“I need you to help me dig up something in the garden.”
“What is it? Treasure?”
“Yeah, it’s treasure and only you know where you buried it.” Ryan frowned, thinking hard about all the ‘treasure’ he’d buried over the years. There was only one piece of treasure he’d buried that I wanted back. When I’d told Keira about it she’d laughed as hard as me.
Thirty-Two
After three unsuccessful attempts, Ryan finally remembered the place where he’d buried the treasure. Said treasure was now cleaned off as best as possible and safely tucked away in my luggage. Hopefully I’d be able to keep it hidden for a year so I could surprise Alfie on our wedding day. Our wedding day. It was still hard to believe sometimes, every time I caught sight of the ring on my finger my stomach filled with butterflies. I was getting married.
I’d left my sister's house, feeling light despite everything that was going on. It had been uncomfortable listening to my sister talk about the song she was picking out for her dance with our father. I knew who he was, why he was really here, but like hell was I going to spoil it for her. I could only hope that he would continue to stick around for Natalie after Alfie had given him the money, it would destroy her if he just disappeared again.
Despite all of that, I’d been smiling when I returned to the car where Maia had insisted on waiting. Why she wouldn’t come in the house I didn’t know, maybe she liked the quiet. I always found her relaxing with an audiobook but this time, there had been a grim expression on her face. Change of plan, she’d said.We weren’t going back to London the next morning so I could see Alfie. I was staying here. At Harrington. Under lock and key.
That was it, that was all I knew and if Maia knew more she wasn’t saying. I spent Saturday keeping myself busy. I waited. I waited for him to come. I waited on tip toe, watching out of the window, hoping Thomas and Joe wouldn’t notice and feel bad for me. Unlike Maia and Elliot, they had no interest in speaking to me.
I waited for Alfie. For the sound of his helicopter or the roar of his car engine. I felt put aside, like fine china put up on a shelf out of the way.
It angered me that he’d just sent word to Maia. Not to me. To Maia. I was to stay here. Like a fucking dog. So like a dog, I waited.
Throughout the day, I sent him one text and then two, both went unanswered. I meditated on my sculptures and read a book in the Evergarden. I toured the grounds again and again with my shadows following me. I tried TV but I couldn’t rest.
Where was he? Why had he been so distant this week? Was he really just busy? I didn’t buy it. Alfie prioritised me over everything. I told myself I was being spoiled brat, that I was insecure. But what if I wasn’t?
I cursed my father. My abandonment issues were working overtime today.
By dinnertime, I caved and called him. He didn’t answer. For the first time, he hadn’t answered me on the first ring. I tried again. This time he picked up.
“Lola, is everything alright?” His tone was clipped. I tried not to take it personally.
“No, I miss you. Are you coming?”
“I’m afraid I have business this weekend.” That was it. Nothing else. Like I was a colleague or something.
“Business. The photos? More stuff in the press?”
“Just business. We’re making progress on finding out who is behind all of this, I just need proof. For now, I need you to stay there.”Out of the way. That’s the part he left unsaid.
“Areweokay? You’re distant.” I hoped he could read between the lines. I was panicking. Old insecurities were getting to me.
“I’m…under pressure.” There was a softening now. His clipped tone lessened a little.
“I want to help, I feel useless just sitting around.”
“Knowing that you’re safe helps me.”
I played with the tassel on the cushion. I ached for him in every part of me. More than that, I just wanted this to be over. It had barely been a week and yet this permanent knot in my stomach was weighing me down. Worse, it was weighing him. He already had enough on his shoulders.
“Okay well, I was thinking your birthday is coming up soon. Maybe we could plan something? Take our minds off all of this.”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
Alfie.
I felt like we’d gone back in time to when we first met and he would shut down and shut me out. I heard someone speak to him in the background and he ended the call before I had a chance to tell him I loved him. I tried not to take it to heart.
I paced my room, chewing my nails.
I fought the urge to look online and lost. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. Just a few stupid articles about me being in an unstable relationship. I was portrayed as a golddigger of course. Portrayed as driving Adam to suicide. His death was ruled as accidental. Was this even legal? I wondered if Alfie was suing the author. Probably.
