Kazia
Hmm, what's going on? The lawsuit filed against me has been withdrawn, and now there's a man trending on the internet, claiming to be Tyson and Lydia's father.
If I hadn't seen the guns in Aidan's closet yesterday, I wouldn't have suspected anything. But I did. Besides, he's gotten violent once before—in front of me, at the police station. And then there's his association with Rodiger, a notorious gangster in Accura. Everyone knows Rodiger in this city, so I have every reason to believe Aidan isn't the innocent man I thought I married.
"Are you okay?" His sudden voice startles me, but I quickly regain my composure. I don't want him catching on to my suspicions.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply, keeping my tone steady.
"You look like you're afraid to go home. If you're not comfortable, we can head back to the hotel," he says, ushering me into an SUV—different from the one we were in during the accident. Moments later, he gets in too, and the car begins to move.
"I'm perfectly fine," I say, forcing a casual tone. "I'm just surprised by the news on the internet… you know, about Tyson not being my father's biological son." I hope this distracts him.
"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised too," he says, but I don't buy it. He knows more than he's letting on. Why is he keeping things from me?
"So, what's your plan now?" He asks
"Huh? Oh! I'm filing for a re-investigation into my father's death."
If he's behind this news, I'm honestly grateful. But I can't shake the worry that he might not be who I think he is.
It doesn't take long before we reach home, and the place is unusually noisy. It's as if there's some kind of celebration going on.
I clutch Aidan's arm tightly as we walk through a crowd of people, confused by the commotion.
"What's the crowd for?" I ask when we get inside, but he doesn't respond. Oh, right—I forgot he's not supposed to be talking.
"Welcome back! Did you enjoy making a mockery of the family by pretending to get into an accident and then going missing for days?" Olivia's voice cuts through the noise, instantly giving me a headache. She's so infuriating.
I roll my eyes and ignore her. Just as I'm about to take the stairs, I meet my father-in-law's gaze. He looks at me, then at Aidan, clearly irritated. Crap! I forgot to call him to let him know we were safe.
"Olivia," my stepmother-in-law cautions her daughter.
"What, Mother? They're attention seekers!"
Attention seekers? Are you kidding me? We were in a serious accident that almost claimed our lives. This woman can't be serious.
"I was going to explain what happened," I begin, my voice sharp, "but you know what? I've changed my mind. I can't waste my breath talking to someone with the brain of a fish." With that, I march up the stairs, dragging Aidan with me. My anger boils over. How dare they throw some sort of party while two members of their family were missing? And then Olivia just had to pour fuel on the fire.
"You! Mother, did you hear that? She just said I have the brain of a fish!" Olivia wails.
I ignore her.
"Is that your daughter-in-law? She's so mannerless," I hear one of the guests whisper. I don't know if she's talking to my father-in-law or stepmother-in-law, but I don't care.
"This is all your fault," my stepmother-in-law snaps. "You let that good-for-nothing woman get too comfortable in this house. Now she thinks she can talk to everyone however she likes!"
Her rant fades as we reach the second floor. Aidan pulls out his key and unlocks our bedroom door.
The familiarity of the space wraps around me like a comforting blanket. Ahh, it feels good to be home.
"Can I use your phone for a bit?" I ask. It's been killing me not being able to talk to Jules for days.
"I actually got you a new phone yesterday, but I forgot to give it to you."
"Oh, really? Thanks." For a moment, I let myself believe Aidan is the thoughtful, loving man I married.
"Anything for you, baby," he says with a wink.
"Here you go," he adds, handing me his phone. "I'll grab your phone from the car."
I watch as he leaves before dialing Jules's number, which is already on the screen.
"Kazia?" Jules's voice comes through after a few rings.
"Yes, it's me. I'm using Aidan's phone because I don't have mine."
"I figured. Aidan would never call me," she says, laughing.
"How have you been? I heard about the accident. I'm so sorry." She says, her voice filled with concern, as always.
"I'm fine, surprisingly," I respond. Now that I have her on the line, I'm desperate to find out how much she knows about the accident. There's a big chance that she'd know what exactly happened since Leo always share everything with her.
"Well," she says after a pause, "I didn't get a lot of details from Leo. He said the case is still under investigation. What about you? How are you handling everything? I saw the news about your step siblings."
Poof! There goes my only shot at getting more information. "I'm filing for a re-investigation into my father's death tomorrow," I say. "Being his only biological child should give me an advantage."
A part of me doesn't want the news about Tyson to be true. If that man isn't bluffing, and Tyson isn't my father's son, it will shatter everything. My father's death will hurt even more.
"What a mess," Jules sighs. "I'm not surprised, though. Your stepmother is a gold digger and a… well, a whore. Sorry to say."
"Sorry to say?" I chuckle bitterly. "That's the truth."
We chat a little longer, but my mind is unsettled and it keeps wandering. Aidan returns with my phone, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"You okay?" he asks, his brow furrowed.
"Yeah," I say with a forced smile. "Just… thinking about tomorrow."
I had to end the call, I can't be talking carelessly with Jules anymore, especially now that I know my husband can hear.