Chapter 5
511 Words
A fleet of black Mercedes, hazard lights flashing, had the entire road sealed off.
Dominic was leaning against the hood of the one in the middle. Same charcoal shirt, sleeves loosely rolled up at some point without much care.
He watched our car approach. His expression gave away nothing.
Cedric was pacing the living room, unable to sit still.
Vivienne stood in the hallway, calling out to him softly.
"Cedric? Where did Jo go..."
He didn't turn around.
"Willowbrook. Visiting a relative."
Vivienne bit her lip and didn't dare ask anything else.
The next morning, the doorbell rang like someone was trying to wake the dead.
Cedric shot to his feet, the dread in his chest growing heavier by the second.
It wasn't the driver he'd arranged to take me. It was his assistant.
"Mr. Shaw, there was a serious accident last night on the highway outside the city. A black SUV went off the cliff—"
A high-pitched ringing filled Cedric's ears.
"My wife. Where is my wife?"
The man's expression softened with sympathy. He stepped aside. Behind him, someone held out a sealed evidence bag containing what was left of a woman's jacket, most of it burned away.
Identical to the one I'd been wearing when I left.
The assistant's voice sounded like it was coming from behind glass, muffled and far away.
"There were traces of a fuel leak at the scene. The car exploded after the fall. The remains... haven't been identified yet."
Cedric just stood there. He didn't move.
For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to think.
'Where is my wife?'
For the rest of that day, everyone who saw him said the same thing.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Shaw."
"Take care of yourself, Mr. Shaw."
He thanked each of them. His face showed nothing at all.
He went home, locked the door, and drank. From dawn to dark, and from dark to dawn again.
Vivienne knelt outside his door and cried until her voice gave out. He didn't seem to hear her.
Two weeks later, the Hale Corporation called.
They offered to acquire the Shaw family's bankrupt factory at three times market value, along with a brand-new partnership contract.
The numbers on that deal were more than enough to bring the Shaw family back from the dead.
Cedric stared at the contract. It felt like someone had carved a piece out of his chest with a knife.
He put on a suit and followed the Hale Corporation's representative to their headquarters.
The elevator climbed all the way to the top floor.
The doors opened, and at the far end of the corridor stood a woman in a champagne-colored suit, her hair swept up neatly.
The instant Cedric recognized that face, he stopped breathing.
His body moved before his mind could catch up. He crossed the distance in a few strides and grabbed my hand.
"Jo!"
I pulled my hand free and looked at him with no warmth at all.
"Mr. Shaw, I'm Mrs. Hale now. Please show some respect."
- Writer
