Iย didnโt do what Trey asked me to do. In fact, I didnโt do anything. I didnโt say anything. I didnโt answer a single question.
Every question that wasย red at me, I pressed my lips together tighter
and tighter.
Owen may not want me to tell them the truth, but if Trey thinks for a second that Iโm going to lie for him, heโs more delusional than I even imagined.
When they told me I was free to leave, Trey said he would drive me home. I told him no thank you, and I walked right past him. Iโm now standing outside of the police station, waiting for the cab I just called to arrive. Trey walks up beside me and stands next to me. His mere presence causes me to rub my hands up my arms to wipe away the chills.
โIโll give you a couple of days to cool o๏ฌ,โ he says. โBut then Iโm coming over. We need to talk about this.โ
I donโt respond to him. I donโt know how he thinks I would ever be willing to forgive him after tonight.
โI know youโre upset, but you have to see things from my perspective. Owen has a criminal record. I donโt know what kind of hold he has over you, but you canโt blame me for thinking about the safety of your son, Auburn. You canโt be upset that Iโm trying to do whatโs best by getting him out of your life, so that you can focus on AJ.โ
It takes everything in me not to respond. I continue to stare straight ahead until he sighs heavily and makes his way back inside the police station.
When the cab pulls up, I climb inside.ย e driver asks for the address just as Iโm pulling my phone out of my pocket. I type โCallahan Gentry home addressโ into the search engine, and I wait for the results to return.
 |
I donโt know what I expected toย nd when I appeared at Callahan Gentryโs front door last night, but the man who stood in front of me certainly wasnโt it. He looked so much like Owen. His eyes were kind like Owenโs, but they looked tired.ย at very well could have been because it was the middle of the night, but I felt like it was something more than that. It reminded me of when Owen said he watched the life seep out of his fatherโs eyes, and I truly understood what he meant when I saw itย rsthand.
โCan I help you?โ his father said.
I shook my head. โNo. But you can help your son.โ
Atย rst, he appeared somewhat defensive after my comment. But then it was as if something clicked, and he said, โYouโre the girl he talked about.
e one who has the same middle name?โ
I nodded, and he invited me inside his home. When I sat on the couch across from him and began to tell him what had transpired, I grew more and more nervous, thinking my plan might not work out. But the second he agreed to help me, I instantly relaxed. I knew I couldnโtย ght this alone.
My hands are shaking right now, despite the fact that Owenโs father is sitting right next to me. I donโt think anything could calm me down in this moment, because if it doesnโt work out in my and Owenโs favor, Iโll have just made things a whole lot worse. My heart is in my throat as we wait for her to arrive.
Iโve been awake for more than twenty-four hours now, but adrenaline is pumping through me, keeping me alert. I wasnโt even sure if his phone call would convince her to show up today, but his secretary just buzzed through the speaker to let him know sheโs here.
In a matter of seconds, Iโll be face-to-face with Lydia.
I expect sheโll be angry. I expect sheโll argue. What I donโt expect to see when sheย nally walks through the door is the man standing behind her. When Treyโs eyes meet mine, I can see the curiosity cloud his face.ย ere
isnโt any curiosity on Lydiaโs face. Just a world of annoyance when she witnesses me sitting here.
She gives her head a shake as she pauses across the boardroom table from us. โย is was the emergency?โ she asks, waving her hand in my direction. She gives a huge roll of her eyes, and she turns and looks at Trey. โIโm sorry I dragged you into this,โ she says to him. โI didnโt realize it had to do with Auburn.โ
Treyโs expression is tight, and he glances from me to Owenโs father. โWhatโs this about?โ he says.
Owenโs father, who insisted I call him Cal the second he found out how I knew Owen, stands and motions for them to take two seats across from us. Trey chooses to remain standing, but Lydia sits directly in front of me. I can see her glance at the cut on my lip, but she doesnโt ask about it. She darts her eyes to Cal as she folds her arms over the table. โI have to leave in half an hour to pick up my grandson from preschool. Why am I here?โ
Cal shifts his eyes to mine brieย y. I warned him about her, but I think he may have thought I was exaggerating. He straightens out the papers that are in front of him, and then he leans back against his chair.
โย ese are custody papers,โ he says, pointing at the papers laid out in front of him. โAuburn is requesting custody of her son.โ
Lydia laughs. She literally laughs and looks at me like Iโve lost my mind. She begins to stand up. โWell, that was fast,โ she says. โI think weโre done here.โ
I hate that she so easily dismisses the notion. She turns to walk out the door, and I look at Trey, who is still eyeing me. He knows Iโm up to something, and my conย dence is scaring him.
โTrey,โ I say to him, just as Lydia reaches the door. โTell your mother we arenโtย nished yet.โ
Treyโs jaw grows tight, and his eyes narrow in my direction. He says nothing to Lydia, but he doesnโt have to. Lydia turns and faces me, and then moves her focus to Trey. Trey wonโt look at her because heโs too busy trying to threaten me with his glare, so she looks back at me. โWhatโs going on, Auburn? Why are you doing this?โ
I choose not to respond to her. Instead, I place my phone on the table. I open up theย le, and I press play.
โ You think Iโm just going to forget the fact that you attacked me?ย at you destroyed Owenโs studio?ย at youโre framing him?โ
I pause the recording and watch as all the color drains from Treyโs face. I can almost hear his thoughts, theyโre written so clearly across his face. Heโs trying to think back on last night and what he might have said to Owen or me on the way to the police station. Because he knows whatever was spoken inside that vehicle, I now have it on my phone as evidence.
He doesnโt move a muscle, other than tensing his arms and shoulders. โShould I play the rest of our conversation from last night, Trey?โ
He closes his eyes and looks down at theย oor. He lifts his leg and kicks the chair in front of him. โFuck!โ he yells.
Lydiaย inches. Sheโs looking back and forth between Trey and me, but he doesnโt look at anything other than theย oor. Heโs pacing back and forth.
He knows his entire career is in my hands now.
And the fact that Lydia is sitting down again proves that she realizes it, too. Sheโs staring at my phone with a look of defeat, and as much as I want to say her expression pleases me, it doesnโt. I never wanted it to come to this.
โIโll stay in Dallas,โ I tell her. โI wonโt move back to Portland. You can still see him. As long as you arenโt living in the same house as Trey, Iโll even give you weekend visitation. But heโs my son, Lydia. He needs to be with me. And if I have to use your son against you in order to get my son back, then so help me God, I will.โ
Cal pushes the paperwork toward her. I lean forward across the table, and for theย rst time in my life, Iโm not scared of the woman sitting across from me.
โIf you sign the custody papers and Trey drops the charges against Owen, I wonโt forward the e-mail that contains this conversation to every single o๏ฌcer in Treyโs precinct.โ
Before Lydia picks up the pen, she turns and looks at Trey. โIf that happens and someone gets hold of whatever she has on that recording . . . will it a๏ฌect your career? Is she telling the truth, Trey?โ
Trey pauses his frantic pacing, and he looks directly at me. He nods a slow nod but canโt even verbalize a response to her. Lydiaโs eyes close, and she exhales.
e choice is in her hands. Either she can allow me to be a mother to my son, or Iโll make sure her son pays for what heโs done to Owen. For what he almost did to me.
โYou realize this is blackmail,โ Trey says.
I look up at him and nod calmly. โI learned from the best.โ
e room grows quiet, and I can almost hear him trying to come up with a way out of this. When Trey doesnโt o๏ฌer up an alternative, and Lydia realizes they have no choice, she picks up the pen. She signs each form and then pushes them across the table toward me.
I try to remain calm, but my hands are shaking as I hand the paperwork to Cal. Lydia stands up and walks to the door. Before she exits the room, she looks back at me. I can tell sheโs on the verge of tears, but her tears are nothing compared to the tears Iโve shed because of her. โIโll pick him up from preschool on my way home. You can stop by in a few hours. Itโll give me time to get some of his things together.โ
I nod, unable to speak due to the sob Iโm keeping lodged in my throat.
As soon as the door closes behind Lydia and Trey, I burst into tears.
Cal puts an arm around me and pulls me to him. โย ank you,โ I say. โOh my God, thank you so much.โ
I feel him shake his head. โNo, Auburn. Iโm the one who should be thanking you.โ
He doesnโt elaborate on why heโs thanking me, but I canโt help but hope that somehow, seeing the sacriย ces his son has made for both of us will give him the strength to do what he needs to do.
