We spend the rest of our time automating Matthew and asking him about Starla. It was the only way to make light of the conversation we had previously and I could see that it did that for Matthew. His eyes lit up at the thought of her and becoming a father. An opportunity I never got to experience. After a few minutes, a guard arrives.“Time’s up!” He says abruptly. I see Matthew lower his head and rise to his feet to be chained back up and returned to his cell.“Matthew.” I say as I jump up to hug him. It pained me to see what he had to go through.“I love you, Claire and I’m sorry for everything I put you through before.” I didn’t know if it was his current position that made him vulnerable or if that was something he just never had the courage to say but it broke me. I hugged him tightly. He was my baby brother and as his protector, I had failed him.The guard instructs me to release him and I stand there - watching as they take him away. Every fiber of my body was tinged with pain.
From the moment we sat down, I could tell that Claire was emotionally teeter tattering on the edge of a breakdown. She was clammy, fidgeting, hyper-focused, distant and she was silent. Not quite - silent. I hoped that seeing Matthew would stop her from tipping over the edge but I saw the way she looked at him when he was brought in wearing those chains. Matthew didn’t know Claire had been pregnant when he mentioned about his becoming a father. I was happy for him. He finally had something positive in life. Something important enough to change him and I know Claire was happy for him.Claire almost crumbles at the word: pregnant. I don’t think she’s made any time to cope with the loss of our son. She’s kept herself engulfed in work to avoid the thought entirely. I squeeze her thigh as Matthew talks about his growing family. As much as it hurt Claire, it hurt me as well.My actions led to Claire believing I didn’t want a child and hiding her pregnancy. My beliefs led me to accuse Claire
After witnessing and enjoying the mayhem transpire with Matthew. I accompany Francisco to his home. A promise was a promise and no sense in celebrating alone. Leo hadn’t kicked me out of his home like his mother had advised but he hadn’t been home much either. He’s been too occupied with the same wretched peasant that I’m trying to rid him of.After a bit of a drive, we arrive at this ginormous mansion with a gate and I watch carefully as he types the code onto the keypad out front. This house was easily double the size of Leo’s. It almost seemed like a ploy for me to think he was more enticing than my current love prospect and it would have worked if he wasn’t in the mafia. But then again, if he would’ve had nothing to offer me, I would have no interest in him whatsoever.Francisco may have money but he was not a renowned, successful man who I could flaunt. He was a thuggish businessman whose rough and rugged sex appeal was enticing for short-term enjoyment only. I live in a high so
As soon as Claire and I retrieve our identification, I place a call for a old friend of mine named Mason. We had gone to school together as children and he was the leading detective detective and sheriff in our county. I watch Claire through the window of the corrections center as I wait for him to answer.“Leo? It’s been such a long time, man. How the hell are you?” His chipper voice responded after the second ring.“Hey Mason, I’m doing alright these days. I wanted to talk to you about something really important.” Pleasantries were important in most settings but this was dyer.“What’s going on, buddy? Does this have anything to do with Charlotte’s father?” His tone changed to serious.“No. Not at all. I need help clearing my wife’s brothers’ name. He was arrested for drug possession, intent to sell and opiates, his names Matthew.” I wait for a response as the line goes silent.“It was good bust, Leo. I promise it went by the books.” He answers in his defense as he had been the leadi
I answer the phone with caution and press 5 to accept the collect call. I hadn’t found him a lawyer and his carefully thought-out plan of financial support from Leo’s father had crumbled. “Charlotte, I haven’t heard from you.”his tone was daunting. He was furious.“Hello father, I’ve been busy trying to find you an attorney but none are willing to represent you at the moment.” I lie about being busy. I had looked and contacted about every attorney in the state and not one was willing to work on this case.“What about Leo’s private team of attorneys? Surely, he could lend them to you in an effort to save your father.” I hear his cold sardonic voice and catch my breath.“They’re not willing too and Leonardo’s mother has made haste in sharing her opinions of me to him. She’s asked me to leave.” I admit to my father - in front of Francisco.“How dare that vile woman try to pry you from our financial safety net!” Safety net? Had he forgotten Leo was the love of my life when he created thi
I watch from the window as Leo speaks on the phone with the leading detective of Matthew’s case. The conversation seemed like it went on for hours as I waited in anticipation. I check the clock as I hear him hang up. Seven minutes. It had only been seven minutes.Lei opens the door for me and motions for me to accompany him to the town car. He opens the door for me and we sit in the parking lot for a moment. He hadn’t wanted to tell me the results of his call in public. This couldn’t be good.“Claire, I spoke with my old friend Mason and he says there’s a lot of things that don’t make sense about this case. The first is that the anonymous tip was very specific, the second is that the drugs amounted in over one hundred thousand dollars, and lastly; Matthew never touched those drugs. There’s no evidence to prove that he ever has.” He states as he places a hand on my thigh to keep me grounded.“So they’ll let him go?” I ask desperately. Matthew would be a father soon and he’s changed. H
I couldn’t help but mention our son. I knew it wasn’t the right time but I felt there would never be a suitable moment. I never knew how much he had meant to her just as she didn’t know how much I would have wanted him. A lack of perspective on both our parts. I offer to start over and give her another child and for a moment, I thought it would make her happy. But that’s not what I witnessed as I watched her stare out into the trees passing by as we drove back to Jasmine’s. The rest of the drive was accompanied by our emotional silence. I only decide to speak again as we sit in the driveway. “Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” I ask quietly. I wanted to impose and demand to be by her side but it wasn’t my right and it was a mistake trying to control Claire. I Had learned that first-hand. “It’s okay, I’m sure you need to get back to Charlotte.” She had made a dig at me with that one. “I don’t, actually. How about I go home, freshen up and grab some things and I come bac
“Is everything okay?” I hear Jasmine ask as she brings me some water.“Someone’s framed Matthew. They planted drugs in his apartment and made an anonymous tip to the police and he’s expecting a baby . .” The last part shocked me and saddened me more than the rest. Matthew would be a father soon and he had turned his life around, only to be put in jail and I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that this was all my fault.“He’s having a baby?” Jas was just as shocked. “Did it bother you to hear that?” I knew what she meant.“In a way, it did. I was excited for him but I felt this heavy feeling in my chest. It made me think about all I had lost. And the grief I never allowed myself to experience.” I look down at my hands as I feel the lump in my throat becoming larger. I was happy for him but part of me would always wonder what it would have been like to have my son.“It’s okay, babes. You can always try again. Maybe it just wasn’t your time yet.” She always said that God’s time was neve
I think back to my first encounter with Charlotte. She had expressed her feelings about Leo right before the incident with her wheelchair and she had made it clear that there was no competition between her and myself. She claimed to be the only woman Leo had time for and at that time, it seemed true. I remember the feeling of hearing that he was asleep in her bed. He hadn’t admitted that to me but part of me believed it. He stopped at nothing to be by her side - once upon a time. He had even shoved me in rage of what happened on our anniversary. Looking back, I do feel as though that incident could’ve been staged. I examined her wheel being stuck and found nothing wrong, I was shoved right before she descended down the hill and met with cowering once she saw Leo approaching. Charlotte wasn’t as innocent as she portrayed herself to be and it was evident that she didn’t particularly like my company or existence for that matter. But Charlotte wasn’t aware of my pregnancy, or so I’d lik
It had been a couple days since I’ve seen Claire and Leo. Being here in jail has given me time to reflect on so many things and I feel awful for Starla, who waiting for me at home but even worse, I feel horrible for Claire. When you have nothing but time, you start to think about what you’ve done and what you could’ve done better. I could’ve been a better brother, I could’ve behaved and treated her better and I was ashamed.I decide to call Claire to express my gratitude to her and apologize for my shortcomings.I wait a few seconds and hear Claire accept the call.“Hello?” I say excitedly.“Are you okay, Matthew?” She was worried for me.“Yeah. Well, Kind of. I’m still in jail but I have faith. How are you?” I genuinely wanted to know that she was okay and doing better than I was.“Well, I’m in the hospital but I’m okay.” She quickly adds reassurance. That was classic for Claire. She’d diminish the importance of her own words to make anyone feel comfortable and I knew by that, alone
Francisco had planned for a surprise to arrive at my house. In all honesty, I had hoped that it would be Claire’s dismantled body, but I was unpleasantly surprised by the man who stood on my doorstep as Francisco answered the door. The first thing I notice is his suit. A black Italian brioni suit, one of Leo’s favorite brands. I had accompanied him shopping when he had bought his first one. He had just entered a contract worth millions and became the youngest multimillionaire on the west coast. I remember his smile as he purchased the suit. A moment of pride and a mark of success. I also remember the diamond tennis bracelet he gifted me that day - a tribute to my loyalty to him. The simplest of times where he and I were genuinely happy and together. It wasn’t long until it became nothing but a distant memory. My father and his plots made sure of it.“Charlotte?” I must’ve zoned out as Francisco is standing in front of me with a look of confusion.“Who is this?” I ask abruptly. My anno
Claire called me to share the details of each attack. She found that she was able to remember more and I was proud of her.After finishing our conversation, I turn to Mason in the back of my town car.“We have a problem.”“Is everything alright with your wife?” “Yes. She tried to visually take herself through both attacks and was able to remember a few things.” I see his face become even more stern as he waits for me to share Claire’s discoveries.“The first guy was waiting nearby for a cue. Someone close had to give him that cue for him to pose as the driver and kidnap Claire. She said he couldn’t have been there the whole time because I would’ve seen him. Which is true considering I usually speak with my driver privately through the front door window. The second attacker is a bit more serious. She said he wore a black Italian brioni suit. She recognized it because that’s the brand of my favorite suit. The other thing she noticed was that when he was leaving her suite, he had a blac
While Leo was away, I tried to piece everything together. Elena had made sure I ate, assisted me in cleaning myself up and sat down with me as I closed my eyes and tried to remember any information that might be useful in finding my attackers. Elena held my hands as I try to visually take myself back to that day.I had gone to the elevator in a haste, there was no one in the lobby and the elevator didn’t seem to be tampered with, the hallways from the elevator to my suite was empty and quiet as usual and the door to my suite looked completely fine. It wasn’t until I was inside that he had made his presence known. He must’ve been posing as a potential client and was able to slip by the other occupants of the building that way. He would’ve been suspicious if he hadn’t been wearing a nice suit.I keep trying to find anything that may have seemed off but nothing was tampered with or at least to the point where I would notice. I change my focus to the man and hold my breath as I jog throug
I must’ve dozed off when comforting Claire because I’m still in her hospital bed when I awake. I decide to make use of this quiet time and text Elena. I request that she make some food for Claire and I and that she ready herself to be dropped off here. I can feel the excitement as she responds with breakfast options and asks if Claire would like anything else. I then text my driver, letting him know that I would like Elena to be dropped off here at the hospital. I then send a message to Mason and ask to speak with him in person today. If I wanted to protect Claire, we needed to pick up our pace and find out who did this to Matthew and her. I set a time where I can have Elena here to comfort and watch over Claire so that I could put more of my efforts into finding her attackers and freeing her brother.I drop my phone onto the bed and continue to cuddle Claire as she sleeps. Every so often, I find myself passing a glance at her hand. The doctor planned to remove the bandages after for
After Emilia’s stunt and my mother’s audacity, I was emotionally drained. How dare they ask that I abandon Claire and continue to overlook their distaste in her? I had overlooked it in the past because I knew they held a special space for Charlotte but I see now, how wrong I’ve been. They didn’t love Charlotte. She was just a status that paired well with my success. A purebred paired with another purebred, but they didn’t know the truth. Or maybe, my truth just wasn’t important to them.I wasn’t happy with Charlotte. She was beautiful and cunning but I didn’t love her in the way she loved me and I had planned on ending things with her prior to her accident. Charlotte had no ambition in our relationship and had become clingy, expecting me stay by her side and abandon my responsibilities. I had lost interest in her - the same way I’d lost interest in them all until Claire came along.Claire was different. She’s beautiful was ambitious, innocent, kind and caring. She would make sure I’d
I wake up a few hours later with a dull pain my hand. The morphine had helped but I could still feel the aftermath of today’s events. According to the clock on the wall, I had slept for eight hours. I look over to find Leo sleeping on the couch beside my bed and two duffel bags on the chair. Not only has he decided to stay but he had brought things for us as we would be staying here for a few days as they reexamined my hand to ensure the proper healing took place.I use the call button to request a nurse as I had to use the restroom and see Leo jump up immediately as the nurse responds over the speaker. I hear him as he notifies the nurse that I’m fine.“What do you need? I’ll help.” He was adamant on helping.“I just have to use the restroom.” I whisper softly.“It’s okay. I’ll help you.”“But you were sleeping? It’s okay. I can just ask the nurse.” “No, I was just waiting for you to wake up. Come on, I’ll help you.” He extends a hand and gives a soft smile. I knew refusing would on
I exit Claire’s hospital room on a mission. I call Mason first to recount Claire’s story of today’s attack.“Officer Mason.” I hear him speak clearly.“It’s Leo. I asked Claire what happened. She said the man was already in her suite when she arrived. He was dressed in a suit with his black hair combed back and he had green eyes. He was sitting at her desk. He said ‘boss’ orders’ when he attacked her with the trophy.” I make sure to leave no details unsaid. This was crucial to catching who did this to my wife.“Okay, I thought the trophy may have been the assault weapon so u had sentTo the lab for DNA testing. I’ll have my guys search for DNA forensics. I have some news on Matthew’s case as well, if you’re up to hear it.” Truth be told, I had forgotten about Matthew these last few days. “Any news is good news, I suppose.” I reply.“Well we checked the stamps, bags and origin of those drugs and our hunch was right. They came from a mafia group we’ve been following for years. If we ca