[A/N. This chapter isn't very long, but I made myself a promise to upload
new chapters to all my stories over this weekend, from March 11-13. Also it
will turn out to be a pivotal chapter for later on in this story, which
will be 20 chapters in total, before the sequel begins.]
THIRTEEN:
I wasn't planning on staying in New York until I got a phone call at my hotel from Marina. "Have you got time for a coffee?" She asked, her voice hoarse from crying.
"I really should get home to my husband and daughter." I said, hedging, not only because I wanted to be home instead of there but also because the woman didn't exactly seem warm towards me.
"A husband and daughter- something I am never going to have now." Marina said slowly. "I think you should meet me. There's something I want to talk to you about."
I sighed. "Okay, I'll meet you."
*****
Half an hour later I walked into the coffee shop Marina had specified we meet at. I spotter her straight away, her eyes were down, and her hair was a mess. Almost as though she had noticed me there she looked up and her eyes met mine. To my complete shock in her eyes there was pure hate as she directed her gaze at me. I took a deep breath and walked over to the table where she was sitting, and took a seat.
"I didn't think you'd come." She said to me.
"I wasn't going to." I replied, but I didn't add that it had been curiosity which had gotten the better of me.
She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "Now that Billy's no longer here I decided to tell you something which you're not going to like, but I think you should know." Now there was something in her eyes which I couldn't place, but it was cold, and I didn't think I wanted to place it. "I'm sure you know how much you hurt Billy. What you did, well it was the kind of thing that only a cold-hearted bitch would do."
I winced. "I don't think you-" I began, but she interrupted me with a bitter laugh.
"What were you going to say? That I don't know what I am talking about?" She snapped. "I know only too well what I am talking about when I consider the fact that I was never the only one in Billy's heart- or in his bed. I felt like I was always sharing him with you, being compared to you, even though you treated him badly."
"Billy said he understood." I said slowly. "In fact in the hospital he woke up, and he told me that it was all right."
"Of course he did." She snapped. "God forbid hurting his precious Melody."
I'd never heard my name spoken in such a contemptuous tone, and it hurt, even from a stranger. I couldn't speak though, I couldn't defend myself.
"Do you want to know what happened the day of the car accident?" Marina asked, her eyes glittering with that strange look I was still unable to place. I wanted to speak up and tell her that no, I didn't want to hear, but my voice still seemed to have deserted me. "The day of the accident we got into another argument about you. Billy was suggesting we fly to visit Holly, purely on the pretence of seeing you and Lara of course, and I vetoed the idea. See, he'd been sick, and I claimed he wouldn't be strong enough to be up to it yet. The day of the argument I'd convinced his doctor to tell him what I wanted him to hear. My main motivation of course was that I didn't want him to see you or the baby, but I was also motivated by his health. Despite what you might think of me I did love Billy, and I was convinced he was the man of my dreams. Billy must have guessed that I had been the one behind the doctor's decision and we had a huge argument about you, and it ended up with me telling him that until he forgot you we couldn't be together. He snapped that he didn't think he would ever be able to forget you, and I was furious. He had an appointment with his specialist and I knew he couldn't get there without me, so even though we were barely talking, I still took him there. On the way home we got into another argument- a continuation of the mornings one- and the last thing Billy said before the accident was that I wasn't even half the woman you were. I was preoccupied with this and that's how the accident happened. Afterwards of course I felt terrible. I loved Billy, and I didn't want him to die. I tried to tell him this, but he just lay in that bed ignoring me. He didn't speak for a few days until the nurse told me that he'd been asking for Melody. I felt sick- I'd been looking after him and caring for him, loving him, and this was what I got. Still, the nurse suggested I call this Melody since it could be the catalyst for bringing Billy back to us, for him wanting to live. So I called you. And you came. And you were the only one he spoke to. One of the nurses told me she heard you two talking before he died. He didn't speak to me, but he spoke to you. And you know what? I hate you for that. I really, really hate you." Her long speech over she stared at me malevolently.
I shifted in my chair. It was hard to take it all in- not only had Billy never gotten over me, but in the end I had been at least in part, responsible for his accident. "Why did you tell me this?" I asked softly.
"What's the matter?" she snapped. "Does it hurt you? Well trust me Melody, it's going to hurt me far more, and for far longer. You'll go back to your happy little life, and Billy won't even be given a second thought."
"You're wrong!" I snapped back, finding my voice properly. "You're so wrong about me. I know I didn't exactly do the right thing by Billy, but he understood. He knew I'd never have been happy if I hadn't gone back to Cary, and he knew that he wouldn't have been happy if I wasn't happy. And you're also wrong about the way he felt about you- he loved you."
"Right." She said, clearly not believing me as she stood up. "Mark my words Melody Logan, you're going to pay for this, if it's the last thing I do, I am going to make sure you're really sorry for what you did to Billy."
And then she left the coffee shop, leaving me alone at the table with everyone staring at me. A waitress approached cautiously, and handed me the bill. It turns out Marina had been there for awhile and had a few coffees, plus a sandwich. I sighed as I paid for it, and then left and made my way back to the hotel.
Even though it was fairly cold as winter was beginning to arrive I walked slowly to give myself time to think. Marina's comments about me didn't bother me too much since I'd spoken to Billy and I knew how he felt, however her vow for revenge was a bit of a concern. But what I was thinking about was the tarot cards Holly had read for me awhile back. The seven of swords had come up in my reading indicating that there were obstacles in my path. Holly had looked thoughtful as it came up and she'd said "This card indicates lies and mistrust, and possible dealings with a dangerous opponent. But the message appears to be to fight for what you believe in, for what you believe belongs to you." Despite myself I couldn't help but shiver; was there actually something in those cards after all?
THIRTEEN:
I wasn't planning on staying in New York until I got a phone call at my hotel from Marina. "Have you got time for a coffee?" She asked, her voice hoarse from crying.
"I really should get home to my husband and daughter." I said, hedging, not only because I wanted to be home instead of there but also because the woman didn't exactly seem warm towards me.
"A husband and daughter- something I am never going to have now." Marina said slowly. "I think you should meet me. There's something I want to talk to you about."
I sighed. "Okay, I'll meet you."
*****
Half an hour later I walked into the coffee shop Marina had specified we meet at. I spotter her straight away, her eyes were down, and her hair was a mess. Almost as though she had noticed me there she looked up and her eyes met mine. To my complete shock in her eyes there was pure hate as she directed her gaze at me. I took a deep breath and walked over to the table where she was sitting, and took a seat.
"I didn't think you'd come." She said to me.
"I wasn't going to." I replied, but I didn't add that it had been curiosity which had gotten the better of me.
She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "Now that Billy's no longer here I decided to tell you something which you're not going to like, but I think you should know." Now there was something in her eyes which I couldn't place, but it was cold, and I didn't think I wanted to place it. "I'm sure you know how much you hurt Billy. What you did, well it was the kind of thing that only a cold-hearted bitch would do."
I winced. "I don't think you-" I began, but she interrupted me with a bitter laugh.
"What were you going to say? That I don't know what I am talking about?" She snapped. "I know only too well what I am talking about when I consider the fact that I was never the only one in Billy's heart- or in his bed. I felt like I was always sharing him with you, being compared to you, even though you treated him badly."
"Billy said he understood." I said slowly. "In fact in the hospital he woke up, and he told me that it was all right."
"Of course he did." She snapped. "God forbid hurting his precious Melody."
I'd never heard my name spoken in such a contemptuous tone, and it hurt, even from a stranger. I couldn't speak though, I couldn't defend myself.
"Do you want to know what happened the day of the car accident?" Marina asked, her eyes glittering with that strange look I was still unable to place. I wanted to speak up and tell her that no, I didn't want to hear, but my voice still seemed to have deserted me. "The day of the accident we got into another argument about you. Billy was suggesting we fly to visit Holly, purely on the pretence of seeing you and Lara of course, and I vetoed the idea. See, he'd been sick, and I claimed he wouldn't be strong enough to be up to it yet. The day of the argument I'd convinced his doctor to tell him what I wanted him to hear. My main motivation of course was that I didn't want him to see you or the baby, but I was also motivated by his health. Despite what you might think of me I did love Billy, and I was convinced he was the man of my dreams. Billy must have guessed that I had been the one behind the doctor's decision and we had a huge argument about you, and it ended up with me telling him that until he forgot you we couldn't be together. He snapped that he didn't think he would ever be able to forget you, and I was furious. He had an appointment with his specialist and I knew he couldn't get there without me, so even though we were barely talking, I still took him there. On the way home we got into another argument- a continuation of the mornings one- and the last thing Billy said before the accident was that I wasn't even half the woman you were. I was preoccupied with this and that's how the accident happened. Afterwards of course I felt terrible. I loved Billy, and I didn't want him to die. I tried to tell him this, but he just lay in that bed ignoring me. He didn't speak for a few days until the nurse told me that he'd been asking for Melody. I felt sick- I'd been looking after him and caring for him, loving him, and this was what I got. Still, the nurse suggested I call this Melody since it could be the catalyst for bringing Billy back to us, for him wanting to live. So I called you. And you came. And you were the only one he spoke to. One of the nurses told me she heard you two talking before he died. He didn't speak to me, but he spoke to you. And you know what? I hate you for that. I really, really hate you." Her long speech over she stared at me malevolently.
I shifted in my chair. It was hard to take it all in- not only had Billy never gotten over me, but in the end I had been at least in part, responsible for his accident. "Why did you tell me this?" I asked softly.
"What's the matter?" she snapped. "Does it hurt you? Well trust me Melody, it's going to hurt me far more, and for far longer. You'll go back to your happy little life, and Billy won't even be given a second thought."
"You're wrong!" I snapped back, finding my voice properly. "You're so wrong about me. I know I didn't exactly do the right thing by Billy, but he understood. He knew I'd never have been happy if I hadn't gone back to Cary, and he knew that he wouldn't have been happy if I wasn't happy. And you're also wrong about the way he felt about you- he loved you."
"Right." She said, clearly not believing me as she stood up. "Mark my words Melody Logan, you're going to pay for this, if it's the last thing I do, I am going to make sure you're really sorry for what you did to Billy."
And then she left the coffee shop, leaving me alone at the table with everyone staring at me. A waitress approached cautiously, and handed me the bill. It turns out Marina had been there for awhile and had a few coffees, plus a sandwich. I sighed as I paid for it, and then left and made my way back to the hotel.
Even though it was fairly cold as winter was beginning to arrive I walked slowly to give myself time to think. Marina's comments about me didn't bother me too much since I'd spoken to Billy and I knew how he felt, however her vow for revenge was a bit of a concern. But what I was thinking about was the tarot cards Holly had read for me awhile back. The seven of swords had come up in my reading indicating that there were obstacles in my path. Holly had looked thoughtful as it came up and she'd said "This card indicates lies and mistrust, and possible dealings with a dangerous opponent. But the message appears to be to fight for what you believe in, for what you believe belongs to you." Despite myself I couldn't help but shiver; was there actually something in those cards after all?
