Page 69 of The Perfect Hosts
Yes, it was. But never again.
First, though, she needs to get rid of Mellie. Madeline holds tightly to the banister as she goes down the steps, her anger and hurt making her unsteady on her feet. Once outside Mellie’s door she pauses, fearful of how she’s going to react. Just as Madeline’s getting ready to knock, the door opens, and she comes face-to-face with Mellie.
She immediately notices Madeline’s tear-stained face. “Areyou okay?” Mellie asks with what at first sounds like genuine concern.
“No,” Madeline bites out. “I am not okay. Mellie, it’s time for you to leave.”
“I’m going to, I swear. I just need a few more days—” Mellie begins, her big eyes filling with tears, but Madeline cuts her off.
“You lied to me, and I just can’t have you in my home anymore,” Madeline says.
Mellie looks like she’s going to argue, but Madeline stops her. “Your mother is not dead. She lives in West Virginia, and the hospital told me there is no way you are pregnant. I don’t know what you think you were going to accomplish by coming here, but it’s over. Done.”
Mellie’s face goes stony, her eyes snap with hate. “What I was going to accomplish?” she repeats. “I was coming to take what’s mine.”
“And what might that be?” Madeline asks. “The clothes you’re wearing? The perfume? The bed you’re sleeping in? Tell me, Mellie. What exactly is yours to take?”
Mellie smirks. “That’s a question you’re going to have to ask your husband.”
Madeline freezes, trying to digest what Mellie has just said. “My husband?”
“Yes, your husband.” Mellie rolls her eyes as if it is obvious. “Think about it. Why would he be interested in a cow like you?”
Though she doesn’t want to believe Mellie, she does. If Wes would hit and berate his wife, he could certainly cheat on her. Still, Madeline doesn’t want to give Mellie the satisfaction of knowing how this hurts her. “You have twenty seconds to get out of my house, or I’m going to call the police,” Madeline says.
Mellie stands her ground. “I saved your life,” she says. “If I hadn’t called 9-1-1, Dalton probably would have killed you.”
“You’re down to ten seconds, Mellie,” she says. When Mellie still doesn’t move, she starts toward the home office, wishing for the hundredth time she had her new cell phone. Why hadn’t it arrived yet?
Mellie trails behind her shouting all sorts of nonsense. “He loves me! He does. We’ve been together for months now. And you know what? He tells me how much he hates you. You disgust him.”
In the office, Madeline picks up the landline and lifts it to her ear.
“Fine,” Mellie says. “I’m going. But I’m not the one you should be talking to. It’s your husband.”
Madeline follows Mellie to the door. “You can call for a ride, or I can order you an Uber. You decide.” She bites the inside of her cheeks to keep from crying, opens the door, and waits for Mellie to step outside.
Mellie turns to Madeline, her face filled with faux pity. “I feel sorry for you. I really do.” Her eyes linger on the bruises that are beginning to form on Madeline’s cheeks. “He’s never touched me like that before. He must really hate you.” With that, Mellie steps outside, and Madeline slams the door behind her. Through the closed door, she hears Mellie’s voice. “In the end, he’ll pick me. This isn’t over, Madeline!”
Shaking with anger, Madeline retreats upstairs. How has her world come to this? she wonders. And she knows it’s going to get much, much worse. The thought of bringing a child into this kind of chaos breaks her heart, but she also knows she’ll do anything to protect her daughter. Anything.
From the bedroom window, Madeline sees Mellie trudging up the dark lane toward the road. She wants to hate her but knows the young woman is misguided and foolish. Now all she can do is hope that she will stay far, far away and get on with her own life.
The creak of floorboards causes Madeline to startle.
Standing in the doorway is her sister.
“Lucy.” The word is no more than a murmur. Her eyes go to Lucy’s hands. She’s wearing a pair of Wes’s work gloves.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” Lucy says and takes a step toward her sister.
Chapter 33
Jamie
Back at the motel Jamie paces the room. His ride with Wes Drake rankles him. He had truly hoped that he would have been able to navigate Nightjar without anyone knowing who he was. How wrong he’d been about that.
For years, Jamie regarded Wes as some sort of mythical hero for saving him, but in the end, he is just some arrogant rich guy who thinks Jamie owes him something. And he is a possible murderer. The photos from the party don’t lie. Wes went into the barn just after Johanna and just before the explosion, and Jamie doesn’t buy what he said about wanting to fire Johanna for not having her midwife credentials up-to-date. That will be easy enough to check. He shoots off a text to Greta, asking her to check on Johanna’s licensing and to dig more deeply into her past.