Page 49 of Into The Rabbit Hole

“It’s true, Chloe. Knowing me ruined her. First she had to watch our baby die because I was careless, and then she died because of the vendetta she had againstme.”

“Wade, you told me what happened, and it’s not yourfault.”

“Baby, your feelings for me won’t allow you to see truth. I can’t stop thinking about them. Merissa and the baby. They’re in my mind all the time. Both ofthem.”

“Wade, was she never happy? Is there no memory of happiness at all with you? I find that hard tobelieve.”

He gazed into her eyes and thought back to when he was with Merissa. Right up until the accident he made sure he did everything to make her happy. But wasshe?

He thought back and remembered how she was. How she smiled when she was with him, how she looked at that ultrasound and they first heard their baby’s heartbeat. He remembered how nervous she was when she first told him she was pregnant and how she cried with joy when he told her he was excited to be afather.

“I think she was.” He nodded. He’d tried to restrain himself, his mind, but it took him back to the night of her murder, to his final moments with her. “I just wish things had turned out better for her. I wish that she at leastlived.”

She’d asked if he meant all that he said with his promises to change and have a life with her. Then she said to him, “I’m sorry we lost ourchild.”

He could see it in her eyes that she’d forgiven him, and just as he was about to take hold of some form of redemption, she was taken from him. Just likethat.

And byZeek.

“I’ll be here for you, with whatever you need. You don’t need to do this by yourself anymore. You have me,” sheoffered.

“Thank you. That means alot.”

“I loveyou.”

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her nose. “I loveyou.”

* * *

The next daywhen he woke up, going to the cemetery was the only thing he had on his mind. He’d built the courage and strength to face Merissa’s grave, but he was called down to the policestation.

Both he and Jared had to meet with Detective Fray for over an hour to give all the information they could on Zeek. Jared brought in everything he could find, and searches at Adrenaline over the last few days provided evidence to show that he was the brains behind the hacking. That definitely wasn’t asurprise.

The meeting left him filled with that fury again, and feeling stupid for being played, but he had to push it all out of his mind, if only for a few hours. Today wasn’t the day to go searching for answers or to get back on this quest to find their psycho. Aaron, he was told he wascalled.

Wade would see his father about that. That’s where the answers lay, with hisfather.

Restraining his anger, he made his way to thecemetery.

It was a hot day, probably one of the hottest they’d had in a while, but a gentle breeze rustled across the cemetery. Wade hated cemeteries. Really hated them. He knew they held remains of loved ones, cherished, but to him it was a place of grief that he couldn’t accept. And now because he was grieving, it wasworse.

The caretaker gave him directions to Merissa’s gravesite. When he got there he saw a dark-haired woman kneeling by the cascade of roses, neatening them up. Wade brought a bunch of long-stemmed English roses, yellow. That was what Merissa liked. Before the woman could even stand he knew who she was, and his stomach tightened as she lifted her head and saw himapproach.

When she stood he stopped, paces away, and looked at her. Marlene Stevens was the spitting image of her daughter. He’d always complimented her when he was with Merissa because she looked so young. So young people would mistake her and Merissa for sisters and would have a hard time believing they were mother anddaughter.

She didn’t look young now. She looked like she’d aged significantly since the last time he saw her. As if the life had been siphoned from herbody.

Wade didn’t know what to expect and he didn’t expect to feel like he should be here. After all, he was the man charged with murdering her daughter. He was the man that got involved with her daughter and ruined herlife.

“I’m sorry, I’ll just leave these and go.” His voice shook as hespoke.

“No,” shereplied.

He gazed at her with anticipation, wondering what she was going to say next. Would she not allow him to leave the flowers? Is that what she was saying noto?

“Stay,” she added to hisrelief.

“I can stay?” He wanted tocheck.