She knew her father would escape, but that was okay. She didn’t need him to die. She didn’t need that kind of retribution. He would figure how to get out of the room, shuffle down the stairs, and get himself out. It was easy enough. He’d be humiliated, yes, having to ask for help, get himself back to his gilded life, but if that’s all he suffered, it would be enough. Enough to know what she’d gone through, enough to know that she knew who he really was, and that he held no power over her anymore. It was over, on her terms.
She exited the building and moved in time to the beat of her tainted heart and climbed into the car, glancing at Ethan who watched intently.
‘Feel better?’ he asked as he started the car. ‘Laid your ghosts to rest?’
She smiled and nodded. ‘Much better, thanks. Laid all my ghosts to rest now.’
He looked at her, and when she noticed the intensity of his gaze, she knew she was in trouble. ‘Good, and later you’ll tell me exactly why you decided to go it alone to punish your father.’
Speechless, her heart threatened to jump from her throat.
‘You realise I knew what you were doing,’ he continued, his arm outstretched, his hand resting on the steering wheel.
Rushing from shock to disbelief, she finally settled on acceptance. ‘I suppose at some level I would have known that you’d be aware, yes. It’s what you do, after all. Why would there be different rules for me.’
‘Elena, I threw the rule book out of the window when it comes to you,’ he said warmly and free of anger. ‘I just noticed your reaction at the hospital when I mentioned those initials and I knew something was wrong, so I did a little more digging. I found out that I’d made an incorrect assumption about your name, that you actually have four middle names, none of which begin with ‘C’ and that E.C.D were your father’s initials. And, by that point I saw that you’d already begun.’
She turned to face him. ‘I was always going to share what I had done with you, I just needed to do this. By myself.’
He gave an understanding nod. ‘I get that, and it’s why I backed off, watched from a distance.’
She let the tension in her body go. ‘I enjoyed it actually. It was quite the thrill.’
‘You’re a quick learner.’
‘I’m always learning. You know that.’
‘Maybe I’ll show you everything one day,’ he said.
She sat back in the chair. ‘Maybe. Or maybe that’s not necessary. Maybe I already know more than you think.’
He chuckled. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’
‘I pay attention, Ethan,’ she said, feeling herself pout.
‘Yes, I see that,’ he said.
‘And I adapt.’
He kept her gaze. ‘I see that too.’
‘So why are you looking at me like that?’
‘Because I think you’re going to keep me on my toes, Elena Dumont.’
She laughed. ‘You wouldn’t want it any other way.’
‘You’ve got that right,’ he said as he looked towards the derelict house. ‘And you’re sure about this?’
‘I’m sure,’ she said without hesitation. ‘He’ll be fine. This is over. I’m ready to go.’
‘Happy to hear it,’ he said as he pulled away from the desolate surroundings. ‘You look beautiful by the way.’
‘Thank you,’ she replied, feeling strangely empowered. ‘I’m adjusting to living in my new skin. Do you like it?’
His lips curved into an assured smile. ‘I like it a lot.’
‘Good, because I don’t care what it all means anymore. You, me. Our history. I’m in love with you. And if that makes me crazy, I’ll live with it. Happily.’
He stopped the car, shifted it into neutral and faced her. ‘What did you say?’
‘If that makes me–’
He shook his head. ‘No, the bit before.’
‘What, that I love you?’
‘Yes, that part.’
She shrugged. ‘Well, I do. Does it bother you?’
‘No sweetheart, not at all,’ he said as he took her face in his hands. ‘Because I’m crazy about you too, Elena. Like nothing else I’ve ever known.’
He pulled her towards him and smothered her smile with a kiss. It was warm and filled with love, proving that he was hers as much as she was his. She lifted her hands to his hair, keeping him close, prolonging the kiss. She would never tire of him. She would always want him.
Pulling away now, she gently traced her finger over his lips. ‘Let’s get away from here.’
‘I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,’ he said.
She smiled. ‘So take me home.’
‘And where is that?’ he asked.
‘Wherever you are.’
Acknowledgements
I have so many people to thank who have supported me through my writing journey. I’m lucky enough to have great people in my life who have continually spurred me on, even when I was ready to throw in the towel.
To Richard Bradburn at Editorial.ie for his manuscript critique, copy-edit, and honesty. To Lorena Martin for providing such a fantastic book cover for me, and for her endless answers to all my queries. To Paul Martin at Dominion Editorial for his proofread after a significant re-write.
To my friends and family for all their unending support and genuine interest in my writing journey; to my mum and sister who have utter faith in me and give their total love and support every single day. And for my dad who sadly never got to read the finished copy but who supported me to the end. To Caroline and Sarah, who provide endless support and love, despite the miles between us.
To my readers, thank you, I hope you enjoyed the book and if you ever want to get in touch I can be found at @GemsLawrence on Twitter and @GLawrenceWriter on Facebook. Come and say hi!
Finally, a massive thank you goes to Paul and Emily for putting up with me; for their endless patience, love and support, and for letting me have the space I needed to disappear into the story with the laptop for a couple of hours, or giving me that much needed hug when things were hard. You two are the best and I couldn’t have done this without you.
When I Know Your Name Page 29