Searching for His Lost Love

3 Stripping away her dignity

Dana could see Lisa’s frame leaning against the door frame and even though the woman wouldn’t see it she felt a stir of spitefulness cause her to lean into Blaine and wrap her arm around his possessively.  Speaking loud enough to ensure that Lisa heard her Dana leaned into Blaine and exclaimed. “Blaine, I just wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me for the last three years.  I know it couldn’t have been easy with me being in a coma but I really do appreciate the love you have shown me.”  A triumphant streak ran through her as she watched Lisa’s face pale at her words and she couldn’t help the cruel smile that touched her lips with the feeling.

Blaine looked up towards the house and saw Lisa standing in the entry way leaning on her cane with a luggage bag behind her.  He couldn’t understand what she was doing there; he had told her she could have the house.  Was she really so eager to be rid of him that she was going to sneak away the moment he left her alone?

He found himself so irritated by the fact that she had tried to sneak away the moment his back was turned that he wanted to make her hurt just a little.  Turning to Dana Blaine raised his voice above the raging wind in an attempt to make sure it carried to where Lisa stood.  “I’m glad you feel that way Dana.  I was hoping that you would like the looks of the house it was after all prepared for our wedding.  However, someone has been living in it so if you are not happy with this house I’ll have someone come and change the decorations and we can even have it painted or altered if you like.”

Dana looked down to appear shy as she hid her vindictive smile.  “No, you don’t have to go through all that trouble Blaine, really it looks quite charming just the way it is.”

Blaine looked to Lisa as he replied to Dana’s comment and felt a thrill go through his body at the reaction he could see playing on her face.  “Don’t even think of it Dana.  It would never be trouble for me so long as it would make you happy.”

Hearing them banter back and forth as if she didn’t even exist only firmed her resolve.  Lisa pulled herself up straight and locked away her raging heart.  She wasn’t going to acknowledge them, she only wanted to leave here and start over somewhere else.  Somewhere she could pretend the last three years never happened to her and her heart hadn’t just been crushed into the walkway below their feet.

Lisa began to navigate the few steps down from the entryway in an attempt to slip away unnoticed but as she brushed past Dana the woman reached out and yanked her to a stop.  Having been completely caught off guard Lisa found herself crashing to the floor.  Anger raced through her as she caught her body against her luggage and used that to stand once again, her backside throbbing along with the vein at her temple.

She felt her knuckles strain as she gripped her cane tighter in her fist.  “Look, we already signed the divorce papers and I am not taking anything from Blaine.  Why are you stopping me? All I want is to leave this place already.  I thought that was what you wanted too?”

Dana felt herself becoming jealous of Lisa.  She was blind and useless, filled with rage, and yet she could still look like an ethereal beauty standing in the wind.  The snowflakes billowing around her only seemed to add to the majesty of her pale skin and ice blue eyes and Dana found herself hating the woman before her.

Wanting to rip away some of the regal qualities she found in Lisa Dana smiled as a thought occurred to her on just how she could the other woman’s embarrassment.  “I don’t know Blaine, do you really think you can trust her word on this one?”   Dana leaned into Lisa and cruelly spat at her. “How do we know you didn’t take anything that didn’t belong to you?  Open your suitcase and prove it.”

Seeing a frown mar Blaine’s face Dana quickly looked down sheepishly and peered at him through her lashes.  “I’m sorry Blaine.  I just want to make sure she isn’t trying to rob you blind.  If I was out of line I apologize.”

Blaine thought about it for a moment and seeing the tension between the two women took the opportunity to twist the knife just a little more.  “No, of course not Dana, you just have my best interests at heart.  You heard her Lisa, open the suitcase and show us what you are trying to sneak out of here with while I was gone.”

Lisa felt her skin heat with anger as she shoved the suitcase in their direction.  “Go ahead and look for yourselves then.  I told you I didn’t want anything from you Blaine and I meant it, I only packed my clothing and nothing more.”

Dana called her maid over to rummage through the case knowing that she would be like a bull in a china shop and smiled to herself as the woman did not disappoint.  Grabbing the case by the handle and the wheels the maid turned it over spilling the contents all over the stone steps.  She felt a flash of enjoyment course through her as Lisa gasped when her suitcase was unceremoniously tossed back onto the ground smacking against her legs in the process.  That little bit of joy died when she realized that there was really nothing in the case except a couple of sets of old-fashioned clothing inside.  They weren’t even in the current fashion everything was so old and used that Dana almost found herself taking pity on the woman.

Blaine stared at the clothing strewn on the steps in disbelief.  Why was everything in that case in such a state of disrepair?  I know I provided her with enough money to have been well kept, he thought.  He felt himself regretting not having noticed how worn her clothing was before he abruptly closed of those feelings.  Instead he turned the regret to anger at Lisa herself.  How dare she make it look like I wasn’t taking care of her!  Looking at the few meager pieces he thought to himself that she never really did allow herself to feel at home with him.  It looked instead like she had made it so she could leave at a moment’s notice and no one would even have known she was there.

He shook himself out of his thoughts as Lisa’s voice rang through the wind and snow.  “Are you satisfied now that you have torn through my stuff and made a mess of everything?  I told you I didn’t take anything but my own clothing.  I’m not even taking the house you told me yourself would be mine Blaine, yet you think I would steal the silver or something.  Whatever, are you done now so I can pick up my stuff?”

Lisa crouched down feeling with her hands for her suitcase and after righting it she began to feel around for her clothing to start stuffing the pieces back into the worn case.  Dana found herself at a loss for words as the statement Lisa made sank into her.  Blaine had promised the house to Lisa!  This house was supposed to be for her wedding to Blaine and he went and gave it to that blind bat of a wench crouched before her.  The rage in her veins was practically causing her blood to boil and she was fighting the urge to kick the woman off the steps before her.

The more it spun around in her mind the angrier she found herself becoming and she wanted to strangle the woman crouched on the steps before her.  In a blind fit of anger the calm lady like mask she kept around Blaine slipped and she allowed her true vile nature out.  “You know what?  We know that you didn’t pack anything in that pitiful bag you call a suitcase, but what about that nice thick coat you have on or the clothes you have on now.”

Lisa felt a chill slide down her spine at the venom in Dana’s voice.  “What in the world are you talking about?  I already told you both I don’t want anything from you!”

Dana took a step towards the woman and touched a well-manicured finger to her shoulder before pushing her back and practically hissing.  “There is only one way to be sure.  Take it off.”