by Crystal Shaw
Why had they surfaced just now and who leaked them? What about the reports that we split? My curiosity and anger are stronger than my reprieve.
Before I can say anything, Thomas’ voice interrupts my thoughts. “Those pictures were taken a long time ago, Emma. She’s no one. I’ve never cheated on you.” He looks up at me with tears in his eyes.
“Who is she?” I ask desperately trying to calm myself; it’s not working though.
“Her name is Lillian.” He says her name with disgust. “She’s no one. Just someone I use to fuck. Before I met you.” He glances at me and hesitantly walks closer. His response makes my body sicken. I grab my stomach, feeling my insides warp and twist violently.
“I don’t know why they were released; I don’t know who is responsible.” My heart races and twists into a tortured knot as I listen to him. I’ve never seen him like this. He is begging me. “I will find out and I will fix everything. I will make everything right again. I promise. Please forgive me Emma.”
“What about the other mistresses? And the reports that we ended our marriage?” I sneer at him. My anger is unrelenting.
“I have no fucking clue. All of this is as much of a shock to me as it is to you.” Tears start running down his face, “I would never cheat on you, ever; I love you.” His soft blue eyes pierce through me pleading for me to forgive him.
“Emma, I could never do a thing like that to you.” He reaches for my hand and I hesitantly allow him to pull me closer to him. “I mean that with everything in me. I love you and I will do everything and anything to keep you mine forever.”
I look into his calm blue eyes willing myself to believe him as he wraps his arms around my waist, but my sight is jerked away. In the window, past Kate, I can see her shadowy ghostly figure, standing in the grass next to the driveway, staring at us.
The woman in the photo is outside Kate’s house.
Chapter 3
The eerie image of the woman staring at us from the cold dark outside sends a freezing chill down my spine. The bits of relief that I had reluctantly accepted creep out of my body as I stare back in disbelief and stumble away from the safety of Thomas’ arms.
What the fuck is she doing here?
I blink and the figure is gone. A chill spreads through my body and my expression hardens. I am too disconcerted, and possibly too drunk, to comprehend what I have just seen or what I think I saw. Did I really see her?
“Emma, what is it?” Thomas pulls me back to him with a look of concern searching for my eyes, but I push away from him and stare blankly back at the now vacant bit of lawn, searching for evidence that I did not imagine her.
“She’s outside. I saw her.” The words escape my lips. Thomas grabs my arms and forces me to look at him; his blue eyes burn into me. I have to look away. My breathing immediately picks up. His apologetic, collected demeanor has vanished, replaced by worry and anger.
Kate immediately turns around to face the window.
My mind starts racing. That lying bastard! He really is cheating on me, and the slut bitch came to watch him. He probably told her he was ending it with me. My body begins to shake with anger, so much rage that I’m paralyzed.
“Who did you see?” He grabs my chin and I vehemently whip my head around pulling away from his grasp.
“Tell me now. Who did you see?” His voice is forceful and demanding as his eyes search the empty yard, with a firm grasp on my upper arm.
I can hardly think, let alone talk. I don’t know her name. She’s the woman in the photo, ganglier looking and angry, she looked pissed. It’s dark outside, but I know it was her, glaring at us. Remembering the image makes my body tremble. My mouth is parted but the words can’t come out. The woman you were photographed with. The woman you were kissing. I just can’t say the words. My stomach heaves and my body starts sweating. Oh God, not now! I don’t want to throw up.
“I don’t see anyone. There’s no one out there.” His gaze leaves the window and turns to me, searching for the answer. His eyes are serious and intense. He grabs both of my arms, pulling me towards him, gentle enough not to cause pain but forceful. He whispers in a pacified tone, “Did you see the woman in the pictures? Was it her?”
I nod and a “yes” creeps out of my throat without my conscious permission. Finally it’s out, my tense body pushes away from his grasp.
He hesitantly releases me and the concern grows deeper on his face. “Kate, your back door,” he is speaking to her calmly as he strides hurriedly to the front door locking it, “is it locked?” Without waiting for a response he starts moving towards her kitchen through the back room. I stand motionless and confused but drenched in anger.
She calls out to him, “Yes, it’s always locked.” Kate moves to the kitchen but doesn’t enter. She just leans in, waiting for him to respond.
“Thomas, what is she doing here?” I call out for him in a weak yet pissed voice, but he doesn’t answer. Alone in the living room I become conscious of the overwhelming feeling of anxiety suffocating me.
“You were fucking lying to me. You prick.” My voice is so low that I know he can’t possibly hear me. The anger is brewing inside me but still there is some other feeling. His reaction doesn’t quite add up. I am too drunk to completely grasp what is going on. I desperately need to sober up.
Thomas returns quickly from the great room and grabs Kate’s arm hard. “We’re leaving now.”
“But-” Kate attempts to protest as she frantically grabs her purse.
He reaches for my arm and I violently smack him across the face.
“You fucking liar!” I smack him again, so hard that he has a bright red imprint on his jaw. My hand burns and the pain races through my trembling body. “You’re cheating on me.”
“Emma,” his face is bitter and pissed, but his eyes are full of grief, “I’ve never cheated on you. We don’t have time for this. We’re leaving.” He grabs me by the wrist unforgivingly pulling me towards the door and again I push back.
“Now!” He yells and forcefully jerks the two of us to the door, hurling it open in a swift motion.
“What the fuck is going on Thomas?” There is a mixture of confusion, anger, and fear in her voice.
“If you aren’t cheating on me, why the fuck is she here?” My voice is shaky as I sneer at him, but I try to be forceful.
He doesn’t return a response or release my arm. His face is serious and I smack him again, this time with a closed fist. I hear a low irritated groan in his throat as he grabs me by my waist hurling me over his shoulder. I throw my fists at him and scream for him to put me down, but he doesn’t stop. He forces me out of the house and to his car.
“Fuck you!” I yell as he drags me to the car.
“Emma, listen to me. She’s dangerous. Get in the damn car and knock it the fuck off.” He’s pissed; he has never talked to me like that. It takes me a moment to gauge what he said. His eyes warn me that I better listen to him, but I’m so confused I don’t know what to do.
He moves deftly around the car as I slowly open the door. Dangerous? I glance cautiously around the yard where I saw the ghostly figure just moments ago and pray to God she still isn’t here. I look frantically, trying to calm my breathing; there’s no one here.
“I can drive myself.” Kate angrily attempts to protest with a scowl on her face.
“No! Get in the damn car!” Thomas’ voice is demanding and we are so shocked and frightened that our bodies do as they are told. My breathing quickens and the unwelcomed tears return. Dangerous?
As Thomas puts the key into the ignition, I glance past the lawn and I see her; the sight stills my body. She’s in the large bay window, inside Kate’s house watching us, a dark scowl across her face. I inhale quick as her unkind eyes meet my gaze. My anger is replaced by fear. We left because he’s afraid of her… because she’s dangerous. I’m instantly immobilized. I hear Kate gasp and the woman’s gaze moves to the rear of the car. Confused and terror stricken, we watch the house an
d the woman disappear from sight as Thomas speeds down the deserted street.
THOMAS DIALS HIS PHONE as we pull out of the neighborhood, completely ignoring our horror. “Michael, call Paul now, she’s at Kate’s house.” Michael is his assistant. I feel my body trembling, most definitely due to a combination of the cold and my terror. Thomas looks at me guardedly as he speaks, “She must have followed me there. … Take care of it… What are the hotel details?”
“She was in the house.” I’m still pissed but more horrified, my emotions are reflected in my shaking voice. “She wasn’t just at the house she was in Kate’s house.”
He looks at me; his eyes are sorrowful but his lips form a hard-pressed line. He doesn’t respond; he stares intently at the dark road in front of us.
“I saw her,” my voice strains, “when you pulled out of the driveway.” The image comes back to my mind and an unforgiving chill sends shivers down my pale skin causing all of the tiny hairs to stand on their ends.
“I saw her too. I saw her too.” Kate says the words quickly, like they are escaping from her. I can hear the fear in her voice through her shortened breath. “What was she holding?”
I didn’t see anything. I close my eyes and all I can see is her staring at me with those wretched eyes. My body shudders and I feel an overwhelming urge to vomit. The car is silent, leaving her question to turn stale in the air.
Fear is not an emotion Kate is comfortable with; it’s quickly replaced by anger. “What the fuck was she doing in my house?” The two of us stare expectantly at Thomas who is actively avoiding our gazes.
Thomas finally speaks after a moment of silence passes, “I don’t know.” His voice is low and I get the sense that he is lying, holding something back. I gape at him; once again I am torn between sadness and anger, although this time fear is added to the wild mix of emotions overwhelming me.
“When I got to the backdoor, it was unlocked.” He looks down at his white-knuckled hands gripping the wheel and then in the rear view mirror. “I couldn’t see her, but I heard her. She was somewhere in the backroom.”
“What was she doing there?” Kate repeats her question; we’re still waiting for an explanation.
“I don’t know.” He’s stern with his short response. “She came to my office yesterday.” He admits this with a concerned expression even though his voice is still harsh. I can’t manage a response. My hands start to shake and I force them into fists.
“I swear it’s the first time I have seen her since we ended it,” his voice is less harsh and laced with apprehension. He glances nervously at me, gauging whether or not I believe him. I feel dizzy and nauseous; I lean my head against the cold window in a feeble attempt to steady myself.
“And when did you end it?” I ask him accusingly. I finally get it out, feeling pricks at the back of my eyes.
“A long time ago I swear, years ago. And I haven’t seen her since… until yesterday.” His voice is low and sincere. I don’t look at him; I keep my head down to avoid his gaze. My head is throbbing. I want to believe him, every word that he says. But it just doesn’t add up.
“We dated years ago. It was just a good time.”
I slam my head back in my seat and roll my eyes.
Kate sneers at his response, “A good time? Really?” She lets out a spiteful laugh. “That insane bitch is in my house right now!” She’s pissed, really pissed. “Who just walks into someone’s house?”
“The police are on their way,” he searches for her eyes in the rearview mirror, “Michael is taking care of it.” He sounds apologetic in his response.
“Tell me everything right now.” My voice is demanding. “I want to know everything.”
He gently puts his hand on my knee and I angrily smack it away.
“No. Don’t touch me. Tell me right now Thomas.” My tears are freefalling and I make no attempt to wipe them away. I glare back at him, my body shaking. My voice breaks, “Tell me now.”
He hesitates, looking at me with concern, and pain. “We started seeing each other the summer before I met you. We were only together for a few weeks, if that.” He looks at me desperately, hoping that I believe him. “You know how I was before I met you. I wasn’t committed to anything or anyone. She wanted more and I didn’t so we ended it.”
“Who ended it exactly?” Kate asks with resentment.
“I ended it,” he looks down for a second and then returns his gaze to the road.
“And I’m guessing you were a huge dick about it.” Kate jeers from the back.
“I wasn’t any more or less of a dick then I always was. We were over and I told her that.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why was she in Kate’s house?” I look at him and wait for a response. Why is she dangerous? The question is burning into me but I fail to ask him. He is still holding back. I want to threaten that I will leave him, tell him that it’s over. I can’t take this bullshit. But I calm myself; he’s never lied to me before. Not that you know.
He grips the wheel tight and pulls onto the highway, looking in his rear view. I look in the side mirror. There is no one there.
“Do you think she’s following us?” Kate asks warily, the change of her tone is sobering.
“I don’t know, possibly.” He takes a deep breath.
“Tell me what the hell is going on.” I try to restrain my anger; my throat feels raspy from yelling.
“When I called it off, she went insane, completely out of her fucking mind.” I stare at him intently waiting for him to continue.
“What did she do?” I ask cautiously under my breath.
“She kept calling me and sending me photos of her. And then she showed up at my house, my parent’s house.” He looks disgusted. “I didn’t even know she knew where my parents lived. She was stalking me. I told her it was over and to leave me alone. But she just didn’t get it. She would hold on to me crying, and stand in front of my car so I couldn’t leave. I had to call the cops and have a restraining order issued.”
“What the fuck.” Kate moans and collapses in the back. Thomas hesitates and then continues.
“I got a call from the hospital that she had over-dosed on Xanax or something, I don’t remember, like a week after I had her arrested.” He sighs and shakes his head as if remembering something dreadful. “I really didn’t want to see her but they said I was her emergency contact and that she had no one else. She was begging me to take her back lying there, in the hospital bed. She was a complete mess, pathetic looking.” He hesitates. “Her arms were tied down; they said she tried to kill herself.”
“Are you serious? What did you do?” I ask in complete disbelief and horror.
He doesn’t look at me; instead, he keeps his eyes on the road.
“I didn’t know what to do. She completely lost her mind. It’s not like I led her on. She knew I didn’t want anything more than a good time.” Finally, he takes a regretful, dejected look at me. It’s difficult to look back at him. I am in shock and disbelief. I have an urge to vomit; I close my eyes tight and try to force it down.
“Are you alright?” he asks warily.
“Yes. I’m fine.” I lie. I want to vomit all over your car, Asshole. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm the sickness in my stomach and my simmering resentment, “What did you do?”
“I left the room and told the doctor I wasn’t her boyfriend.” He looks back in the mirror and pulls off the highway. “I told them I would pay for her treatment but that was all I would do. I didn’t want to know her progress and I didn’t want anything to do with her. I never asked how much and I never really looked into it. I know she was in a mental institution after the hospital. I just gave them whatever they asked for and I didn’t bother with it. I figured once she got treatment she would snap out of it and leave me alone. I thought it was done and over with, until yesterday.”
“When she came to see you?” I can’t even fathom what happened in his office. Do I really want to know?
“Yes.�
�� He takes a breath and continues before I can object, “She just walked in, like I knew she was coming.” He hits the wheel hard causing my body to shudder. “I can’t fucking believe Sarah would just let her in.”
“She just let her in?” I’m mortified that his senseless secretary would carelessly allow a psycho-ex walk into his office.
“She was close with Sarah years ago; she used to work for the company.” Kate snorts at his response from the back.
He was so reckless. I have no idea how he could have possibly been so successful, he really only cared about fucking everything in sight. I’ve never asked him about his past, I knew too much from Kate as it was.
“I didn’t want them to know what happened. I never told them.” Again, the look of regret crosses his face. “She sat down and just stared at me. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say. The last time I saw her she was in the hospital. She tried to kill herself because of me. I don’t know what she expected me to say.”
“What happened Thomas?” My voice hurts now; I try to swallow to ease the pain.
“She started talking about how she loved working for my office. I was hoping she was going to ask for a reference and that would be the end of it, but then she lost it. She started crying hysterically and talking about how she should be my wife.” My entire body tightens and I struggle to breathe. His grasp twists around the leather wheel and from the corner of my eye I can see his body tense. She wants to be his wife?
“I didn’t know what to do. I had to call security. As soon as she left, I had Michael look into her history. Apparently, she was let out of the institution after about a year, a few weeks later she was readmitted. Michael is still gathering all the details. She’s on some serious meds or at least she should still be on them. She was released last week. I don’t know why and given her condition she should be readmitted.” He looks in the rear view mirror again. “Michael is trying to get in touch with her psychiatrist now.”
“So she’s completely psychotic?” Kate mutters in the back of the car.