“Apparently, she does.”
Maureen sat back down on the edge of the bed now and smoothed her hair back and wiped her face.
“If the board knew why Vince committed suicide, they’d have never let me run the company. They’d have voted me out as CEO or liquidated their stock, and Capshaw Realty would’ve been done. I couldn’t lose everything we’d built.”
She stood again and covered her mouth as more tears flowed down her face. Lana sat in astonishment, hearing the details of what happened, and prayed none of those traits lay dormant in Kayden.
“The only thing that would give us the push we needed was the insurance claim. I was able to pull us out of the fat by investing in new development deals, eventually.”
Lana stood from the chair and looked at Maureen, her red face a mess, a far different woman than the one who so strategically tried to ruin her not long ago.
“And the insurance policy wouldn’t pay out in the event of suicide, am I correct?”
Maureen shook her head and sank to the floor.
“It was a newer policy; we’d had it for less than two years, so no, they wouldn’t pay the premium. Our finances were tied up with so many projects across different states… we were leveraged to the max. I couldn’t let all we worked for go down the drain, Lana.”
The shame of Maureen’s secret had taken an obvious toll on her. It was a difficult position to be in, but as Lana looked down on her, she didn’t feel pity for her. She was fresh out of sympathy to give.
“And now it all makes sense. You kept Kim close because you had to. And Kayden was the price you were willing to pay for her silence. But I have a sinking feeling that’s not all of it, is it, Maureen?”
Maureen’s eyes snapped up to meet hers, then she broke down and wailed so loudly Lana thought for sure the whole floor heard her through the paper-thin walls. She frowned, bent over,and lifted Maureen’s chin with her index finger. Lana’s eyes were locked on hers, searching them and making sure the matriarch gave her her full attention.
“Stop. Crying.” Lana’s voice was cold and steely.
She couldn’t give this woman a shoulder to cry on, especially when she was the cause of so many of her own tears. Maureen had done a great job of digging her own grave, and it seemed now she was going to have to lie in it finally.
“You’ve had plenty of opportunities to come clean with your son, your beloved Kayden, and you chose not to.Allof this is your fault. You might as well have driven the car into us yourself,” Lana released her and stood up.
“Please, Lana, you can’t tell Kayden and Paula. They’re all I have left. I can’t lose them, too,” she begged.
“Not to worry, Maureen. I won’t say anything. You will. While you’re in New York with Kayden, you’d better come clean.”
Lana walked out of the room, leaving Maureen on the floor of her hotel room. As she neared the elevators, she switched directions and took the stairs instead. Lana lowered herself to the staircase and sat, her stomach twisted in knots. She digested what she had heard and bit back the shriek beginning to fly out of her mouth.What else was Maureen hiding?As much as she revealed, Lana knew there had to be more.
There had to be, and the look Maureen gave her when she asked said it all.What kind of family did these things to each other?She was no longer going to New York, that was for sure. While Kayden dealt with his mother, Lana would be flying home to take a much-needed break from the chaos. As much as she loved Kayden, she was unsure just how much more she could take of the endless drama and malevolence of the situation.
She stood and continued down the six flights of stairs until she reached the exit. As she walked towards the car throughthe asphalt, she glanced at the pole and remembered how close she came to losing her life. Everywhere she looked was a rollercoaster of memories—really high peaks and really low valleys. She needed balance—she needed to go home.
KAYDEN WAS STILLawakewhen Lana climbed into bed after a nice hot shower. Although he didn’t move, she could tell from the way he breathed that he was wide awake. She snuggled close to him and buried her head in his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“How did it go?” he asked carefully.
“Not good.”
“That was to be expected. What happened?”
“I was right. Kim’s holding something huge over your Mom and played us all like a fiddle,” she replied.
He shifted on the bed and sat up, turning the small lamp on, next to his night table.
“So, what is it, what does she have?” he asked her.
“I made a promise to you when I came back to Hamby. No more lies, and no more secrets.”
“I remember. We made that promise to each other,” he stated, waiting for her to say more.
“Because of that, I’m not going to tell you. It’s something she’s agreed to talk to you about in New York,” Lana replied.
