Signed Away (SOON TO BE PUBLISHED ON AMAZON)

Chap. 24

How did this always happen? It seemed every time he went to court a new family secret was threatening to erupt. How much more? Was this a sign from above saying that he should stop going after his sons? Maybe it was. Was this all worth it? How much more was he going to suffer and let those around him suffer? It seemed that the truly scary thing about undiscovered secrets and lies is that they have a greater power to kill and destroy that the exposed ones.

"Why?" Heath demanded, breaking the silence.

But his question was met with even more silence.

"Why? Why Lily? Why?" he was pleading right about now. He just had to know. He was in too much shock and anxiety. How could he go from thinking that he had only one son, to learning that he in fact had two other children. And to make matters worse, one of them had died. His daughter had died. He had a daughter! A daughter!

And she was dead!

He needed answers! And he needed them now!

"Tell me!" he yelled in a voice so loud that the glasses shook. But Lillian and Collins did not flinch.

"I was protecting our family" Lillian answered calmly, swirling her drink.

"Family?" he repeated in shock. "Family?" then he chuckled for a minute or two before turning back at her. "Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't family those of blood? Hmm?"

Lillian said nothing.

"Talk to me" Heath pleaded softly. If he wanted a rational discussion yelling and screaming could not be in the equation.

Lillian eyes flashed with rage and slamming her drink on the table she stood up angrily.

"Talk? You want to talk!" she yelled in silence.

Heath nodded his head.

"How about we talk about how humiliated I was to learn that my husband had an affair. With a country bumpkin no less. A stripping country bumpkin. I felt betrayed. I felt angry. I couldn't take it. I felt devastated!" her eyes were flashing wildly and she could hear her heart thumping in her ears.

"You took every iota of self-esteem Heath. You took away my strength, my courage, my very foundation."

Heath bowed his head down in shame. And in guilt.

"Hours before our wedding and you were cheating on me. Did you know how it felt to learn about every depraved thing you did with that tramp? I was so angry and hurt that I threw up. It was that hurtful to me. Nothing in my world made sense. I couldn't figure anything out."

"But you want to know what hurt me and confused me most? It was the fact that I wasn't feeling as humiliated, or shamed as I felt as betrayed. I felt betrayed and my heart was broken not just by the man guy I was in love with, but by a person I thought was a true friend."

Heath did not say a word. He was right. He had always lived with guilt over what he had done.

"I wanted to kill her. I swear I would have killed her. Simply taken the gun in your desk drawer and shot her in her head. To shut her up. To destroy the woman who had dared lain with my husband" wiping the tears from her eyes.

Heath looked at her with impassive eyes. Collins was just wide eyed.

"Don't you dare look at me like that!" seeing the impassive face on her husband's face.

"I was protecting what was mine. I had to protect my family. She was going to destroy my family. My empire. How could I let that go?"

Heath still said nothing.