Turning on my heels, I started walking down the driveway, her shouts at me to turn around disappearing in the wind. I didn’t care that I didn’t have a phone or that the odds of finding a taxi in the burbs were low. All I cared about was getting the fuck away from that toxic hellhole. It was so clear now how much of a setup this had been. I didn’t know for certain it was true, or only a ploy to get me here for whatever convoluted reason she’d schemed with my ex.
It was official, they were in cahoots together. Whether it had always been that way, and they’d acted like acquaintances while we’d been married, or only since she ambushed me, I didn’t know yet.
But I would find out.
Jacqueline Hanover had just made an enemy out of me.
My whole life, I’d been taught to do the right thing, and good things would come. If I hadn’t learned that lie was a crock of shit years ago, today would’ve cemented it firmly. I was sick and tired of people taking from me. My choices, my dreams, my hopes, my life, my marriage, my child, and my future… and now this.
No. It didn't get to end this way. Not this time. I would find out the truth one way or the other and deal with it then. But I no longer accepted the lies they spewed as facts. If the shit I’d been through had taught me anything, it was that I could survive this.
I’d probably walked twenty minutes before I realized I was getting close to the small shopping area. I could probably find a phone there. Picking up my speed, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a horn sounded behind me, honking loudly. Fucking hell!
Gasping, I clutched my chest and turned around to see who would get my wrath next. Instead, I sank in relief at the welcome sight of who it was behind the wheel.
“Loren? What are you doing on this side of town? And walking?”
“It’s a long story. Care to give me a ride back into the city?”
“Of course, hun. Hop in. I was headed to the center, anyway.”
“Thanks, Mitzi. You’re a lifesaver.”
Quickly, I made my way around the car and hopped in, buckling up. We rode in silence for a few minutes before she caved and asked me what was going on.
“Feel like telling me part of that long story?”
Blowing out a breath, I turned to her. “Do you know a private investigator?”
“Okay, well, I didn’t expect that to come out of your mouth. I can ask around. What’s it about?”
“I need proof that my ex-husband and Mother are in cahoots to destroy me.”
She laughed but then stopped, turning her head to look at me when I didn’t laugh with her. “You’re serious? Loren, did you take on too much too fast?”
“I’m serious, Mitzi. It all makes sense now. Right before my accident, my mother invited me over only to ambush me with Brian and his fianceé. Then, I woke up at the hospital to find them both there. Today, they sent me cryptic messages to lure me out here, only to then tell me I’m too late. Something is going on, and I don’t trust either of them.”
“What did they lure you out here with?”
Sucking in a breath, I prepared myself to say it. “Brian texted me that Barkley had been diagnosed with some rare disease and only had a week to live. Then this morning, he said it came sooner than they’d thought, and so he’d asked the vet to come over and take care of things. I would only have thirty minutes to get to my mother’s house if I wanted to say goodbye. Yet, when I get there, they’re both already gone. So, either he’s an asshole, who is using my love for my dog as emotional manipulation and leverage, or he’s a psychopath who killed my dog for funsies. Or worse, he lied about killing my dog. Considering there weren’t any remains that I could tell, I think he’s hiding her from me but wanting me to think she’s dead.”
“Are you sure that’s just not the grief talking? Denial is the first step, dear.”
I gritted my teeth. I fucking knew denial was the first step in the grieving process! Of course, I knew. It didn’t mean just because I didn’t believe them that I was in denial. Everything made logical sense in my head. It didn’t need to make sense to her to be true. No one outside of the relationships I had with them would understand anyway. They were both accomplished narcissists. They had perfected their perceived image so well, no one would question it. Only I could see through them now. The fact that even Mitzi believed them over me told me everything. No one on this side of society would ever think differently of them. The rich did stick together, after all.
“It’s not denial, Mitzi. I promise.”
“Okay, I believe you, dear. I can get you a name if that’s the route you want to take. I know someone who’s used one, so I’ll reach out.”
“Thank you. I just want to find the truth.”
She relented, but I could tell she didn’t think it was a smart move. It didn’t matter. I was going to do this.
She dropped me off at my condo building a few minutes later, and I had a renewed sense of strength in my stride. I stood up to my mother, cut ties with the toxicity, and had a plan to find out what they were hiding. I was done listening to their lies, accepting them as truth just because they said so. One way or another, I would get my proof and know without a shadow of a doubt.
I owed Barkley that much.
She’d saved me when I’d been at my lowest. Now it was my turn to save her, or at least give her a proper burial. I’d fight Brian on it again if I had to.