“You’re a lying, scheming little vermin. No one’s going to listen to anything you say, especially not now, after five years.” Baron shook him by his shirt, emphasizing his words. Jaxon offered no resistance, letting his body shake like a rag doll.
“How can you live with yourself? Don’t you even feel a tiny bit of guilt for abandoning her?”
“I didn’t abandon her. I was still giving her money.” Baron dropped his hands and took a step back, his face turning pale.
“Yes, you did, and you know it. You kicked her out, and she couldn’t live with it.”
“Shut up.” Baron’s voice cracked.
“You told her you didn’t want her—her or the baby. You drove her to suicide.”
“Shut up. Oh God, shut up.” He pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.” He staggered back until he was against the wall, and slid down to the floor, burying his face in his arms.
Jaxon went in for the kill. “You murdered her and your unborn child. You used her and then discarded her like a piece of trash. She loved you, and you didn’t deserve it. She was too good for you.”
“Oh God, it’s true. She was too good for me,” he keened, rocking and sobbing. “But I loved her so much. I loved her so much…”
Part 24: Remorse
“YOU LOVED HER?” Jaxon was floored by Carrington’s comment. “You had a funny way of showing it!”
“You don’t know my parents. They hated Shelly.” Carrington’s hands still covered his face.
“So you let your parents control you? You were, what, twenty-three years old and you let your parents tell you who you could date?” Jaxon’s voice was bitter, but he didn’t care. Carrington deserved his judgment.
“I loved her. For once in my life I didn’t care what my parents thought. When Shelly got pregnant, I was going to marry her. You may not believe me, McCall, but it's true."
Elyssa knelt on the floor beside Carrington and spoke in a gentle tone. “What happened?”
“It was the baby that did it. They didn’t care if I dated her but, in their minds, Shelly wasn’t good enough to bear a ‘Carrington’ child. And she refused to have an abortion.”
“But you’re the one who asked her to get an abortion,” Jaxon accused. “You told her you didn’t believe you were the father.”
Carrington looked up with red-rimmed eyes. “They were going to destroy her! I didn’t care if they cut me off. But she was a photographer—a real artist. Photography was her life. They were going to spread rumors about her and use their influence to ruin her business and her reputation. My parents are so vindictive. I knew they’d do everything in their power to devastate her life. So I convinced her I didn’t love her. I knew she could find someone better than me—someone
who could make her happy. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and the worst mistake of my life.”
“You really think that’s an excuse for what you did?”
“Of course not. I live with that guilt every day. I hate myself. Why do you think I’ve tried every extreme sport invented? I’m just too damned unlucky to die.” Carrington let his head drop back against the wall, as tears continued to pour from his eyes. Either he actually meant his words, or he was a really good actor.
Jaxon noticed Elyssa’s face was wet with sympathetic tears as she patted Carrington’s shoulder. I wish one of those extreme sports had killed him.
*****
Elyssa wiped her face on her sleeve, weeping for poor Shelly. She felt sorry for Baron too, after his heart-wrenching confession, but it didn’t change her opinion of him. If anything, the story confirmed everything she suspected. Like all men in her experience, he told lies and manipulated women. And even though he now claimed to have loved this girl, he called her a ‘schemer’ an hour ago. That’s why she knew she didn’t need a man in her life. She’d never met a single guy she could trust. Well, maybe her brother was okay, but even Scotty tried to control her life.
“Carrington, I think it’s time for you to leave.” Jaxon’s unforgiving expression spoke volumes. He must have really loved Shelly. Elyssa had a lot more sympathy for him than she did for Baron. Maybe Jaxon was still in love with Shelly, even though she’d apparently committed suicide five years ago. And maybe that’s why he regretted kissing her immediately after he’d done it. Was that only twenty-four hours ago? It feels like an eternity. It was much more flattering to think his heart still belonged to Shelly than to think he’d been using physical attraction in an attempt to acquire her building.
To her surprise, Baron pulled himself to his feet without protest. “Goodnight, Elyssa. And thank you for going out for coffee. I hope you’ll still consider going to see the play with me.”
Play? What play? I was so sleepy, I missed half the conversation during coffee. “I’ll think about it, but I’m pretty busy. What night did you say it was?” She stood to walk him to the door.
“In two weeks on Friday night—not next weekend, but the next. I hope you’ll come.” He gave her such an earnest smile he looked like a teenager.
“She’s busy that weekend,” said Jaxon, still wearing the scowl that seemed to be a permanent fixture around Baron.
"You don't need to answer for her, McCall. I believe Ms. Rose is capable of answering for herself." Baron's gaze never left her.