He lied. He lied about loving me. He loves Judy more.
I pull away, wrapping my arms around myself as tears stream unchecked down my face. A police officer glances our way, then turns back to his radio.
“They’ll find her,” Gabriel repeats, softer now. “Just tell them what I told you. Do you understand what’s at stake?”
“Yes.” My throat closes as I stare at the black water, now imagining Sadie’s body rolling with the current. I feel like something inside me is breaking with each breath.
After Gabriel has left, when one of the officers approaches me with a notebook in hand, I repeat Gabriel’s story word for word.
Back in my room, I huddle on the bed, replaying Gabriel’s face when he showed up for the search.
I didn’t see horror or devastation in his eyes. His features had barely shifted while mine had crumbled completely.
His face was cold and unfamiliar, hardened by something resembling fury.
TWENTY-TWO
JUDY
Present Day
The morning after Gabriel and Scarlett confess their affair to me, and that Sadie saw them on the beach, I can barely get out of bed.
It’s 6.15a.m., and my body feels weighted down, as if someone poured liquid lead into my veins while I was asleep. Every attempt to move is met with resistance. My muscles refuse to obey my mind.
So, I lie there instead, staring at the ceiling, tracing the same hairline crack. It starts in the corner and spiders toward me, stopping just above my head. I follow it with my eyes, back and forth. Back and forth.
Funny how I’ve never noticed it before. Then again, I missed my husband sleeping with my best friend, so clearly observation isn’t my strong suit.
Gabriel and Scarlett were together the night Sadie disappeared.
The thought repeats itself like a loud, malfunctioning alarm.
I close my eyes, and the memory of that night presses in whether I want it to or not.
Gabriel and I had gone to dinner at Grilling Falcon at six, just the two of us before Sadie was due to come home the next day.
It’s an expensive restaurant, but we could afford it, and Gabriel always said we should splurge more. He earned very well and I did okay by myself. There was his trust fund as well to fall back on if things ever went south.
The food was delicious and we talked and laughed. It felt great having my husband around after he had been so busy with work, especially in the last few months.
After we paid, and before we stood up to leave, he took my hand and placed a sparkling ring in my palm, a brilliant blue sapphire encircled by tiny diamonds, nestled in a white gold setting.
I didn’t even see it coming.
“Why?” I whispered.
“Just because,” he said with a grin.
Now I know why he gave me that gift: it was to pay for his guilt. A prepayment for the ugly secret that would land between us exactly six months later.
When we arrived home around nine, I was so exhausted I didn’t even make it into the shower I planned to have. I remember changing and crawling into bed, the sheets cool against my skin.
I remember Gabriel lying beside me, kissing me, telling me how much he loved me. We talked about our romantic honeymoon at the Grand Cove Hotel, stupid little memories from our marriage.
About how excited we were that Sadie and Scarlett would be joining us the next day, how we were going to spend another week here together as a family, just the three of us. Scarlett was heading back home after three days with us.
I remember feeling safe, loved, and happy.
