Chapter 29
She couldn't do it.
Go in.
Mother wouldn't berate her. Make her feel even more foolish than she already did.
She laughed bitterly.
Mother would just sit there and stare blankly ahead as she had for years now. Years of her pouring her sorrows out to her.
A captivated audience? Or captive audience?
Seagulls squawked overhead.
She stepped closer to the edge. Fingers gripping the railing in an iron grip.
The shrill of the gulls receded to the background, and the waves crashing against the craggy rocks became a roar in her ears.
The world was turning upside down. Topsy-turvy.
She was so dizzy.
"Don't you think it's a bit.dangerous.for an Insane Asylum to be at the top of a monstrous seashore cliff such as this one?"
She whirled around at the sound of his voice. Clutching the railing behind her with bloodless fingers as another wave of vertigo hit her.
"Easy there," he said calmly. An easy smile on his lips as he crept closer. "Don't want you to fall."
She studied him openly. Only to find smiling amber eyes laughing at her as her gaze traveled to his face. "I haven't seen you around here before, have I?" she mused.
"No," he answered simply.
"Do you have a family member here?"
"Do you?"
"You're so easy to talk to," she muttered sarcastically. Her blue eyes flashing with annoyance. "That's a bad habit, you know. Answering questions with questions," she elaborated when he raised a dark brow in question.
He joined her at the railing.
A loose stone hung in the air before plummeting to the surging waves below.
He watched her intently.
The sea breeze played with the auburn strands of her hair as she stared straight ahead. Seeing nothing. "Stop that," she finally said in exasperation.
And he smirked when she glared at him with icy blue eyes. "What?"
"What?" she said incredulously. "That! That right there," she grumbled as he continued to gaze at her. "Are you always so rude?"
"Since when is admiring a beautiful woman considered rude?"
"Typical," she rolled her eyes. "Charming, you're NOT," she huffed. Turning on her heel and stalking away.
"Is that it? No goodbye?" he teased. "You didn't even tell me your name," he called after her as she walked up the stony path leading to the facility's back entrance. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Hotchkiss," he murmured appreciatively as she disappeared inside. He pulled a cigarette from the inside pocket of his jacket. Cupping his hands around the tiny flickering flame. "Tell your mother I'll be seeing her shortly."
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"You look like hell," Noah whistled.
"Thanks," Theresa said sarcastically. Cupping her hands around the warmth of her coffee mug.
"You always did appreciate my honesty," Noah chuckled. Taking the seat opposite her. "One of us had to tell the truth. You, my dear, dear Scarlett, were a very talented twister of the truth."
Theresa winced at his timely reminder.
"What? Was it something I said?" Noah asked. Then groaned. "Leave it to me. No wonder guys have such a reputation for being insensitive," he shook his head. Paloma had shared enough of the situation for him to realize.his words hit very close to home. "Look. I'm sorry, okay? Think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?" he asked. Giving her his best puppy dog face.
Theresa smiled slightly. "I know my world's coming to an end when you start being so sweet," she laughed through tears.
"Thanks. I think," Noah grinned. Reaching across the table and giving her hand a friendly squeeze. "This is all my dumbass brother's fault," he muttered.
Theresa was silent opposite him.
"Really?" a voice spoke up behind her, and Noah rolled his blue eyes at her in irritation.
"You again. What the hell do you know?"
"Not much, actually," Lauren said. Crossing her arms around her chest. "But I know enough to realize OUR brother is not the only one at fault here. You really don't know your 'friend' as well as you think you do. Besides.whatever happened to family loyalty?"
Noah dropped Theresa's hand and pushed his seat back. "Would you just shut your damn mouth? I don't think anything anybody could do could possibly compete with adultery. Do you?"
Lauren's jaw hardened, and her blue eyes glittered angrily. "He's the scum of the scum. But don't ignore HER part in this whole mess either. Forgive me when I say this, dear sister-in-law," Lauren said. Looking down at Theresa's bowed head. "But what goes around comes around."
Noah started to go after her as she walked toward the exit.
But Theresa stopped him. "No, Noah. Let her go. Just let her go. She's right. I should have realized."
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Chad watched her as she slept.
Tossing and turning. The dreams of the past too much for her.
"No."
"Kay," he reached out a hand. Brushing her dark hair from her face. "Wake up, Kay. It's just a dream."
"No. It's not true. She's not."
"Kay," he shook her gently.
A steady pounding at the front door jarred her from her dream, and she bolted upright. "Chad! Chad! What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
He couldn't find the words.
The pounding continued.
"Aren't you going to get that?"
"Chad! Chad, are you in there? It's me. It's Ethan. I need to talk."
"You better get that," Kay told him. "Sounds important."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
Kay rolled her dark eyes at him. "Why wouldn't I be? My brother, on the other hand."
He glanced at her once more before pulling the door shut behind him.
And she closed her eyes. The memory still fresh in her mind.
"I'm sorry, Kay. So sorry. I did all I could."
She sobbed into the pillow as Eve's words echoed in her ears.
"Your baby's dead. Dead. She's dead. Dead. Your baby's dead."
She couldn't do it.
Go in.
Mother wouldn't berate her. Make her feel even more foolish than she already did.
She laughed bitterly.
Mother would just sit there and stare blankly ahead as she had for years now. Years of her pouring her sorrows out to her.
A captivated audience? Or captive audience?
Seagulls squawked overhead.
She stepped closer to the edge. Fingers gripping the railing in an iron grip.
The shrill of the gulls receded to the background, and the waves crashing against the craggy rocks became a roar in her ears.
The world was turning upside down. Topsy-turvy.
She was so dizzy.
"Don't you think it's a bit.dangerous.for an Insane Asylum to be at the top of a monstrous seashore cliff such as this one?"
She whirled around at the sound of his voice. Clutching the railing behind her with bloodless fingers as another wave of vertigo hit her.
"Easy there," he said calmly. An easy smile on his lips as he crept closer. "Don't want you to fall."
She studied him openly. Only to find smiling amber eyes laughing at her as her gaze traveled to his face. "I haven't seen you around here before, have I?" she mused.
"No," he answered simply.
"Do you have a family member here?"
"Do you?"
"You're so easy to talk to," she muttered sarcastically. Her blue eyes flashing with annoyance. "That's a bad habit, you know. Answering questions with questions," she elaborated when he raised a dark brow in question.
He joined her at the railing.
A loose stone hung in the air before plummeting to the surging waves below.
He watched her intently.
The sea breeze played with the auburn strands of her hair as she stared straight ahead. Seeing nothing. "Stop that," she finally said in exasperation.
And he smirked when she glared at him with icy blue eyes. "What?"
"What?" she said incredulously. "That! That right there," she grumbled as he continued to gaze at her. "Are you always so rude?"
"Since when is admiring a beautiful woman considered rude?"
"Typical," she rolled her eyes. "Charming, you're NOT," she huffed. Turning on her heel and stalking away.
"Is that it? No goodbye?" he teased. "You didn't even tell me your name," he called after her as she walked up the stony path leading to the facility's back entrance. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Hotchkiss," he murmured appreciatively as she disappeared inside. He pulled a cigarette from the inside pocket of his jacket. Cupping his hands around the tiny flickering flame. "Tell your mother I'll be seeing her shortly."
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"You look like hell," Noah whistled.
"Thanks," Theresa said sarcastically. Cupping her hands around the warmth of her coffee mug.
"You always did appreciate my honesty," Noah chuckled. Taking the seat opposite her. "One of us had to tell the truth. You, my dear, dear Scarlett, were a very talented twister of the truth."
Theresa winced at his timely reminder.
"What? Was it something I said?" Noah asked. Then groaned. "Leave it to me. No wonder guys have such a reputation for being insensitive," he shook his head. Paloma had shared enough of the situation for him to realize.his words hit very close to home. "Look. I'm sorry, okay? Think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?" he asked. Giving her his best puppy dog face.
Theresa smiled slightly. "I know my world's coming to an end when you start being so sweet," she laughed through tears.
"Thanks. I think," Noah grinned. Reaching across the table and giving her hand a friendly squeeze. "This is all my dumbass brother's fault," he muttered.
Theresa was silent opposite him.
"Really?" a voice spoke up behind her, and Noah rolled his blue eyes at her in irritation.
"You again. What the hell do you know?"
"Not much, actually," Lauren said. Crossing her arms around her chest. "But I know enough to realize OUR brother is not the only one at fault here. You really don't know your 'friend' as well as you think you do. Besides.whatever happened to family loyalty?"
Noah dropped Theresa's hand and pushed his seat back. "Would you just shut your damn mouth? I don't think anything anybody could do could possibly compete with adultery. Do you?"
Lauren's jaw hardened, and her blue eyes glittered angrily. "He's the scum of the scum. But don't ignore HER part in this whole mess either. Forgive me when I say this, dear sister-in-law," Lauren said. Looking down at Theresa's bowed head. "But what goes around comes around."
Noah started to go after her as she walked toward the exit.
But Theresa stopped him. "No, Noah. Let her go. Just let her go. She's right. I should have realized."
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Chad watched her as she slept.
Tossing and turning. The dreams of the past too much for her.
"No."
"Kay," he reached out a hand. Brushing her dark hair from her face. "Wake up, Kay. It's just a dream."
"No. It's not true. She's not."
"Kay," he shook her gently.
A steady pounding at the front door jarred her from her dream, and she bolted upright. "Chad! Chad! What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
He couldn't find the words.
The pounding continued.
"Aren't you going to get that?"
"Chad! Chad, are you in there? It's me. It's Ethan. I need to talk."
"You better get that," Kay told him. "Sounds important."
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
Kay rolled her dark eyes at him. "Why wouldn't I be? My brother, on the other hand."
He glanced at her once more before pulling the door shut behind him.
And she closed her eyes. The memory still fresh in her mind.
"I'm sorry, Kay. So sorry. I did all I could."
She sobbed into the pillow as Eve's words echoed in her ears.
"Your baby's dead. Dead. She's dead. Dead. Your baby's dead."