Chapter 42

-Alison-

I found myself agreeing with the rational part of my mind that labeled Jared's demands as utterly unreasonable. Yet, as a few days passed and my life unexpectedly quieted—work flowing smoothly, no interruptions, no husband returning home to disturb me—I couldn't help but entertain a curious notion. I began playing with the fantasy of running away to be with Jared, an utterly ludicrous idea. After all, this wasn't a scene from a romantic film. Jared didn't love me in the conventional sense. His interest was possessive, a means to keep me under his thumb. And yet, the thought still stirred something within me.

"There is something very wrong with you," I murmured to myself, amidst shuffling through important emails in my office.

Despite my internal admonishments, I found my gaze repeatedly drifting toward my phone, silently hoping for Jared's call. Since his last visit, there had been nothing but radio silence, an unusual departure from his typical behavior. He had never stayed away from me for this long, except when he returned me to my life. Hadn't he himself admitted that he wouldn't be able to stay away? So, what was keeping him now?

I drummed my nails impatiently against my desk, willing my phone to ring. Yet, the waiting gradually transformed into a silent plea, as if I could compel Jared to seek me out through sheer force of will. But alas, the phone remained silent.

With a resigned sigh, I returned my focus to my work. However, the moment I averted my gaze, the phone suddenly rang. Startled, I nearly jumped out of my chair, reaching for the device with a rapidly beating heart, without even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered, hoping to hear Jared's familiar voice. However, it was not him.

"Alison,"came my mother's voice from the other end.

"Oh, it's you..."

"Yes, I'm sure you're eagerly anticipating a call from your lover,"she teased.

"I assume Warren has spoken to you."

"He has, but don't worry, I have everything under control. It will be dealt with."

"What does that mean?" I asked, puzzled by her cryptic response.

"Don't worry about that. I'm simply calling because I'm sure you haven't forgotten what day it is on Saturday."

I groaned, tilting my head back in frustration. What was it with these recent weeks? There were times when I wouldn't see my parents for months on end, yet now it felt as though they were finding reasons to drag me to their home every single week. Perhaps they were attempting to steer me back into a sense of control over my life or to repair my tarnished reputation, but I had little interest in spending so much time with them. It was becoming unbearable.

"It's... your birthday," I muttered.

"And I'm certain my dutiful daughter hasn't forgotten."

"I just mentioned it was your birthday."

"Alison, don't use that tone with me,"she snapped.

I groaned, shaking my head in frustration. "And what if I don't show up?"

"You will."

"Why does that sound like a threat?"

"Because it is,"she declared. "You will show up, and you will show up with Warren."

I let out a mocking laugh, refusing to believe her for a moment. While I knew my mother could be extreme, this felt like a step beyond anything she had done before. Was maintaining this fa?ade of a perfect image truly so crucial? I couldn't help but entertain the idea that she was hiding something. I shook my head once more, finding her behavior utterly ridiculous. It was no wonder I had turned out a bit unhinged myself.

"I will not."

"You will,"she insisted.

"Mom, I'm going to divorce him!" I exclaimed.

"No, you're not."

"Don't forget I still have that recording of you!" I snarled.

She let out a little gasp. "Y-You have the recording?"

"Yes!"

"No, your father made Jared delete that."

"What?" I asked. "He met up with Jared?"

"Yes, after the dinner."

I felt confused. I understood Jared was trying to get close to my parents at these social events to annoy me, to wedge himself into my life, but was he conducting actual business with my father? Had they formed some sort of friendship now? It made no sense. Jared despised the people from my world, and that's when it grew even weirder. Why was Jared even recording in the first place? My mind began to swirl with questions, my blood running cold as I pieced together something I had been too blind to see, consumed as I was with Jared's reentry into my life.

He said he was hunting someone... someone in my world, or maybe not just in my world... What if...? I lifted my hand to my mouth, biting down on my thumbnail.

Private meetings, constant glances, a sudden visit...I listed them internally. But why? It made no sense why Jared would target my father, or perhaps it was both my parents. I knew he resented them for everything they had done to me, but did they deserve to die for that? Something was profoundly wrong, and I didn't know how to unravel the truth of what was unfolding. I knew Jared wouldn't divulge anything, yet I felt compelled to call him.

"Mom," I began, wondering if she possessed information I was lacking.

"Yes?"she replied.

However, I didn't know what to ask her. It still made no sense to me, and yet I couldn't ignore the extreme suspicion surrounding that recording. But I had been so fixated on finally gaining some leverage over my mother, and Jared had been there to comfort me. I wanted to believe it was all for my sake. I wanted to believe he did it because he cared. But a dark realization hit me, and tears welled up in my eyes, emotions I quickly pushed aside.

It was never about me, I thought to myself, before shaking my head, understanding that I needed answers.

"Warren isn't at home anymore," I pointed out.

"He'll come back tonight, and you'll start working on your marriage from then on. Do you hear me?"my mother insisted.

I sighed. I had no interest in repeating anything with Warren or salvaging a marriage that had utterly failed. However, I knew I needed time to recuperate and figure out what the hell Jared had been up to. If he had my father on his hit list, I needed to know when and why. I needed to put a stop to whatever was happening.

"I hear you," I told her.

"Good. Then I'll see you in two days,"she concluded.

"See ya," I whispered, lowering my phone, only to slump back into my chair.

It simply couldn't be true. I couldn't have been that blind! Yet a voice told me I was onto something, and I grabbed my phone once more, feeling my heart race in my chest. I got up from my chair, walking over to the large floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the city below as my phone rang incessantly until...

"Hello?"This time, it was Jared who answered.

"Why did you ask me to leave everything for you?" I whispered.

"Alison?"he asked, his confusion obvious.

"Who else?" I retorted, adding a hint of mockery to my tone.

"Listen, I can't talk right now—"

"WHY did you ask me to leave everything for you?" I demanded, my voice trembling with urgency.

"We can talk about this when—"

"Is it because you know something is about to happen? That my life might be blowing up?"

Jared fell silent, his lack of response only fueling my suspicion.

"Jared, tell me you entered my life to torment me, not to end the games. I could understand if you wanted to continue making my life hell. But don't tell me... don't tell me…"

"Alison…"he began, his voice trailing off.

Tears began streaming down my cheeks as I took a deep breath, refocusing on the cityscape outside.

"It was never about me, was it?" I croaked out. "You never cared, not even a little."

"Alison, listen, I—"

"Gosh, I'm even more pathetic than I realized," I chuckled bitterly, feeling a wave of disgust with myself. "I actually thought you meant it when you said you couldn't stay away."

"I meant it!"he shouted, desperation evident in his voice, but I found it hard to believe him now.

"No, you didn't. It's all an act. You're on a mission, ready to kill my father, aren't you?" I snarled, but there was only silence on the other end.

His lack of response fueled my fury, and I clenched my fist tightly.

"I don't know why he ended up there. I don't know what the hell you're planning, but I'm going to figure it out, and I'm going to stop you."

"Alison, you have no idea what you're talking about right now. You're not going to do anything. Just stay out of this and wait for me."

"I might have listened when I thought you meant it, but you don't mean any of it. You've been deceiving me from the beginning, and I'm once again the fool who decided to trust you. When will I ever learn? Of course, no affection can come from the things I've done to you, and yet I'm such a mess that I somehow believe it!" I exclaimed.

"Alison, listen to me—"

"No! I'm never going to listen to you again!" I yelled. "I'm going to get my life back, something I was ready to give up because you asked me to. I've been so focused on you when I should have been working on fixing the mess you made."

"You're not going to do anything. You're going to follow my orders and—"

"Warren is coming home, and then hopefully I can undo all the damage," I taunted.

"Alison, you stay the hell away from him, do you hear me?"

"Or what?"

"You know what will happen,"he threatened.

"Right, you will kill him. Is that your solution to having me for yourself? Just eliminate every person in my life?"

"It's certainly effective,"he snarled. "You let him touch you, and I will end him."

I let out a little mocking laugh. "You know, those words might have actually swayed me if I thought there was even a tiny part of you that was just a little fixated on me."

"Alison, I did mean it. I can't stay away,"Jared insisted.

"Sure, because I'm supposed to believe that. We all know it's not me you can't stay away from. It's your fucking mission and your strange vigilante life that I don't get one bit! But if you think I'm going to allow you to mess things up anymore, you're mistaken, Jared. You thought I was mean when we were kids. You haven't seen what the adult Alison can do," I asserted, my tone sharp with determination.

An almost growling sound emanated from him, signaling his readiness to meet my threat head-on.

"Alison,"he warned, his voice low and intense.

"You thought someone else might snatch me away. You were fucking mistaken, Jared Tyler. You ruined it. You lost me," I vowed, my words firm and resolute.

"Alison, I'm not fucking playing anymore! You don't want to push me,"Jared cautioned, his tone becoming more urgent.

"I want to. I want to push you, ruin you, and destroy whatever that is left of you. You come for my family and you will see a side of me you can't even imagine," I retorted fiercely, my resolve unyielding.

"You're going to experience the punishment of your life when I get my hands on you," Jared threatened, his voice seething with anger.

I tightened my hand around my phone, feeling the urge to crush it. "Good luck," I mocked before I hung up, feeling a surge of empowerment as I severed his hold over me. Jared would no longer have me under his control, and I was determined to unravel this mystery.

When I arrived home, to my surprise, Warren was waiting for me with food in the midst of being cooked. He looked almost sheepish as I approached.

"Hey," he greeted tentatively.

"Hey," I replied, feeling a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

We exchanged no words, only locking gazes.

"A clean slate?" Warren ventured.

A faint chuckle escaped me, and he returned the smile.

"I believe we can work toward that, if we're willing to let go of everything else," I remarked.

"I would like that," he affirmed.

"As would I."

I wasn't certain how we would rebuild our relationship, but Jared had been a toxic influence that I needed to purge. With him out of the picture, it felt easier to refocus on my life. Warren and I shared a meal, during which he assured me he had stayed at a male friend's house and had not been involved with anyone else. In turn, I assured him there had been no one else in our home. I had been alone.

We didn't delve deeply into our plans for the future. Everything felt raw and uncertain, but a newfound determination stirred within me. I was resolved to rectify past mistakes and uncover the truth about what was happening, all while safeguarding my father. Though my father and I may not be close, he had never been cruel to me. I couldn't fathom why he should pay with his life.

After dinner, I noticed Warren seemed poised to broach a topic we had thus far avoided, but I anticipated his unspoken question.

"You can sleep in our bedroom," I assured him.

"Have the sheets been changed?" he asked.

I shot him a pointed glare.

"No, I adore sleeping in soiled sheets," I retorted dryly.

"Sorry if I seem disinterested in…" He paused, his expression solemn. "Let's agree to no more arguments."

I sighed, offering a subdued nod. "No more arguments."

He nodded in acquiescence before proceeding past me, ascending the stairs—presumably to retire early for the night. I remained in the kitchen, pouring myself another glass of wine to steady my nerves. Today had been fraught with upheaval, leaving me feeling a shade darker.

Though it was still early to retire, exhaustion weighed heavily upon me. I retreated to ready myself for bed, finding Warren lying on his usual side, his eyes shut but his breathing betraying his wakefulness. After attending to my nightly routine in the bathroom, I slipped into some fresh underwear and settled onto my side of the bed.

Observing Warren facing away from me, I pondered whether there was any hope for our relationship to be rebuilt, or if I was merely using him as a means to draw closer to my parents. For now, I couldn't afford to sever ties with him, as my parents viewed us as a unit. But what more did I truly want from our marriage?

A whirlwind of tumultuous thoughts swirled in my mind as I averted my gaze from Warren, surrendering to the embrace of darkness as I closed my eyes.