Page 17 of Into The Rabbit Hole

Regina looked at her with understanding eyes, understanding Chloe didn’t feel shedeserved.

“Regina, he wanted to tell me the night before. I saw how hard it was for him, and I just freaked out. With everything else going on, it was all toomuch.”

“I get it. I do. It’s been too much for everyone, and no one would blame you for leaving. Tell me whathappened.”

Chloe found her voice and started talking. By the time she got to the part about Merissa confronting Chloe atRunwayand taunting her about the psycho, Regina wasfuming.

“It’s all part of this person’s plan.” Regina shook her head and brought her hand up to hercheek.

Chloe nodded. “Yes, bigtime.”

“This is all such a mess. One bigmess.”

“I know, and I don’t know how we’ll even start to fix it.” Chloefrowned.

“There are just so many loose ends, but yet they connect, and in ways that I couldn’t imagine. Chloe, it’s not safe for you to stick around. It reallyisn’t.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m never leaving Wade again,ever.”

A tear ran down Regina’s cheek as she looked at her. “I am in awe at how much you love my son, but sweet girl, we’d both be devastated if something were to happen toyou.”

“Regina, I’m inaweat your compassion for me, but I can’t tell you how much I regret leaving him last night. It was so stupid, and I just can’t leave again. I’m in this for him, and for you all. I don’t care how safe or unsafe it is for me. I’mstaying.”

“Oh Chloe, Chloe. I don’t think I could have ever hoped for someone better for Wade than you. He certainly reached past the stars when he got you.” Regina covered Chloe’s hands over withhers.

Warmth seeped into Chloe’s skin, but she wished she could feel the comfort itcarried.

“Thank you.” Chloe replied, but again she didn’t feel like she deserved thecompassion.

She acted so far from what Wade needed last night. So very far fromit.

* * *

Wade was transferredto the secured unit at Avenal two days later, after his court appearance, where he would stay to await his trial, set for a month’stime.

Amonth.

Wade would be imprisoned for a whole month, and in one of the roughest facilities Chloeknew.

When Regina told Chloe, she felt like everything inside hercrumbled.

Arrangements were made for her to see Wade today. She’d get ten minutes with him. Just ten minutes. That wasall.

Her hands shook as she waited behind the cubicle with the glass separating her from the chair that Wade would be sitting in. The telephones were on the separator wall between visiting stations. One for her, the other forhim.

The whole thing reminded her of one of those prison films and seemedunreal.

The door before her on Wade’s side opened and her heart expanded when she saw him come through. However, it just as quickly shrank away into despair and anguish as she observed him, dressed in orange and shackled with handcuffs, coming through with a guard. What was worse was his face. He had a black eye and the right side of his face was bruised up like he’d beenbeaten.

She winced when she saw him and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. The guard hustled Wade over, unlocked the handcuffs so that he could use the phone, and stood next to him. Wade lowered to the seat and raised his eyes to meethers.

Shame filled her as she looked at him. Shame filled her at the thought that she never stood by him when he needed her the most and she left when he asked her tostay.

The first thing he did was reach out to her, resting his hand on the glass. The gesture gripped her soul in a way that she couldn’t quite describe. She reached back to him and pressed her hand on the glass, too, within the outline of his, and she broke downagain.

They savored a few seconds of that simple but intimate moment, then he reached for the phone and she took hold ofhers.

“Baby,” he breathed into the receiver. It was so weird to see him in front of her, watch his lips moving and hear him like this through thephone.