Of Loss & Betrayal (Madison & Logan 2)

Tears fell from my eyes, dropping onto the piece of paper. I stared at the teardrops that had blurred some of the letters as my stomach churned in protest. What did this letter mean? It explained nothing, and with its cryptic statements, I had no idea if Cassie knew Logan and I had been cheating.

“I cried the first time I read it too, Madison,” Mrs. Brooks said reassuringly. “It didn’t shed any light on why she killed herself, but now I know it doesn’t matter. Maybe she knew before she died that she would come back.”

Mrs. Brooks’ words made the dam break and my sobs were unleashed. I sank to the floor, the letter clutched to my chest as my body was wracked with anguished cries. She was wrong. Cassie would never come back. I would never know why she took her own life. She had written that everything would have been worth it if I chose to be happy. Did that mean she knew about the cheating and was forgiving me? She had written to Logan that they both knew they wouldn’t have a future together and that she would be happy for him no matter what path he chose. Was she referencing him choosing to be with me?

It was too much to take. I felt like I had just seen a ghost by reading Cassie’s letter. A letter that brought up more questions than it answered.

I felt hands on my shoulders and I looked up to find Logan above me. He didn’t say a word. He just picked me up and carried me to an armchair and sat down, cradling me in his arms.

My sobs continued and he just held me, whispering soothing nonsense and stroking my back. It seemed like an eternity before the last sob left my body and I finally calmed down. I looked over at Mrs. Brooks to see what her reaction was to Logan holding me while I cried. Instead of looking upset, she smiled at me.

“I know it’s hard, Madison, but you’ll feel better once you see her again.”

I shuddered at her comment. As much as I cared about Mrs. Brooks, her conviction that Cassie came to visit her scared me and I wanted to get away from this house. I thought about Mr. Brooks sitting alone downstairs. As much as I wanted to flee, I couldn’t leave him alone to deal with this all by himself.

“Should we go?” Logan asked, seeming to have read my mind.

I shook my head. “No, I’m all right.” I glanced at Cassie’s mother. “Is it okay if Logan reads the letter?”

“Of course. Part of it is addressed to him.”

I handed the letter to Logan and watched him read it. Even though it probably wouldn’t mean much to him since he didn’t remember Cassie, I felt as though he deserved to read it since part of it was written to him.

His expression was unreadable as he scanned the letter. When he was done, he folded it back up and handed it to me.

“What do you think about it?” Mrs. Brooks asked eagerly, as if the suicide note was some short story she wanted an opinion on.

Logan studied her for a moment before answering. “I think it’s written by someone who’s scared to face the future, and so she decided it would be better not to have one.”

Mrs. Brooks face fell and her expression turned angry.

“Cassie does have a future.” She laughed but the sound was ugly. “You all think you knew her, but no one knew her like me. She would never have ended her life if she didn’t know there was a way to come back. You’ll see tonight.”

I got chills from her words, even though I knew it was her sickness speaking. The door opened and Mr. Brooks walked in, his gaze dropping to the piece of paper in my hand. His eyes shot to his wife.

“You showed them?” he asked, sounding surprised. “I thought you didn’t want anyone to see Cassie’s letter.”

The corners of Mrs. Brooks mouth turned down. “I thought they had a right to read it since she wrote parts of it to them.” Her expression turned sour. “I wish I hadn’t. Logan had the gall to say Cassie sounded like she was afraid of the future.”

She looked at her husband expectantly, as if she was waiting for him to admonish Logan for his comment, but he merely looked away from his wife.

“Why don’t you two go downstairs,” he said to me. “I need to talk to Judith.”

I put the letter back in the jewelry box and followed Logan out. It was a relief to leave the room. We went back to the living room and sat down. Logan put his arm around me, and I stiffened. His presence had been a huge comfort to me here. Instead of throwing his opinions around and insisting he knew how to handle Mrs. Brooks, he had been a silent and steady support. But that didn’t erase everything that had happened between us. I had lapsed back into our old patterns because I was so stressed and worried about Mrs. Brooks, but I needed to snap out of it before I became too comfortable.

I stood up so that Logan’s arm fell away and faced him.

“I appreciate you bringing me here, and I appreciate you staying to make sure I’m okay, but I think it’s best if you leave now.”

Logan frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. From the sounds of it, Cassie’s mother is probably going to have some kind of breakdown tonight when her daughter doesn’t show up. I can help.”

“Help do what?” I asked in frustration. “None of us knows what to do. Cassie’s mother is more far-gone than ever. I think the only choice Mr. Brooks has is to commit her.”

“I agree, but I can help by being here for you.”

I scowled. “In case you forgot, we’re not exactly on the best of terms. The last time I saw you, you were trying to beat Mack up. Before that, you were screwing Kristina.”

Logan’s jaw tightened. “What you think happened between Kristina and I didn’t happen. I didn’t sleep with her. Hell, I went to bed alone that night and the next thing I know she’s next to me naked and you’re about to commit murder.” His mouth twisted. “Not that I blame you. But you have to believe me, Maddie. I didn’t cheat on you. I swear.”