Echoes of Betrayal

LAUREN

I knew I shouldn’t be up.

But I couldn’t help it.

Not with my parents arguing, their voices no longer hushed, echoing through the house.

I was taken aback that Dad was part of it. He was usually the calm one, while Mom was the one who raised her voice.

It hurt me.

Every fight, every argument, it sliced through me.

I should’ve stayed at Beth’s. Maybe if they saw how their fights affected me, they’d stop. They’d find their love for each other again.

Mom would stop blaming Dad. Dad would stop looking so sad.

We could be a happy family again.

I tiptoed out of my room, trying to be as quiet as possible. But they must’ve known I was awake, or maybe they were too engrossed in their argument to notice.

Their voices grew louder as I reached the stairs and descended silently, my hands trembling, dread enveloping me like a shroud.

“I’m just asking where you went, Ginny,” Dad was saying. “I woke up and you weren’t there.”

“Why are you interrogating me like we’re in a courtroom? I don’t question your every move, so stop treating me like I’ve done something wrong.”

“Because you make me doubt. Because I woke up at two in the morning and my wife was gone. And we have a daughter. What if she woke up and wondered where her mom was? What would I tell her?”

Hearing the crack in my dad’s voice, the raw pain, only amplified my own. The pain was so sharp, it felt like a knife through my heart.

“She’s a big girl,” Mom retorted after a pause. “She doesn’t need me. She has you. She’ll always have you.”

I closed my eyes, clutching my shirt, letting the tears flow. How could Mom say that? Why did it sound like she was giving up on me?

Why did she feel so distant?

“You’re her mother. We both need you. Whatever’s going on, you need to tell me. Before it’s too late, Ginny.”

I was too scared to enter the room, too scared to see their faces, because I knew it would haunt me for days.

I should’ve walked in and yelled at them to stop. Dad’s words scared me. If things were this bad, they’d end up divorced, and I’d have to choose between them.

And the answer scared me.

Because I knew I’d choose my dad.

I’d always choose my dad.

Mom’s words hit me like a punch to the gut. “You’re a little late, Vin.”

I didn’t wait to hear more. I ran back upstairs, nearly tripping over my own feet, before slamming my bedroom door and diving into bed.

My heavy breathing and tight grip on the sheets didn’t drown out their voices echoing in my head.

The tears had dried, leaving a salty residue on my skin.

But my heart was still crying, its sobs echoing in my chest.

I heard the door creak open, then soft footsteps approaching the bed.

My eyes flew open, but I didn’t turn around. I knew who it was.

Her perfume gave her away.

“You were eavesdropping.”

I should’ve been surprised, but I wasn’t. But that wasn’t what was on my mind.

“Do you hate Dad?” I needed to hear the answer, even if I didn’t want to.

“Of course not,” she replied, her voice strong and firm. I believed her. That’s why I turned to face her. She looked just like me, only older.

When I didn’t respond, she added, “Trust me.”

“Then why do you hurt him?”

She sighed, sat next to me on the bed, and took my hand. “It’s complicated.”

“It’s not. You don’t love him anymore, so you hurt him,” I accused her, pulling my hand away. A flicker of hurt crossed her face before disappearing.

“If you loved him, you wouldn’t hurt him.”

“Laurie.”

I sat up abruptly, grabbing her hands and squeezing them.

“Apologize to him. He’ll forgive you. Dad loves you, Mom. Everything will be okay. Just say you’re sorry.”

She pulled her hand back to touch my cheek, her thumb gently stroking my skin. “It doesn’t work like that, honey.”

I glared at her and lay back down, hugging my arms to my chest. “Then leave, Mom,” I snapped. “Just leave. Get out.”

***

“Mom.”

This had to be some sick joke.

My mom was alive, I knew that, but here she was, standing in front of me, breathing. Looking healthy.

Seeing her face almost brought me to my knees. She was standing there, a faint smile on her lips.

I studied her face, noting the changes, and it floored me.

This wasn’t my mom.

This woman didn’t give birth to me.

This was just a copy of her, a wealthier version.

My mother didn’t own the diamond necklace this woman wore, or the earrings, or the bracelet.

My mother didn’t own a dress as expensive as the one this woman wore.

Nothing about this blonde woman was familiar because my mother had been a brunette.

I was suddenly filled with hatred.

I hated how she was smiling at me as if she had the right to, as if she hadn’t shattered my dad and left him with a gaping hole in his heart.

I couldn't stand the sight of those eyes I knew so well. They reminded me of the nights she'd look at me with such love as she tucked me into bed.

I despised those arms that once protected me from harm.

I despised her.

So much that it felt like my chest was constricting, like my lungs were closing off, leaving me gasping for air.

I was scared of her, scared of what she might do to me and to Dad.

Her being here would only bring more pain, the kind of pain we'd worked so hard to bury when our once peaceful life was shattered by the ghosts of our past.

And I hated how her presence reduced me to this. This trembling, messed-up girl whose mother had abandoned her years ago.

This girl I'd tried so hard to hide was resurfacing, the broken girl.

Night after night, I'd wake up screaming, calling out for her to come back, begging her to stay, but she never did.

She'd vanish before I could reach her.

And I'd wake up with Dad's arms around me, his soothing words whispered in my ear.

In my weakest moments, when I'd cry into my pillows, I'd imagine a life where she was dead.

Dead from childbirth or illness.

A life where I wouldn't have to know the pain of losing a mother, a mother who was willing to abandon her family for her own selfish desires. A life where I wouldn't wake up hating her very existence.

But that was just wishful thinking. Now that she was standing in front of me, I wished she was anywhere but here.

I wished she hadn't been brought before me because all I wanted to do was scream, curl up into a ball, and cry.

But I wouldn't.

“Lauren,” Ginny said again, her voice cautious, a hint of guilt in her tone.

She was still standing by the sink, watching the hardness in my expression, sighing in helplessness.

“It’s good to see you, honey.”

Good to see me?

~Honey?~

Bitter rage and disgust consumed me, but I still hadn't said a word. It would be a miracle if I managed to find my voice.

“How have you been? You look beautiful, but you’ve always been beautiful.”

My mind was spinning, my thoughts tumbling over each other.

~Why are you here?~

~What do you want?~

“You’re angry with me.”

Anger required mental energy and focus, and right now, my mind was still reeling from shock.

I closed my eyes tightly, swallowed hard, then snapped them open.

And that's when someone walked out of one of the stalls. Her gaze landed on me.

It was the same woman I'd spoken to earlier, the one who claimed to know Mason. She had a slight smirk on her face.

“Hi, sis,” she greeted me, her voice dripping with cruelty and malice.

I stumbled back in shock, my gaze darting between her and Ginny in confusion.

~Sis?~

No.

I clutched my chest, feeling like my heart was about to burst from the pain. I started to feel dizzy as I struggled to breathe, struggled to stay on my feet.

Ginny had a daughter?

I couldn't stand there anymore, couldn't look at Ginny and her daughter without breaking down in tears, so I turned and ran out of there as if death itself was chasing me.

Back in the ballroom, I frantically searched for Mason, ignoring the confused and worried looks from the people around me until I found him.

I didn't waste any time. I walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him forward.

“We have to go,” I whispered.

He didn't object. He must have realized I was panicking, that I was losing my mind.

I rushed him out of the ballroom, clinging to his arm as if it was my only lifeline to sanity.

Mason opened the car door for me, helped me inside, then shut it and walked around to the driver's side. I buried my face in my thighs, breathing heavily, replaying the last few minutes in the restroom over and over in my mind.

Ginny was back.

Ginny was back.

The ride home was silent.

I never lifted my head, and Mason never said a word. But when I finally did, I leaned back into the leather seat with my eyes still closed.

When I opened them, I saw him looking at me, a silent question in his eyes. I answered with a shake of my head. That was the best I could do.

“Coop, keep driving. Don’t stop,” I heard Mason order in a tense voice. His body was rigid. I turned my head toward him, confused by his sudden change in behavior.

“What’s wrong?”

He gritted his teeth just as Coop sped up, causing me to jerk forward.

I would have hit my head against the back of the front seat if Mason hadn't been quick to pull me back.

“Someone’s tailing us.”

His words were laced with frustration, like he was annoyed with himself for letting it happen but mostly felt murderous about the person who dared to tail his car.

I turned in my seat to look behind us, but his hand came down on my thigh, insistent.

“No. Sit still and act normal.”

And I did. Even though my heart was pounding in my chest, threatening to explode from fear, I forced myself to stay still as Coop stomped on the gas.

I had to remind myself to breathe.

Who could be tailing us?

Who would be stupid enough to do it?

~Ginny.~

But I didn't voice that theory.

The pain in my chest was starting to strangle the breath in my lungs, and I gritted my teeth, trying to push my emotions aside.

~I’m strong.~

~I won’t break down.~

“Turn left,” Mason ordered again. His voice was calm, casual.

Over the next few minutes, I heard him directing Coop, telling him when to slow down and when to speed up. I realized we weren't heading home.

But I was smart enough not to question him.

Not when he was in this mode. When Mason was like this, he didn't like being questioned. He didn't like repeating himself.

So I didn't move. I didn't object. I just silently obeyed him.

I think it was the fear of Ginny being the one on our tail that had me frozen in place.

Ginny, who was trying to reach out to me.

Ginny, who I had a million reasons to avoid.

“Stop,” he ordered, and Coop hit the brakes.

We were in the middle of a deserted, dark street. No other cars in sight, no signs of life.

I glanced to my right, taking in the empty road, then to my left, where there was nothing but darkness. I turned to Mason, unsure of his intentions.

Unsure why we were stopped in the middle of nowhere, on this particular street.

“They’ve stopped too,” Coop noted in his soothing voice, his gaze fixed on the rear-view mirror.

Mason didn’t respond, just leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, his lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. I just stared at him, dumbfounded.

I wanted to speak up.

I wanted to ask what the hell he was thinking. We were being followed, and this was the perfect spot for a kidnapping or worse.

If it had been my mother, she would have gotten out of her car and approached ours.

But the person tailing us didn’t leave their car, nor did they drive past us.

Either way, I had to bite back the million questions racing through my mind about what he was doing, why we were here, and who was following us.

I glanced at his wristwatch, and it was a full five minutes before he spoke again, his eyes still closed.

“Drive a couple of blocks from here and stop.”

I shot him a look, but he wouldn’t have seen it with his eyes shut.

I was glued to the window, watching the tinted black car that was tailing us start to follow us again, unbeknownst to him.

When Coop stopped for the second time, I saw headlights approaching from both directions until they stopped behind us, effectively blocking the car that was tailing us.

I watched, amazed, as the car tailing us tried to reverse.

They must have realized they were trapped when two other cars identical to the one behind us blocked them from the rear, preventing them from escaping.

Holy shit.

“I gave them a chance to leave, but they didn’t,” Mason answered my unspoken question.

He had planned this.

He had set this trap, and they had walked right into it.

Back there when we had stopped, he was giving them a chance to leave. And here I was thinking he was an idiot.

I felt like the idiot.

I saw him in a new light, awestruck as I watched this man. He was something else.

I was dying to ask questions. Like how he managed to call for backup or when he had done it.

Or maybe they had been here all along. He must have trapped a lot of people on this street.

We were home before long. Mason asked me to go in first.

When I walked in, I was surprised to see Beth waiting for me, waving. I must have missed her more than I realized because I threw myself into her arms.

And she didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around me.

After changing into something more comfortable, I found her on the bed, watching and waiting. The events of the party came rushing back.

I had been too shocked to react, but now that it was all sinking in, I couldn’t help but break down. I crawled up next to Beth, squeezing my eyes shut as I replayed the scene.

“Lauren.”

I didn’t respond.

“Lauren, what’s wrong? Talk to me. Mason texted me to come over because he knew you’d tell me what happened. You pulled him away from his event before it was over. Talk to me.”

I felt her fingers in my hair, gently stroking it.

“Mom’s back,” I managed to croak out. “She’s back and she brought a daughter who’s a few years older than me.” I choked on my tears, feeling my heart rip apart and the unbearable pain that came with it.

Beth’s fingers in my hair froze and she was silent for a moment.

I could almost feel the rage radiating off her, could feel the anger pulsing through her veins like a living, breathing entity.

“What?” she whispered.

I sat up in bed with red-rimmed eyes, tucking my legs under me and wiping away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

“I saw her, Beth. She looked different. She looked happy. How could she be happy after tearing us apart?”

For the first time, Beth was speechless. She just stared at me like I had grown a second head. I would have had the same reaction if she had told me her dead hamster had come back to life.

“With a daughter,” she echoed, the words heavy on her tongue and heavy in my ears. She gave me a dazed look. “Where has she been? And how can she have a daughter who is older than you?”

A realization crossed her mind before she whispered what I had suspected. “She’s not your dad’s.”

Hearing the words out loud hurt even more.

I nodded and sniffled.

“She lied to him. She kept a secret daughter from him for years. Dad trusted her, Beth. How could she do that?” A sob escaped my lips, and I sucked in a breath, trying not to scream.

“Why did I have to be the one to grow up without a mom? What did I do to deserve this?”

Beth leaned into me as if she could shield me from the pain. But there was no shielding me from it.

“Lauren, don’t do this to yourself.”

“No, I must have been the problem, right? Did I cause my parents’ divorce?” Panic welled up in my chest, a pressure so intense I wondered if I was having a heart attack.

“Do you think I’m the reason Mom left? I must be.”

I had always wondered why she would leave without trying to take me with her. As far as I knew, she had loved me.

She shook her head vehemently. “No. Your mom is a selfish bitch. It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t your dad’s,” Beth said quickly, with venom.

“And if I ever run into your mom, I swear I’ll punch her right in the face. She’s not worth your tears, Lauren. Why do you think she’s back? Why was she at Mason’s charity event? Does he know her?”

The pieces were starting to fall into place in a way that made my stomach churn—Ginny at Mason’s event, her daughter being pals with his sister.

It all pointed to one thing: Mason must know my mom.

But I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. I didn’t want to accuse without knowing the facts.

Beth, looking both confused and worried, reached over and grabbed my shoulders, giving me a gentle shake. “Lauren, listen to me. What if Mason does know her? What if he’s the one who brought her back into your life?”

“Beth, stop. He didn’t. Mason knows how much I despise her. He wouldn’t do that to me.” I tried to keep my voice steady as I looked away from her.

I thought I’d experienced every kind of fear there was, but this was a new one.

Beth mulled over my words for a moment. “I hope you’re right,” she said, sounding unsure. “You’re not going to tell your dad about her coming back, are you?”

“The last thing I want is to bring her back into his life. She didn’t come back to make amends. But I’ll make sure she never gets near dad. The only people he needs to see are you, me, and Mason.”

Beth nodded, clenching her fists. “I hope I run into her. I’d love to give her a taste of her own medicine.”

I let out a small laugh, the tears finally starting to dry. “I’d bail you out, you know. Even if I had to rob a bank, I’d get you out, babe.”

“You’ve got a rich husband with a lot of pull. I think I’m feeling a little reckless.”

I hit her with a pillow, laughing.