48. Veronica
CHAPTER 48
Veronica
It’s been a few days since the wedding, and I haven’t seen Leo. I’m pretty sure he is still angry with me and avoiding me. With that being said, I’ve been sleeping in my apartment by myself.
My bed isn’t as comfortable as I remember it being. Compared to Leo’s mattress, this one is shit. Or maybe I just became too content with his bed.
The hotel bed that I slept in after the wedding, also alone, wasn’t too bad either. However, with how exhausted I was after what Leo put me through, I only slept for an hour.
Thoughts were taking over my mind as I lay in the dark and stared at the ceiling. It was smooth with no cracks. I couldn’t find anything on the surface to focus on or tame those thoughts as I could back at the asylum.
Instead, I let my brain take over control and ruin my sleep. The night played on a loop in my mind. Everything went well until I saw my sister.
I’ll never forget the fear that coursed through me at the sight of her. I thought it was bad enough that I ran into her at the shop and she approached me, but seeing her at Chloe’s wedding?
I still have no idea why she was even there. Leo said Stephanie knew who I was when she saw me at the shop. Does that mean she followed me and snuck into the wedding?
Honestly, it doesn’t matter how it happened. What matters is that she was there, and she knew that I was back in Seattle. It’s like the day we saw Edith on the sidewalk.
Since seeing my sister, I have been afraid the police would be knocking at my door. Or that my sister somehow found out where I lived and would to pay me a visit.
Thankfully, neither of those happened.
I put my ear against Leo’s door whenever I left my apartment, but it was always quiet inside. He probably left before I even woke up. And today is no different. I desperately needed fresh air, and the window. I kept open in my living room wasn’t cutting it anymore.
With my ear against his door again, I am met with silence. I huff out a breath of frustration and straighten. I guess whenever he stops being mad, he will come to me.
I hope.
I’ve never seen him that angry before. Sure, he was mad when I planted that knife on Aiden without telling him. And he did get upset about Slater. Even when his whole agenda was getting revenge on me, he was angry, but the night of the wedding was… different.
As I step outside, the cool air clears my head of the thoughts running wild. I tug my coat tighter around me while I head downtown. There is a bookshop I want to visit, and I am dying for another book to read. It seems like that hobby I took up in the asylum stuck with me when I got out. Usually, I would drive the beat-up car I own, but I think a walk would be good for me.
Ten minutes later, I am browsing the aisles of the quiet bookstore. The lights are dim, and the shelves are old and deep brown. A speaker somewhere up front plays faint classical music, but the further I go toward the back of the store, the less I hear it. This shop has always been a calm space, and the cozy vibes always quiet my mind.
While strolling down the aisle, I realize I’m not alone. A woman stands at the far end with her back to me. Her head is down as she, I assume, reads the back of a book. I turn my body toward the bookshelf and scan the spines, hoping one will stand out.
Shuffling sounds come from the back, and when I glance, I see that she is setting the object down and picking up another. Where she stands is a dead end, meaning she will have to pass by me in the narrow aisle way.
Returning to the books, I hear the woman turn on her feet and see her face from the corner of my eye. I completely lose focus on the book as she is about to go around me. Once she passes behind, I whip my head in her direction.
“Eliza?”
She stops walking and slowly turns around to face me. “Uhm, hi.”
“You’re out,” the statement comes out just above a whisper.
“I’m sorry?” Eliza tucks a box against her side, and my eyes follow. A puzzle. Seeing it makes me smile as I remember when we sat in the common room working on them. “Do I know you?”
Do I tell her who I am? Or do I act like she looks familiar and let her leave? Because of how often she tried to befriend me at Black Lake, Eliza may be the only person who was actually happy to see me.
I chew on my bottom lip as I contemplate, but then I decide to tell her. If my sister, of all people, knows that I am out, then why can’t Eliza? Between her and Stephanie, Eliza is the one who would be less likely to snitch on me.
With my eyes still on the puzzle, I gesture towards it. “I haven’t done one of those since you forced me to work on them with you.”
Slowly, I lift my eyes to hers. Her dark skin glows like usual, even with the warm lighting. However, her two different-colored eyes look darker under these dim lights. They seem confused but then pop open when she realizes.
“Veronica?” she asks warily.
“The one and only.” I smirk.
“They never caught you?” she whispers in disbelief.
“Nope,” I say. “Why? Did the asylum say they did?”
Her head bobs side to side. “Kind of, but not really. I think Dr. Bennett was helping the police track you down. The police thought they had a lead on you.”
I crunch my eyebrows together. “Then why did you think they caught me?”
“That’s what Dr. Bennett told us. But now, seeing you, I think he said it so the girls would stop talking about you.” She gives me a sad smile. “He was so angry that you ran; he didn’t want to hear the others say your name.”
Of course, he was angry with me—probably still is, seeing as he told that lady in the park that they were still looking for me. It reminds me that he told her they might have an idea where I was.
Given that it’s been a few months since that happened, I’m going to say Dr. Bennett told the woman this to calm her down.
They never knew where I was.
The knowledge that the police and Henry haven’t come close to finding me makes me feel proud.
“It wasn’t confirmed since Dr. Bennett wouldn’t tell us what happened, but there was a rumor that Dr. Madden ran with you. That there was something between the two of you.” Eliza shifts on her feet. “When he never had another session with Ruby and wasn’t seen around the asylum, everyone thought the rumor to be true.”
I could lie to her and say that my running had nothing to do with Leo, but knowing that the girls at the asylum were talking about Leo and me being a thing makes my ego soar.
“He did run with me.”
Her jaw drops. “The rumors were true? You two had a thing?”
I nod. “Yup.”
“So, you two have been together since you ran?”
“Yes,” I lie. If she didn’t know he spent the last three years in prison, then there is no need to tell her now.
“Wow!” she says in awe. “You look so different! I didn’t recognize you!”
“That’s the point. I had to change myself so they wouldn’t find me.” I don’t want to talk about me anymore, so I change the subject. “How did you get out? I know you didn’t run.”
She lets out a quiet laugh. “No, I didn’t run. They finally got my medicine right, and it muted the voices in my head. Once I showed progress, they let me go home.”
“That’s good.”
“I guess. I was happy to be out, but I… I didn’t know anyone other than my mother. Since she is dead, it’s just me.” A mournful expression takes over her face. “The past year has been a rough adjustment, but I’m getting there. And now that I know you are in Seattle, maybe we could do lunch sometime?”
I fight the smirk that wants to appear on my face. Although the voices are gone, she is still the same old Eliza. But this time, I don’t mind that she wants to be friends. Having a friendship with Chloe, even if it started off fake, taught me that letting others in is okay.
“Lunch sounds great.” I hand her my phone.
She taps away, entering her number, and then gives it back. “Oh, and Veronica?—”
“It’s Camille now,” I interrupt her.
“Okay.” She nods. “You don’t have to worry about me telling anyone. I won’t send you back to that place.”
“Thank you,” I say with sincerity.
“Text me whenever you want to grab lunch! I’ve gotta get going.” She gives me one last smile before heading towards the register.
I stand in the same spot for a moment, feeling good about my decision to tell her. But then my phone dings and pulls me out of my head. Taking it out of my purse, I see it’s a text from Leo.
Be ready by eight.
For what?
My body thrums with nerves as I watch the bubbles pop up, showing me he is typing.
I’m taking you on a date.
The nerves wash away as I read the word “date.” This day seems to be turning around for the better. Eliza was happy to see me, and now Leo is not angry with me anymore. I smile as I type a response.
I’ll be ready.
Good girl. Wear something comfortable and don’t put your contacts in.
Heat rises to my cheeks at his praise, and the warmth travels to my stomach. Sliding my phone back into my purse, I continue to shop for books with a huge smile plastered on my face.
Surprisingly, I ended up buying three books and a puzzle. Seeing Eliza put me in the mood to try one on my own.
For the last couple of hours, I started reading a book, and when my eyes couldn’t take anymore, I struggled with this puzzle. I spread all the pieces on my coffee table, grabbed a glass of wine, and got to work.
The amount of pieces I have put together is laughable. I thought I had chosen an easy picture, but I hadn’t realized I picked up a puzzle of 1,000 pieces. My mind was so high on the thought of this date tonight that I even thought of checking the number of pieces in the puzzle box.
When I saw that number printed on the cardboard when I got home, I got out my wine and poured myself a nice glass because I was going to need it.
Sighing with frustration, I drink the last of my wine and check the time on my phone. Shit. I only have thirty minutes to get ready.
Thankfully, Leo had said to dress comfortably so I don’t have to get all dolled up. No makeup. I don’t have to worry about my hair. Okay, maybe I’ll worry about it a little bit. I still want to look nice for him.
Plugging in my curling iron, I let it heat up as I search for an outfit. I have a pair of loose-fitting jeans that will work. Sliding those on, I choose a cute but comfortable crewneck I bought while shopping with Chloe. It was a bit pricey, and I didn’t want to spend the money on it, but she told me it was okay to splurge on myself occasionally.
When I’m dressed, I head to the bathroom to curl my hair. I leave the strands loose, not wanting to take the extra time to make it look like my natural hair. As the mascara swipes through my lashes, there is a knock on my door. I pause my movement and back away from the mirror.
“Come in!” I shout loud enough for Leo to hear me.
The door opens, and I return to applying the mascara. Leo appears in the doorway as I finish up and uncap the lid of my nude lipstick. I keep my eyes on him only for a second before I focus on applying the lipstick. As I do, I can feel him watching me. His eyes follow my hand as I trace over my lips.
After rolling them together, I grab the tube and replace the lid with a pop. “Are you still mad at me?”
“Yes,” he answers, stepping into the bathroom until he is standing behind me. “But not as angry. I also feel bad about how things went down in the hotel room. I shouldn’t have left like that.”
My eyes drop to the golden lipstick tube in my hands. I twist the cap and watch it go round and round.
“You don’t have to apologize. I think your leaving was for the best.”
“Why is that?”
“With how angry you were, I don’t think anything good could have come from it.” I lift my eyes to meet his again. They are soft, and I’ve missed that look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Leo’s hands meet my waist. “I just—you can’t keep things from me, Veronica. We talked about this.”
“I know. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
He kisses the top of my head. A soft smile appears on his face. “Was that a puzzle on your coffee table?
I nod, and Eliza enters my mind. I was going to tell Leo about my run-in with her at some point. But I guess keeping it hidden for another second would be wrong because if I don’t tell him and then he finds out another way, he would be pissed all over again.
“I went to the bookshop today. I needed something new to read.” I lick my lips and inhale deeply. “Eliza was there.”
His body stiffens against mine. “Did you talk to her?”
“Yes,” I respond quietly, afraid the one word would set off a bomb in him. “I wasn’t going to. It just kind of happened. After you and my sister not being happy to see me, I thought?—”
“That Eliza would be.” He sighs. “She always liked you, but Veronica, that was a risk.”
“I know, but she promised she wouldn’t turn me in.” I spin my body to look up at Leo. “I believe her.”
His eyes dance between mine, but he doesn’t say anything more about it, only nods. “We should get going.”
“Where are we going?”
“Seeing how you don’t like surprises, I suppose I could tell you.” Leaning forward, he places a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I’m taking you somewhere my mother took me when I was a child.” I look at him with confusion. “Have you ever been stargazing?”
My head shakes in response.
“Then I’d be happy to be the first person you stargaze with. I packed us some food, wine, and a few blankets.”
“A picnic under the stars?” I grin.
“Exactly.” He kisses me once more and then releases his hold on me. “It’s a bit of a drive, so we should get going.”