Paul peeped outside the window of the moving car, uneasiness embedded all over his charisma. His eyes shifted to the side of the road as he watched the pedestrians walk around, busy schedules planned out already in their mind, as was his. Layla tried to be patient enough though the rising anticipation of seeing her son was not going away any time soon. She checked her watch, it was just over 11:00 am, and the sun today seemed to have had a claim over the winter. The atmosphere seemed warm truth be told, but looks were deceiving. It was so cold, that she had on gloves and some long classy grey trousers. She had a black overcoat that did its due to protect her from the cold. Winter, winter, oh winter!
"How far are we?" Paul asked the taxi driver who was seating so steady, trying to navigate their way to Garibay Penitentiary.
"Just two hours away, sir." The driver answered.
"How comes? It's a weekend..." Paul stressed out. "Shouldn't the traffic be clearer today?"
"Trust me sir, I don't know how but it's actually happening. Even with the easy flow of traffic, it's just an unlucky day. Plus the car, well it's a piece of crap that is barely hanging on to life."
"You really had to board this cab?" Layla teased. "We've been on this road for over two hours!"
"Don't blame me, honey. The last time we used to live this south there wasn't much traffic."
"So you're blaming this on the development of these towns here in Arizona?" Layla asked. The driver was on his own mind driving about the busy traffic.
"That or the slow car, just leave me out of it." Paul answered jokingly. Layla laughed.
"You still haven't stopped with your silly jokes, Paul. Sometimes you just make me feel like a young woman, who is being entertained by this guy from college."
"Aaah, the college days," Paul smirked. "Those days were the best."
"Back when your mind was still torn between me and Clara."
"You knew there was no way I was going to be with her. Honey, did you look at yourself those days?" Paul asked. "Everyone at campus wanted you!"
"I did you a favor." Layla laughed and Paul joined her later on.
"No," He teased her. "I mean you couldn't avoid these good looks." He pouted as he squinted his eyes at her, flicking his eyebrows all the while.
"You are just a silly grown man, honey." Layla told him jokingly as she brushed her hand in her auburn hair. It was losing its color as the years passed. It looked almost dark brown now with some tint of red. "If things were different, I always assume that you would have ended up with Clara."
"Clara, Clara, Clara..." Paul growled. "That woman. You have no idea how much I hate her." He turned to his wife. "I'm sure that she had something to do with the case. Otherwise, Ethan would have walked out of that courtroom a free man."
"Are you sure?" Layla asked. "You seem to trust her very much. Why hate her just this once?"
"She told me herself that day. That she'd make sure Ethan would land in prison no matter what the verdict of the judge or jury would be. For once in my life, I feared her. The power she has, it makes her nearly untouchable."
"I told you to just leave her alone with whatever case you had on her. Whatever she did to you, was it really worth it to have the whole eyes of the country on her? You destroyed her good public image."
"She deserves it!"
"Just because she wanted to kill herself if you didn't marry her?" Layla asked.
"That and more. Layla, she destroyed the family's law firm. And it has taken me all these years to bring it up to its feet and its former glory."
"Is that really all?"
"Yes." He answered suddenly.
"Stop lying to me. Paul I'm your wife." She cried out grabbing his hand. "What did she do to you that you hate her this much? That woman was over in our lives. She was gone! And you brought her back! Why?"
"This is a personal feud that I'm not willing to get you involved." He answered. "I'm sorry."
"Come on Paul, remember our vows. We help each other, no matter the cost. What's wrong?"
"I can't tell you now." Paul smiled. "Not in front of him."
"That's what you tell me every time. You always find an excuse to postpone the explanation to the point that I just give up on you." Layla cried out. "You're not supposed to be dealing with this on your own honey. For better for worse, remember?"
"I'll tell you," he cohered. "This time I promise. Okay?" Layla nodded. "Come here." Layla slid over the seat and rested her head on his chest and he stroked her hair.
"Honey, is this a story of revenge?" Layla asked softly.
"It's more than that..."He answered. "I'll tell you, just be patient with me." He kissed her hair and breathed her in.
"It's not fair that everyone nowadays has secrets of their own." She said later on. "Ethan and Elena knew what really happened in that house during the party and none of them is willing to tell. Ingrid's seems suspicious too under her cute little face."
"Ingrid?" Paul stressed out. "What secret can she be hiding?"
"Do you really believe Ethan's and Elena's statement from the courtroom? About what Ingrid was doing at that party? I mean yeah we had left her behind but I'm so sure my son wouldn't have allowed her to roam around the party that free. He would have locked her in her room if that's what it took."
"So what do you think?"
"That maybe she had sex at the party?" She asked. Paul released her from his embrace. He looked at the driver in front. He seemed too busy on the road, with the hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel. He was humming along to some music that was on the radio.
"Sex? Ingrid? My little girl?" Paul asked her, eyes conjoined in self-denial.
Layla shrugged. "I don't know? I think that maybe that's the most plausible reason."
"Ethan would have killed the guy he found on top of Ingrid or he would have told the authorities of the defilement. He loved Dylan so dearly I'm so sure there was no way he was going to let a random guy from his class have sex with Ingrid. And the way he was so overprotective of her after Dylan's death! Ethan would rather kill you than talk if you messed with Ingrid. You've seen how they've grown so close together. I'm a hundred percent sure my girl didn't have sex at the party. And even if she did, Ethan has no idea about it."
Layla raked her green eyes at Paul's sea green ones. "So you think that maybe whatever she's hiding is something different from whatever Ethan and Elena are hiding too?" She asked.
"I don't know... it's all confusing. It all seems connected and yet so different in its own ways." Paul grunted.
Layla gasped. "Oh my god. Paul, if she did have sex, then that means that maybe she'd have gotten pregnant..."