Chapter 24

 

Ethan was angry. For his own brother to deceive him was unthinkable. Then there was Kristen. To go along with what Andrew did was another matter. Did she love Andrew that much that she was willing to do whatever he asked, even sleeping with another man?

That thought hurt more he cared to admit. He’s always resented his brother’s relationship with Kristen. The moment he found out she was marrying Andrew was the first time in his life he felt jealousy. Here he was again, feeling the painful pangs of the ugly green giant once more. Andrew was gone, but it seemed that Kristen was intent on staying loyal to him. Yes, she’d lost her memory, but what about before that? Did she intend to tell him at all?

Regardless, Hailey was his daughter. The thought brought him both joy and resentment. How will they tell Hailey that she was really his daughter and not Andrew’s? Didn’t his brother think of the consequences of his actions before doing them? All those questions bombarded him as they waited for the doctor to check Hailey. Straightaway after the police unit brought Hailey to the station, they were escorted to the hospital to make sure she was in good health.

He now stood outside the emergency area where Hailey was being checked. Kristen was pacing like a caged animal. He wanted to comfort her, but a sharp pain wedged inside his chest at the thought that she had kept such a huge secret from him. All the anger she had towards him, he wondered if it was really guilt.

He took his eyes off her a second to ponder the current situation. The kidnapper, who they hadn’t yet seen, was in custody, but according to the FBI, he hadn’t said anything to them. Ethan wanted to know who he was and why he took Hailey.

Momentarily, the doctor came out. Both Ethan and Kristen met him halfway.

“She’s fine. No injuries… not visible ones anyway,” the man in the white coat informed them. “But you should consider having a psychiatrist check her. These things can weigh heavily on a child.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Kristen said.

Relief washed over Ethan. Leaning against the wall, he allowed himself to breathe. One part of the ordeal was over. The next part was to find out who was responsible. While this was happening, he felt so helpless that he could do nothing. He was trained for this and he couldn’t even save his own daughter.

“Ethan,” Kristen’s voice interrupted his thoughts as she touched his arm. “She’s fine. He said she’s fine.”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

After the Doctor declared Hailey to be injury free, they took her home. That night neither Ethan nor Kristen slept. They both stayed with Hailey in her room to make sure she felt secure.

*

 

Three days later, Ethan was supervising Hailey’s bath and was watching her brush her teeth. As it was bedtime, he knew she would want him to read her a bedtime story. He was wondering which one she would choose when she placed the toothbrush on the sink and looked at him through the mirror.

“Daddy?” Hailey was wearing a frown on her little face.

“Yes, pumpkin?”

“Are you mad at me?”

He knelt at the bathroom sink and caressed her face. “No honey, Daddy’s not mad at you.”

“Are you mad at Mommy?”

That question made his heart flutter. Yes, he was mad, but how could he tell Hailey that?

“Please don’t be mad at Mommy. She cries when you’re mad at her.”

“What?”

“I saw Mommy crying before and she was telling Auntie Camie that you’re mad at her.”

“I promise, I won’t be mad anymore. Now you promise me something,” he said, his voice thick. Hailey nodded her head. “Promise you will never go with anyone except for mommy or me. If someone comes to get you, you ask for the password.”

“Password?”

“Mommy and I will tell you the password in the morning. Now it’s bedtime. Give Daddy a kiss.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, Pumpkin.”

Ethan stood and lifted Hailey in his arms. When he turned to the go through the door, Kristen was watching from the bathroom entrance. Her eyes were bloodshot, proof of what Hailey saw.

They both tucked Hailey into bed, but before she went to sleep, she told them what happened. They’d learned from the FBI that the kidnapper’s real name was Matthew Newman. Hailey said that she met him at her school and not at her grandmother’s house. The man came often and told her he was her uncle. The day he took her, Hailey said he told her that Kristen asked him to get her because they were planning a surprise.

“We need to talk,” Ethan told Kristen after turning out the lights in Hailey’s room.

“I know,” she replied with a sigh.

They went downstairs where Ethan stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and stared into the fire. Many questions ran through his mind, but he needed to know where he stood with Kristen.

“I know you must be hurt, but you have to understand my side, Ethan,” she ventured, her voice soft.

“I just want to know one thing. You said Andrew drugged both of us, but you remembered. How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he gave you more. All I know is I knew it wasn’t Andrew in the bed, but it was too late… I…” she trailed off.

“Then why the hell were you so angry at me all this time? You made it seem as though I did something wrong.”

Kristen looked away. Even now, she refused to tell him the truth. But Ethan was not letting this go so easily. All the secrets needed to be out in the open.

“Damn it, Kristen, answer me. Why were you angry with me and not Andrew?’

“Of course, I was angry with Andrew, but you said you loved me that night and then you just left. Next time I saw you, you acted as though nothing happened.”

“I’m sorry, but I did not remember, not really. But how would…” he paused.

It then dawned on him that maybe Kristen was angry because she wanted it to be true. He needed to know. Ethan was about to ask her when the doorbell rang.

They both frowned, as they were not expecting anyone at that hour. Kristen went to answer, but Ethan stood only a few feet away in the next room – just in case.

“Can I help you?” he heard her ask.

“I have a delivery for Mrs. Kristen Broderick,” a man’s voice returned.

Ethan moved towards the door, curious about a delivery at eight in the evening. The man held out two business-sized envelopes and Kristen took them and then signed the delivery note.

“What are they?” Ethan asked as she closed the door.

With jerky movements, she opened one of the envelopes and extracted a sheet of paper. Her eyes widened as she scanned the document.

“It’s a lawsuit. You mother is suing me for the wrongful death of her son!”

Ethan snatched the document from Kristen’s grasp and scrutinized it while she opened the second envelope. Kristen’s gasp caused his head to snap up.

“She’s also suing me for negligence of her granddaughter. I can’t take this anymore,” she mumbled, staggering towards the sofa.

Helen was too much. Ethan knew he had to do something about his mother. He decided to take the simple approach and if that didn’t work, they’d take the hard road. Without saying anything, he picked up the car keys from the side table and stalked to the door.

“Where are you going?” Kristen asked, her voice was weak.

“I’m going to see my mother.”

*

Ethan rang the doorbell of his childhood home. Many memories assailed him as he stood waiting for the butler to answer the door. The last time he was there he said what he thought was his last goodbye, vowing never to return.

With his back to the door, he scanned the expansive front lawn with three bird fountains, a coy pond, and two angel sculptures. He recalled his last days at home as if they were yesterday.

“Master Ethan,” a familiar voice made him turn around. It was the butler he’d known since childhood.

“Anderson, you look well.”

The man beamed. “Thank you, and you sir, have grown up a lot.”

“Touché!”

“Will you come in? I’ll let your father know you are here.”

Anderson moved off, while Ethan hesitantly entered the drawing room. The place hadn’t changed since he was last there. Harold’s La-Z-Boy armchair was in the same spot beside the fireplace. His parent’s portrait hung over the mantle and beside that was an enlarged photo of his older brother Andrew.

“Ethan?” Harold exclaimed upon entering the room.

“Hello, Father.”

Harold approached, his eyes questioning. Their eyes met and for a while, they watched each other in awkward silence. Neither seemed to have anything to say to the other.

Ethan was first to speak, his voice hard. “Is Mother around?”

“She’s in her bedchamber. She spends most of her time there these days,” his father informed him, visibly relaxing. “May I ask what this is about? You look upset.”

“Don’t act innocent with me, Father. You know what Mom is up to and you just let her get away with it.”

“What are you talking about, Son?”

Ethan was losing his patience. “These lawsuits of hers. Hasn’t Kristen been through enough?”

Harold creased his brow. “What lawsuit? The custody case is closed as far as I recall.”

“You really don’t know what your wife has been up to, do you Father?”

“No, I swear. Your mother does what she wants. She’s even coming after me now.”

“Divorce?” Ethan was curious. He wouldn’t be surprised if his parents separated. They never seemed like a loving couple to him. His mother was always preoccupied with planning her charities when she was plotting some evil scheme. As for his father, he was always working.

“No, it’s a long story. We’ll talk about it some other time. Can we have lunch somewhere, away from here?”

Was this an olive branch or was his father playing dumb? Their conversation from ten years ago came back to him. He recalled his parents asking him to sign over his inheritance if he insisted on staying in the Navy against their wishes. He’d always had a feeling that his mother was behind it. However, his father allowing it to happen was just as painful.

“Yeah, we’ll have lunch. Now, I have to see Mother.”

“Go ahead,” replied Harold.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Ethan was knocking on his mother’s door within a minute.

Her face registered her surprise at seeing him. “Ethan?”

“Hello, Mother.”

She stepped aside and bade him entry. She invited him to take a seat on one of her armchairs but he chose to remain standing.

“What brings you here at this hour… wait, don’t answer that. I can tell you’re here on behalf of your wife,” she said, her tone dripping with contempt.

Ethan’s eyes blazed. “Cut it out, Mother!” His voice sharper than he intended. “What has Kristen done to deserve this hatred you have of her?”

“I don’t hate her,” she said easily. “I feel nothing towards the little witch.”

“Stop it, Mother… just stop.”

“She’s got you twisted around her little finger that you can’t even see straight,” she snapped. “Why are you here, Ethan?”

“Drop those ridiculous lawsuits you filed against her.”

“Not on your life.”

Ethan lowered his voice, “Why, Mother?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I understand perfectly, Mother. It’s all about your precious son, Andrew. Did you ever once care that you had another child?”

Helen gave him a frosty look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know very well what I mean. You never cared about me. It’s always been about Andrew. Well, newsflash, Mother, he was not as perfect as you’re making him out to be.”

Ethan strode to the door. Talking with Helen was getting nowhere. He was more upset now than when he arrived. His mother was not going to give in. He could see it in her eyes.

As his hand reached for the doorknob she stopped him. “Ethan, there’s one way I’ll drop the lawsuits.”

He whirled to face her, his heart thudding. He knew that she was about to bargain and he didn’t like the smirk she was wearing. That evil grin he knew well. She expected something and it was going to his soul.

“Come back home and I’ll never bother Kristen again.”