Husband. Son. Millions.
Realization dawned, and I paused outside the utility closet in the musky hallway. I whispered to myself, “I am the other woman.”
The door to the closet cracked open. Someone was in there, so I resumed my path to the restroom. As I passed, one hand yanked me inside while another came over my mouth to muffle my scream. I thrashed about as I was held against the wall.
This wasn’t happening.
I thrashed more.
Carson. I needed to get to Carson.
The grip intensified as I used everything I had to get free. I was immobilized. The pitch-black room made it impossible to see. They were here for me.
My movements were restricted as panic surged through me. I wasn’t strong enough, but I refused to give up as I clawed and kicked my way to no avail.
“Shh… I’m the man from the phone.” I stilled. The voice with the Irish accent filled my ears. His strong frame held me, eliciting goose bumps from within. “I hoped you would come this way so we could talk.” He paused. “I’m going to take my hand off and step back to give you space. If you want my help, don’t scream.”
I nodded, and instantly his hand left my mouth and the pressure of his body vanished. Even with my eyes adjusted, I was unable to make out anything.
My heavy breathing was the loudest noise in the room, followed by the sound of people walking by the door. He asked, “Did I hurt you?”
“You scared the shit out of me. You’re a complete stranger who broke into my car and now yanked me into a closet. Who are you?” It felt good to release some of the pent-up emotions.
“Someone trying to right a wrong.”
I snapped, “You keep saying that. What wrong are you trying to right? I’m tired of the games.”
A few feet away I heard a sigh—like on the phone today. He sounded frustrated. “I can’t share that yet. I need to know I can trust you.”
“You’re asking me to trust you blindly after everything that has happened to Alex?”
The voice was a little closer. “Yes, I know. It has to be this way for now, Willow. I wish I was able to tell you everything, but it will put you in more danger.”
More danger? I massaged my temples as I listened to him. He stayed still and wasn’t moving closer to me. I wanted to argue with him, but I didn’t have the energy. Should I leave? Against my better judgement, I was going with my instincts, which were to stay and hear him out.
But… I needed a little more information. “Have we met before?”
“I’ve met Alex before. Did Candy or Harley recognize you?”
The acid feeling returned to my veins. The woman now had a name… Candy. “No. Did you know Alex had a child?”
“Yes, Alex is a bastard.” The venom in his voice pierced the air. At least we felt the same about Alex.
How many other people knew? My fingers dug deeper into my temples. “I hope I’m not pregnant.”
“What?”
Fuck, why did I choose this moment to have word vomit? The stress was getting to me. This information was too personal to share at this point, let alone admit out loud. “Nothing. It was nothing.”
“Are you pregnant with Alex’s child?”
The silence felt suffocating. “I don’t want to talk about this.” More silence, but I could hear his breaths. I wanted to move past this to see what else he had to offer. “I don’t know if I am or not yet. We had a slip-up right before he died.”
Another tired sigh. Oddly, he brought me comfort with his presence, which was insane, considering the circumstances. Something stirred between us. I was drawn to him… undeniably, as I felt myself wanting to gravitate toward him. With some effort, I forced myself to remain on my side of the room. Only so much crazy could be tolerated in one day. The automatic response toward this stranger jarred me.
“Did you tell anyone about me?”
I guess my reveal was too personal for him, too, since he changed the subject, for which I was thankful. “No. I went to Carson’s after I opened the envelope. I left the part about you out of it.”
No response. I felt the need to explain who Carson was all of a sudden. What if he thought Carson was someone I saw on the side since Alex had not been faithful to me? The last thing I wanted was for him to think I took my vows lightly. “Carson is my best friend. We’re like siblings.”
“Why?”
The man was driving me nuts with his nonanswers and rapid-fire questions. “Why are Carson and l like siblings or why didn’t I tell him about you?”
“About me.”
In the dark, I shrugged even though he wasn’t able to see me. “I don’t know.” Every fiber in my being wanted to shut this man out of my life, but my heart told me I needed this man to figure out what was going on. If I wanted to know… if I wanted my life back… I needed him. Even with Alex’s betrayal fresh on my psyche, part of me trusted this man, and I had no idea why. The thought both sobered and scared me at the same time. I found it hard to keep my guard up around him. An unstoppable draw kept me entranced. Fear shot through me at the strength of emotion I had around this stranger.
Panic ensued.
“I need to get back. Will I hear from you again?”
Again, a one-word answer that infuriated me. He offered nearly zero insight. “Yes.”
Though I was the one ending this conversation, I wanted to prolong it. To give me something to hold on to. Maybe I needed to add "Get checked out by a psychologist" to my list. I was becoming certifiably insane. “Will I ever know who you are?”
“Yes.”
The frustration created by this situation left me in a foul mood. “Can you give me anything? Something to go on?”
“You’ll be safe. I promise.”
The words stirred something within me, which filled me with guilt. I needed to get out of there and clear my head. “I have to go.”
Without warning, I left the room and made a beeline for Carson. I looked at the other woman, and she appeared to be calmer. She hugged Harley. “Thanks for listening to me, Harley.”
Seeing I was ready to go, Carson dropped some bills on the counter and led me out of the bar. Everything from the last few minutes in the closet was on replay in my head. The mysterious man seemed genuine. And he was certain we would meet some day. Why was that so important to me?
I wasn’t ready to answer that. But I knew I wanted to talk to him again, and the truth of that reality scared me. Shouldn’t I be more focused on what happened with Alex? Tonight, life as I knew it had altered.
Alex lied to me.
He had a wife.
All he wanted was my inheritance.
There was a possibility I was pregnant.
An even greater possibility I might not be safe.
What else was there to uncover? However, instead of worrying about the Alex situation, I was focused on the strange man I’d just met. The man who broke into my car and pulled me into the closet to talk to me.
What was wrong with me?
My defenses were helpless around this man. All common sense left me. And worst yet… I wanted more. Mentally, I scolded myself, knowing I needed to break this habit immediately in order to keep my wits about me. This was unlike me. Completely.
Once in the car, Carson said, “Shit, that was fucked up.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
Carson’s knuckles were white from holding the steering wheel so tight as he drove. “I know once Alex got back, we had our issues about how he treated you. But he was a bastard.”
Laying my head against the window, I watched the rain hit it. The tears tracked faster. “He was a bastard. A bastard who lied and cheated on me.” A sob broke free. “But I was the other woman. He was married, Carson. I feel so disgusting inside.”
He pulled the car over to the side of the road as I let the tears spill free. I sat further back into the soft black leather seats and let the anguish rip through me. The truth was hard. But I would be stronger than it.
>
“You did nothing wrong, Willow.”
When his hand touched mine, I let it all go, yelling, “I hate him, Carson! I hate him with every fiber of my being!” Then I sagged. “I know it’s wrong to hate someone… but I do! He stole so much from me that I’ll never be able to get back.”
I was barely able to see through the curtain of tears. Carson leaned over and hugged me. “He can’t break you, Willow. You’re stronger than that. I know it.”
An unladylike sniffle came from me. “It gets worse.”