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He met my eyes straight on.
“Your mother.”
39
ELENA
Iblinked my eyes open slowly, glancing over at my phone. Nine twenty. I’d been asleep for just over three hours, and I was surprised that I’d even managed that after tossing and turning all night, my mind replaying all the revelations from my uncle.
My gaze caught on the notebook lying next to my phone. I’d written everything down on the train on the way home while it was still fresh in my mind, not wanting to miss any details when I spoke to the Ashcrofts. I wanted to speak to Knox first so I didn’t blindside him with the news in front of his parents, and then, I’d face Anthony and Maria.
That would all come later, though. For now, I needed a shower and breakfast—sustenance to prepare me for what was going to be a very difficult day. Perhaps the most difficult day of my life, in a way.
When I’d showered and dressed in a soft pair of joggers and a hoodie from my old life, I glanced around my bedroom. I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to take anything with me when I left, other than the few possessions I’d brought with me at the beginning. I was fully committed to this path, and that meant wiping the slate as clean as I could.
Logging into my bank account, I checked my balance for the final time. After visiting my uncle, I’d gone to the bank and withdrawn enough from my savings to cover the cost of a new Balenciaga bag—the same one that Maria Ashcroft had given me that I’d sold. It left me with very little in the way of savings from my job at the country club, but it was enough to get me away from here. I’d worry about the future afterwards. I’d survived a year of living in a block of flats crawling with the underbelly of society that people liked to pretend didn’t exist, and I’d learned that I was stronger than I thought. I’d had to be. My mother had been incapable of doing anything, lost as she was in her grief. It made even more sense now, knowing what I knew—she’d lost her sister and no doubt felt guilt for the affair, and she’d lost the man that she was in love with, sentenced to a life behind bars.
When that was done, I navigated to my phone’s settings, did a factory reset, and powered it off for the final time. It was another thing that had been given to me by the Ashcrofts, and therefore, it wouldn’t be coming with me. I’d purchased a basic pay-as-you-go phone yesterday with the remainder of the money I’d withdrawn, which was currently tucked into the side pocket of my duffel bag, and that would do me for now.
Tucking the cash I’d withdrawn into an envelope, I glanced around the room for a moment before deciding to place it in the top drawer, along with the phone. They’d find it after I was gone. Then I straightened up my room, threw my meagre possessions into my bag, and left it next to the bed, ready for tonight. A lump came into my throat as I saw the pile of driving books stacked next to my bed. Books that I wouldn’t need now.
I was loading my breakfast plate in the dishwasher when someone cleared their throat behind me.
“Elena. Are you busy?”
I turned to see Anthony propped against the kitchen island, a glass of orange juice in his hand. When did he get here? I hadn’t even noticed him come in.
“Um, no. I’m not busy.”
“Good. Come with me.” He spun on his heel and began heading for the door without waiting for a response from me. I closed the dishwasher and followed him through the house to the side door that led to the garage. When we reached it, he gave me a smile. “Knox asked if I could take you out for some additional driving practice. I have an hour or so until I need to meet Maria and JoJo at the club, so I thought we could drive around for a bit, and then you can join us for brunch. I expect Knox will come, too, if I tell him you’re going to be there.”
No. I couldn’t do this. Couldn’t face them all and pretend that everything was okay when I knew I had to face them this evening. And I definitely couldn’t face Knox while I was feeling so fragile. Not only that—I had so much to do today. Now I’d committed to telling the truth with the knowledge that it meant cutting all ties with the town of Nottswood, I had to make sure I tied up every loose end. I had to draft a letter of resignation for my employers at the club. Write letters to Katy and Will to say how sorry I was to be letting them down so close to the end of our music project, which was due at the end of the month. Aria too—we were friends now, and she deserved a proper goodbye. Most importantly, I needed to write a letter to the Ashcrofts to reiterate how sorry I was and another separate one to Knox. After that…I’d book a cab to take me away.
“Thank you for the offer, but—”
“No buts. I won’t accept no for an answer, and it would be in your best interest if you agreed rather than trying to argue with a law professional.” He gave me a tiny wink.
How could I get out of this? “Well, um, would it be okay if we did the driving and then I came back here? I’ve already eaten this morning, and I have quite a lot to do today.”
“It’s a deal,” he agreed easily, grabbing the keys for the Nissan Juke and tossing them to me. Too easily, in my opinion. “Knox will be disappointed, though.”
He really wouldn’t, not after he’d heard what I had to tell him.
Nothing happened when I hit the button to unlock the doors. Frowning, I used the key to manually unlock the driver’s side, but before I got in, I experimentally pressed the button to start the engine.
“What’s wrong?” Anthony joined me, peering into the car and trying the same thing I had. His gaze flicked lower. “I forgot why we got Knox a different car until now. This kept happening for him too. The battery must be flat. I’ll call our mechanic, get it swapped out.”
A sense of relief filled me that I didn’t have to do this after all until he said, “We’ll take my car instead.”
“What?” My voice came out as a horrified squeak.No waywas he saying that I should drive his Lamborghini.
Waving away my concerns, he tugged the magnetic L plates from the Nissan and then began walking across the cavernous garage to where his hulking black beast of an SUV was waiting in the shadows. “You’ll be fine. You’re at test standard already. We’ll take it nice and slow, and I’ll be here to talk you through everything.”
“I can’t drive that!”
“Of course you can. It’s all in your mind.” Tapping the side of his head, he gave me a reassuring smile. “Mind over matter. You can do this. Come on, we’re wasting time.”
Oh, fuck. I really wasn’t going to be able to get out of this, was I?
