Chapter 44 Cutting deep
I opened the door with a push. I froze by the entrance. My blood ran cold at the sight. Carson was sitting on the bed. He was bowing his head.
Victoria, his mother, was standing by his side. She was very stylish. Her pricey suit contrasted sharply with the run-down apartment. I got a smile from her. She smiled without opening her eyes.
She had a strong perfume and power scent. It smelled oppressive. Her words were “Hello Annabelle.”
Her tone was serene and fluid. I turned my gaze from her to Carson. My thoughts were racing. My eyes shifted to Carson wondering how she had discovered us and how she knew we were here. He refused to give me a glance.
His gaze remained fixed on the ground. A chilly certainty descended upon me.
Victoria cut the quiet. “I’m here to take my son home He should return to the mansion now. Its time for him to rejoin the business. Too much time has passed since he left.”
I questioned “Carson?”
I spoke in a whisper. “What is she saying? Will you go back with her?”
He didn't respond. He did nothing but sit. Not moving.
Victoria moved forward. “Annabelle I will need you to provide me with the clip. Lets put an end to all of this nonsense. This can be resolved.”
“No.”I replied. “There is nothing I will give you. Carson let her know. Inform her that we won't be returning. Inform her that we intend not to accompany her.”
I pleaded with him. My eyes pleaded with him to speak. In order to defend me. For us. At last he spoke. He spoke in a soft tone.
My heart was crushed by the gentle tone. “Annabel I'm sorry. Im obliged to. I have to take over my fathers business. Its been too long since I left it.”
I was shocked to hear this. I felt as though someone had slapped me.
I looked at Victoria “Was this was a means of regaining his company?”
Her laughter was genuine. It was a chilly hollow sound. The room reverberated.
I asked “What is so funny?”
She remarked “The way you look. You really do trust him. It's really amusing. He always gets his way.”
Her eyes shifted to her watch. “The limousine is outside waiting. We've got to leave. Annabelle you are welcome to come. However you ought to be aware. You are of no use to I and my son.”
I was deeply hurt by the words. They stabbed me in the heart like a knife. I was viewed by her as a pawn. a nullity. Someone to be used and then thrown away.
“I'll be waiting outside” she declared.
She gave me one last icy grin. The woman left the room. After she was gone the door shut. Carson was by himself with me. The quiet was overwhelming. I gave him a look. The stone in my chest was my heart.
My trust in him was becoming eroding. The last few weeks puzzle pieces came together. The treachery was genuine. He did it. His adversary was him. I was alone because of him. My entire world was in ruins. I had to make a choice. Should you flee or stay and fight?
There was a long unbearable silence. I was motionless a statue of agony and shock standing there. As a last cruel joke the scent of Victoria's perfume permeated the air. The man I ran with and risked everything for brought me to this point.
He was a son on a mission rather than a man in love. I was struck with the realization like a tidal wave and all of the shaky hope I had held onto washed away.
I muttered my words tasting like ash “You brought her here.”
Carson’s head finally came up. He had a pale mask of resignation and guilt on his face.
“A choice?” I scoffed a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “What kind of choice did she give you? To betray me? To give up everything we fought for?”.
“She gave me a chance to come back” he said the words heavy with a weight I couldn’t understand. “The company… it’s a mess Annabel. My father ran it into the ground. My mother is the only one who can save it. And she would only do it if I came back to her. If I gave her the flash drive. ”.
I shook my head my eyes burning. “The flash drive is not about a company. It’s about a conspiracy. It’s about a man who was murdered. It’s about justice.”.
“It’s just a flash drive” he said his voice flat. “It’s evidence. We can make a new copy. We can make sure it’s safe. But I had to choose. My mother… she threatened to hurt you Annabel. She threatened to make sure you would never be heard from again. ”.
The words were a blow to the gut. A cold hard fact that explained everything. He hadnt been acting like a man who hadnt betrayed me he had been acting like a man who was trying to save me.
But at what cost? He had traded my trust for my safety. He had sacrificed my freedom for my life.
“So you just… sold me out?” I said the words an accusation a raw painful truth. “You gave me up. You gave me up to a woman who just called me a nobody. A pawn. ”.
“I didn’t give you up” he said his voice filled with a desperate urgency. “I got you here. I got you to a safe place. She won’t hurt you now. She just wants the flash drive. And she wants me back. That’s all. ”.
“That’s all?” I said my voice rising. “That’s all? You destroyed me Carson. You broke my trust. You made me believe in you in us. And for what? For a company? For a legacy that isn’t even yours?”.
He stood up his body tense.
“It’s my family Annabel. It’s all I have. And I have to choose my family. I have to do what’s right for them. What’s right for me. ”.
“And what about what’s right for the world?” I shot back. “What about justice? What about the people who are going to be hurt by this company? The people who have already been hurt?”.
He turned away from me running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I just know what I have to do. I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I really did care about you. I do care about you. ”.
The words were an empty echo a hollow promise in a room filled with lies. I had a choice. I could stay and fight with him try to make him see the truth. Or I could run.
The door was still open. I could still escape. But where would I go? Who would I trust?