What?
No. No, no, no, no...
I'm getting deja vu. This feels like Richy's confession all over again. The hardest pill I ever had to swallow in my whole life.
Now I have to find out that my boyfriend who stood by me all this time I needed it was actually behind the suffering I endured all along?
I wanted to call Jake's bluff but he's always been serious about most things and that's what scares me.
I wanted to cry. I feared I would wake up Matthew so I tried my best not to. My eyes still leaked considerably.
I know. It was a hard pill to swallow for me too, but it's the one that makes the most sense and I'm going to explain why.
Please do. What I know is Matty is as much of a victim as everyone else. How could he possibly be the culprit?
Okay so, after the truth got revealed, I managed to escape from the mines and hide. I had to stay put for a while, obviously.
It took you three months to get settled to contact me again?
Not entirely. I actually got settled around a month and a half ago, I think.
Okay, then how come you can only contact me now?
After the month and a half passed, I wanted to contact Matthew again to speak one last time, but I was surprised to find out that I couldn't do that. It looked like his phone wasn't available anymore.
Actually, now that Jake mentioned that...
Matty told me he had to change his phone a while ago because it malfunctioned...
Yes. He changed his phone. I thought that was odd, considering it contained a lot of information concerning the case, but thankfully, I still had access to Hannah's phone content.
And I'm assuming that's where your investigation started.
Indeed. This was when I remembered another odd thing: Matthew never shared his findings on Hannah's phone with me, despite the fact that I opened it for him.
Don't tell me...
One conversation explained everything. I'll send you a screenshot.
A few seconds of silence, looking anxiously at my screen...
Then the picture came through. And one phrase stood out:
Let's make a deal
Sent by Matthew to the kidnapper.
I felt like barfing.
I can't...I can't read this...
I'll try and sum it up shortly. It appears Matthew became convinced that Richy was the kidnapper and his guess was correct.
No no no no no no!
I couldn't believe this! My Matty used this knowledge to concocte an evil plan?? He betrayed our trust and tricked everyone! And the worst part is, he was so good at hiding it.
More tears were flowing now and I was struggling even more to hold back...
I was brought out of my blurry vision by the sound of Jake's message.
I know how hard this is for you, Jessy. It's hard for me too. Matthew was starting to grow on me and I still can't believe he used me...
But in these times, it's more important than ever to handle our feelings and think about a way to catch Matthew. This is why I had to wait until he willingly visited you.
Jake...I need to lay down. If we must talk, let's talk about it tomorrow.
I understand. If only I can be with you, I can help you mentally and physically to make a plan. If only there was a way to get him away for a sufficient amount of time...
Goodnight Jake.
Goodnight Jessy.
I had a dreamless sleep that night. Probably for the best, considering what I just learned.
How was I going to face him tomorrow?
Well, I guess I have to become as good at pretending as he is.
Oh Matthew...why? Was your love for me fake too?...
...
After he woke up and had breakfast, Matt was chilling on the couch using his phone. He heard footsteps coming behind him. "Good morning, gorgeous."
Jessy registered the compliment in her head and smiled weakly. "Morning, Matty."
"You look half-dead, is everything okay?" He raised a brow.
No, nothing is okay.
"Yeah, I just didn't sleep very well."
"Well...I don't think you'll like what I have to say then..."
Oh god, what's the matter now?
"I have to go back to my town because I forgot my laptop at home."
The statement almost woke me up. "What? How did you forget that?"
"I had it tucked away yesterday because it was my day off and I completely forgot that I was planning to stay here for week days like tomorrow."
I felt skeptical. I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you forgot it, Matt?"
Matt nodded. "I promise you, sweetie. I did. You can look through all my stuff."
I sighed. "Okay okay, but just because it's actually important."
Matty kissed my forehead. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!! I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back. I actually wanted to leave you a note but that wouldn't have been good. Hehe."
"You owe me big time, mister."
"Of course, dear."
And just like that, he was gone. Just to be sure, I actually looked through his stuff and his laptop wasn't there. At least that wasn't a lie.
I remembered Jake's words last night and...
"Huh, what a weird coincidence that was Jake wanted actually happened." I told myself.
Hey Jake? I need to speak to you about something.