Chapter Thirty-Seven

Riley

Lena wants a divorce? This is the news that greets me when I come home early from my business trip?

I came straight home, too, hoping to see Lena sooner and feel the warmth of her body against mine, only to find the house empty. Not only is she gone, but her suitcase is missing, along with some of the things she bought for the baby that are supposed to be in the nursery. Her mother, too.

I called her phone but couldn't reach her, so I called Jerry, hoping he might know. I did tell him to watch over Lena. And that's when I learned the news.

Lena wants a divorce.

No. That's not right. Lena and I are divorced.

That is what the papers in front of me right now are telling me. After all, they still have my signature from two weeks ago, and now they have Lena's too. Jerry brought them over along with Lena's ring.

I stare at the golden band as it glistens on top of my desk.

Why would she want a divorce? Why now?

"I'm afraid she didn't say why, but I think her mother helped her decide," Jerry tells me.

Her mother? Didn't Lena say she regretted leaving her husband? Why would she make Lena commit the same mistake?

"Also, I think you should know that she got money from safe," Jerry adds. "About a quarter of a million dollars, I believe."

I check the safe behind me, and sure enough, most of the cash is missing. My jaw clenches.

"It doesn't make sense." I bang the door of the safe. "If Lena wants money, she knows she can have all of mine as long as she's married to me."

Jerry shrugs. "Who knows what she'll do with the money?"

I whirl around and grab the front of his shirt. "Why did you let her sign these papers? You had them the whole time, didn't you? Why did you even have them?"

"Because you gave them to me." He pushes my hand away and smooths the front of his shirt. "I never got around to disposing of them."

I narrow my eyes at him. "And you just gave them to her when she asked?"

"You said to help her if she asked. She asked. I helped her."

My fist leaves my side and flies towards Jerry's jaw. He stops it in midair.

"Calm down, Riley. I'm not the bad guy here. I'm just the messenger."

For a moment, I keep pushing my fist against his palm. My shoulders tremble in anger. My teeth grind together. Then I pull away. My gaze drops to the floor.

"What exactly did Lena ask for?" I ask softly.

"She said she wanted a divorce. She asked me if I still had the papers. She begged me to let her have them, to let her sign them. So I did. You know how weak I am against women who beg, right?"

Like hell I'll believe all that bullshit.

And yet, what can I do? The papers are here and they're signed. And Lena's gone.

For good.

I leave the office and go to the bedroom I share--shared--with Lena. As I lie on the bed, I can still smell her scent on the sheets.

How could she just leave? And without telling me why? Without saying goodbye?

The door opens. I hear footsteps approaching, and moments later, Judy's face hovers over mine.

"Oh, Riley, I'm so sorry about--"

I push her away with one arm and sit up. "Go away, Judy. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

"I know you're hurting." She clings to my arm. "But I'm not going anywhere. Unlike Lena, I'll never leave your side."

I ignore her and go to the bathroom.

"Riley!"

I shut the door behind me and go to the sink. I rest my hands on the marble counter.

Even her toothbrush is gone and her bag of toiletries. Even her--

My thoughts stop as I see the soap on the dish.

Wasn't that one supposed to be white? Isn't this the soap Lena didn't like? Why is it here then?

I pick it up. My eyebrows furrow as I feel some dents beneath my fingers. I turn the soap over and my eyes grow wide as I read the words etched into the bar.

They have Mom. Must go. Love u.

I read the message again, this time with creased eyebrows as the wheels in my head turn.

What does she mean 'They have Mom'? Does this mean her mother was abducted? Is that why she needs the money? That doesn't explain the signed divorce papers, though.

Plus she said she loves me. So why would she ask for a divorce?

It doesn't make sense. Nor does the fact that this message was etched in soap. Why? Why not just leave a regular note?

I try to put myself in her shoes. I would leave a note unless I was worried that someone would steal that note.

She was trying to hide this message from someone, someone who was here in this very house. But who?

The door opens and Judy enters.

"Riley, come on. We're friends, aren't we?" She stands beside me and puts one arm around my waist. "You know you can count on me for anything. Anything at all."

I frown. I'm about to pull away from her again, but my gaze falls on her reflection and I notice the pair of earrings she's wearing--dangling golden teardrop earrings.

I grip Judy's shoulders. "Aren't those Lena's earrings?"

The way her eyes widen tells me they are.

"No," she says as she steps back.

"Don't lie," I warn her through gritted teeth.

"Fine," Judy says as she touches one of them. "They're hers, but I asked for them since they're pretty and she doesn't wear them."

"She wore them once."

Again, Judy's eyes grow wide. Right. She doesn't know because she wasn't at that party.

I grab her arm. "Why do you have them?"

"She gave them to me as a souvenir right before she left," Judy says.

Ah. So Judy was here. And yet Lena didn't trust Judy with the note. She didn't tell Judy about the abduction, even though she confided in Judy before about leaving.

I thought they were friends, and yet, all of a sudden, she decided not to trust Judy. In fact, she seemed to be hiding the facts from Judy, which tells me that Judy knows something about all this.

I grab Judy by the collar of her shirt and pin her against the wall.

"Where's Lena?"