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Darren chugs his whiskey in one gulp, refusing to meet my eyes. So, this is how it’s going to be? She hinted once in the States she wants their custody, but Lucas and Leif put a stop to it. That’s why after press died down, I packed my bags and went home. I couldn’t trust them anymore. It was the last straw that reinforced my decision to go back to the UK.
“And you’re the stable one?” I arch my eyebrow and straighten my back. “How about this, Helen, I’ll ask the court to retrieve medical records, including your psychiatrist observations of your mental state.” I also have a few aces up my sleeve. I learned from my mistake back then.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“You’re wrong. If you make me fight for custody of my children, I will.” I pause, letting her take it in. “Besides, my records state I’m in control of my issues, but if I request to analyze your emotional state, they’ll find a different story.” Lucas and Leif will testify. I know they won’t stand for this.
My gaze turns to Darren, and he lowers his eyes to the ground, knowing precisely what I’m getting at. Helen isn’t coping well. She’s lashing out because it’s easier. We’re all waiting for her to accept his death, like most of us did.
“How dare you judge me? Look what you did to my son. You tore our family apart, and now you threaten us? Who the hell do you think you are?” She trembles, seething. “If you’d never met, my son would be alive.”
Her words reverberate through me, shaking the foundation I built, slipping past the shields. To stop emotions spilling out of my chest, I bite my wobbling lip, hard enough to break the skin. God, it hurts. A huge part of me even believes it.
No matter how hurtful her words are, how scared I am of her power to destroy me, I remind myself she’s grieving. It takes everything to talk to her with the kindness she’s not giving me.
“You’re right.”
Those eyes full of raw sorrow find mine.
“No one knew that at the end of it, Logan would lose his life.”
Her frame trembles, nostrils flare, but she listens.
“Logan chose to stay with the woman he barely knew. Because you both gave him everything the young child needed. He was drawn to do the same for his children, to build a family. He was the man you raised him to be, Helen. Let him keep his honor, forgive, and accept his choice.”
Helen collapses on the floor as a wail rips through her chest, piercing the air with her sorrow, resonating with mine.
25
Creek of Secrets
~Cassandra~
The glass of dark golden liquid pushed into my hands wakes me up from my mental stupor. Darren winces, looking at me until I realize why. My blouse is gaping open. I tighten it up and chug the drink into my mouth to numb the embarrassment. Gasping as it steals my breath and my eyes water.
“Good, isn’t it? This one is from the brewery in Brazil.” He helps himself to another one, but I shake my head as soon as he turns to fill mine. The silver fox who reminds me of his sons has lost weight. His face looks ashen, and his hands shake slightly as he drinks.
“She doesn’t hate you, not really, you know? Helen is . . .” He chokes and sets the glass on the coffee table as he sits down. His eyes rise to meet mine. The despair in their depths hits my chest, robbing it of my breath.
“You want to fight me for custody of my children. You collected evidence about how unfit a mother I am. And now, you look at me begging to understand you. You both have enough power to leave me broken and alone.”
I grab my bag and retrieve the envelope, slapping the documents on the coffee table next to him, feeling anger coming back with a vengeance. “Incriminating photos, text messages, therapy reports. You have everything ready to destroy me. Separate me from my children. And yet, here we are.”
“The court will never do it. Your reports also state that you’re stable and in control of your former issues. You've done an amazing job taking control of your life. Our grandkids are in great hands. I thought you should know that, Cassandra.” This doesn’t make sense.
“So why are you filing for custody then?” And when it hits me, my eyes get so big, and my words get stuck in my mouth.
Darren closes his eyes. His nostrils flare as he rubs his face. I finally see a man who’s in despair to help his wife by feeding her obsession for vengeance.
“She’s spiraling out of control. She doesn’t sleep or talk with anyone for days. I don’t know how to help her. All she thinks about is this ambition to save our grandkids from you,” he admits, staring at the family photo hanging on the wall behind my back. “I tried to keep you both apart as soon as I noticed how much she blames you. But it only gave her more time to brew her emotions in that anger and hate.”
“The therapy . . .”
He shakes his head, and I get silent, and the first tears slide down his cheek.
“She refuses to accept help. Helen is a stubborn woman, Cassandra. After these years of trying to keep the peace, I don’t know how anymore. Helen believes you’re going to ruin us. The thing is, I don’t know if she’s wrong.”
“I belong to this family, Darren. I’m part of it. My sister married your son, my children are your grandkids, and your sons love me as their sister. We’ll never be able to ignore this connection. You can’t erase me from this family. If you hurt me, you’ll hurt the rest of them. That’s how it works. I bleed, you bleed with me. Even if you make me the evil person in this story, you won’t be able to fix this family without me.”
