Samantha
Turns out it's actually pretty easy not to give a shit about a whole city hating you. The house serves in its familiar role; that of a safe haven, a private sanctuary, a secret oasis, somewhere away from all the noise and negativity. It's their own world with just Henry and Red and her. They decide who they let in. They spend their days taking long walks, swimming, cooking, watching their shows, reading together from Henry's large library of books. It's the simple things she enjoys most like cleaning up after dinner and doing the dishes together, folding laundry, drinking coffee in silence in those early morning hours. She doesn't go online or look at her phone unless it's Agent Hansen, Rebecca, or Paul.
She tries to do things to calm her anxiety whenever it creeps in. Breathing exercises and grounding techniques Henry suggested. She's started painting and while she's not good at it, she enjoys doing it. She's journaling a lot too, trying to work things out in her head and process what's happened. Most of all, she falls more and more in love with Henry by the day, which feels impossible given how much she already loves him. The way he snores in his sleep, his mess of curls in the morning, how he's always misplacing things like his keys and wallet, the patience he has with her, the wealth of knowledge he has about so many things, the way he asks her questions and remembers the smallest of details.
"Can I be honest with you about something?" She asks one night. They're coming to the end of another day. He's in his white tshirt and pajamas and she's in one of his shirts as well.
"Always." He says with that gentle smile of his.
They pull the sheets back in unison and climb into either side of the bed. They sit up and face each other.
She swallows. "I don't know if I'm ready for doing a wedding party yet. At least not right now. And it's not that I don't love you because I hope you know I do. If things weren't so crazy, I'd say let's do it. Why wait? But... I don't want to be wedding planning and still dealing with my ex husband. Stephen for that matter too. I want to put this all behind us. And based on what Hansen says, the trial might take a year at most. Then we can think about leaving New York too. I hope that doesn't upset you."
He reaches to stroke the back of her hair. His gaze is thoughtful as he looks over her face. "Thank you for letting me know that. It doesn't upset me at all. I'm on the same page as you. Let's take things one step at a time instead of rushing to the next moment. All I care is that you're here and you're happy. That you feel safe."
Her hands move to take his. They're so much bigger and stronger than hers, she recognizes the small scars on his fingers from injuries working in the steel factory. "I am happy. And I want you to be happy too."
"Of course I'm happy. I love the life I've started with you, Samantha." His voice is sincere and his blue eyes are tender behind his glasses. "We have plenty of time, don't we?"
She nods eagerly. "Definitely we do."
What could possibly get in their way?
***
She wasn't invited to her father's funeral. She knew she wouldn't be. She had told her mother she'd be going to Bora Bora for a few weeks after she made her decision but that she'd hold off on going if they could arrange the funeral together. And Mom did what Sam expected, but still hoped she wouldn't. She ignored her and arranged the funeral, not inviting Sam. Another time she didn't get to tell him goodbye. At least Mom had the courtesy to text her the address to the cemetery he was buried in.
It starts to get to her. She misses her father and mourns him. It's not like anything's really changed though. Maybe it's simply that she finally has time and safety to heal. To process all that's happened. When she was with Cody and the Chambers, it was all about surviving and to keep going.
She realizes she doesn't have any of her father's belongings. She text mom to see if there's anything he left for her or that she could go through. No response but it's been read. She remembers she does have one thing, which is enough. A single black leather photo album, filled with photos from her childhood. Her father is either in every picture or taking the photo.
But it's hidden on a shelf in the closet back at her and Cody's place.
"I need to do something." She says as she enters Henry's office one day. It's not even 9am yet so she's still in his shirt from the night before and her hair is all over. "You're probably not going to like it."
He pushes his glasses up, watching her as she sits in one of the arm chairs on the opposite side of his desk. When she props her feet up on the edge, he smiles at his oversized white socks she's wearing. "Go on."
She takes a deep breath. "I finally got the address to the cemetery from mom. I want to visit but it also got me thinking. The only thing I have left of him is our pictures back at the house. I want to go get them."
"What if I retrieve them for you?" He offers.
She shakes her head. "I'd like to do this."
"Alright, we can go together," He reaches for his cell phone. "Let's loop in Hansen. I'm sure he can get something safely arranged."
She nods, relieved because she was prepared to have to convince him. "Great. Let me know what he says."
"Certainly."
She's not ready to leave yet. Her eyes follow him as he sets the phone down and starts paying attention to her once more. After a quick thought, she leans back in her seat, tilting her head as she takes a second to look at him.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" He asks playfully.
"What did you think of me when we first met?" The question is random, she knows, but she can't help asking it.
"Which time?"
She blinks. She remembers when they first met— at least the first time she remembers— but he had mentioned meeting her at her own wedding. She shudders thinking about it. That was a day she never wanted to remember, which is why she drank and drank. No one questioned it either. Because when you're rich it doesn't matter.
"The first time I showed up to your office."
He seems to smile at the memory of it. "I saw you in the parking lot. You were nervous, to say the least. I thought you were sweet. You had a kind heart but your eyes were sad."
"Did you find me attractive?"
"I have to compartmentalize things when it comes to counseling people. Yes, I acknowledged that you were an attractive young woman as soon as you walked through the door. But I couldn't let myself think anything beyond that. I wanted to help you with your marriage because that was my job."
"When did you start... seeing me in a different light?" She asks curiously.
"Honestly, I couldn't get you out of my head after our third session together. Granted, it wasn't anything romantic or sexual. I would recall things you said or mentioned during our sessions. I worried how you were doing during the week." He shakes his head. "And then there was the night of Stephen's birthday party. You were just... adorable. That's all I can really say. I knew after that night that I would do absolutely anything I could to see you happy."
"You've made me happier than I ever thought I could be." She tells him confidently. "Do you want to know what I thought of you when we first met?"
"Tell me."
She rises to her feet then, making her way around the desk to where he is. She moves to stand between his legs, her hands move to cup his scruffy cheeks, into his golden curls. "I thought you were the handsomest man in the whole world."
She's leaning in to give him a kiss but at that same moment, his phone goes off with a text notification. They both look at it together. A message from Hansen.
Let's talk this afternoon. I'll give you a call so we can make arrangements to do so.
It's a win she could use right now. All she wants is to retrieve the last memories she has with her father. It's all she has left of him.
***
Hansen arranged to escort her to the old house, along with two of his own men and Henry. Unfortunately, Cody would be there but he would be out of sight, accompanied by security. Hansen promised she wouldn't have to see her ex husband for even a second. They'd go in, get the things she needed, and get out.
Easy. Simple. No room for any problems.
"Heads up," Hansen says from the front seat of the SUV. He's taken a break from typing rapidly into his phone. "His lawyer's going to be there. Little prick, he is. He's going to try to get under your skin. Just ignore him."
"Willie Radcliff?" Sam asks from the back seat, blinking at the fact that she remembers the name of the Chambers family lawyer. She mostly remembers it because when she heard his name, she made the mistake of saying to Cody aloud, what kind of name is Willie Radcliff?
Hansen shakes his head. "Willie's working closely with Stephen. They've gotten another lawyer working with Cody. His name's Levi Rogers. Pain in my ass. Like I said, don't let him get to you."
"Thanks for letting us know." Henry gives her hand a gentle squeeze. A way to remind her he's here for her, that he won't let anything bad happen.
She nods a little, distracted by the passing streets outside that signal they're getting closer and closer to her old home.
Soon enough, they're pulling up right in front of the big glass doors of the mansion. An image that makes her stomach sink. It's like she's returning to a prison. But with Henry at her side, she feels confident. She keeps a hold of his hand as she slides out of the car and stands to her feet.
Hansen leads the way, his men behind him, to the front door. He doesn't knock. Instead, he twists the door handle and steps inside, reminding everyone to wipe off their shoes on the welcome mat, like he's the one that's been living here for years.
She hears his voice before she actually sees him.
"Agent Hansen, right on time." His voice sounds like a smirk. "Looks like you brought the rest of the party."
Then she sees him. Hansen's other men part and step out of the way, allowing her and Henry to fall front and center, right under the chandelier.
Levi Rogers looks like a model rather than a lawyer. Styled dark black hair that falls in front of his eyes. He's got light blue eyes and a square cut jaw. He's dressed in all black, a nice fitting suit. He must be only a few years older than her and Cody, still younger than Henry.
His eyes assess Henry first. He barely gives him more than a glance before his eyes focus on Sam. A slow smile spreads on his face. "You must be the ex-wife, which makes you—" He gestures towards Henry. "the Marriage Counselor." He holds his hand out to Sam. His skin looks like it will be cold. "I've heard so much about the two of you. It's nice to meet you. My name is Levi Rogers. I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the coming months."
"Just let her upstairs, Rogers." Hansen grumbles.
"Of course," Levi steps out of the way, letting Sam pass but stopping Henry, his hand on his chest. They're about the same height so they're holding eye contact now. "I do appreciate you honoring our deal, Hansen. Cody's had a chance to really turn things around. One of the first rules of the house he's decided was that no one was allowed upstairs, except him, his ex-wife, and me. Isn't that great?"
Hansen sighs. "Henry—"
Sam shakes her head. She reaches for Henry's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be okay. It'll be quick."
It takes him a moment to relax, to trust her words. His eyes are pleading with her but finally he nods, stepping back, away from Levi's hand. "I'll be right here if you need me."
"Where else would you be?" Levi rolls his eyes, walking past Sam to go up the stairs.
She sighs, turning her back on Henry to follow the lawyer upstairs. He attempts to guide her but she knows this house like the back of her hand. She spent what felt like an eternity here. When they get to the master bedroom, she's surprised to find it messy, strewn with not only pieces of Cody's wardrobe but her own. All over the bed, the floor, the couches and dresser. There's dishes and cigarette ends on the night stand. She can smell remnants of some of her perfume as if it's been recently sprayed. She tries not to think too much about any of it.
She doesn't care what Cody chooses to do anymore.
"Sad, isn't it?" Levi gazes down almost sadly at the littered floor. He turns to look at her. "You're never quite the same after someone breaks your heart."
Her chest tightens at his words. The back of her neck burns. She knows he's only trying to mess with her. Get in her head. Anything he says is bull shit. She came here to do one very simple thing, and she intends to follow through with it. "What I need is in the closet."
With that, she continues on, into the bathroom— which is just as messy— and into the walk in closet. She can sense Levi as he stands in the door way, watching her movements. She ignores him though, standing up on her tip toes on her side of the closet, extending her arm towards the shelf above the clothes rack. Her fingers barely reach the surface but she's done this before and it's enough to feel for the photo album.
"Allow me." Levi says, heading in her direction.
"It's fine." She mutters.
He doesn't listen. He doesn't have to stretch much to run his hands along the shelf. After a second, he comes back but his hands remain empty. "Nothing but dust, darling."
"That's where it always is, check again."
He gives her an irritated look. "Seriously?"
"Just do it." She folds her arms over her chest.
He rolls his eyes— he's pretty good at it apparently because he hasn't stopped doing it since they walked into the house. He reaches again, making a show of how he runs his hand along the full length of the shelf. When he brings his hand back, she already knows it's going to be empty. But it has to be here, on this shelf. There's nowhere else she would've put it. And she remembers the exact date she last looked through it.
She looks around the closet, more and more piles of laundry, maybe clean, maybe dirty. It doesn't help with the anxiety that's already brewing inside her. There are one too many things in this environment out of her control. It makes her realize how unstable she's actually feeling. She doesn't realize her fists are clenched tight and her nails are digging into the skin of her palm, so much so she feels something wet slide down her wrist. She's made herself bleed. She brings it to her chest, clutching her other hand over the injured one to avoid him seeing it. "Well, Jesus Christ, he couldn't have hired a maid to keep up after him? Is he that fucking useless himself?"
"The Chambers are currently in the process of doing a bit of internal house keeping, if you will. Can't afford untrustworthy people, especially in these times." Levi cocks his head with a smirk. "We do hope you understand."
"I don't like you."
"You're not supposed to."
She scowls at him. "Go get him. Now."
"Your lover boy isn't coming anywhere near—"
"Cody," She groans. "Go get Cody."
"Yeah, that's not happening either."
"Then I expect you to get down on your hands and knees—"
"Kinky." He perks an eyebrow.
"—and start looking for a black, leather photo album underneath this mess." She finishes. "Now."
His eyes narrow to the floor before returning to hers. "No, I'm wearing a suit. If it's so important to you, you do it."
"Do you know how many times I've had to clean up after this prick?"
"Clearly not enough since you still believe anyone would give two fucks about anything that you have to say," He leans in, his voice low. "You're a pretty face that married rich. You got lucky once. Don't forget that."
"You don't know anything about me." Why the hell is she letting this asshole get under her skin?
"It's my job to know everything about you, Samantha."
Henry's the only one who ever seems to call her by her full name. The way Levi says it, it makes the hairs on her arms stand up. Suddenly it feels like he's standing much closer to her than he was before. She can smell his cologne and aftershave. She wants to leave and get out of here as soon as possible and never see this man again.
"Mind giving me some space while I look?" She finally relents.
He doesn't say anything for a second, his eyes still holding hers. But then he nods. Without saying anything else, he steps back, retreating in the closet doorway once more.
It looks like this is about as much privacy as she's going to get. She smooths down her dress, looking away from him first and to the piles of clothes all around. After all this, she has found herself once again cleaning up one of her husband's messes. She spends the next 15 minutes rummaging through everything; she doesn't help by cleaning, because she won't give Cody the satisfaction. Instead, she just throws the clothes around long enough to clear up space to see the floor. It's not under any of it. She starts to go through all the hanging clothes too, pushing the hangers in and out of the way as if the photo album will present itself on a silver platter to her. She even checks the shelves again, this time herself and ignores Levi's told-you-so-look when she comes up with nothing either.
"Samantha! Are you alright?" Henry's voice can be heard from the foot of the stair case.
"Don't worry. I'm showing her quite a good time up here." Levi's quick to call back.
She throws him a look of daggers. "I'm fine! Still looking, that's all!"
Pushing past Levi, she walks through the bathroom and back into the bedroom. Her anxiety and fear and anger and grief only build and build as she starts to tear through the room, making it an even bigger mess than when she first entered. Levi doesn't stop her though. Who knows what she might do if he tried? She gets to a point where she's yanking each drawer out of the dresser, emptying it and then throwing it on the floor behind her and hearing the wood groan and splinter.
"Samantha!" Henry's voice is urgent now. He's still at the bottom of the stairs.
"Where is it?" She screams. It's only when she turns to look at Levi that she feels how wet her eyes and cheeks are, that she's crying. "What the hell did he do with it?"
For the first time since the start of their interaction, Levi looks human. He looks conflicted, uncomfortable, even a little fearful. He's the first to break eye contact.
"Where is he?"
He shakes his head. "Samantha, I can't."
She steps forward, her breath shaky, her heart pulsating in her ears. She already knows that she's never going to see the photo album again. Whatever Cody did with it, it'll be gone forever. Because he knew. He knew it was the only one real thing she had, the only thing that was all her own, something he couldn't buy or have made.
She slips past him, into the bathroom, only to feel his hand come down around her wrist. He only does it to spin her towards him and as soon as she does, he immediately lets go.
There's that conflicted look on his face again. He swallows. His voice lowers. "I can get it back for you, alright?"
"Yeah, right."
"I'm hardly in any place to be helping you. Now do you want it back or not?"
She does. "Why would you help me?"
"I'm an asshole, not a monster." He straightens up and looks towards the mirror now, adjusting his blazer.
"What's in it for you?"
He sighs, looking away from his reflection and back to her. "Let's just say it makes my job a hell of a lot easier if you're far away from here."
"Well where is it? When can I have it?"
"Not now," He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You and your lover boy and your FBI buddies leave. I'll contact you when I get my hands on it."
"What if I don't want to give you my contact information?"
"Too late."
***
She returns downstairs with one of her favorite sweaters in her hands and no photo album, Levi trailing behind her. Henry knows as soon as he sees her that something's wrong. His eyes immediately target Levi. She reaches for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze again, out of sight from everyone else. The only signal she can give him to not do anything further.
She asks Hansen to lead them out. That's not a cover up. She wants to get out of here.
"I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon enough," Levi says as he guides them all to the front doors. Hansen and his guys are the first to head towards their car. The couple is almost to their car when Levi clears his throat and calls, "Lover boy, might I share a word with you?"
This stops the couple in their tracks. Henry's eyes are unreadable behind his glasses. He looks down to her and gives her the same reassuring squeeze on the hand she gave him moments before. It's become their own form of communication when they can't use words.
She watches Henry and Levi interacting. She can't hear what they're saying since they're too far away. She wishes in that moment she could be a lip reader. Whatever Levi says to Henry, it's quick and it's short.
"What did he say to you?" She asks as soon as they get into the car. She keeps her voice low so Hansen doesn't catch on from the passenger seat.
"Nothing," He shakes his head. "He filled me in on the plan to get you the album once he has it. That's all."
He turns to give her a reassuring smile and naturally, she wants to smile back. She does. She can't help it. He drops his hand on her thigh, palm face up. She laces her fingers through his.
The car drives on, eventually getting onto the highway back to their safe haven.