Sheer terror covered her features as she raced through the house, making sure it was perfect. She barked orders at the service staff as I finished my coffee.
Eileen had a sick and deep seeded need for her mother’s approval. I was sure it was what had ruined her and her sister, corrupting their stability. I was positive it was what made them into the monsters they had become. Sandra had proven as much with her actions. They were both unredeemable as human beings.
Eileen came to a halt only when she saw the smile on my face. She believed I was bluffing.
“You are a cruel bastard.”
“And you are a heartless bitch. I could do this forever, darling.” She walked toward me slowly and took a seat next to me at the table. She feared me now. I knew I could use it.
“What do you want?”
“I want you on camera admitting you hired someone to kill Nina, how much you paid, and exactly who it was.”
“You can’t be serious,” she scoffed. “Devin, I’m not that stupid.”
“Yes, you are, wife dear. You were, in fact, at the scene of the fucking crime and have been questioned by police, have you not?”
“You think I’m going to admit to hiring someone to kill your mistress on tape?”
“Yes,” I said, turning the page of my paper. She sat staring at me as I ignored her successfully.
A knock on the door had Eileen looking to me, horrified as she got up to answer.
It was, in fact, her mother.
I wasn’t bluffing.
Yes, indeed, hubby was home.
“Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.”
? William Blake
§§
Nina
Nina: I’m sorry, Aiden.
I’d sent that text a week after the “accident.”
Three words, I texted him three words he deserved. I’d been deceptive to a fault, and I deserved his silence. As I sat admiring the lighthouse from the shore, I realized it had been three weeks since the attempt was made on my life. Aaron had been discharged from the hospital, and after several lengthy arguments and a horrible visit from my mother as a reminder of what life would be like under her watch, he had returned to Florida to finish his recovery. Leave it to Mom to keep her children safely at bay. This was my mess, and I wanted Aaron as far away from it as possible. He’d fought me every step of the way, but in the end, with the help of Cedric’s and my coaxing, he’d returned home. I’d hired a full-time nurse to help him and paid all his medical bills. I’d also arranged for his condo to be paid off and an ample check to be delivered each month. We would fight about that later.
My mother hadn’t uttered a word to me other than what concerned Aaron. She eyed Cedric with interest but was too determined to keep her conversation with me short to prod further.
And I was relieved.
As I’d watched her leave the hospital, I called after my father, asking to have a word with him. He ignored the protest of my mother as she glared at him before exiting the sliding doors with a matching glare for me.
“Dad, just go. I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“She’ll get over it. She always does.” He looked tired. What had once had been a handsome man full of funny jokes about life’s vibrancy had now turned into a defeated shell of a man who no longer had the strength to fight.
He guided me to the waiting room, and we sat as I gathered my words as best as I could. The truth was, I was scared. If somehow another attempt was successful, I was worried about what would become of him. Aaron would try to an extent, but he was no match for my mother. He seemed to read my mind as I started in.
“Dad, if she leaves you—”
“I used to pray for that day,” he whispered. “I wanted it to happen. Then I would look at you, Nina, and you brother was so damn lost, and no matter how much I wanted to leave, I couldn’t. She would have found a way to keep me out of your lives.” He lowered his head, as if ashamed. Stunned by his admission, I waited for him to continue.