She walked through the internal access and into the kitchen, dumped her bag and briefcase on one of the stools at the island bench and went straight to the fridge. The Pinot Gris she’d put in to chill earlier in the week would be very welcome right now. She poured herself a glass and took it upstairs to her office. She took a large gulp, hoping to quash the nerves that had risen in her. It was ridiculous to be worried about what two strangers thought of her; they weren’t even friends. But she was worried. She knew that their reactions would be a reflection of how those close to her would react.
She switched on her computer, left her wine on the desk and walked through to the master bedroom. She’d get changed while it was starting up. She hung up her charcoal pencil skirt and jacket, pulled on her sweatpants and a hoodie and went back to her office. She sat down in the chair, pulling the wine close to her.
She logged in to the chat room and held her breath. There were two responses to her message already.
LizaE
OMG, you poor thing. How on earth are you keeping it together? That private investigator sounds like he should be in jail. Will give some thought to what you can do. So sorry to hear you’re in this position.
PinkFish88
Agree with Eliza, the PI should be shot. I think you’ve done something courageous to protect your husband and his adoptive mother. You guys sound very close. Do you think if you told him the truth, he might understand why you did it?
Hannah breathed out a huge sigh of relief as she read the responses. Neither of the two women had told her she was a terrible person; in fact, they’d been incredibly supportive. How amazing that with just a few communications she felt like she’d made close friends. There was no one else in her life that she felt she could talk to without judgement. She knew why she’d been so worried about their reaction. She wasn’t comfortable with what she’d done so how could anyone else be?
BrownDog40
Phew, I thought you’d tell me I was awful and ban me from the chat. Thank you. Your messages have made me feel a lot better. Yes, Lia, we are close, but I’m worried that DH has been going through so much emotional trauma over this, to the point he’s now seeing a psychologist, that I could have helped him avoid this.
PinkFish88
Hon, finding out your father was a rapist and your mother only seventeen at the time would guarantee he’d be seeing a psychologist. I’m with you, knowing you share your gene pool with a rapist would have me wishing I never knew my background. I think, even if your DH is mad to start with, he’d understand this pretty quickly.
LizaE
Perfectly stated, Lia. There’s no way I’d want to know that was my heritage; however, that puts you in an awful position. You can’t give this investigator guy any more money. He’s blackmailing you, and my gut tells me it won’t end well. Also, how do you explain the money you’re giving him? You were pretty quick to notice the fifteen thousand your husband spent, and you said that wasn’t even in your regular accounts. I can’t imagine you have a spare 10K just lying around?
BrownDog40
No, I don’t, and I can’t go back to my grandmother for more. She gave me the first 10K no questions asked. I don’t think she’d be quite so generous if I ask her again. And I agree, he’s just going to keep asking for more.
PinkFish88
You said in your original message that he’d threatened to tell the biological mother about your husband and where you live. Do you think he’d tell her that you paid him not to say anything? I’m just wondering if you can spin it that he’s the one who gave misleading information to start with. What if he had told you that your husband’s biological parents had been killed? Would you have had any reason not to believe him? Can you wait and see how it all plays out? You might get lucky.
Hannah stared at the screen. It was a gamble, but Lia might be right. If Janine contacted them and she acted as surprised as Damien, he might just buy it. She sighed. More lies. She’d woven such a complicated situation and every day it was being made worse.
LizaE
I like Lia’s idea, but I worry that this guy will make life difficult for you. I’m sure he’d tell the biological mother what you’d done and possibly even contact your husband out of spite. Be careful if you go down this route. I’ve learned over the years that while it might be the hardest road you take, the honest road is the easiest in the long run.
BrownDog40
Thanks, ladies, I’ll give your suggestions a lot of thought. Now, Lia, you said you had news for us. Fill us in. What’s been happening?
Hannah enjoyed the distraction from her thoughts as she read through Lia’s story. She gasped out loud when she read that the woman who Lia was pretending to be in business with had turned up at her celebratory afternoon tea. She had to say, Lia’s grandmother sounded like quite a character. She reminded her a bit of Phyllie. Although she couldn’t imagine Phyllie being quite so understanding about the online poker. The practical steps of the computer being moved to the lounge and the grandmother watching as Lia deactivated her account and put blocks in place did sound like something Phyllie would do. She was pleased for Lia though. She’d landed herself a new job, and without huge living expenses, it sounded like she’d be able to get herself out of debt reasonably quickly.
LizaE
I’ve got some exciting news to share too, ladies. I hope you don’t find this inappropriate considering the difficult financial situation you are in Lia, but it’s a bolt out of the blue for us. As you know, we are in a huge financial hole with debt up to our eyeballs. Well, last week, my brother Jacob mentioned a short-term investment for us. Like really short term. They needed the funds for four days while some massive investment was made, then they’d sell again and divide the profit between shareholders. He knew we didn’t have any money so said he’d spot us the initial 7K. He said that he’d give us any profit above and beyond the 7K he invested. I mean, I know he’s my brother, but who does that? People aren’t that kind or generous, are they?
Hannah thought of Nat. No, they weren’t that kind or generous. She thought back to Nat deliberately trying to spoil Amy’s birthday and take credit for Bear. If she was like that, she could hardly imagine her helping her out financially with no strings attached.
PinkFish88
What was the deal if the 7K was lost?
LizaE
A bad deal for my brother. He was going to bear the loss. This is what I mean, other than being genuinely beautiful, there was no benefit in this at all for him. Anyway, it went ahead, and he contacted me yesterday to say he’d transferred an amount into our account. It was for twenty-seven thousand dollars! Can you believe that? Do you guys have siblings? Would they do something so amazing for you?
BrownDog40
No Way.
PinkFish88
You have to be kidding. My sister would throw a dagger straight into my heart before she helped me out.
Hannah laughed. It sounded like she and Lia had similar experiences with their sisters. She glanced at the clock on her computer screen. It was eight forty-five already. She hadn’t even eaten, and she needed to go and get Amy. She typed a quick congratulations to Eliza and a goodbye, promising she’d check back sometime the next day.
Hannah, her mind in overdrive over the Zane Fox situation, was unable to sleep that night. She was still staring at the clock at two when Damien had come in. He’d been surprised to find her awake, and extra surprised when she’d pulled him to her and removed his shirt and pants. He was snoring gently within minutes of their lovemaking. He’d had a long day and a long week, so it wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was that at four she was still awake.