by Naomi Niles
“You’ll meet someone else,” I reassured her. “Someone so much better. Soon, all of this will be a distant memory, and none of us will ever think about it again.”
She decided to ignore that, and focus on me. “You and Rhett really do seem to have a special connection,” she observed. “I can’t believe that I didn’t pick up on it earlier.”
“Well, to be honest, we were back and forth a lot because it felt so wrong–what with you and Brad getting married.” It felt nice to be able to get this off my chest once and for all. It was like a weight lifting off my shoulders. At least everyone would now understand a little better why I’d been acting so strange.
“Well, that won’t be an issue anymore,” Mom reassured me. “We will be divorced soon enough. Then you can be free to be happy. And, Rhett is a wonderful boy; he’ll be a great father too.”
Free.
The word that I’d wanted to associate with me and Rhett for such a long time was now in reach. I just had to hope that he would make it back to me, and we could make that dream a reality at last. It was almost too good to be true.
“Thank you, Mom.” I smiled gratefully at her. “I appreciate you being so understanding, I really do.”
“You know, I felt as passionately about your dad as you do Rhett.” A dreamy look overtook her face, but all I felt was worry. He’d ended up running out on us, so it didn’t seem like passion was enough to sustain something real. Was that what she was trying to tell me? Was she trying to warn me off a lifetime of heartache?
“Of course, that was far more one sided, which was why he left. Rhett feels exactly the same for you as you do him.” I let out a deep and relieved breath. Okay, good; she thought that we could go the distance, too. “I’m really happy for you,” she finally looked right at me, smiling widely. “And I can’t wait until you finally get the happiness that you’ve been working so hard towards.”
“You and me both,” I joked, feeling my heart race. I really did want that–so desperately–and I just hoped that my desires would be enough to keep everyone safe.
“Was that your phone?” she asked me, dragging me from my thoughts. “I think you just got another message.”
I grabbed the handset eagerly, seeing another message from Rhett. I’d spent so long obsessing over my phone, I couldn’t believe that I’d actually missed it when a message finally came through. It didn’t say anything substantial, but it was enough to get me through the next few minutes.
‘All okay here; are you all right? I love you. x’
Tears filled my eyes as I typed out my reply. I was okay in one sense, but I was falling apart in another, not that I would tell him that.
‘Everything is fine. I miss you, and I hope that you’re all right. Thinking of you, love you. xxx’
“Is everything all right?” Mom asked, biting her nails anxiously. “Has he said anything?”
“Not yet,” I was forced to admit. “Just that he’s all right. He won’t tell me anything in detail until it’s done.”
“Okay,” she nodded anxiously. “So we just have to wait. We can do that, can’t we? Wait patiently, while everything fall apart around us?”
“It’ll be fine, Mom,” I tried my best to reassure her even though I felt exactly the way that she did. “Rhett will sort everything. It’s going to be okay–we just need to trust him.”
There was that word again–trust–only this time I had no trouble with it. I could trust Rhett with my life; I just couldn’t trust Brad with his.
Chapter Forty
Rhett
I spent the drive gearing myself up for what needed to be done, rehearsing my words over and over again until they were etched into my mind. I wasn’t sure that this would go exactly as I wanted it to, but if I at least planned out all that I needed to say, I could guarantee that at least some of it would come out.
But as I got back to my hotel room, I was shocked to find it completely empty. I thought Dad wouldn’t be able to resist and that he would already be there waiting for me. I couldn’t believe that I’d been quicker than him, and that I’d actually managed to beat him, but I wasn’t sure what else to think.
If he didn’t come, everything would fall apart. My plan would fail, and all of us would be left with nothing–on the run, hiding from Brad Fronton forever.
No, I couldn’t allow that to happen. Not when I had a child on the way. I wanted my baby to grow up in a loving, stable home with a father who was always there. I wanted to do the complete opposite to my dad; I wanted to be so much better than him.
I spent hours pacing the hotel room alone, growing less and less confident that I was going to be able to pull everything off. He should have been there by now; my message should have been enough to rile him up immediately. So why was I still by myself? If he hadn't come right away, it was either because he knew exactly where Danica and Lyla were–which meant that he would target them directly first–or he knew that it was a prank and he was just ignoring me.
Or maybe he was planning to get me even worse than I had him. I had no idea what that man was capable of, and that left me petrified. I just wanted something to happen now, for something to get started. I didn’t want all of this stupid plan to have been for nothing.
I picked up my phone, re-reading my messages from Danica, wondering if there was a clue in there, something to tell me that she was in danger, but I couldn’t spot anything out of place.
Just as I decided to call her, to put my mind at rest, someone started to hammer on my door, putting the fear of God right back into me. He was there; it was happening. This was what I’d been waiting for, but now that it had arrived, I was consumed by terror.
Knock, knock, knock.
I jumped about ten foot into the air as my eyes flicked everywhere, trying to find a place to hide in until I had the situation sussed once and for all. My heart began to pound painfully against my chest, and I instinctively moved towards the nearest corner, trying to hide myself there. It wasn’t great, but it would have to do, just until I gauged what my dad wanted to do to me.
This is it, I told myself. This is what you’ve been waiting for. Now is the time to get everything said and everything done that you’ve always wanted to do. For yourself, for your Mom, and for Lyla. Don’t forget Danica and your unborn child.
Just the thought of the future that lay ahead of me had me feeling stronger and more confident once more. I could do it for them. Maybe not for myself, but I certainly could for all the people I loved, the ones that were relying on me.
My phone pinged in my hands and my eyes were drawn to the screen, just to see if it was Danica again, but it wasn’t. I was finally getting that long awaited reply from my father–just as he was at the door.
‘You should have listened to me. You should have left it well alone. I will make sure that you regret this.’
Maybe he had sent that so I would assume it was someone else coming in to get me, but I knew better. He might have usually sent his minions to do his dirty work, but I was something that he wanted dealing with properly, and he could only trust himself to do that.
“Shit,” I muttered, as I dialled 911 with trembling fingers. This was it, the key moment to my plan and I didn’t want to screw it up.
“Hello?” I heard the operator ask, but it was too late. I couldn’t answer because the door was bursting open and my dad was entering the room. Instead, I tossed the phone onto the dressing table nearby, and I prayed that he wouldn’t pay any attention to it. If I could just leave it on, the authorities would have all the evidence that they needed. I just hoped that they traced the call and they got there before things got too far.
“I told you not to come,” I said with a cold steely voice, as I finally spotted my father’s hardened, angry face. “I told you to leave us all alone.”
He laughed mirthlessly, stomping past me and slamming the bathroom door open, as if he’d discovered my secret. Once he realized that what he was looking for couldn’t be found in there,
he swung open the doors of the wardrobe, then peeked under the bed. It was like watching a bizarre game of hide and seek evolve in front of my eyes–I was just waiting for the moment that he finally realized that he’d been played.
He wasn’t going to like that, not one bit. He saw himself as the master of the game, the one who was always one step ahead. It would drive him mad to be beaten.
“All right then,” he growled. “I’ll bite. Where the fuck are Danica and Lyla? Have you hidden them somewhere? In the lobby? In the bar? It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll find them soon enough.”
He sneered at me as if I was pathetic. “The Hillington isn’t exactly a big hotel, and when I do find them, I’ll make you all wish that you hadn't been born.”
I kept my eyes trained on him, however desperate they were to glance down to check that the operator was still on the line. Now that Dad had mentioned the hotel name, the police could arrive at any moment, and that was exactly what I needed.
But not just yet. I needed to get him to confess first. I didn’t want him to only get charged with threats–a man like Brad Fronton could get off that easily.
I needed everyone to know everything that he’d done, and from his own mouth, too. If he confessed to me now, he would never get off the charges. There would be absolutely no way around it, and that was the only way I could ensure that he was locked up for a large portion of his life–which was all that he deserved.
“They aren’t here,” I confessed to him, shrugging my shoulders casually. “But the fact that you’re here proves just how serious you are about your threats.”
“Of course, I’m serious!” he yelled. “Do you think I just say things for the sake of it? Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with here?”
“You know I do,” I said, trying not to smile. My dad would be easy to manipulate; he wanted to be a big shot, so all I had to do was belittle him. He would be boasting in about two seconds flat. “I’ve been researching you. You’re a small-time criminal who steals the odd quid here and there. Fucking pathetic, if you ask me.”
“Small time?” Perfect, he was walking right into my trap. “Small time? I’ve swindled millions of dollars from companies and rich people alike.”
“Yeah, right,” I sneered. “If that were true, then you wouldn’t live in such a shithole, and you’d be married to a supermodel, not Lyla.”
“Shithole? That’s a fucking mansion, boy! And, I needed to marry Lyla to get the information that I needed. She wanted someone so desperately, she was easy to manipulate.”
I had to swallow down my anger at the way he spoke about Lyla, who was way too good for him. I needed to get a rise out of him, not the other way around.
“And, I took down ICT Enterprises pretty much single-handedly. Well, I had my minions do the dirty work, of course, but how is that for fucking small time? And, do you remember Old Man Crabs?” I did vaguely; he was the crazy old guy who lived near us when I was a kid. “He used to be a billionaire, but I stole money from him bit by bit–my first and best scam to date. Never got caught for that one because everyone just assumed that he was mental.”
“Right, sure,” I said disbelievingly. “Then how have you never been caught? If your bullshit stories are all true, then how has no one ever found out what you’ve been up to? It makes it very difficult to believe anything you’re saying.”
“Because I don’t get my hands dirty,” he snapped, going red in the face as he grew increasingly pissed off with me. “And, I pay my staff well enough not to rat me out.” The more he spoke, the more frantically he waved his arms around until I started to become afraid that he was going to hit me. “Do you think I’m some sort of idiot?”
I was so tempted to glance down at my phone, to give the game away, and to announce that yes, I did actually think that he was pretty stupid, but I didn’t get the chance to because in that moment, the police burst through the doors, finalizing the last part of my plan.
“Police; freeze!”
As I threw my hands above my head, I grinned brightly to myself, whereas my dad finally looked defeated for the very first time in his entire life. As the officer read him his rights, I smirked at him, and he looked back like he had no idea what to do. The master had finally been outwitted–and with the simplest of plans, too. With the operator listening in to our conversation–a phone call that would undoubtedly have been recorded–they had a confession from him at last.
He would be locked away for a very long time and wouldn’t be bothering us again.
I hadn't wanted to tell Danica until it was over, in case it all went wrong. I hadn't wanted her to think that I was a fool for trying to take him down with such a basic plan, but in the end, it was the simplicity of it that had finally crushed my dad.
Now I could call her and tell her everything. As he got led away, in handcuffs, and taken to the back of the police car, I felt a weight being lifted. Everything was over, and finally our lives could all begin again.
“Danica?” I said into the phone as she picked up. “It’s over.” I smiled happily to myself as I spoke. “My dad is gone. He’s being locked up. He won’t be bothering us again.”
“Are you sure?” she gasped in surprise, unable to quite believe it. “Are you okay? Was it all…”
“I’m fine. I just… I can’t wait to see you again.” The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, and I wanted Danica and Lyla to share in the celebrations. “I’ll be over to get you very soon and we can be together once more.” That statement was very loaded, but I knew that we were going to have to confess to Lyla before we could actually be together, but with all that had transpired, I didn’t think she would mind. “I love you. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” she replied. “Always and forever. And now we have the freedom to finally let that happen.”
Epilogue
Danica
Six Months Later
I was exhausted, absolutely worn out, but at the same time, I was on top of the world, happier than I’d ever been before. Everything had finally come together in the best possible way, and I still couldn’t believe how my life had turned out. It was like a dream come true—only better.
“Are you okay, Danica?” Rhett asked me, with true love shining in his eyes.
I nodded, as he gripped onto my hands tightly, trying to stop the emotion from spilling down my face. Then I forced myself into a sitting position because I couldn’t lie down in the hospital bed any longer; it felt like I’d been in the same damn position forever.
“Here we are!” A friendly looking nurse burst into the room holding my bundle of joy–the love of my life. My baby boy, Ashley Fronton, had been born only a short time ago at a weight of just over seven pounds, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him again.
As he was placed into my arms, I felt that intense rush of love wash over me once more. There was nothing like it in the world, no sensation quite so strong, and I couldn’t believe that I was finally getting to experience it more fully. My heart filled with more love than I even knew I had inside of me. It was pure, unconditional, and powerful. Even more powerful that the emotions that ran through me for my baby’s father.
“Can I hold him?” Rhett asked, snatching away my chance to be with my son again. I didn’t mind, though; he was already showing himself to be a devoted father, and I couldn’t wait for the rest of our lives together. We brought out the absolute best in one another now that things were solid between us, and I just knew that we were going to be amazing parents. We’d become this solid unit, a team, and I knew that was going to help us when we faced even the toughest of times in the future.
Nothing could ever be as bad as what we went through with Brad. Luckily, with him behind bars, we were slowly starting to forget that he ever even existed.
“He really is beautiful.” My mom scooted closer to Rhett, looking about as happy as I felt. “I can’t believe that he’s finally here!”
She was in a good place now, slowly
moving on from Brad. As Auntie Cat had predicted, she was able to organize a divorce earlier than normal because of Brad’s behavior, so that was currently being sorted–leaving her with a small sum to get her life started again. Of course, most of Brad’s money was obtained illegally and was being paid back and swallowed up in legal fees, but she did get some.
Not that she really needed it; she was doing just fine on her own. Her career was going from strength to strength. On top of that, she had been dating someone new. And this time, she was taking things much slower, really getting to know this guy before she fell for him. I was very proud of her for that and glad that she was finding happiness. If anyone deserved it, it was her!
Another unexpected turn of events was her newfound friendship with Marcie–Rhett’s mom. They’d gotten together shortly after everything had happened, and despite their weird connection, they found themselves having a lot in common. They still hung out now, which was great for everyone involved. It meant that Ashley would get to spend a lot of time with both of his grandmothers.
The weird thing was we felt more like a family now than ever before. When we’d actually had a family link, it was odd and never quite felt right. This, right now, it felt perfect.
“Marcie will be here soon,” Mom clarified. “But I’ve already sent her a photograph of the little man so she doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on anything.”
“Thanks, Lyla,” Rhett smiled gratefully at her. “I just haven’t quite gotten around to it yet.”
“No, don’t be silly,” she reprimanded him. “You have enough on your plate now.”
As they bickered playfully, I glanced down at the shiny, princess cut diamond that was sitting on my ring finger, and I couldn’t help but grin brightly to myself. When Rhett had asked me to marry him only a few weeks before, I’d jumped at the opportunity. Of course I wanted to be his wife; did he even need to ask?