Chapter 71 #71
Chapter 71
~Shailyn’s pov~
I was supposed to be resting, doctor's orders, the days off we got as a result of the fire breakout and Dante's insistence. But lying in bed while my mind raced with questions felt impossible.
I needed water. Maybe some tea. Anything to quiet the thoughts spinning through my head about office gossip, about Dante's tears, about the strange feeling that I was missing something crucial.
The manor was eerily quiet as I made my way downstairs. Dante and Tyler went to the office to deal with the fire aftermath. Monica was wherever Monica went these days. And Dwayne... I didn't know where Dwayne was.
I was almost in the kitchen when I heard Cynthia’s voice. Sharp and angry. Coming from Tyler’s study. I stopped.
I stopped walking, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach. Something about her tone made every instinct scream go back. Pretend you heard nothing. But my feet refused to move.
“Don’t threaten me, Jack,” Cynthia snapped. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
My breath hitched.
Jack?
Jack Patterson?
“So confident,” Jack’s voice came through the speaker, mocking, dangerous. “Because from where I’m standing, Cynthia, you should be terrified.”
“You’re using me,” Cynthia shot back. “Using my daughter. And now what? What do you want from me?”
There was a pause. Then Jack laughed. Cold. Brittle.
“You really want to know what I want?” Another pause. “I want Jesse back.”
Jesse? Who's Jesse?
“What?” Cynthia’s voice sounded shaky. “Who’s Jesse?”
“You think you’re clever,” Jack said. “You think you can fool me. Jesse, Tyler’s secretary.”
Cynthia inhaled sharply. “Jesse is dead. She died from postpartum complications.”
“Really?” Jack replied calmly. Too calmly. “Because you were with her. She was healthy before she died.”
“Shut up!” Cynthia’s voice cracked. “You know nothing! There’s no evidence. I didn’t do anything. I just, I just happened to be there when she died.”
What is happening?
“You know she’s Dwayne’s biological mother, right?” Jack continued. “What do you think he’ll do when he finds out?”
The world tilted. Biological mother? Oh God. Oh God, no. Dwayne's mother? Cynthia isn't the biological mother? Cynthia had killed his mum?
“I didn’t kill Jesse,” Cynthia sobbed. “I didn’t. It was natural. I swear it was natural.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“So help me God,” Jack said, his voice dropping into something dark and lethal, “when I find you, I will kill you with my bare hands. You will pay for what you did to Jesse. For what you’ve done to this family.”
“I didn’t…”
The call ended.
Silence.
Then Cynthia broke down completely.
“I didn’t… I didn’t…” she kept whispering, over and over.
I felt sick. Shaking. Confused. And God help me, I felt pity for her. I couldn’t stay.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my chest. I needed to get out of here. Now. Before she realized I'd heard everything.
I turned carefully, my movements as quiet as I could make them, and started back down the hallway. Each step felt like an eternity, my mind screaming at me to run while my body forced itself to move slowly, carefully, not making a sound.
The stairs seemed endless. By the time I reached our bedroom, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely close the door.
By the time I reached the bedroom, my hands were trembling so badly I could barely shut the door. She sounded innocent. Too innocent. But what did I know?
I grabbed my phone and pulled up Dwayne’s contact without thinking. I typed fast, barely able to see straight.
Me: Need to see you. Now. Conservatory. Please, it's urgent.
The three dots appeared immediately, then disappeared. Then it appeared again.
Dwayne: On my way. Are you okay?
Me: I am fine, just please hurry. I typed back and set the phone down.
I waited. The conservatory felt too open, too exposed. Every sound made me jump. I kept expecting Cynthia to appear, accusing, furious. Then the door opened. I almost cried when I saw Dwayne.
His eyes locked onto mine immediately. “Shailyn? What’s wrong?”
“I heard something,” I said, my voice already breaking. “Dwayne… I overheard Cynthia.”
His face hardened. “What did she say?”
“She was on the phone with Jack. They were talking about Jesse. She kept saying she didn’t kill her, but Jack…” I shook my head. “He said she did. And then he said someone named Jesse is your real mother.”
Dwayne froze.
“I found out about that. What else happened?” he asked quietly.
My heart squeezed painfully for Dwayne. “He said he’d kill her. That she destroyed the family.” I replied.
“Fuck,” he muttered, his hands tightening on my shoulders.
“What does it mean?” I whispered. “Dwayne… what did she do?”
He pulled me into his chest suddenly, holding me so tightly I could feel his heart racing.
“Don’t worry yourself about this, I'll handle it. You need to be careful,” he said into my hair. He pulled back, cupping my face, his hands shaking. “Thank you. For telling me. For trusting me.”
We stood there, holding onto each other, the truth pressing down on us like a weight we couldn’t yet lift. Then reality hit me. Why did I call Dwayne? Dante was my husband. This wasn’t my place. And it felt right, it felt too right to be with him.
I swallowed the thought. Today wasn’t about me. I was just concerned about my brother in law, that's all.
“Shailyn,” Dwayne said slowly. “Please don't tell Dante about this.”
I was about to respond when his phone rang, cutting me off.
“Marcus. What did you find?” He responded. I'm not sure the person had spoken before he started talking.
Luke responded. Whatever Luke said made Dwayne look serious and alert. He just responded fast and sharp. “I am on my way.”
The call dropped. As he was about to say something to me, his phone rang again.
“What now Marcus? He said without looking at the screen.”
Whoever the person said made him cold. Then he said
“Jack?”