Beach House, Hamptons
Slowly he went up the steps to the wooden house and then ran his hand over the balustrades until he reached the ledge with the engraved Infinity symbol. Closing his eyes and for a moment he was catapulted back into the past, when he had stood with Amanda on the terrace and painted the infinity symbol for her in the sand.
"I love you, Amanda! Infinity times infinity."
He had said to her and meant it as well. But he couldn't keep his promise. Amanda was dead, and he could no longer tell her how much he had loved her. His hands clenched involuntarily. It's their fault, he thought. The Graysons' fault. And they would pay for it. One after the other. He would destroy all of them. And then he would get back what they had stolen from him. His house, his life, his family... Slowly he opened his fist again and went over to the front door and peered through the window.
"What are you doing? This is a home invasion!"
Quickly he turned and looked into the angry eyes of a young woman with long, dark brown hair.
"Are you deaf? I asked what are you doing here?" She demanded.
He forced himself to a smile and slowly walked down the stairs, his hands extended in defensive posture. "I didn't want to break in," he said quietly. "I just wanted to look at the beautiful architecture of the house." He saw her confused face. "I'm the architect," he added quickly.
"You are...?" She stopped in the middle of the sentence and then cleared her throat. "I'm Charlotte," she introduced herself.
His daughter! For a moment, the desire to take revenge on Victoria was forgotten when he took a look at his beautiful almost grown-up daughter. She was the spitting image of Victoria. He had already been in prison when she was born. "David Clarke," he said in a hoarse voice, although he realized she had already guessed it.
"I don't understand..." She frowned. "Why do they say you're dead?"
He smiled, but this time without humor. "Maybe because they were hoping I was dead," he said simply. He saw Charlotte's shocked expression. "I've been away for a long time. Twenty years. There's not much hope that someone will return, who has been disappeared for so long," he added, more conciliatory.
She nodded. "So you managed to escape from jail after being stabbed?" It was more of a statement than a question.
David nodded and looked at her in amazement. "You seem to know a lot about it."
"I'm not a little child anymore!" She said defiantly. "You can talk to me about everything."
"You're 20?" He reckoned quickly.
"Not quite yet. In August, on the 22nd I will be 20."
He nodded. "There you can see how long I was gone." He gestured to the house. "Do you know who lives there?"
Charlotte nodded. "My brother Daniel and his family," she said. "They are at Jack Porter's birthday party at the Stowaway. I was actually invited as well, but I didn't feel like it. I rather wanted to look after Julian."
"The bar in Montauk?" David asked surprised.
"Exactly. They are celebrating his 30th birthday today. Julian is my nephew, by the way. And you may not know that, but Amanda had a son, too, Carl. He'll be two in the summer. He and Jack are living in a room above the bar."
"I just came from there." He smiled. "I've met Jack. He seems to be a nice guy."
"Yes, he is," she confirmed. "They were really very happy before the fate struck so cruel," she said sadly.
David nodded. "Jack told me about it. Really tragic."
Charlotte took a step towards him. "Do you want to come with me? My mother is definitely looking forward to seeing you again." She grimaced. "My dad's not there. He's on some business trip and won't come back until next week."
It was easier than he thought. "I don't know if your mother will be happy to see me. It's probably more of a shock because she thought I was dead. But I'd like to come along with you."
"Well, let's go then!"
As they went to the Manor, he wondered how the first meeting with Victoria would be. Victoria, his beloved, whom he had coveted and worshiped beyond measure. For her, he had even been willing to start a new life somewhere else. But she had decided for Conrad, the Grayson name, and the prosperity that came with it. She'd betrayed him like everyone else he'd trusted. And there was Conrad, who had framed him for a terrorist attack, which he himself had a hand in. He would pay for it! He made an oath as he walked with Charlotte to the Manor and then stood in front of the large entrance door.
