One week later.
A lot of happened since Philip died. D'Amour dug around, trying to track down anyone involved with Swann. He knew this Butterfield had something to do with his death. Dorothea meanwhile stayed silent. She knew Valentine was watching her closely. How could she ever explain to D'Amour that Philip's power was real. That Butterfield and Nix's people are coming out of the woodwork after all this time trying to take revenge. She was scared out of her mind and felt out of control. Here she sat night after night, lonely and unable to understand really what was going on.
Each night she cried herself to sleep. Philip was really gone…
She explained to D'Amour she didn't marry Swann for love. But that was a lie. The fact was, tragedy pulled them apart. She wished she could just have one last chance to see him. To look into his eyes and hold him. To say how sorry she was about everything. She was scared.
Death was coming.
Maybe Nix was coming back…
Remembering that monster made her want to crawl and hide away.
One evening, D'Amour came in with news about Nix. Dorothea leaned against his coffin, crying to herself. What was wrong with her? She felt safe around D'Amour…but what was she doing? Her heart ached knowing Philip, the man who gave her everything, saved her, and loved her was gone.
Tears ran down her face.
What was she going to do if Nix was coming back?
She remembered how tense she was watching him on stage. Swords dropping, blood gushing. Why did she just sit there? Why didn't she help him? Something was going on…something that was like Hell.
D'Amour entered. Dorothea didn't need to turn, she knew it was him. The only person willing to help her. Crying, she looked down at the casket.
"This is the way he wanted it... no autopsy, no embalming. Nobody meddling with his body…" "Flesh is a trap. That's what he used to say. Flesh is a trap and magic sets us free."
Tears began to run down her face, she didn't know who to trust anymore. She missed Swann so badly. She wished he was here now, not laying in this casket she pressed her fingers against.
"Why did you come back?"
"I didn't leave, I was digging around."
"Did…you find anything?"
"Jennifer Desiderio, for one…she threw herself in front of a car today."
Dorothea thought back to Jennifer. Swann spoke fondly about her. She remembered she was one of the teenagers who saved her. She remembered the lonely look in her eyes, watching Swann put his arm around her as a child.
Dorothea began to cry.
All four of them were dead…those who saved her.
"Why don't you tell me the truth?"
Dorothea turned, tears still running down her face.
"Let's go to the study."
Upstairs, she poured herself a drink as D'Amour spoke.
"Nix ran some kind of cult, right? Some kind of Charlie Manson deal?"
"It was more then that I think."
"He was the real thing, right?"
"Swann said he could do stuff, yes."
"Stuff?"
"He could get into people's heads. Make them see things. Terrible things. And he could levitate. Juggle fire."
"He taught all this to Swann?"
"Some of it…"
"So Swann was performing magic. not illusions?"
Dorothea nodded, holding her drink.
"And what? You thought he should be using it to cure cancer, not making millions."
"I told you…"
"Too much fame. Yeah, I guess that'd turn anybody's head. Including yours."
"No…"
"You said you weren't with him for love…"
"I did love him, maybe always did…but I was grateful to him. I owed him my life. And he loved me. He couldn't always show it, but he felt it."
"What happened between you two?"
Dorothea looked down at her hands, holding back tears.
"I was pregnant once…I gave birth to a son but he was stillborn."
D'Amour looked down at his feet.
"I'm sorry…"
"That sort of tore us apart…ever since then we grew apart, that and the fact we knew something was happening, or would one day."
"He thought Nix was coming back, didn't he?"
Dorothea slowly nodded, she didn't know what else to say. Lowering her head she began to cry. D'Amour walked over, putting his arms around her.
"Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise."
"That's what Philip said once…"
D'Amour lifted her head, both locked eyes before D'Amour kissed her.
Closing her eyes, Dorothea knew it was wrong…she didn't want this, but she felt safe. Kissing him back, she fell into his arms.
A few hours later, Dorothea woke up beside D'Amour. Part of her felt guilty about what happened. She wasn't thinking…it happened so fast.
Tears running down her face, she laid there. Wishing none of this had happened. That she could be twelve again, driving in Swann's car and laughing. D'Amour smiled before turning over and looking at her.
Smiling back, they heard a noise downstairs.
Afterwards, Dorothea pulled her robe on. She watched something chase after D'Amour…something that raced through the house. Seeing it for a brief second, she felt something strange inside her.
"Philip?"
And then it was gone.
Valentine screamed at D'Amour as he cracked open Philip's casket. Dorothea stood back, unable to move.
"This is sacrilege!"
Valentine screamed. Just then, the casket opened…there she saw Swann's corpse. Almost falling backwards, she gasped.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"No…"
"What are you doing!"
D'Amour turned around, pulling what seemed to be Swann's jaw in his hands. Pieces of plaster and rubber fell. Dorothea stood back…looking at the body she then knew.
It was a fake.
This entire week, trapped…unable to feel, mourning the only man she knew she would ever love.
He was still alive…
D'Amour turned.
"It looks like you're not a widow after all."
Dorothea then looked at D'Amour and knew what she had done. She had slept with another man out of weakness. She hadn't thought what would happen. Now…Philip was alive.
Upstairs in the study, Valentine explained what had happened. Dorothea sat back…she couldn't speak.
"You rigged the illusion to fail, right?"
Valentine looked down at his hands before shaking his head.
"Yes…"
"You paid off the doctor. You set up the fake body. Yes?"
"Yes…"
"And then... because I was getting too close to something…or someone, you called Swann."
Dorothea lowered her head. She felt ashamed. What had she done?
"I tried to pay you off. "
"It was Swann's idea?"
"No. It was mine. I didn't want any more bloodshed. That's why we went to all this trouble, so there'd be no one for Nix to come after."
"Nix is dead and buried, for fuck's sake."
"Haven't you seen enough to know that doesn't matter?"
D'Amour paced back and forth in the study.
"I want to see Swann face to face."
"Why don't you leave this alone? Let everybody think it's over?"
Dorothea looked up, tears falling from her face."
"What about me?"
"Nix was never interested in you. It was always Swann."
"Maybe Valentin's right. We should let it alone."
Dorothea looked up at D'Amour looking at her.
"He went to all that trouble to be dead. Maybe we should let him stay that way."
Dorothea looked up. Tomorrow would be his funeral. Thousands of people from all over were coming to mour her husband.
What was she going to do?
She wanted to see Swann, so badly it hurt. To throw herself in his arms and tell him that they could just escape together. That D'Amour meant nothing to her and that she loved him.
Sitting there, she began to cry.