𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘- a labyrinth sequel

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

"𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐖𝐄'𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄?" Aurelia stayed silent, glancing at the building. She sighed before she turned over to face Nicolas. "Thank you for taking me," she told him, sounding genuine for once. "But I can't tell you."

"I don't like this," he admitted. "You made me drive you all the way out here to visit a... mental hospital?"

"It's a long term care home," she clarified, as if that made it any better. "And you agreed to take me," she pointed out.

"Yeah, cause I thought we were gonna have fun, not visit the geriatrics in the nursing home," he grumbled. 

"You can do whatever you want, but I'm going inside," she smiled sweetly at him. "This is extortion!" He yelled as she shut the door behind her, waving as he continued to shout through the window at her. They'd agreed that he would come back and retrieve her in an hour, and if she wasn't outside waiting for him, that he'd go inside and raise hell looking for her. Although it was only an hour ride to Connecticut, she'd asked Xander to cover for her, knowing that he'd do it for her no questions asked. 

"Go have fun," she told him, silently telling him to leave. As Aurelia stepped inside the building, she recalled the conversation she'd had with Isabelle Clairmont yesterday. 

"You're lying," Aurelia sneered. "There's no way you could possibly be telling the truth." If what she was saying was true, it would mean chaos for their family. 

"It's true," Isabelle Clairmont said sadly. "I've kept this secret to myself for so many years, because I thought it was what was best. I thought I was protecting everyone, but I fear I've made a mistake."

The elevator chimed as she stepped onto the floor, approaching the front desk nervously. The receptionist smiled sweetly at her, asking who she was here to see. Aurelia said the name that Isabelle had given her, and the nurse smiled at her again. "Ms. Clairmont mentioned you'd be stopping by soon." Aurelia hated the fact that she was so predictable, because she was unable to walk away without confirming her story. She had the incessant need to know. "I'll show you to his room." She followed the nurse down the hallway, taking in the fact that the facilities of this place were incredibly nice. Aurelia couldn't help but think of how nice it was for Isabelle Clairmont to put him up in such a nice home, but then she remembered that the woman was a murderer and wiped the thought from her mind. 

"He's right in here. I'll let you two talk." The nurse stepped away, and Aurelia stood motionless in front of the door for a moment. If she turned back now, would she be able to let it go? Probably not. But if she opened that door and faced what was behind it, she was opening a can of worms that she wasn't sure could be closed again. Sighing, Aurelia grasped the door handle and pushed open the door. 

"How is this possible?" Aurelia demanded, feeling a headache start to come on after trying to wrap her head around this. "After all these years, how did you manage to keep it a secret? Why speak up now?"

"I take full responsibility for my choices," she replied calmly. "But all I'd been thinking about while I was in there, was how things might have been different if I'd spoken up sooner. That maybe things wouldn't have ended the way they did if I'd confessed sooner."

"Does anyone else know?" Aurelia asked. 

"No one," she replied, sighing deeply. "Not even my husband. I was terrified what they would do if they found out. It was too dangerous, too much of a risk. I couldn't lose another one. I just couldn't."

When Aurelia stepped in the room, he was sitting in a wheel chair facing the window, looking outside, completely unaware of her presence. Aurelia cleared her throat, and he glanced over his shoulder to face her, smiling momentarily at her. "Oh, hello," he told her, turning his wheelchair around so he could face her directly now.