Chapter 2

[Later that day]

Caroline sat at home on her cream leather sofa, sipping white wine. There was something about this room that calmed her, whether it was the hospitalised white isolated feeling or the fact that every inch of the living room was emotionless.

It didn't sound very appealing and well it wasn't. Tyler was the one that convinced her to buy the furnishings. Tyler was the one that made her arrange her room this way. But Tyler wasn't the one living there.

It was Caroline that had to endure it.

She never quite understood why she let him control her the way she did but sometimes a girl likes a bit of control – or so she keeps telling herself – she closed her eyes for a moment before the phone started chiming

"Hello, Caroline Speaking" she sounded so formal, she frowned down at the receiver before putting her ear back to its place

"Hello Miss Forbes? It's the police" her heart stopped, it was the first time the police had ever contacted her. She never had anything to do with the police, she was a good girl and she spent the majority of her life kind of hoping they would never have to contact her

"Is there a problem officer" there was silence at the other end as she bit her lip hoping it wasn't the worst. She knew for a fact that it wouldn't be concerning anything she did, which made her worries ten times worse

"I believe you know Tyler Lockwood?"

"Yes, that is correct"

"His plane crash about an hour a go and I'm sorry but there was no survivors" her heart melted as she dropped the wine glass in her hand still staring into space

"I understand this is a shock to you but it would be most helpful if you came down to the station, so we can sort out the formalities" the tears began streaming down her face, she couldn't help them now as her throat began to clog. She wasn't even sure if she could answer him but she took a deep breath and said

"Okay" before hanging up the phone and throwing it across the living room. She crouched on the floor rocking up and down, with her hands covering her face as she black streaks formed on her cheeks

"He's dead"

she murmured as she thought about her last words with him and all the bad thoughts she had. How she was angry with him for not giving her a ring, how she felt selfish that she didn't appreciate the earrings. In all honesty, she felt guilty.

Why did the whole world hate her so much?

She sat for a while letting her tears drop and for once in her life she didn't care how she looked. The man she had seen herself marrying was dead, she was now truly alone.

She wouldn't see him in two weeks, she wouldn't buy a house was him.

It was the end of the road for them.

"Pull your-self together!" she scolded as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Everything will be alright. She forced herself up from the floor and made her way to the bathroom, cleaning herself up. She was make-up less now but she knew applying anymore would be a waste. There were a lot more tears awaiting her.

"Is this him?" the man asked as she stared at his cold body. The tears came again filling her face. As she looked down at how the blood had drained from his face and the lifeless state he was in. She felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. She wanted to convince herself he was sleeping but when she saw him in a morgue with a white sheet over his dead body; that was a hard thing to follow.

The man slowly covered Tyler back up again, hiding his face with the sheet as he guided Caroline out of the room

"I'm sorry for your loss, miss" she nodded but she knew he couldn't have meant it. He worked in the morgue, surely he saw people come in everyday crying over their loss. Surely he was immune to it now, all emotions thrown out the window. She carefully dabbed her eyes as she entered the policeman's office and took a seat in front of him

"I'm PC Ward, and I'll be dealing with some of the documents and information regarding Mr Lockwood" Caroline was lost for words as she nodded again trying to keep a brave face. Sooner or later this was going to get too much for her and she would crack

"first and foremost, what is your connection with Mr. Lockwood?"

"I'm his girlfriend or was. We were going to buy a house together and get married...one day" the man's eyes softened as he sympathised with Caroline, putting her hand in his.

He wasn't usually like this with his clients but Caroline seemed genuinely hurt like her heart had been torn out of her body. He seriously felt sorry for her. It was like seeing his daughter, broken. His fatherly instincts took over as he left his job aside

"I know its tough miss, losing someone you love. But think about it think way, they have left to a better place and where ever they are, they aren't suffering" Caroline sniffed as she tried to smile but couldn't find it in her. PC Ward decided his advice was far from too late, it wasn't working.

He smiled as he carried on with what was in his job description

"I've looked in Mr. Lockwood's files and it turns out he has a step brother in Paris? Of course, since you two are not married all his belongings will automatically become his. We have tried contacting him but it hasn't seemed to get through. He hasn't mentioned you in the will but you're name does appear next to the section about his Paris house, so I would only assume he has left the responsibilities to you. I would advise flying out there when you are ready. Getting everything done and dusted, often helps with the grievance"

If Caroline wasn't in a state of shock she might have been offended that Tyler couldn't even be bothered to properly put her in the will. Here she was crying over him and dealing with what he left behind and he couldn't care less about her. She felt betrayed and to top it all off, he didn't even tell her he had a step brother.

Talk about secrets.

She signed several documents before she had to leave to deal with the mess he left her with

"I'll send you the rest of the details Miss. Forbes but that's all we need you for. Thank you for your time" they shook heads and Caroline left feeling like she didn't gain anything out of the meeting. Five years is a long time, any normal person would think being in a devoted relationship with someone for that long, they would in titled to be in the will.

She still couldn't get over it.

She wasn't crying anymore, what was the point? She was wasting tears on a man that clearly didn't care tuppence for her.

She ended up back at her house and everything reminded her of him. Thinking about it now, the house wasn't her at all, it was all Tyler. That's all their relationship was about, it was all him. She didn't know why she didn't see it sooner, he was selfish. That was it. She wasn't gaining anything from the relationship; she wouldn't be surprised if they were never getting married.

He was just using her.

Just as a pawn in his sick game. She received a text moment later, detailing her of the whereabouts of Tyler's mysterious Paris house; he kept that one quiet she thought. The number of times she had brought up going to Paris he shoved if off, complaining that accommodation would be too expensive.

She snorted.

He had a house for crying out loud, it couldn't get any cheaper than that. This was ridiculous.

She picked up another wine glass filling it to the top with red wine this time. She looked at those white walls and before she could think she chucked the wine around the room, splashing it will blobs of red.

She felt a relief like for once the house had something that she made and it was something that she could say that she decided on.

Before long she had packed her bags and booked a ticket to start her journey off to Paris.

With a bit of luck, she hoped she didn't have to come back.

Thought I'd get the ball rolling! So Tyler's dead and Caroline going get shipped off to Paris to meet his step brother? Oh I wonder who that will be? ;)

© Ms Zola, Oct 2012