‘This is it. The moment of truth,’ Sydney said, her eyes flashing with anticipation as they quickly hid in the bathroom, leaving Clara to answer the door.
Cramped together in the small space, Rain felt Lauren’s body pressed against her own, the heat of her skin a momentary distraction from the tension that coiled in her gut. Through the hidden camera, they watched with bated breath as Alex discreetly surveyed the hotel room, engaging in small talk with Clara.
The seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity as they waited for the crucial exchange. Finally, Alex slid her hand into her jacket, retrieving a small envelope and handing it to Clara. In return, Clara passed her the money, the transaction smooth and practiced.
‘We’ve got her,’ Sydney whispered, her voice a mix of triumph and disbelief. ‘I can’t believe she would betray us like this. After everything we did for her.’
Turning to Rain, Sydney’s expression softened, the anger giving way to a flicker of regret. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.’
‘It’s okay.’ Rain shook her head, the apology unnecessary in the face of the truth that had been revealed.
They watched on the camera as Alex shamelessly flirted with Clara, right up until the moment the security guards appeared behind her. Rain wished she could have captured the look on Alex’s face as they exited the bathroom, revealing that the game was up, that her deception had been exposed.
‘This is not what it looks like, I—’ Alex stammered, her hands raised in a futile attempt at defence.
‘Save it for the police,’ Sydney cut her off, her voice hard and unforgiving.
‘The police? Hey, now hold on . . .’ Alex protested as the security guards ushered her into the room, her bravado crumbling in the face of the evidence stacked against her.
Rain laid out the suitcase and the money on the bed, the sight of it a stark reminder of the stakes they were dealing with.
‘Do you know where Fay got all this money from?’ Rain demanded, her eyes boring into Alex’s.
As Alex stuttered, trying to formulate a response, Rain noticed Sydney’s face had gone deathly pale. At first, she assumed it was the shock of seeing such a large sum of cash. But when she followed Alex’s gaze, she realized what had truly caught her attention: the photo of Fay and the mystery man.
With trembling hands, Sydney picked up the photograph, her eyes widening in shock and betrayal.
‘Syd,’ Lauren said softly, moving to Sydney’s side, her own face etched with concern. Suddenly, a soft gasp escaped her lips when she saw the image, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place with sickening clarity.
‘It’s Ollie,’ Sydney said, turning to Alex, tears welling in her eyes. ‘He’s the one behind the drugs, isn’t he? The one who had an affair with Fay.’
It didn’t take a genius for Rain to deduce that Ollie was Sydney’s husband, the man she had trusted and loved, the one who had now shattered that trust beyond repair.
Alex slowly nodded, the fight draining from her body. If Rain didn’t know better, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of empathy in Alex’s eyes, a glimmer of understanding for the pain Sydney must be feeling.
‘I’m sorry, Sydney. I really am,’ Alex said, her voice heavy with regret. ‘He had us all stitched up right from the start.’
‘How?’ Sydney demanded, her voice cracking with the weight of the betrayal.
‘He had us deliver what we thought was mail to guests, but it turned out to be drugs. He took pictures and blackmailed us into continuing to do it.’
‘Us? Who’s us?’ Lauren pressed, her own voice tight with anger.
‘Jack and Denise . . .’ Alex said, her shoulders sagging under the weight of her confession.
‘Oh my god,’ Sydney whispered. ‘I don’t believe this.’
In a daze, Sydney took out her phone and put it to her ear, her voice shaking with barely contained fury.
‘You’ve got one minute to let Fay call her sister and tell her that she is safe. One minute, do you hear me?’
As she ended the call, Sydney collapsed onto the bed, her legs giving out beneath her. Rain could see the realisation dawning on her face, the sickening truth that maybe she didn’t know her husband as well as she thought she did, that the man she had loved and trusted had been living a double life all along.
Within seconds, Rain’s phone rang, Fay’s name flashing on the screen. ‘Fay, are you okay?’ Rain asked, her heart in her throat.
She could hear her sister’s ragged breathing, as if she had been running and crying simultaneously. ‘Yes, he let me go . . . I’m so sorry.’
‘Just go back to the flat and stay there,’ Rain instructed, the need to keep her sister safe overriding everything else.
‘I will. Thank you, Rain,’ Fay said before hanging up, the gratitude in her voice a small comfort in the face of the chaos that had unfolded.
For a few minutes, the four women stood in silence, trying to wrap their heads around the bombshell that had just been dropped. Each of them grappling with the implications of Ollie’s betrayal and the depth of his deception.
‘Do you think I should call the police?’ Lauren said, breaking the silence, her voice hesitant but determined.
Finally, Sydney broke the silence, her voice hard as steel, the betrayal evidently fuelling her resolve. ‘Do it. Make the call.’
Lauren and Rain looked at each other, a whole conversation passing between them without a single word. They knew that this was just the beginning, that the fallout from this revelation would be far-reaching and devastating.
And as Lauren dialled the police, Rain felt a flicker of hope amidst the chaos, a glimmer of light in the darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ollie sat in his car, his head in his hands, as the weight of his actions crashed down on him. Sydney’s anguished voice echoed in his mind, a haunting reminder of the pain he had caused. He had never meant for it to go this far, but the truth was out, and there was no going back.
It had all started with Fay, the alluring woman who had drawn him in like a moth to a flame. The secret meetings and stolen moments had been thrilling at first, but as the affair deepened, Ollie found himself tangled in a web of lies and deceit. He had lost himself in the heady mix of lust and danger, blind to the consequences.
And then there were the drugs, a small-time operation that had spiralled out of control. As the money rolled in, Ollie had grown reckless, taking bigger risks and ignoring the warning signs.
