Chapter 34 Cassie #2
“Please! I–I want to hold on to every possible memory of him.”
She sighs. “I guess there’s no harm in it, now that the investigation is over.
” She clears her throat and then I hear the shuffling of paper.
“This is what the transcript says: ‘Olivier, it’s me. I miss you. Please, I want to know if you’re okay.
Give me a sign. Anything. I love you. I always will.
I’m sorry about what happened, all of it.
Forget everything else. I just want to be with you. ’”
This wasn’t me. I didn’t say any of this. And if it was from my phone…
Detective Jackson lets out a sigh. “Let me reiterate, once again, how truly sorry I am for your loss.”
“Um, okay, thank you. So, this is it? You won’t be… I mean, it’s over?”
“Not quite. You said you had some news?”
“What?”
“Before, you wanted to bring up something?”
The edges of the hotel key card feel rough against my palm. I make a split decision. “No, I–I guess I’m just tired. I have nothing to say.”
“Are you sure?”
I’m not. But I need to think about that. Because if the investigation is over, why would I risk them reopening it and coming to a different conclusion? “Yes, I’m sure.” At least for now.
“All right. I wish you a good day, Ms. Laurent. Take care of yourself. Oh, and you might want to know the French authorities are releasing your husband’s body to his family today, if you wanted to be in touch with them.”
“Right, yes, his family.” I pause, still in shock. “I guess I should call them?”
“That’s entirely up to you, Ms. Laurent.”
So I won’t. I’m not even sure what they know about me, if anything.
Minutes after we hang up, my shoes are on and I’m out the door. I texted Darren to ask him to come get me, and his car rolls around the corner before I’ve reached the end of the street.
I slide into the passenger seat, a grin plastered on my face in spite of me.
“What’s going on?” Darren says, starting the car again. “You’re freaking me out.”
I squeeze my lips together; I can’t let him see my true feelings. “The police called. It was an accident. Accidental overdose, they said.”
Darren shoots me a glance out of the corner of his eye. “Okay.”
“I’m so relieved, you know. It was… I mean…”
“You’re relieved?” I don’t respond. “Cassie, where are we going? What is happening right now?”
“Just drive,” I say, waving at the air in front of me.
He does.
We sit there in silence as I gather my thoughts. “I’m sorry about everything that happened. What I said on my last night in Paris. I know it must have sounded weird—”
“Weird? You told me you were afraid for your life. That your husband wanted to kill you and that you had to run away. And then he turns up dead.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then what am I supposed to think, Cassie? You weren’t answering my calls and texts. When the police came to me—”
“They came to you?”
We’re stopped at a red light and Darren turns to me. “Of course they came to me. Your husband died during your honeymoon right after you left him. Do you realize how suspicious that made you look?”
“What did you tell them?”
A car honks behind us. The light has turned green. Darren keeps driving. “Cassie, what happened in that hotel room?”
“What did you tell them?” I say, more forcefully this time.
Darren takes a deep breath. “I didn’t tell them what you said. Our conversation on the phone that night. I–I can’t be involved in anything like that.”
“Like what?”
He jams his fist against the steering wheel. “Man, I don’t know, Cassie. Something happened. It doesn’t matter what you say. Something messed up went on between you two, and I want no part of it.”
I can’t believe this. I went through hell to get Darren back. Now we can finally be together, and all he cares about is preserving his flawless reputation. “I was leaving him to be with you, Darren. We’re good now. Everything is fine.”
“Nothing is fine. Your husband is dead. And you don’t—”
I put my hand on his thigh. “And I don’t love him. I love you. It was always you. And now—”
“And now, nothing.”
“We can be together,” I say, hating the pleading tone in my voice. He shakes his head. “Darren?”
A moment passes. What is wrong with him to only want me when he can’t have me? He has no idea what I did for him. For us.
“I’m taking you home,” he says.
“We’ll wait a few weeks. Or a few months, if you want to. It’ll all blow over soon.”
But it’s like he’s not listening. He does a U-turn at the next intersection and we drive all the way back in silence. The blue sky is so bright it makes my eyes sting. And then Darren doesn’t actually take me home. He parks two blocks away, down a quiet street.
“What are you doing?” I say, turning to face him. I try to grab his hand, but he won’t let me.
“We can’t be seen together.”
“Darren, everything is fine. We can be together. We will be.”
“No, we won’t. I can’t.” He’s breathing heavily now. “Are you even sad?”
It takes me a moment to understand what he’s asking. “Of course I’m sad. I never wanted any of this to happen.”
“What happened, Cassie? Please tell me.” His tone is urgent.
For a moment I almost do. Because what’s the alternative?
Am I going to keep this secret for the rest of our lives?
The investigation is over. I’m safe. But I know he can’t hear the truth, not even a fraction of it, so instead I lean over.
I did all of this to be with him. I did it for him. But he’ll never understand.
When I kiss him, he doesn’t pull back. Not at first anyway. It’s gentle, the way Darren has always kissed.
“I’m sorry, no.” He says, pushing me away.
“Darren…” I lean forward again, but this time he jerks back.
“I can’t. Please, get out of the car.” I don’t. “Cassie, I need you to get out of the car. Forget what I said. I don’t want to know what happened. Get out of the car, please. Get out of my life. I don’t care what you did to him. You and I are over. Forever.”
Maybe for the first time, I believe him.
And as I start walking home, I know only one thing for certain: my life started going off its rails the moment Taylor walked into my house.
Mom and I would have been fine together if she’d let us.
But Taylor doesn’t get to win. She doesn’t get to walk away in one piece.
In fact, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t get in my way ever again.