two glasses. Camila picked up the wine glasses leaving Kristen to follow with the wine and snacks she’d prepared earlier. She’d made dip and now opened a bag of chips into a bowl.
“What’s the matter?” Kristen asked.
“I need to tell you something before that bitch tells you. I came back from Ne
w York with the intention to tell you everything but I couldn’t.”
“My accident delayed a lot of things, didn’t it?”
They reached the living room. Kristen placed the snacks on the coffee table then poured the wine. She then handed a glass to the other woman who immediately took a sip.
“It’s not your fault,” Camila said, placing her glass on the table. “A pity we couldn’t prove that Helen tried to have you killed.”
Kristen’s jaw tightened. “Do you know what she said to Hailey? She told her that I was dead.”
“Jeez! What are you going to do about it?”
“Ethan says we should take out a restraining order. I’ll speak with Mark about it tomorrow.”
“What an evil woman,” Camila remarked. “I can’t believe she’s the mother of Ethan and Andrew.”
Andrew’s name brought some sadness to Kristen. She wanted to know what he was like. Looking at his photographs was not enough. He didn’t seem to have any friends she could ask about him either. His files in his office were just work related. No one came to see her who said they knew him. She’d found one photo with Andrew and another man, taken while on a fishing trip. There was no name on the photo and she had no idea who it was. She found it strange that they were married eight years with no mutual friends except for her best friend.
Kristen came back to why Camila was there. “Now tell me, what’s the big secret?”
Her friend took a gulp of the wine and bit her lips.
Kristen realized she was working up the courage to say whatever was on her mind. She sipped her own wine and waited.
“I have a two-year-old son.”
Kristen laughed. “Is that what this is about? You have a child. I’m sorry I don’t remember him.”
“You don’t understand, you don’t know Loranz. He was born in New York not long after I moved there.”
“You mean, you didn’t tell me. Why?”
“I didn’t… no, I couldn’t tell anyone.” Camila emptied the wine glass and poured another.
Kristen noticed that her friend’s hand shook as she poured the wine and that she seemed disturbed. “You’re shaking,” Kristen observed, taking the bottle and placing on the table. She took both of Camila’s hands and clasped then in hers. “Tell me, what has you so worked up?”
“I was raped!”
The words rang through Kristen’s mind. She stared at the tears welling in Camila’s eyes as shock made her mouth gape.
“He raped me… that bastard… and then he threatened that if I said anything, he’d ruin me, my family and my friends.”
Finally finding her voice, Kristen asked, “Who did this?”
“The bastard, Darnel Turpey. He sits on the board at Oaklum Industries.”
“My God, and you went through this all by yourself? I’m so sorry.” Kristen pulled her into her arms.
They clung to each other while Camila let go of the pain. Kristen rocked her, allowing her to cry to her heart’s content.
When they broke apart, Camila wiped her tears and picked up her glass. “I love my son, but every now and then I remember what that bastard did,” she choked back some unshed tears.
“What are you going to do?”
“My biggest problem now is Helen. She thinks Harold is my son’s father,” Camila said. “When the incident happened, Harold was the one who saved me. But Turpey has something on Harold and compelled him to keep his mouth shut. Harold sent me to New York, gave my son his last name and even set up a trust fund.”
“Wow,” Kristen nodded slowly, comprehending the reality if the situation. “So now Helen is after you. Tell me what happened, from the beginning.”
“Two years ago, at the annual company dinner…” Camila started.
As Kristen and Andrew’s closest friend, Camila had gone every year to the annual function held at the Boston Harbor Hotel. During the course of the evening, she spilled wine on her dress and had to change in one of the hotel rooms. Turpey must have followed her because next she knew he was knocking on the door of the room she booked. She’d had to send to get another dress from the boutique and was in the middle of changing. When she asked what he wanted he pushed himself inside the room and grabbed her. Camila could hardly get the words out.
“It’s okay, don’t tell me the details. I know it’s too painful,” Kristen said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Harold was looking for him to talk with some business associates and one of the hotel staff told him where he was. Harold said he came to find him and heard me screaming.” More tears appeared in Camila’s eyes. “Harold told me two days ago that Helen knows about Loranz. He says a source told him she’s had her PI digging into my business. Luckily he has a good friend called Carla who is now looking after Loranz.”
Kristen knew how Helen could be. If the woman was capable of hurting her own grandchild, what would prevent her from harming Camila’s child?
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m apartment hunting now. So, I’ll have to think about that afterward.”
“I have an idea. I should have done this when I came home from the hospital. I want you to move in here with your son. Ethan is having the house secured, so it will be safe.”
Camila shook her head. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not? You said so yourself that you’re apartment hunting and you need to move out of the hotel and into a proper home.”
“You’re newlyweds and your daughter just came home.”
“Nonsense. You’re moving in, there’s plenty of room. I was thinking of turning the attic into an apartment. You’ll stay in one of the guest rooms until it’s ready. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
They spent the next few hours talking about Helen and ways they could stop her from creating problems. Harold, in a bid to compensate for what his friend did, gave Camila’s son his last name and had taken care of both of them. When Camila decided to return to Boston, he was upset and advised against it.
“I couldn’t stay in New York, I felt as though I was going crazy. I Missed talking to you,” Camila said.
They emptied the bottle of wine and cleaned the chip bowl. They two friends twined their fingers together like old times and rested their heads against the backrest.
“I missed you so much, especially when Andrew died,” the words slipped from her lips without her realizing.
Camila bolted upright and squealed. “You remember?”
Kristen gasped as realization dawned on her. Andrew’s memory returned without her knowing. Just earlier that evening she had lamented that she could not remember him. Now, she was seeing his smiling face. “My God, yes. It just slipped into my mind.”
“Can you remember anything else?” Camila urged.
Kristen closed her eyes and tried to see where it led. Nothing more surfaced. “No, nothing else.”
“Don’t force it. This was what Dr. Michaels was talking about. The more you relax the easier it will be to remember.”
“You see,” Kristen grinned. “That’s why you need to move in. You’re my medicine.”
“You’re gonna live to regret this,” Camila laughed.
Chapter 22
Two days after their girls’ night, Camila moved into one of the guest rooms. Ethan and Kristen started renovating the attic right away, installing a bathroom and applying fresh paint. Within two weeks the attic apartment was ready and Camila moved in with her son. As promised, a security system was installed throughout the house.
It was the end of summer and the beginning of the new school year. Hailey started first grade and Helen stayed quiet. Kristen wondered if perhaps she’d given up or was sulking about the judge’s decision. Soon Helen was forgotten and the family grew closer.
Kristen and Ethan bonded in a way she never thought possible. From what she recalled from her marriage to his brother, they were never this close. Ethan was an amazing father to Hailey. He never missed a ballet recital and when the
school put on a concert, he was there.
Hailey wanted to play baseball and when Kristen would have discouraged her, Ethan bought her a mitt and helmet and taught her in the backyard.
In October, Ethan started teaching martial arts classes. Kristen rolled out her paintings for the world to see. She was hosting her first art show at a small gallery in town and Camila offered to be her manager.
On this particular day, the morning started with light showers. Kristen dropped Hailey at school and stopped at the supermarket to buy groceries. She’d only started driving again after much coercion from Ethan and Camila.
She’d always been a careful driver, however, the residues of the accident made her scared to go behind the wheel. Since Ethan started teaching classes, he was unable to do all the errands, and she had to get over her fear and do what needed to be done.
It was Wednesday. She spent most of the day on the road. After returning with the groceries, she was off to the art gallery where she was arranging her show. Then she went to have the car serviced.
By the time she was done with her errands, it was time to pick up her daughter from school. She drove into the school parking lot and waited like she always did. After fifteen minutes, Hailey did not come out to her so she checked the time to make sure she wasn’t too early. It was 2:47. The school day ended seventeen minutes ago.
Kristen exited the car and walked briskly into the building. She met a few parents along the way who were also picking up their kids. When she reached Hailey’s classroom she saw the teacher, Miss Bent.
“Miss Broderick, how are you?” the teacher greeted.
Kristen scanned the classroom. “I’m fine, thanks. Where’s Hailey?”
Miss Bent looked at her in confusion. “Didn’t you send her uncle to get her?”
“Ethan was here?”
“No, not Ethan, her Uncle Matt.”