No way I’m letting the two people I love in this life leave it because I never explained my actions properly.
That’s right.
I fucking love Karen. And Colt.
And no longer as a stepdad.
But as lover.
But none of that matters if I can’t fix this.
I stroll through the hotel lobby, heading for the clerk, but then I catch a glimpse of the dining area. Instead of walls, glass panels surround the dining area, and I have a good view from where I’m standing. The place is almost deserted except for the three people sitting on a table in the middle of the room. It's Colt, Karen, and Clara.
I see Clara taking something out of her jacket—an envelope, it seems—and she’s pushing whatever’s inside toward Karen. Without even bothering to look at the clerk I walk past him, heading straight to where I need to be this very minute.
"Sir! Sir!" The man behind the front desk calls after me, jumping out from his post and following me. I don’t care; I won’t be stopped. I push the door toward the restaurant area open and step inside just in time to see Karen picking up a pen and placing its tip on the sheet of paper in front of her. Fuck!
"HOLD THAT PEN!" I shout, and she looks back at me, the pen not touching the paper anymore. Thank God. I walk straight toward the three of them, the clerk tugging at my arm and saying something I don’t even care to register. "It’s time we have a conversation. A family conversation."
I place my hands down on the table, and snag the paper in front of Karen. I take one quick glance at it, but it’s enough for me to know what Clara's trying to pull. Well, bitch, guess what? Not on my watch. I tear her contract to shreds, tiny squares of ripped paper floating down to the floor.
"I’ll pay whatever you need me to, but I need to do this first," I tell the clerk, finally acknowledging him. His arms are crossed, and he’s tapping his foot against the floor, staring me down. I stare right back at him, and that’s enough to send him back to wherever he came from, mumbling something under his breath.
"NO!" Clara shrieks, standing up so fast that she overturns her chair; it falls back with a dry sound and, for a moment, I almost think she’s going to climb over the table and try to choke me. I’d like to see her try.
Her eyes are on the contract I just tore to pieces, and the rage in her face makes her look like some twisted version of her old self. Even if our marriage was one of interests, I have to wonder what was going through my head the day I put a ring on her finger.
"I WON’T LET YOU!" she continues to shout, sounding more and more desperate with each word that comes out of her mouth. I came just in time to ruin the party, it seems. Good.
"What the fuck is going on?" Colt says, getting up to his feet as well. He still looks at me with distrust. He has one hand on Karen’s shoulder, and I notice that she’s about to start crying. The last few hours haven’t been easy on her, and all because of Clara. It’s time I put a stop to this madness.
"What’s going on is that Clara is trying to pull off one last stunt before disappearing for good," I say, and Karen’s eyes become wider with each word of mine. She’s looking from Clara to Colt, and then to me, an expression of pure confusion on her face.
"You’re lying!" Clara cries out, her voice dripping with rage.
"No, I’m not," I say as calmly as I can. "What happened is that Clara came to me two days ago. Out of the blue. And, I don’t know what she’s been telling you, but it had nothing to do with atonement or some bullshit like that… Do you wanna know what she wanted? Money. Your money, Karen. She promised me a clean divorce if I transferred all the money to her… And that’s why I went to Williams and made sure nobody could get to the money without my assent."
"You’re lying! You are!" she repeats, clenching her teeth so tightly I think they might shatter. "Don’t believe, him, Karen, he’s just trying to--"
Alright, she wants to play dirty, I can play dirty. I take something out of one of my pockets and place it flat on the table. Clara's eyes almost jump out of their sockets as she realizes what I’ve placed right in front of her. She grows pale, her skin a sickly white.
"What’s that?" Colt asks me, reaching for the tape recorder I’ve just placed on top of the table.
"See for yourself," I tell him, and he reaches for it and presses play. Clara's recorded voice echoes in the ample and empty restaurant, and she grows even paler.
"I don’t care… D’ya think I came back because of them?" The recording starts, and I see a lone tear streaming down Karen’s face. Right now, I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone as much as I do Clara. "It’s simple, Daniel. Your business is sinking fast… Give me the money and I’ll make a few calls to help you. Then I’ll be gone, and none of you will ever see me again."
I press stop and just look Clara straight in the eyes. Her complexion has grown so white she looks like a ghost.
"You…" she hisses, her hands balled into fists. "You fucking --"
"Get the fuck out," Colt says, taking one step toward her. She seems to shrink as she looks into Colt’s eyes, a merciless angel in his lips. He just stands there, staring her down until she has no other option but to go. She grabs her purse clumsily and turns on her heels, walking out of the restaurant. The three of us look at her ago, the sound of her heels clicking across the floor the only voice in the room.
Alright, now it’s time for something far more important than Clara. I go toward Karen and, going down on one knee in front of her, take hold of her hand.
"I’m sorry," I tell her, the sorrow in her face enough to fill my heart with an angry sadness. No mother should ever make her daughter feel like this. "I really am."
"No," she says, and a brave smile starts to form on her lips. "I’m the one who’s sorry… For doubting you."