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Kate reached out for her daughter, trying to grasp her arms, but Claire wormed out of her grip.
“Claire, you need to let this go. He doesn’t want to see you.”
Claire rushed down the hallway, heading toward the elevators. “I don’t care,” Claire called back to her mother who now stood dumbfounded in the doorway. “I need closure.”
At the end of the stairwell, Claire shoved the door open with her shoulder and sprinted through the lobby. She continued running, as fast as she could, until she was standing on the sidewalk. Claire glanced from side to side as she stepped out into the road, holding her hands in the air to hail a cab. “Taxi!” she shouted. “Please, taxi!”
Claire was almost in the middle of the road before one finally stopped for her, screeching to a halt in front of her. She rushed around to the backseat and dove head-first into the car.
“Airport!” Claire told the driver. “Hurry!”
The driver put his foot to the floor, causing the back tires to slip and slide as the car sped away.
Claire buckled herself in. Finally, she was able to breathe. She’d escaped, though with a heavy heart, and was on her way to the airport, on her way to see Vince. She sniffed harshly, trying to stop herself from crying. Staring out the window, she stuffed her hands into her pockets. Once again, her fingers brushed against the cool plastic of the pregnancy test, reminding her of the life growing inside her body.
A hard, tight lump formed in her throat.
“Are you all right, kiddo?” the driver asked over his shoulder.
“I’m fine,” Claire stuttered.
Chapter thirty-seven
Something's missing
Petalsfloatedatopofthe water, some of them engulfed by bubbles. A thick, heavy scent of lavender filled the bathroom. Orange-yellow candle light flickered around the room, sending sparks of light shining up the white subway tiles on the walls.
The only thing Lorelei could hear was the sound of the water sloshing every time she moved. She tried to stay as still as possible as her eyes moved around the room, focusing on all the little details. She could barely remember any of it. The home felt familiar but she didn’t recognize anything. Vince had told her she’d designed the entire house and he’d built it for her.
Vince had tried to help her remember as best as he could. He’d shown her videos and pictures of their life together. They’d even stumbled upon a sex tape they’d made together, years ago. It made for awkward watching but Lorelei recognized her own body in the pixelated video. As much as she wanted to believe Vince’s story, she couldn’t. None of it added up. He refused to talk about how she’d been captured, even though it was clear he knew who had brought her there. He was hiding things about their past, about their marriage. It frustrated her. If she was going to remember their lives, she needed to be told the whole truth.
A dark thought lingered in the back of her mind: what if it was all too traumatic for her to hear?
Lorelei dug her heels into the smooth bottom of the bath and pulled her legs together, causing her body to sink lower into the steaming water. Her mouth was submerged, her breaths blowing out of her nose and against the surface of the water. She watched the rings grow with every breath, eventually breaking out into little droplets that skittered away.
The hours dragged. All she did was sit in their very expensive, modern house. Vince had stopped going to the office so he could stay home and protect her. She didn’t know what she needed protecting from, but it made her anxious. Being cooped up inside the house didn’t help. She wanted to take long walks through their neighborhood to try and jostle some memories but Vince denied her. He said it wouldn’t do any good.
Vince’s face felt unfamiliar to her. He’d told her that they’d been happily married for a decade but something told her that wasn’t exactly true. A voice in her head told her he was leaving something out, something important. Whenever she tried to bring it up, he dismissed her.
A soft knock came at the door, pulling Lorelei from her thoughts. She pushed on her feet, sending her back sliding up the bath until she could see over the edge of the tub. The door opened a crack and Vince’s face poked in.
“Hey, honey,” he said gently. “Dinner’s nearly ready.”
Lorelei nodded.
Vince lingered for a moment, watching her with a careful expression. “You okay?” he asked. “You’ve been in here a while.”
Lorelei nodded again. “Just trying to remember stuff.”
“Don’t force it,” Vince told her, opening the door a little more. “You remember what the doctor said, don’t you?”
Lorelei nodded.
“It’ll come,” he said with a small smile. “Just give it time.” He closed the bathroom door behind him.
Lorelei listened to the sounds of his footsteps thudding on the carpet then down the stairs. As Lorelei lay in the bath, motionless, she listened to the sound of her husband in the kitchen. Plates clattered together. Metal knives and forks clinked noisily.
Lorelei knew she couldn’t hide in the bath forever. The water was growing cold. The skin on her hands was becoming waterlogged.
