This was where I worked out all my anxieties and problems. I’d spent too many hours to count up here, sorting through all that had happened to me in the last year. The time alone helped me change my life in so many ways since returning home from California, allowing me to rebound from what surely would have destroyed me.
After I fully recovered from my injuries, I made myself a bucket list of sorts. My plan was to take back control of my life in every way possible. I would not let my past define who I was or who I would someday become.
My first matter of business was to hire a new cutthroat divorce attorney. I was not out for blood so much as I was making up for lost time. I was determined to get everything that was legally coming to me after seventeen years of marriage, especially after the last five had been spent in anything but wedded bliss. After a little light digging, and with Sam’s original report in hand, it was determined that while Erin Anderson had been his only long term affair, there were many more women with whom Beck had had repeated relations over a number of years.
I considered each of these women to have a monetary value because Beck had spent company time and money on them, and if his employer were to ever find out, not only would they fire him, they would require that he reimburse the company for every penny he could not physically account for. I had my husband backed into a corner, and he was forced to reckon with me for every slight and dalliance, especially for Erin, whom he continued to see occasionally, against my objections, and with the knowledge of all the damage she had done, to us, as well as to Tyler and Jillian Karras and their unborn child.
Beck managed to display a fair amount of guilt, not so much over his infidelities, but rather because of what he believed I had suffered. I never shared the details of what had happened, not in San Francisco, and certainly not at our home, but he had culled a small number of facts from the police reports, as well as the medical billing, for which he was required to pay. Beck not quite knowing everything, yet enough to feel guilt over, put me in a rather advantageous position, and I was not above milking it for all it was worth. He owed me that and much more.
I was also determined to change my living situation. After getting the house in the divorce, I sold it for a nice profit and moved to Olde Town, a section of Issaquah nestled at the very foot of Tiger Mountain. I bought an older, modest little bungalow with a picket fence surrounding the large lot, and a huge garden out back.
My new neighbors were friendly and warm, always available for a borrowed egg, help with composting, or putting Christmas lights up on the house. We shared our family histories while sipping coffee over the fence or rocking gently back and forth on porch swings as we listened to coyotes bay in the night.
We watched each other’s children and organized block parties during national holidays. And when someone new moved into the neighborhood, we all rallied around them, bringing them food, information on local services, or just a welcoming presence so they knew they were part of a real community where every member cared for and protected one another.
Conner enrolled at the local high school and was much happier with kids who placed greater value on true friendship than on material wealth. When he turned sixteen, he passed his driver’s test and acquired his license, and when his father offered to buy him a new car, perhaps a BMW of his own, Conner insisted on something a bit more practical. I couldn’t have been more proud.
It was a peaceful, meaningful, and bountiful life Conner and I shared in Olde Town, and I would not have been happier anywhere else, though I often worried that Ty would not be able to find me should he ever come looking. But that was just wishful thinking. I knew he never could.
I also decided to concentrate on my physical, as well as my mental health. I took up walking which turned into running. With Tiger, Cougar, and Squawk Mountains all within a few miles of home, I often ran on the many trails frequented by the locals. I took up kickboxing at a local women’s club, and though I was no expert, I could effectively defend myself now that I was strong and healthy. I enrolled in design classes at the local college and worked part-time at a small studio in town.
I felt good about every aspect of my life, save one. Because I was so busy, I didn’t allow myself much time to feel lonely, but late in the evenings when my mind was quiet, I felt the empty space around me all too keenly. I continued to fantasize about clear blue eyes invitingly wrinkled at the corners smiling down upon me, hard-muscled shoulders to hold onto, and a finely shaped mouth to rest my lips upon. I shook my head and chastised myself for useless daydreaming. Why could I not move on from that part of my life? I sighed and accepted that only time would heal the ragged edges of my heart, though thus far, the calendar had done very little in the way of reparation.
Undoubtedly, the most satisfying part of my life was, at first, a shock, and then a major hassle, but when I realized the opportunity I was being offered, I attacked with the full fury of a woman wronged. Erin Anderson had made a poorly calculated mistake when she used her relationship with Beck to assume my identity. She had a fake ID made with her photo and my information. From there, she was able to forge other documents, gaining access to my accounts and stealing from me.
I’m sure she believed that our resemblance was of some aegis against detection, but unless Beck had confronted her with my accusations, Erin could not have known my connection to Jillian Karras, or my determination to see her answer for her past transgressions. When I noticed the activity on my accounts, minor as they were, I did some digging. I smiled to myself, knowing that if I played it right, I could gain enough evidence to put Erin behind bars for quite some time. And while Ty would never know, it gave me a good amount of satisfaction knowing I had secured a measure of justice for his wife and child.
I moved most of my money around so as not to be available to Erin, but I also left one account open and well-stocked with money I borrowed from Beck. I obtained fraud insurance to protect myself, notified the credit agencies, and waited for Erin to go too far, which she did, of course. I gathered all the evidence I had of every instance of fraud and theft and presented it to the King County District Attorney, who shared it with the federal boys in Seattle since Erin had used my identity across state lines while traveling back to the San Francisco Bay Area. She even deposited a large chunk of cash, drawn by check against my account, into one of her very own down in Napa. It was a tidy operation and yielded ample proof of her deceit.
Realizing the futility of fighting all the evidence, Erin copped a plea. She was convicted of multiple state charges and received a cumulative sentence of six years in state prison, only half of which she would likely serve. But she was also indicted on federal banking charges and was currently awaiting trial. If convicted, she would likely serve an additional five years in a federal penitentiary. The institutions she had stolen from were seeking financial restitution, and the fines levied by the state were astounding. I was content with those numbers and slept soundly at night.
I thought of all I had accomplished, especially healing myself emotionally from what certainly should have destroyed me. What could have devastated my son had he lost his mother. I smiled to myself as I ran along my favorite trail, relishing how far I had come. I kept my pace even and steady, though I felt a prick of nervous tension. I observed the other hikers around me and was aware of one who seemed to watch me closely, keeping pace with me, though he was well ahead on a nearby trail.
Though my ordeal was eight months behind me, I was still wary of strangers. There were many coiling paths up here in the forested wetland, and although they all meandered about in different directions, winding through the trees like a serpent, they all joined together up ahead at the trailhead marker. Our paths were destined to cross, and, with so few people around, I wasn’t sure how best to handle it. I was tense and ready to strike as he drew closer. I stared straight ahead and visualized using my well-practiced kickboxing moves against the man, should the need arise.
I thought I could probably outrun him, and that
maybe that was the better choice since he looked to be fit and strong, though he was still too far away for me to get a good look. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, more out of fear than exertion, as I pulled ahead in a full-out wind sprint. The man fell behind on his trail as it bent over toward mine. I was breathing hard, and my heart beat so loudly I could scarcely hear anything else. I wasn’t able to keep the pace up for very long though, and he started to gain on me.
I decided my best option was to catch him by surprise with a kick to the head or chest. So, as the stranger nipped at my rear flank, I dug in my heels in an abrupt halt. I spun around backwards and released a powerful roundhouse kick. I screamed a shrill “kiyai” as I made contact with my pursuer’s chin. His head snapped sideways, and his entire body was thrown into a flying spin. He landed with a loud thud on the firm earthen trail beside me.
Panting heavily while my heart pounded against my sternum, I stood above him in a fighter’s stance, ready to unload my fury, but the man moaned as he rolled face down on the trail. He mumbled incoherently as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear it.
“Good God, Hannah!” he exclaimed. “Bloody hell!”
My breathing hitched at the sound of my name and the familiar voice of my dreams. Blood roared in my ears as my heart pounded even harder. I remained at the ready, standing over him, confused, excited, and terrified all at once.
I pulled myself up straight and gasped in shock as I stared at Tyler, who rolled over onto his backside, his legs splayed straight out in front of him. He fingered his chin gingerly, opening and closing his jaw while he tested its function.
“Man, you’re dangerous,” he said as he looked up at me with one eye closed and his mouth held open awkwardly. “This isn’t exactly how I imagined our reunion. But I guess I had it coming.” He smiled with a wince and winked at me.
“Ty? What... I thought... Why...” I stammered. “I…I don’t understand. Why are you here?”
He chuckled. “You asked me that the last time I saw you.”
“Well, I hope you have a better answer this time,” I replied. I held out my hand, and he accepted, allowing me to help pull him to his feet.
“I think I do,” he said with a grin.
He held firmly onto my hand even as I tried to pull it away. He raised it to his mouth and kissed the top first then he turned it over and kissed the inside of my wrist. I stared silently, open-mouthed, my eyes wide like a lovesick schoolgirl.
“Chernov is dead. It’s all over. I’m free,” he said. “I had to find you, to see you again, hear your voice. Look into your eyes. I need to know if I have a chance with you, Hannah.”
I couldn’t find my voice. I just continued to stare at him.
“I can’t move on unless I know for sure, one way or the other, how you feel about me. You’ve never, for one moment, left my thoughts. And after all these long, lonely months, all I can think about is you. My heart belongs here, Hannah,” he said as he placed his palm over my chest, “and I can’t live another day without knowing if you can feel me there, in your heart.”
I bowed my head to hide the tears that collected and threatened to spill over. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel. He had done this to me before then cast me aside, twice in fact. I didn’t think my heart could tolerate a third. I looked up into his eyes and searched for the truth.
He bent closer and whispered. “Forgive me, Hannah, please. I can’t take back what I’ve done, but I can spend forever making up for it, if you’d just give me the chance.” He paused and kissed me softly. “Tell me you feel me there, Hannah, in your heart. Please tell me you feel the same way,” he begged with his hand still resting gently against my chest.
I nodded as I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes. “Yes, Ty. I’ve felt you there every second of every day, and it...it hurt so bad knowing that I’d never see or talk to you again. I’ve missed you so much. And now that you’re here, I don’t think I could take it if you left me again.”
Ty crushed me in his arms like he couldn’t hold me tight enough, like he was trying to step right into my skin along with me. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried, breathing deeply of the scent I could never seem to get out of my mind, thinking that the moment was better than any I had ever imagined. And I had imagined it at least a thousand times. I felt his shoulders quake as he cried the first happy tears I’d ever seen him shed.
We held each other for a very long time, each afraid of ending the moment. Finally, Ty pulled back and put his hands on my face, holding me still as he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. His kiss increased in urgency and depth as we each laid claim to the other. The moment so tender and intimate, it embarrassed a couple of hikers as they passed us on the trail.
“Get a room,” one of them snickered as the other giggled.
We looked each other in the eye and held each other’s gaze without a word until Ty smiled and said, “You know, that’s a pretty good idea.”
I laughed. “Yes. It’s a very good idea. Let’s go.” I pulled back and took a step away from Ty then turned back and raised my hand out to him. “Coming?” I asked.
He took my hand in his and kissed it once more. “You couldn’t keep me away,” he answered with a wide grin that reached his eyes, crinkling them at the corners like small suns brightening the world.
He held my hand as we moved slowly down the sun-dappled trail, disappearing together into the lush green forest of pine and fern.
The Mistaken Page 35