Chapter 37 Revelation
CAITLYN'S POV
I shoved the last of the papers back into the Vale Family folder and closed it. But then I realized there was no way I could unsee what I had just learned. No way to go back to pretending everything was normal. My full understanding of my life had just been shattered.
My father was a drug dealer who worked for the Russian mob. My mother knew and stayed quiet to protect me. Collin married me to take over my father's territory and then had him killed and I was just a pawn in all of it.
I heard footsteps in the hallway and panic shot through me. Someone was coming, so I quickly put the folder back in the drawer and locked it. Then I grabbed the paperclip I had used to pick the lock and shoved it in my pocket.
I had just enough time to get to the door before I heard Collin's voice calling out. "Mrs Chen? Is anyone home?"
"Yes Mr Hayes," Mrs Chen's voice answered from downstairs. "Mrs Hayes is upstairs resting."
I slipped out of the study and locked the door behind me. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear anything else. I walked quickly to the hall closet and put the key back on the top shelf where I found it.
Then I went to my room and closed the door. I leaned against it and tried to catch my breath. That was too close. If Collin had come home five minutes earlier, he would have caught me in his study, going through his files.
I went to the window and looked out. Collin's car was in the driveway. He was back, and he was probably going to want to talk to me about earlier, about Jason, and about the questions he asked about the baby.
I could not face him right now, not after what I just learned. How was I supposed to look at him and pretend I did not know he murdered my parents? How was I supposed to act normal when I knew he was planning to kill me too?
There was a knock on my door and I jumped. "Caitlyn?" Collin's voice said. "Are you awake?"
"Yes," I called out and tried to make my voice sound normal. "Just resting."
"I need to talk to you," he said. "Open the door."
"Can it wait?" I asked. "I am not feeling well."
"No, it cannot wait," Collin said, and his voice got harder. "Open the door now."
I had no choice. If I refused he would just break down the door like he threatened to do before. I walked over and unlocked it. Collin came in and looked at me closely.
"You look pale," he said. "What is wrong?"
"Just pregnancy stuff," I lied. "Nausea and fatigue."
He studied my face for a long moment and I tried not to let him see how terrified I was. Did he know I had been in his study? Could he tell I had just learned the truth about everything?
"I have to go out of town for a few days," Collin finally said. "There is a situation I need to handle. You will stay here and not leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary. Understand?"
"Yes," I said quietly.
"And you will not contact Jason Cross or anyone else I do not approve of," he continued. "I am leaving extra security here to make sure you stay put. If you try to leave or do anything stupid they will stop you."
"I understand," I said.
"Good," Collin said. "Because we are going to finish our conversation about the paternity of that baby when I get back. And you better hope you have been telling me the truth."
He left and closed the door behind him. I heard him walking down the hallway and then down the stairs. A few minutes later I heard his car start and drive away.
I sat on my bed and pulled out my old phone. The one Collin did not know about. I had Jason's number memorized now after he gave it to me in the park. My fingers hovered over the keys trying to decide if I should really do this.
Everything I just learned changed everything. My father was a criminal, Collin murdered my parents. Jason's brother was killed by the same organization and I was trapped in the middle of all of it with no way out.
Unless Jason could help me. Unless there was a way to escape this nightmare before Collin figured out the truth about the baby and killed us both.
I started typing before I could change my mind. "I know the truth about everything about my parents, your brother, and Collin's plans for the baby and me. I need help, please."
I read the message three times making sure it said what I wanted it to say. Then I hit send before I lost my courage.
The message went through and I turned off the phone quickly. I did not know how long it would take Jason to respond or if he would respond at all. Maybe he would think it was a trap. Maybe he would not care. Maybe I was making the biggest mistake of my life.
But what other choice did I have? Stay here and wait for Collin to kill me? Try to run on my own with no money, no help, and nowhere to go? At least this way I had a chance. A small chance but still a chance.
I hid the phone back in my closet and lay down on the bed. My mind was racing with everything I had learned. All the lies and secrets and betrayals. Nothing about my life was what I thought it was.
My father, whom I looked up to and respected, was a drug dealer. My mother, whom I thought was honest and good, had known about it and stayed quiet. Collin, whom I married, thinking he would give me a good life, was actually a murderer who planned to kill me.
And Jason, who I thought was just some dangerous biker, was actually the only person who had been honest with me from the start. He told me Collin was not the man I thought he was. He warned me I was in danger. He offered to help when no one else did.
Maybe I should have listened to him sooner. Maybe I should have trusted my instincts when they told me something was wrong with Collin. But I had been too scared and too trapped and too worried about what people would think.
Now it might be too late. Collin suspected the baby was not his. He was planning to have a paternity test done as soon as the baby was born, and when he found out the truth, he was going to kill both of us.
Unless I found a way out first. Unless Jason could help me escape before it was too late.
I touched my stomach where the baby was growing. My baby, Jason's baby. The baby that had started all of this. The baby was now the reason I needed to survive.
"I am going to protect you," I whispered. "No matter what it takes. I am going to get us out of here."