338 P.M. — Wednesday, September 12 #2
If only he had jumped one second later. Or two feet to the left. Even two inches and Travis would probably be alive right now. But that’s not what happened. And now his awful bitch of a wife was still alive, and he knew she’d be trying to pin attempted murder on him.
He hadn’t been interviewed yet and he hadn’t been given his one phone call, although maybe that wasn’t a thing here.
If he was allowed to call someone, who should it be?
Quinn or Xavier, so he could cry and beg them to believe him that it was an accident?
Antonia, so he could tell her that the heat and the pressure and the lack of sleep and all the drinking that week had created the perfect storm?
I was completely out of my mind, babe. Seriously.
I was in a dissociative state. I don’t remember a thing after I got in the water.
Only that I was distraught. Overcome with fear and grief because I was about to lose you and the kids and everything we built.
Oh, who was he kidding? She wasn’t going to buy any of that.
Because none of it was true.
8:37 P.M.
MERCY
As soon as Mercy had settled herself into her seat, Diana, the flight attendant, tucked a blanket around Mercy’s shoulders.
Diana was roughly Mercy’s age and had always been a source of comfort to Mercy—not only professional and competent, but always quick with a smile, and fully capable of charming Travis into a better mood when needed.
“Can I get you anything before takeoff, Mrs. Bishop?”
“No, I just need to get home,” she answered, her stomach churning. The police had said they’d do what they could to keep everything under wraps, but they also told her they had no control over the coast guard or yacht staff, so there was a chance the story might get leaked.
Diana turned to the only other passenger on the flight, Antonia, who was sitting on one of the leather chairs across from Mercy, staring out the window. “How about you, Dr. Dawson?”
“Maybe a blanket as well when you have a chance. I’m a little cold.”
Mercy suddenly realized that they didn’t have to leave the temperature at the cool sixty-seven degrees that her husband preferred anymore. “Wait, Diana, please turn up the heat. We’ll keep it at seventy-one from now on.”
Diana offered her a hint of a proud smile. “Of course.”
As soon as she left, Mercy reached out and put her hand on Antonia’s knee. “How are you holding up?”
Her face crumpled, then she took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you’re asking me how I am right now.” She lifted her hand to her head and sighed. “I’m actually amazed you’re giving me a ride.” Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, “After what my husband did.”
“It’s not your fault. You’re as much a victim as anyone. In fact, I think what you’re going through is easily as bad. Besides, we’re two moms trying to rush home to hold our babies before the world finds out.”
Antonia nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “My babies are both taller than me now, but thank you.” She sniffed again. “I’m going to have to call my daughter with the news. She lives in France. It’s going to break her heart.”
Antonia’s mind wandered to her children.
This was going to tear them apart. She would do what she could as a mother and a therapist, but this would be the kind of damage that would leave a permanent scar.
Her mind wandered to Ted, who was probably sitting in a cell, as shell-shocked as she was.
The only difference was he was the one responsible for this mess.
Mercy spoke up again. “I feel a little bad leaving Charlotte there, but then again, after what she was doing, I kind of think she deserves a few days of suffering.”
Antonia let out a small chuckle, then thought of her alone in the police station in a foreign country, probably still being questioned.
“Same, but as angry as I am, part of me feels oddly protective of her—she could have easily deleted that video, which would have meant Ted would likely have been cleared of any wrongdoing.”
“Do you think maybe she helped Ted plan it, then changed her mind when it all went bad?”
“No. My guess is he…just did it. Without really thinking it through. I told him I knew about him and Charlotte just after the poker game. He could see the writing on the wall—he was about to lose everything—and I don’t think he could face it.”
“So he just thought, ‘I know, I’ll off my wife. That’ll fix everything.’” Regret filled Mercy’s face. “Sorry. That was insensitive.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like either of us have been in this situation before.”
“Thanks.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to wrap my head around it,” Antonia said with a deep sigh. “I don’t know if it was out of a sense of desperation or fury that he got caught cheating or if it was just pure cowardice.”
“Maybe it was all three,” Mercy answered. “I can’t believe women are called the weaker sex.”
Antonia gave her a wry look. “Only by the most mediocre of men.”
They sat quietly through takeoff, Antonia completely lost in her thoughts.
What words she would use to break the news to the kids.
What she would tell the staff. The affair would become public knowledge.
There was no way around that now. It would be a key feature in Ted’s trial.
And everyone in the world would know she was a total fool.
Some would laugh. Some would pity her. Most would be disgusted by him, which, for a man like Ted, was worse than a death sentence.
Diana brought them each a tray of tea and chocolate chip cookies. “I thought you might need a little something to keep your strength up.”
Antonia thanked her, then selected one of the warm cookies. Her first bite tasted like home. Like comfort. Which was exactly what she needed.
“Antonia…can I tell you something?” Mercy asked when they were alone again.
“Sure.”
“I…I’m so ashamed of myself.” Her eyes filled with tears.
It took her all of two seconds to realize why. “Because part of you is relieved?”
She nodded, letting the tears escape.
“Oh sweetie, of course you would feel some relief. You were trapped in a one-sided, abusive relationship, and your children have been victims of him too. Relief is nothing to be ashamed of, especially not in your case.”
Mercy smiled through her tears. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
They each had a sip of tea, then Mercy looked at her. “He had a good side too.”
“I know he did.”
“It’s true. There were a lot of moments over the years, when it was just the two of us and he’d let his guard down. And he could be funny and thoughtful and kind, and I would think, if only he could be like this all the time,” Mercy said. “But he could also be…”
“I know. Humans are complicated.”
Antonia’s phone rang and she saw Quinn’s name across the screen. Her stomach dropped. “It’s my daughter.”
Mercy put her hand to her lips.
“Quinn? Hi, sweetie.”
“Mom,” her daughter’s voice cracked, and Antonia knew. She nodded at Mercy, who gasped, then got up and went quickly to the back of the plane with her phone in hand.
“I’m here, Quinn. Did you hear something about Dad?”
She let out a sob, and in Antonia’s mind, she could picture her at six years old. “It was on TMZ just now, and it’s all over my phone. All my friends are texting me. He couldn’t have done what they’re saying he did, right? That’s some sort of fake video.”
“I’m sorry, Quinn. It’s real,” she answered, her own voice wobbly.
“Oh, Mom!” She started to sob uncontrollably, and Antonia wished with everything in her she could be there to hold her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m just fine, sweetheart.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise. Your dad is in a lot of trouble, and it’s going to take us all a long time to make our way through this, but we can do it. We will do it.”
Her daughter cried some more, then finally said something else. “I want to come home. This just hurts so, so much and I need to see you with my own eyes and hug you and cry with you.”
“I need that too. Why don’t I find you a flight home as soon as possible?”
“It’s okay. I’ll figure it out. You’ve got enough to deal with right now. Does Xavier know?”
“If he doesn’t, I’m assuming he’ll find out as soon as he wakes up.”
“Call him, Mom. Right now. Wake him up.” she said. “Don’t let him find out the way I did.”
“I will, sweetie, but I want to make sure you’ll be all right first.”
“I won’t, but I’ll see you really soon.”
“Okay, my girl. I love you so much, Quinn. We’re going to be all right. It’ll take time, but we’ll be okay.”
“I hope so.”
“I know it.”
They said a few more tearful goodbyes and I love yous, then Antonia hung up. Taking a deep breath, she dialed her son’s number, preparing herself to break his heart.