Forever Us (10 page)

Connor seemed to be more on edge lately and more irritable. He would go to the courthouse every day and then to the office. He was coming home later than normal because he was behind on work. I did as much as I could to try and take the stress off of him. Even though my studio wasn’t ready yet, I started painting and panic set in, as I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to finish.

It was ten o’clock in the evening,
and I had just put Julia to bed. As I sat down at my easel, I heard the elevator doors open.

“Hey, baby. I’m sorry I’m so late. I had a lot of work to do,” he slurred as he kissed me on the cheek and the stench of alcohol overtook my senses.

“Have you been drinking?” I asked.

“I had a couple drinks,” he said as he sat on the couch.

“At the office?”

“No, I stopped at the bar before I came home.”

He stretched out on the couch and put his arm over his eyes. I got up from my seat and walked over to him. “How did you get home?”

“I took a cab.”

I was furious with him for not telling me that he was stopping at the bar before coming home. I was also mad at the fact that he didn’t even come home to see Julia before she went to bed. This wasn’t like him, and something else was going on.

“You couldn’t come home to spend some time with Julia before she went to bed?” I asked with a raised voice.

He lifted his arm and looked at me. “Are you pissed off or something?”

“Yes, I’m pissed off, Connor. You didn’t tell me you were going to the bar after the office. I just assumed you were there working. Who did you go to the bar with?”

“I went with Paul. What’s the big deal? Fuck, Ellery, you’re pissing me off.”

“
I’m
pissing
you
off? You come home at ten o’clock at night, reeking of alcohol, and you expect me not to be upset? It would’ve been different if you would’ve called and told me.”

Connor got up from the couch and headed towards the stairs. “I don’t need to explain my whereabouts to you, Ellery.”

I stood there in shock as he walked up the stairs; this wasn’t my husband. I decided it was best to leave him alone and let him sleep it off, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was going on. Taking my phone from the table, I dialed Peyton.

“Hello, sexy mama. Henry and I are about to have sex, so I need to make it quick,” she answered.

“Why did you answer the phone, then?”

“Because it’s you, and what if it was important?”

“Connor came home drunk.”

“Really? That’s not like him.”

“I know. It’s this fucking trial and that bitch Ashlyn. I need to go and pay her a visit tomorrow and you’re coming with me. Remember; don’t say a word to Henry or anyone else.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow for the fitting.”

“Thanks, Peyton,” I said as I hung up.

Turning off all the lights, I walked upstairs and checked on Julia before heading to the bedroom. Stepping into the shower, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Connor said to me
, and it made me angry. The hot water streaming down my body felt good as I shampooed my hair. I didn’t want to wake up Connor, so I didn’t stay in the shower very long. As I stepped out, I was startled by him going to the bathroom.

“Jesus, Connor, you scared me.”

“Sorry. I just had to take a piss.”

I wrapped the towel around me and a
s I went to step into the bedroom, Connor grabbed my arm and pulled me into him.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry about tonight, and I’m sorry for what I said.”

“I know you are, Connor. You’re under a lot of pressure.”

“It’s no excuse, Ellery,” he said as he kissed me. “Please let me make love to you.”

I smiled at his drunken words, and I nodded my head as he removed the towel from me, picked me up, and carried me to our bed.

***

“So what are you going to say to her when you see her?”

“I don’t know. I tried a million conversations in my head,” I replied as we drove to the jail where Ashlyn was.

“What did you tell Connor you were doing today?” Peyton asked.

“I told him that you and I were going for another fitting and then going to do some cake tasting.”

I hated lying to him and it was killing me inside. But I didn’t have a choice. I needed to try and save my family and, most importantly, my husband. I parked the Range Rover and walked the distance from the parking lot to the building. The clerk sitting behind the glass window asked me the name of the prisoner I was visiting. Once I gave him Ashlyn’s name, he typed in the computer and then gave me a strange look.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but she was released from this facility a couple of weeks ago. She’s currently under house confinement.”

My skin started to get prickly, and suddenly, I didn’t feel well. The thought of that bitch out of jail made me sick to my stomach. As I looked at Peyton, her eyes widened.

“How the fuck did that bitch manage to get out of here?!” Peyton snapped.

“She must have one hell of a lawyer, because according to my records, she was granted bail.”

“Thank you,” I said to the clerk as I grabbed Peyton’s arms and hurried out of the building.

We walked back to the Range Rover, and all I thought about was if Connor knew this. But I knew there was no way he did because he would’ve told me. My husband would’ve told me something as crucial as that.

“Do you think Connor knew about this?” Peyton asked, as if she read my mind.

“No. There’s no way Connor knew.”

We climbed in
to the vehicle, and I put my forehead on the steering wheel.

“Now what, Elle?”

“Now, we go to Ashlyn’s apartment.”

I heard Peyton gasp when I said that. I didn’t care if it was wrong or not. I was going to see her one way or the other.

“Do you even know where she lives?”

“Of course I do. Remember, Connor was the one who bought her the damn apartment.”

We drove an hour back to the city and headed straight to Ashlyn’s apartment. I was furious that she was out on bail, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“FUCK!” I screamed. “How the hell did she get out on bail?
I yelled as we pulled into a parking space.”

“Calm down, Ellery.”

As Peyton and I took the elevator up to the floor that her apartment was on, my body was shaking with anger. The fact that she could burn down a building, admit it, then change her plea, and get out on bail was too much for me to handle. We stood in front of her door, and I gently knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened and Ashlyn stood there. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at me.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I want to talk to you,” I replied.

“Get the hell out of here!” she exclaimed as she tried to shut the door.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Peyton said as she threw her body against the door to stop it from shutting.

The two of them struggled while Ashlyn tried to shut the door and Peyton tried to keep it open.

“Please, Ashlyn. I just want to talk to you,” I pleaded.

Peyton managed to push the door all the way open and knock Ashlyn back a few steps. We walked inside and Peyton shut the door.

“You better make it quick or I’m calling the police,” she said.

My pulse was racing
, and my skin was on fire as I stood in front of the woman who was ruining my family.

“Why, Ashlyn? Just tell me why you want to ruin my family.”

As she looked at me, her eyes grew even darker. “You ruined my life.”

“How did
I
ruin your life?” I asked.

“You took the only person I ever loved away from me. You walked into his life, and he completely ignored me. He was the only person that ever paid attention to me.”

Standing there, I could see how unstable this woman really was.

“You burned down Connor’s building. You hired someone to destroy it. Now you have to suffer the consequences for your actions. Did you think you wouldn’t get caught?”

“I wouldn’t have gotten caught if that weasel wouldn’t have said anything.”

“Ashlyn, do you have any regrets about what you did?”

“No, I don’t. Connor hurt me deep down to the very core, just like he did my sister, and now I’m going to make him pay for what he’s done. I’m going to make sure he never hurts me again, even if I have to destroy you and his precious little baby.”

A fire burned through my body like never before and an anger I never knew I had emerged from deep within my soul. She threatened my daughter. To threaten me was one thing, but to threaten my child was another. She had just crossed a dangerous line. I felt like my body was out of control as I lunged at her and knocked her ass to the ground. I sat on top of her as I clutched her face with both my hands.

“Don’t you ever threaten my daughter. Do you understand me, you psychotic bitch?”

Ashlyn struggled and managed to break from my grip as she pushed me off of her.

“I’m going to fucking kill you, bitch! It’s something I should have done instead of burning down that building!” she screamed.

She came at me and grabbed my hair, knocking me down as I hit my forehead on the table. I heard Peyton scream as she tried to grab her. Suddenly, the door flew open and two men came running in. Connor grabbed me from behind and Denny grabbed Ashlyn and restrained her.

“Ellery, you’re bleeding,” Connor said as he wiped the blood from my head.

“She threatened Julia,” I said.

“What?!” Connor yelled as he looked at her.

Peyton went and got a cloth from the bathroom and handed it to Connor as he held it over my cut.

“You’re in big trouble,” Connor said as he applied pressure to the wound.

“How did you know I was here?” I asked.

“We aren’t talking about that now.”

“Believe me, we’re talking about it, Connor.”

Two police officers walked into Ashlyn’s apartment and took her from Denny.

One of the officers walked over and asked me what had happened.

“She just went crazy and came after me. She knocked me down, and I hit my head on the table,” I said innocently.

“Would you like to press charges for assault and battery, ma’am?”

“No, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Connor said.

I glared at him in disbelief at what he just said. “Yes, I do wan
t to press charges,” I said.

Suddenly, Ashlyn yelled. “She came after me first. It was self-defense!”

The officer looked at Peyton. “Were you a witness, miss?”

“Yes, I was, and that woman made a clear threat to kill her and then she came at her and pushed her into that table. I was so scared, I couldn’t move.”

As Ashlyn was screaming in her defense, the officer handcuffed her and escorted her out of the apartment. Denny looked at me and smiled as he walked over to me.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he took my hand.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Connor removed the cloth from my wound, and it was still bleeding. “You’re going to need stitches, Ellery,” he said as he shook his head. “I’m so angry with you right now.”

“Save it, Connor. I’m in no mood for a lecture.”

“Henry’s at the hospital. I just talked to him
, and he’s waiting for us. I’ll drive the Range Rover and meet you there,” Peyton said.

I looked at her and nodded my head as I asked, “Did you get it all?”

“I sure did.” She smiled as she held up the little device she had in her hand.

As Peyton walked out of the apartment, Connor and Denny helped me up.

“It seems to me I’ve done this with you before.” Denny smiled.

“What did Peyton get?” Connor asked as we walked out of the apartment.

“Evidence.” I smiled.

Connor helped me into the limo and then shut the door. He walked around and slid in next to me. The pain in my head was starting to get worse
, and I didn’t need him yelling at me.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Trying to save our family.”

“I told you to stay away from her and you disobeyed me. You know how unstable she is. She could have killed you, Ellery.”

“Connor, please stop yelling. My head really hurts,” I said as a tear sprang from my eye.

“Lay off, Connor. The two of you can talk about it later. The most important thing is that we get her head looked at,” Denny said.

Connor turned away and looked out the window. I reached for his hand, but he pulled away. The last time he was this mad at me was back in Michigan when he found out about the cancer. Denny pulled up to the emergency entrance, and Peyton was waiting for me with a wheelchair. I opened the door myself and started to get out. Connor came around and grabbed my arm. I jerked away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped as I sat down in the chair.

Peyton looked at him and then at me. She wheeled me to the registration desk and the nurse took me back into a room right away. She took the cloth from my head and looked at me.

“Dr. Henry can fix that up for you.” She smiled as she patted my hand.

After she walked out of the room, Connor stood at the side of the table. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he and Denny knew that I was at Ashlyn’s apartment. It was bothering me on a whole new level. As I was about to ask the dreaded question that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to, Henry strolled into the room. He stood in the entrance with a smirk on his face.

“Is this déjà vu?” he asked.

“Sort of feels like it, doesn’t it?” I replied.

While Henry stitched me up, he started to ask questions. “So, why were the two of you over at Ashlyn’s place, but most importantly, what was she doing there? I thought she was in jail.”

“Apparently, she posted bail and they let her out on house arrest,” Peyton said.

He put the final stitch in and kissed me on the head. “All fixed up, again.” He smiled.

Connor didn’t say a word. He just kept staring at me with a look of disappointment and anger. “Peyton, I’ll drive you home and Connor can take Ellery home in the Range Rover,” Denny said.

Great, I thought to myself. I didn’t want to be alone with him. I knew the biggest of arguments was coming, and I didn’t feel good or strong enough to fight with him. He extended his hand to me and helped me off the table. I turned and looked at Peyton.

“I want you and Henry to come over tonight for dinner.”

“NO, Ellery. You need to rest,” Connor said.

“Don’t worry about me. We have some things to discuss.”

“We’ll bring
dinner. So don’t worry about anything,” Peyton said as she walked over and hugged me.

Connor pulled the Range Rover up to the entrance and sa
t there. I thought he would’ve gotten out and opened the door, but he didn’t. He was being a complete asshole, and I didn’t appreciate it. My heart started beating faster when I climbed in and shut the door as he took off out of the hospital parking lot and drove us home.

***

The ride home was silent. He didn’t say a word and neither did I. I walked up the stairs and into our bedroom. Mason had texted me earlier, saying that he was at the park with Julia and they’d be back later. I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Connor to come and start yelling at me. He walked into the room and handed me a white pill and a glass of water.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he snapped.

“Before I say a word, you are to answer two questions.”

His angry eyes glared at me. “You are in no position to tell me what to do, Ellery.”

“Did you know that Ashlyn was out of jail?” I asked.

Connor ran his hands through his hair and took in a sharp breath as he turned away and walked across the room. “Yes, I fucking knew!”

As my body shook, I set the glass on the nightstand. “You knew and you didn’t tell me? You lied to me, Connor.”

“And you lied to me, Ellery!” he said with a raised voice. “I told you a hundred times that you were to stay away from her and you didn’t listen. That’s your problem: you never listen. You’re always going off and doing whatever the fuck you want to without any consideration for me or my feelings.”

“She’s going to destroy you, destroy us, and our family. I couldn’t sit back and let her do it.”

Connor became enraged as he stepped closer to me and pointed his finger in my face. “I told you that I wouldn’t let her do that, yet you didn’t believe me and had to take matters int
o your own hands. You could’ve been killed. She’s crazy like that!”

“How did you know I was there?” I asked as I got up from the bed.

Once again, he wouldn’t look at me and he turned around. “It doesn’t matter how I knew.”

“Were you having me followed?”

“No.”

Then suddenly, my mind kept going back to the times when he would randomly show up at the places where I was. I remembered when he showed up at FAO Schwarz and he knew exactly what floor I was on and what section Cassidy and I were in. I looked over at my phone, which was lying on the bed.

“You motherfucker! You were keeping tabs on me through my phone?! You were tracking me?!” I yelled.

The air was thick and he didn’t need to say anything, because his silence said it all. I closed my eyes as I felt dizzy
, and I needed to lay down on the bed.

“You had no right,” I whispered as a tear streamed down my face.

“You gave me no choice, Ellery. I knew you would do something like this,” he said calmly as he took a few steps closer to the bed.

“I want you to get out of this bedroom and leave me alone. My head hurts and I need some space.”

“I think we both need some space,” he said as he walked out and shut the bedroom door.