Page 14 of Broken Bonds

I’m sure of it.

“Easy, hellion,” Ethan replies with a half-smile. “The hospital administration allowed us to use an on-call room. We brought you some lunch, and you can take a nap if you want to.”

I stretch out my hand to thank them. I really need a shower, but sleeping doesn’t sound like something I feel up to doing.

A shower takes no more than ten minutes, I could even do it in five. I can eat in three.

In the blink of an eye, I would be back here, even before Mrs. Kral ends her visit. She always stays more or less forty minutes each time.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

In the haze of confusion in my mind, Alexandra’s words flash again and again.

“We should talk after you have rested a bit, I have some questions…”

Ethan guides us through a maze of stairs and hallways to what looks like a suite. First, we enter an office. In it there are a large wooden desk and some chairs. Ethan points to a door, but only Alexandra walks with me. It’s a room with one single bed against the wall. Alexandra points to a door beyond, and then I realize my small suitcase is next to that same door, waiting for me.

The scalding water scorches my skin, but I welcome the pain. Anything to distract me from the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me. The soap in my suitcase reminds me of home, a place I thought I could never leave, let alone face the situation at hand. The sweet scent of honey and lavender transports me to a time when life was simpler, and I wasn’t burdened with the weight of decisions.

But I can’t stay here forever. Reality beckons, and I am forced to confront it. With a heavy heart, I turn off the shower and face my fate.

As I step out of the room dressed in a simple cotton dress, I see them sitting together like a perfect portrait. Ethan’s words elicit a smile and blush from his wife, and for a fleeting moment, I envy their ease with one another. But then reality hits me once more, reminding me that things are not so simple for me. A lump forms in my throat as I stand in the doorway, feeling like an outsider in their world of blissful love. Yet, I can’t tear my eyes away as they make a beautiful couple, making it all look effortless and easy.

Ethan looks up, clears his throat, and shifts in his seat, giving his wife a sideways glance, who continues to giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Come sit with us,” Alexandra invites me, pointing to a paper bag in front of her. “The food is ready. I hope you like sushi. I think they included miso soup and salad.”

God bless their souls. I’m starving.

“Yes, thank you very much.”

“What did you want to talk to me about?” I ask Ethan as Alexandra is busy picking up the food containers and putting them back in the kraft paper bag. I think she’s doing it to keep herself busy.

“What I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential,” he warns me, and I nod several times. “Lionel hired me a few months ago because bizarre things kept happening at his job sites, lost supplies, personnel who didn’t show up for work, someone even stole two of his assistants’ laptops.”

God, my head is spinning, the assault was not an isolated event.

Someone wants to hurt Lionel, badly.

“Do you remember the exact date Lionel arrived in Kentucky? Do you remember if he was with someone?”

I remember the day we met like it was yesterday. That makes me smile.

“It was in April. I was at the stand where we sell our honey products. It was already the afternoon, we were about to close. It had been a good day, so we were going home early.”

I pause. Alexandra looks at me with hearts almost coming out of her eyes, while Ethan remains silent, waiting for me to continue.

“Lionel had gone to see the old winery by the river because he plans to buy it. That time he was with Ricky, a big blond tattooed man. One of his friends, or at least they told me that.” But with everything that has happened, I doubt it was his real name. “I never saw Ricky again, but since then, Lionel traveled every Friday, sometimes even Thursday, to spend time with me.”

Ethan looks at me pretty seriously. “Your Instagram account says a lot. All your posts in the last few months are pretty personal, like you wanted the world to see you together.”

That makes me smile.

“It wasn’t my idea, believe me. If it were up to me, I would’ve just continued posting photos of my bees, or my soaps. I’ve never been fond of showcasing my personal life in such a public way. It was all Lionel’s idea, and he can be quite stubborn, ya know…”

Ethan clears his throat again, settles with his elbows on his knees, and stares at me.

“Stella, those who know Lionel know he likes to work weekends at his cabin in the San Bernardino mountains,” he tells me quietly. “But we did find his flight records, also Lionel got a new driver’s license with the address of the house you rented in Carrollton. I have a copy of your marriage license…”

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