Hurt

THE SECRET REVEALED

Emilia looked at her aunt and felt the pang of sadness. If she knew the truth then it would killed her. But she deserve the truth and George was less likely to confess to her. Emilia just couldn't bear the thought of her aunt being fooled by George and Annemarie. It might've hurt Bette, but she deserved to know and anyway, the time for hope has ran out.

"Mom, I have to tell you something," said Emilia quite suddenly.

"Yes, dear?"

"It's about George."

Carrie looked at Emilia with startled expression, "What is it?"

Then Emilia plunged into a narrative of stories that was once told by Joan. She recounted the step that Joan and Veronica took when they found out about George and Annemarie. And in the end she told her about her real reason for keeping it a secret.

"Oh, darling Emilia, if a guy ran off with another woman, they're never coming back. Oh, how could you keep a secret to something so important as this? And Veronica! How could she!" Carrie walked out of the kitchen.

"Mommy, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Veronica. I need to make sure."

Carrie drove ferociously, part of her was mad with Veronica for covering the truth but another part of her felt sorry for the old lady too because she knew how fond Veronica to Bette and it must've killed her to held on to the ugly truth about her own brother. As much as Carrie pittied Veronica, she felt worst for Bette.

Bette and Carrie were always so close with each other and Carrie always had this protective insticnt for Bette. She was always had the urge to help Bette especially in the dating world although she never succeeded.

"Miss Allenby," said Herbert when opening the door.

"I need to see Veronica. Is she here?"

"Yes Ma'am, let me take you to Mrs. Sinclair." Herbert led Carrie to a large office, it was painted white with all matching decorations. It has the perfect sunlight.

"Veronica!" exclaimed Carrie. "Are you okay?"

Veronica looked ragged, very unusual for her. The old lady was pale with dark circle in her eyes. She was sitting slugged in the sofa.

"Oh, Carrie dear, I'm fine."

"You look sick. Anyway, I need to ask you something," said Carrie and then sat beside Veronica.

"Oh, you knew already?" Veronica saw the serious look on Carrie's face and instantly knew that the truth about George and his affair has reached Sunny Side. "How's Bette took it? Oh, poor Bette! I just...I just..." Veronica started to cry.

"Bette doesn't know, yet."

"Oh," Veronicas sighed. "Oh, Carrie it was awful! Awful! I'm really sorry, I do, I do, I'm so sorry! I don't know what to do with it!"

"Veronica, don't apologize, it's not your fault, dear. Altough, you could've told us right away. Why you keep it a secret?"

"I just don't know what to do with it! You see, I really did believe that for George it would be just a meaningless affair and then when the time came he'd come back to Bette and everything is going to be okay again. I thought I knew my brother but apparently I didn't! Because this affair just keep getting worst! And now, Donald Ramsay is dead, they killed him! And..."

"Wait, Donald Ramsay was murdered?"

"Yes! Don't you see, Carrie dear? He died of broken heart! his heart was broken because of the despicable affair his little cunt of wife is having with my brother! They both killed him with broken heart!"

Carrie sighed a breath of relieved. For a moment she actually believed that Donald Ramsay was murdered by his wife and George. Thank goodness it wasn't! Veronica indeed has a gift to create drama.

"Veronica dear, you shouldn't go around telling people that Donald Ramsay was murdered, he wasn't murdered, he died of heart attack."

"Oh Carrie! Heart attack, heart broken, tomato, tomato! They're just the same! And it was all because of that woman who couldn't keep her thigh close! And I just couldn't sleep at night! I was worried sick of everything! Of Bette most of all! I couldn't rest! All I could think about is how to break up George and that woman!" Veronica paused to catched her breath, "This silly affair has influenced me a great deal, it's making me miserable and I'm not even the concerning party! What do you think that would do for Bette? When she was so close to having her dream fulfilled! Oh, I just couldn't bare that thought!"

"But Bette must know about this sooner rather than later. I just came here to make sure that I didn't just hear a silly gossip teenager talking about. But it is true then," Carrie sighed. "I have to go, I need to tell Bette about this. How am I going to do that anyway!"

"Carrie, you'll broke her heart!"

"It will be broken anyway, sooner or later. George would never come back," Carrie walked to the door and then turned around to Veronica, "Bette's wedding dress is finished."

Veronica closed her face with her hands and cried.

While driving back to the Sunny Side, Carrie had the thought of going to Annemarie's house. She thought perhaps George was there and perhaps she could talked some sense to the man; not to ask him to come back to Bette, no, that was just plain impossible. All she really wanted was for George to come to Sunny Side and told the truth to Bette. For a pain to be relieved, it has to have some explanation and who could do better explaining than George? After all he was the one who left. But why did he left? That was the answer she seek when she took another turn towards Annemarie's house.

Carrie walked towards the small house and knocked on the front door. Not long after Rebecca opened the door.

"Miss Allenby," said Rebecca quite surprised.

"Rebecca, can I see your mom?"

Tears fell to Rebecca's cheek, "I'm so sorry, Miss Allenby, I really do. I'm sorry about what my mother had done to Miss. Bette, it was despicable and just plain cruel and I'm so sorry."

"Rebecca dear, it's not your fault, don't apologized." Carrie hugged Rebecca. "Now, where's your mother?"

"She's gone."

"What?"

"My father's dead body is just on the ground and she already ran off with that man! She was going to take Christopher with her, they're going to Bidston Hill, I think. But I didn't let her take Christopher, I don't want my brother to live with them. So, she left alone. I think they're going with train this afternoon."

"Oh, I see," Carrie looked around and saw pile of clothes on the floor. "Where are you going then?"

"I'm taking Christopher to the Stable with me. He'll be much happier there."

"Well, good luck then, Rebecca. Take care of your brother."

"Thank you, Miss Allenby and please, please tell Miss Bette that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"That's alright dear, that's the thing about heart, it wants what it wants."