Hidden in Lies (26 page)

“Do it,” he grits out, clearly holding back his own release. His fingers dig into my hips and he keeps pumping into me. At his words, I’m thrust into oblivion as another orgasm rips through my body, completely shattering me. As I’m coming down, I feel Alex tense and stop moving as he comes inside me. His body collapses on mine as we lay there trying to regain our breaths and return to the here and now. “Wow,” he says.

“Wow is right.” My heart is still beating at an erratic rate and I know my body is going to be sore, but I’ve never felt better in my whole life. He kisses me gently up my neck, moving over to my cheek until his lips find mine. He ends it with a sweet kiss to the nose.

“I don’t mean to break up the moment, but what’s the plan?” he asks softly, bringing me back to reality.

I sigh. “I’m not sure.”

“If you want to leave, we better do it before Cal gets home,” he suggests.

“I know. I’ve got to pack a few things and go to the bank to get some cash. I don’t want him to track me with my debit cards.”

“If you want, I can run to the ATM and withdrawal some cash for you while you get a bag packed.” That sounds like a good idea, and it would save us time on getting the hell out of town. But then I realize a problem.

“You can only take out so much at an ATM and I’ll need more than that.”

“Okay . . .” he trails off, deep in thought. “What if you write me a check, I go to your bank, and cash it? Would that work?”

I kiss him hard on the mouth. “You’re a genius.”

He smiles down on me before saying, “I’ll go now. Be ready to go in twenty minutes. When I get back, we’ll leave.” He makes it sound so easy, but I’m terrified. I’ve gotten a small glimpse of the wrath of Cal, and I’m sure there’s much worse hiding behind his well-bred exterior.

“Okay.” We both hop out of bed, get dressed, and set about on our tasks. My hands shake as I haphazardly throw things into my bag. I’m doing this, I’m really doing it. I put the necklace he gave me on and tuck it under my shirt. Next, I pack the frame I gave him. Lastly, I write out a quick note from some stationery in the bedside table letting Cal know that I won’t be coming back.

About ten minutes later, I hear the front door open and close. That was quick. I run downstairs with my bag and note in hand to meet Alex, but it’s not Alex at the door. It’s Cal.

“Going somewhere, love?” he asks with his arms crossed over his chest while he blocks the front door. A smug expression sits firmly across his face.

My heart falls to the pit of my stomach and my blood turns to ice. I swallow hard, trying to keep calm, but my insides are panicking as a claustrophobic feeling starts to settle in.

Trapped.

That’s what I am. Somehow he found out I was leaving and caught me before I was able to make it. I’m so screwed.

I DON’T MOVE
or speak. I can’t. What am I going to do? How am I going to get out of this?

“I asked you a question, Elizabeth,” Cal says sternly. I wrack my brain for any excuse I can think of, but nothing sounds believable. “What’s this?” he asks, looking at the note in my hand. He moves toward it, snapping me out of my frozen state. I try to pull back to keep him from grabbing the note, but I’m not quick enough. “Nice try.” He looks at me with disgust before turning his attention to the note.

He clears his throat before reading it. “’Cal, I haven’t been happy in our marriage for quite some time. It’s time I move on. Elizabeth.’” He looks at me over the top of the piece of paper. “I must say, I would’ve expected something much more eloquent from you.” I nervously shift my weight from one foot to the next waiting for his next move. “Let’s have a seat and talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m leaving and you can’t stop me.”

He lets out a low chuckle. “We’ll see about that. Join me in the living room. I think you’ll change your mind once you’ve heard me out.” He holds his hand out for me to enter the living room. I look at my watch noticing that it’s been about twenty minutes now, so I do as I’m told knowing Alex will be showing up at any moment. “I always like when you do what you’re told.” My fists ball up at my sides at his condescending comment.

Prick.

Once we’re seated, he speaks. “Now, tell me what makes you unhappy.”

He can’t be serious. Staring at him blankly, I think of how exactly to word it. There are so many things, but I’ll be here all day if I list them all. I just need to keep talking until it’s time for me to leave. “Everything. You don’t treat me as your equal, you never have. You blatantly cheat on me and show no remorse. You have beaten me down physically and emotionally. You don’t show me any love, compassion, friendship, or—”

“I get it, you hate me,” he cuts me off while holding up his hand to halt my laundry list of reasons he makes me miserable. “That’s fine, but you’re not leaving me.”

I nod several times. “Yes, I am. There’s nothing making me stay, Cal.”

“Oh, that’s right. Your mother went into remission so now you don’t need me.” I look at him in shock that he knows. I just found out this morning. “Don’t look so surprised, Elizabeth. I keep tabs on
everything
in your life.” The way he emphasizes everything has me worried. Does he know about Alex? How could he? We just made love not even an hour ago. “It doesn’t matter though, because I forbid you to go anywhere.”

I laugh out loud. He is delusional if he thinks he can keep me here. “That’s absurd. You forbid me? Alex is coming to get me any minute now and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Cal winces, sucking in air between his teeth. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Alex isn’t coming back for you.”

A prickling feeling travels slowly down my spine as fear starts to take over. “W-what do you mean?”

“Let me ask you something: did you know this house was wired with hidden cameras? That I can see your every move, even when I’m not home? That your little tryst on the kitchen island wasn’t as private as you thought it was. Did you find the button I dug out of the trash on the counter waiting for you?” My head begins to spin and I feel lightheaded. “What if I told you I saw him fuck you right before I came home? Nice show, by the way. I’ve never heard you scream like that. It actually made my dick hard.”

Bile rises up to the back of my throat and I have to work to swallow it down. “What did you do to him?” I whisper and then close my eyes afraid of the answer.

“Let’s make a call and see where he’s at, shall we?” Cal pulls out his phone and taps on the screen a few times before bringing it to his ear. My heart is going to beat right out of my chest with the panic that’s rising within me.

Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay. I’ll stay with Cal, just let him be okay.

It’s a mantra I repeat over and over. If something happens to Alex, I don’t know what I’ll do.

“Hey, it’s me,” Cal says into the phone. “Do you have him?” He pauses again. “Great. I’m going to put her on speaker, just give me a second.” Cal pulls the phone away from his ear and thrusts it at me. “Say hello to Alex,
sweetheart.
” He says Alex’s pet name for me with nothing but pure hate, tainting the word.

“Alex?” I croak out. My throat is so tight with emotion it feels like someone is choking the life out of me.

“Elizabeth, are you alright?” I hear the pain in his voice and I want to die for the harm I’ve caused him. I had no idea the kind of man I was marrying when I got involved with Cal.

“I’m fine. Where are you?” The phone is yanked away from me.

“Uh, uh, uh, that’s enough talking.” He holds the phone to his mouth and says, “Say good-bye, Alex.” My mouth parts to let out a scream, but nothing comes out. All I hear is Alex shouting ‘no’ a few times before a huge bang goes off. The noise startles me, making me jump. Tears fill my eyes and I shake my head slowly as I stare at the phone in Cal’s hand.

“No,” I whisper. “No, no, no! You son of a bitch!” I jump up and lung at Cal in a fit of rage. His arms wrap around me, but I continue to beat on his chest with everything I have as I scream at him. After a few hits, he has my arms down by my side, easily restraining me.

“You better remember who I am and that wiping your pathetic existence from this planet will be just as easy. Don’t fuck with me or I might go after someone else who’s important to you. Say, your mother maybe.” With each second that passes, the fact that I’ll never see Alex again settles deep inside me. My knees give out and Cal lets me crumble to the floor. My body shakes violently as sobs consume my body.

“They’ll—they’ll find y-you and—and arrest you for th-this,” I say as I start to hyperventilate. My limbs are growing numb as is my heart.

Cal lets out a demonic chuckle that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “You really are naive, aren’t you? Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. This will never get traced back to me. Trust me on that. Now, pull yourself together, unpack your bags and make yourself comfortable. You’re stuck with me for a very, very long time.” He pats me on the head like a dog and leaves. Unable to stop hyperventilating, I begin to gag and dry heave. I try to stand up to rush to the bathroom, but every ounce of strength has been sucked from my body and I fall back to the ground. My hands brace themselves on the floor as I start to expel the contents of my stomach until it’s as empty as my heart. I’ve never felt a pain run so deep that it hurts my soul.

Broken.

That’s what I am. Before, there were chunks of me held loosely together knowing there was a purpose behind my actions, behind staying with Cal. Now, I’m completely shattered, destroyed. Alex’s death will be something I’ll never get over. The wounds to my heart run too deep to ever be mended.

When there are no more tears and nothing left in my stomach, I sit in a catatonic state for God knows how long. My eyes aren’t focused on anything in particular as I stare straight ahead. I feel absolutely nothing, the pain so excruciating that my entire body has shut down to ensure that it keeps functioning. I’ll forever be trapped in this hell. Some people get their happily ever after, and I had mine within my grasp. But this isn’t a fucking fairy tale. My only source of happiness has been taken from me and I will never get to see, touch, smell, or feel him again. My biggest regret? I never told him I loved him. Because I do. With every cell in my body I love that man. I will live out the rest of my days in a numb stupor. I’ll play my part like I normally do, but I welcome death, where I will be reunited with the one man to make me feel alive.

Alex, I love you.

Forever.

Alex

WHEN I TOOK
this assignment as an undercover detective, there are two things I never expected to happen: I’d fall for the wife of the guy I’m supposed to take down, and that my cover would be blown.

I should’ve just done my fucking job and put my feelings for Elizabeth to the side. At first, I tried. I fucking tried staying away and keeping things professional knowing my reason for being there was to gather as much evidence against Cal as I could. I lost focus being around her, and it’s about to cost me everything.

But my biggest regret?

I won’t be there to save her.

Elizabeth’s beautiful face is the last thing I see as I look down the barrel of a pistol.