Fay shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. ‘I didn’t want anyone to know. I thought . . . I thought I could handle it on my own.’
‘When the fuck are you going to grow up and realise your actions have consequences? Mum has been going out of her mind with worry. She thought you were dead, and you really couldn’t give a fuck, could you? Look, I’m sorry you’ve got mixed up in stuff that’s too hot to handle. I really am. But I’m exhausted with your drama, Fay. You know the story of the boy who cried wolf only too well.’
‘This isn’t my fault—’
‘Then whose is it?’
After a few moments, Fay, defeated, dropped her gaze to her hands.
‘Exactly. This time, you’re going to have to pull yourself out of the hole you’ve dug yourself into. I can’t keep doing it. Not anymore.’
Rain took out her phone and punched in her mum’s number. Upon answering, she said, ‘Mum, I’ve got someone who wants to talk to you.’
Rain tossed the phone to Fay and left the room.
Right. That’s my job done. I’ve found Fay. I can return to my own life now.
But within seconds, she started questioning herself. Is that what she really wanted, her old life back, or did she want a new one with Lauren?
Her heart and mind couldn’t agree.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
He was parked across the street from Fay’s hostel, his eyes glued to the entrance. He’d been waiting for hours, but patience was a virtue he’d mastered long ago.
Suddenly, a woman walked past his car, and headed into the building. He recognised her instantly – she worked at the hotel. She had been hiding under his nose all this time.
Minutes ticked by, and then the building manager emerged from the hostel, walking briskly down the street. The car with Fay’s sister in pulled out and started tailing him, keeping a discreet distance.
He turned the key in the ignition. This was it. The manager was leading them straight to Fay.
He followed at a safe distance, watching as the manager turned down a side street and stopped outside a nondescript building. Fay’s sister parked and leapt out, disappearing inside after him.
He pulled over, his mind racing. This had to be where Fay had been hiding out. But he couldn’t just barge in – he needed to be smart about this.
As he weighed his options, the door opened, and Fay’s sister emerged, her arm around a dishevelled figure. He squinted, hardly daring to believe it.
It was Fay. Right there in front of him.
A grin spread across his face as he watched them hurry to the car. He’d done it. He’d found her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lauren sat huddled on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, as the first pale light of dawn crept through the curtains. The digital clock on her bedside cabinet glowed 5:00 a.m., a stark reminder of the sleepless night she’d endured. The thought of closing her eyes and waking to find that this nightmare was, in fact, her new reality terrified her.
But once her grandmother’s will was read in a few hours, it would all become painfully, irrevocably real. The finality of it, the tangible proof that her beloved gran was truly gone.
Lauren climbed off the bed, wincing as her stiff muscles protested the movement. She walked into the bathroom and reached into the shower, turning the lever to cold, watching numbly as the water cascaded down, the sound harsh in the early morning stillness.
She needed this, needed the shock of the icy water to jolt her out of this haze of grief and exhaustion. Stripping off her pyjamas, she stepped under the frigid spray, gasping as it hit her skin like a thousand tiny needles.
For a moment, she just stood there, her eyes closed, letting the cold seep into her bones. It was almost a relief, this physical discomfort. It was something to focus on, something to feel besides the aching void in her chest. Feeling the tears come, Lauren didn’t bother wiping them away. What was the point? There would just be more. So many more in the days and weeks to come.
Lauren didn’t know how long she stood there, but she knew she couldn’t hide in there forever. She turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the foggy mirror, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy, her skin pale and blotchy. She looked as awful as she felt.
With a sigh, she started going through the motions of getting ready, each task feeling monumental in her exhausted state. But she forced herself to keep moving, one foot in front of the other. She had to do this, had to be there for the reading of the will. She owed her gran that much.
The doorbell rang, its soft chime breaking the silence of the suite. Lauren moved to answer it, feeling like she was wading through quicksand, each step an effort. She opened the door to find Sydney standing there, her eyes red and puffy, her face etched with the same grief that Lauren felt.
‘Have you slept?’ Sydney said, following her into the kitchen.
‘No. You?’
Sydney shook her head.
‘Coffee?’ Lauren offered, desperate for something to do with her hands, something to distract her from thinking.
‘With a shot of brandy,’ Sydney said, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Lauren nodded, a lump forming in her throat. ‘Good idea. Gran would like the idea of that.’
She busied herself with the familiar routine of making coffee, the scent filling the kitchen, mingling with the sharp tang of brandy as she poured a generous measure into each cup. She handed one to Sydney, cradling her own between her palms, letting the heat seep into her skin.
‘You know what I don’t get? Why life is so cruel. I mean, what kind of evil entity would create a world where we can experience something as amazing as love only to have it snatched away from us in the blink of an eye.’ Tears filled Sydney’s eyes. ‘I don’t think this pain is ever going to go away, Lauren.’
Lauren shifted her chair closer to Sydney’s. ‘I know, but that’s the point, I suppose. Better to have the lived experience.’ Lauren thought about all the moments she’d shared with her gran in that very kitchen – the laughter, the heart-to-hearts, the comfort of her presence. It seemed impossible that she was gone, that Lauren would never again hear her voice, feel the warmth of her hug, see the twinkle in her eye. ‘We would’ve missed all the great things Gran brought into our lives. As much as it hurts, I wouldn’t miss a day.’
