by DC Renee
His words were like ice running through her veins. He might as well have doused her with cold water. There was nothing to forgive, couldn’t he see that? She literally wasn’t that person! And until he knew that, it would always hang between them. God, she wanted so badly to hold onto him. She wanted nothing more than to hug him, kiss him, make love to him, and never leave him. But she couldn’t stay here without knowing the truth. And she had to figure it out. She had to prove to him it wasn’t her.
He must have read the change in her emotion because suddenly, he was sweating and wringing his hands. “Kat, please say something, anything, even if it’s bad. Please tell me what you want. I’ll do anything. Just tell me what I can do. Tell me what you want from me.”
“Mason,” she replied slowly and carefully, “it’s not that I’m not that person anymore, it’s that I’m not that person period. There is nothing for me to forgive because I understand why you did all this; someone hurt you and betrayed you and ruined your life, but they brought us together, and for that I’m thankful to them, and thankful to you. But you have to understand, that wasn’t me. There is nothing for you to forgive either because whoever did this to you used me as the scapegoat, clearly, but no matter how many times I’ve told you this, something has been stopping you from believing me. I can’t and I won’t have this over our heads. I can’t have this doubt constantly in the back of our minds, looming over us, taunting us.”
“Kat, please, it doesn’t matter anyways, whether it was you, or someone else…who cares? We have each other and that’s all that matters. We can overcome this together. Please just tell me what to do to make this right for you. I’ll turn myself in, I’ll go back to jail, I’ll buy a new place, anything. I love you. Just tell me what I can do. I’ll do anything, please.”
She pushed back her own pain and insecurities, she pushed back the bile in her throat and said the words she knew were going to hurt both of them. “Let me go.”
Chapter 35
Kat had been curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out for the past two days. Mason had let her go, like she asked. But it wasn’t that simple. He wanted her to at least stay with him until she could figure things out, but she knew it would hurt her more to be around him and not be with him. She couldn’t be with him until this whole mess was settled. So, she had packed up some things and he took her to a hotel. Given she had no money, he gave her some, and put the hotel on his credit card.
He begged and pleaded with her to change her mind, to just be happy with him, but she knew she could never truly be happy until she knew the truth. It didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting like hell. For close to a year, Mason had been her whole world. Sure she didn’t like everything about the circumstances, but she was used to them, she was comfortable and safe. And now that she loved Mason, it was incredibly hard to just up and leave. When all that had sunk in, when she fell onto the hotel bed, the tears started coming and didn’t stop.
Now the tears had dried up, thanks to Benny, and she was ready to figure things out. Benny had come by a few hours ago. Mason had found her an apartment, got her a phone, which had Benny’s and Mason’s numbers already programmed in there just in case, and set up a very hefty bank account for her. She didn’t want to take it, but Benny could be very persuasive. He had informed her that in Mason’s prior life, he had tons of money and although he had used up quite a bit on his defense, he still had a substantial amount left, so he wouldn’t be hurting. He also pointed out the fact that she had no job and no way of living on her own, so she had no choice but to take it. He might have also slipped in the fact that Mason would be extremely worried and heartbroken if she didn’t make use of the apartment and money. She really didn’t have much of a choice.
Benny was also good at comforting. He hugged her while she cried.
“Kitty Kat, why are you doing this? You’re hurting, he’s hurting. Wouldn’t it be better if you just went back and let the poor guy off the hook?”
“It’s not like that,” she answered.
“Then what’s it like? Because I am sure as hell confused here. I’m going to preface this by telling you that I know what you’ve been saying and whether I believe you or not doesn’t matter, but for arguments sake, let’s say you accused the guy of falsely raping you years ago and ruined his life. He kidnaps you to get his revenge and keeps you prisoner for almost a year. He forgives you, you forgive him, and you find love. So then why did you walk away?”
“Damn it, Benny! Because someone hurt him and that someone wasn’t me. And yeah, sure I want to thank them, sort of, because it brought us together. But it doesn’t mean they should be out in the world all happy and shit while Mason is still viewed as a rapist. And it sure as hell isn’t working for me to know the man I love believes I did that to him. Frankly, I don’t care whether you, or even Mason, believes me, because I’m going to get the truth.”
“And what if you don’t or can’t?”
“I will.” She gritted her teeth. That wasn’t an option.
“Well, then, it seems to me like you’re wasting time sitting here crying over something that’s not going to change. So the sooner you get to work, the sooner you guys can get back together and stop giving me a headache.” He smiled at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.
“You’re right.”
“Always,” he smirked.
That was a few hours ago, but Kat hadn’t done anything yet. She was actually pretty stuck. She didn’t know how the hell to even begin to figure things out. She wondered where she should start looking. Her mind was still a little fried from everything that had happened in the past few days, and she couldn’t think clearly. But now, after a few hours of just sitting and staring at the ceiling, she finally realized that the first step to figuring things out was research.
She found the complimentary computers in the hotel lobby and started searching for information on Mason. Wow! She hadn’t expected everything she saw. He had been a prominent doctor, one of the best in his field. He had been a key part of the medical world and very well respected. He had also participated in numerous charities and the pictures of him and tons of women sent a jolt of jealousy through her. She had to remind herself that he loved her and this was his past. As she scrolled through all his work and published articles and accomplishments, she felt a pang of sadness for Mason.
She knew from what he had told her and what Benny had let on that Mason had a privileged life before his downfall, but it never registered until now. She finally saw just how much he had lost with the accusation of rape against him. No wonder he was so broken and hurt. She also had a momentary thought of how she could never fit into that world and how they would have never met if things hadn’t worked out the way they had. It was suddenly so clear just how thankful she was that Mason had mistook her for his accuser. It was a fucked up and long journey, but it was worth it.
She got to all the articles about him being accused of rape and the trial and his conviction and sentencing. But the major details were kept a secret. Of course they were.
She needed to get her hands on the police report, or the trial transcripts, or something. She needed someplace to start. All she had to do was figure out how to get her hands on that information.
*****
Kat knew her plan most likely wasn’t going to work, but she had to try. So after she checked out of the hotel, she went shopping for some pretty seductive clothing and then made her way to the local police station. She was going to try to flirt her way into getting the files.
But when she got to the police station and a very not-impressed looking woman asked, “Can I help you?” she knew her plan was doomed.
An hour later, she was all talked out and extremely frustrated and unnervingly disappointed. She knew Mason’s accuser was someone with her same name – Kat Gingham, he had made that pretty darn clear. And apparently, she had to have looked a heck of a lot like Kat, since Mason insisted it was her. Kat was a horrible person, a druggie who figured out how to
manipulate quite a few people into thinking Mason had raped her. That wasn’t much to start with and that’s why she had wanted those police reports, even though she knew they probably wouldn’t help her much either. But that’s all she had.
With no other ideas in mind, she took the opportunity to reapply for her identification. It would be a few weeks before she had it in-hand and the process took a few hours, but she needed it. Her identification was the only piece of her that was still solid, still whole. A few hours later, she found the apartment Mason had gotten for her. It was in a nice part of town, clean building, and fresh cut grass in the front. And of course, when she stepped in it was fully furnished, and everything looked brand new. Only Mason could figure out a way to get her everything she needed in the span of a day. Just thinking of him pulled at her heart.
She plopped down on the new couch, too stunned by everything around her to cry at her failure. She wondered if maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe Benny and Mason were right, she should just give it up. Go back to Mason and to hell with the past. She didn’t care if he thought she was a monster years ago. He didn’t think so now. That’s all that should matter.
There was a knock at the door, pulling her from her thoughts. She secretly hoped it was either Benny or Mason. But when she opened the door, a tall, blonde, brown-eyed guy was smiling down at her.
“Hi neighbor, I’m Trent. Hope I’m not interrupting, but I saw all the moving going on earlier and then I saw you come in, so I thought I’d pop over and welcome you.”
Kat wasn’t sure if it was the stress that finally got to her, the impact of everything Mason was doing for her now, the fact that the guy standing before her wasn’t Mason, or her complete lack of a good plan to clear this mess, but whatever it was, she couldn’t hold back any longer. And instead of responding to Trent, she started sobbing.
“Oh my. Honey, I can’t tell if those are happy tears or not. I’m hoping you are just so overwhelmed by my beauty that it caused you to cry tears of joy. But I’m guessing that’s not it. And although I think I was meant to be a woman sometimes, I still can’t see a girl cry. So how about we go over to your table and you can tell me all about it?”
He didn’t wait for Kat to reply, just grabbed her hand and led her over to her own dining table.
“Now, girl, why don’t we start with your name?”
“Kat,” she barely whispered through tears.
“Well, hello Kat, nice to meet you. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
“I tried to get a police report and couldn’t,” she said, but because of her sobbing, it was distorted.
“I’m sorry, what?” Trent asked.
She repeated her words, but they were still stuck in her throat.
“Still not getting it.”
She tried again, but the words were still jumbled.
“Okay, how about we take a few deep breaths and then you can try again.”
She took a couple deep breaths until her tears subsided a little and said, “I tried to get a police report, but they wouldn’t give it to me.”
“Aw, girl, I think you are about to be very happy that I happen to be your neighbor.”
“Oh?” she asked.
“Honey, I’m a PI,” he said with a giant smile.
Kat couldn’t hide the shocked look on her face, and the next thing she knew she was spilling her guts to Trent about everything. Well, almost everything. She left out the kidnapping part and made it sound like she and Mason ran into each other and he was put off right away, but kept in touch through a mutual friend, Benny, until they fell in love. And now she had to prove her innocence and Mason’s innocence so they could live happily ever after.
“Oh, honey, that is such a romantic story!” Trent exclaimed at the end.
“Romantic?”
“Yes! Girl and guy fall in love because of a case of mistaken identity and now the girl is trying to prove her innocence and free her man. How is that not romantic? And you’re in luck! Not only am I an excellent PI, but I’m a sucker for this shit. Hire me and we’ll get to the bottom of this in no time.”
And that’s just what she did. She spent the next two hours getting to know her neighbor, partner in crime, and new friend.
Chapter 36
The next week flew by quickly. Kat spent her time divided between trying to find out more about Mason and his accuser, trying to settle in, and becoming fast friends with Trent. Trent had gotten on the case quickly, but he also saw just how upset and distant Kat was, so he had taken it upon himself to make sure Kat was distracted at all times. At least until he could get his hands on the police reports or trial transcripts or something. Trent confessed that he may have sort of pissed off the person that would get him everything they needed, so it was taking a little longer than they hoped. They spent that time getting to know each other and Kat was increasingly grateful for how quickly Trent stepped into the role of friend. She had never really had many friends, so not only was it great to finally have one, but it was especially needed at a time like this. She wondered if they would ever get close enough where she could spill all the details of her sordid love affair to him. Maybe one day. For now, she had stuff to focus on.
Trent also spent plenty of time trying to find a “Kat Gingham” that fit the bill. There were plenty of Kat’s and even Kaitlyn’s. There were a ton of people with a last name of Gingham, and there were even a few Kat Gingham’s across the nation, but finding the right one was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
She kept in touch with Benny because she missed him and Mason, and she wanted to keep tabs on both of them. But she didn’t want to tell Benny anything about what she was doing. What was there to tell anyways? She was at a dead-end. The only thing she had going for her now was that she had a PI friend and she didn’t have that before. No, she wouldn’t say anything to Benny or Mason until she had everything figured out. She just hoped that wouldn’t be too long.
Kat was out to dinner with Trent. She loved hanging out with him because she felt normal. She hadn’t been out in almost a year and although that was still a bitter note because that was Mason’s doing, she thought it was worth it in the end.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t enjoying the freedom she had, even though she felt guilty she was out and about instead of tracking down every last Kat Gingham she could find.
Trent’s phone rang just as they sat down. He looked down at the phone. “My brother,” he said as he started to answer. Kat knew he had a brother and a sister and was close to both, but his sister lived a few hours away, so he barely saw her. His brother, on the other hand, lived close by, but he also barely saw him because he was some hot shot at a marketing firm and worked crazy hours.
“Hey Ty,” Trent spoke into the phone.
She couldn’t hear Ty’s end of the conversation, but she heard Trent’s.
“What? Really?” Pause. “I feel so honored you’re making time for me.” Pause and a chuckle. “I’m at dinner with a friend though, so let me ask.”
He looked at Kat, “Honey, that’s my brother and he finished up some work early and said he actually has time to hang out. Who knew! Would you mind if he joined us?”
“No, not at all,” Kat answered. She just felt pretty honored that Trent didn’t think she was a loon and could actually introduce her to family.
He turned back to the phone, gave Ty the okay, and hung up. They ordered a few drinks while they waited for Ty to join them.
Twenty minutes later, Ty called Trent to let him know he was there but couldn’t find them, so Trent went to the front to find him.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Trent joked as he approached the table with his brother and that’s when Kat’s draw dropped.
“Oh my God! You’re twins! Identical!”
Ty and Trent laughed before Trent spoke. “Oh my, did I forget to mention that? Yep, although I must say I am still better looking, must be the taste. You know, gay men have much better style than their straight
counterparts. But, hey, where are my manners, Kat, this is my younger, by a whole 5 minutes, brother Tyler. And Ty, this is Kat.”
Ty held his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Kat.”
She nodded and muttered it was nice to meet him too. Trent was good looking, which by default meant Ty was too, but that wasn’t why she was staring. They were identical, exact replicas of each other, except maybe their demeanor. There was something, something that was on the tip of her tongue about them. She couldn’t think of what it was, why she was so damn fascinated by this.
Her mind was suddenly in another place. She was back at Mason’s house. It was a regular day, a day way before her and Mason had gotten intimately involved. It was when he and Benny were still trying to figure out if she was playing with them when she said she had nothing to do with getting him locked up. She had been cleaning up Mason’s office with her headphones on while Benny and Mason were out in the living room. They hung out a lot, so that was nothing new. But, when the song finished and she heard Mason say something like, “Really?” in a disbelieving tone, she paused the next song and listened while she worked.
“You really think she doesn’t remember anything?” Mason asked Benny. She knew they assumed she couldn’t hear anything and they would have been right. When she was listening to music, she was in her own little world; this just happened to be a fluke, but hey, she wasn’t opposed to eavesdropping.
“There is just something off. I can’t get a good read on her,” Benny responded.
“So, like what? She lost her memories? Amnesia of some sort? And she just conveniently forgot all about me?”
“No, it’s almost like she’s a different person. Like the Kat over there isn’t the same Kat you described.”
“You’re saying you don’t believe me?”
“Of course I believe you,” Benny answered, the hurt in his tone at Mason’s accusation obvious. “It’s just, are you sure it was Katherine Gingham that accused you?”