Page 113 of Shameless

Tilly nods. “That was what he always did. He always had a story, a justification for his actions. He gaslighted you until you doubted your own perception of reality. The night the race was canceled, he had convinced me to spend the weekend with him. I let him sweet talk me into it. We snuck out of the party in the main house and he swore he would break things off with Chanelle in the morning. I believed him. Again. I was in his bed while he was getting more champagne in the kitchenette of his bungalow when I heard a phone pinging with an incoming text. It wasn’t mine and when I checked Eddie’s there was nothing there. I heard the sound again and got up, I followed the sound to Eddie’s jeans and found his burner phone in his pocket. He had convinced me that Arianna was lying about him pursuing her. Instead he had been texting her.”

I look at my stepmother. “Didn’t you show her Eddie’s texts? I get that Eddie had a burner phone, but you must have had the text he sent you?”

Arianna looks embarrassed. “I didn’t. I deleted them in a panic. I didn’t want your father to think I was encouraging Eddie in any way. He had been a little…insecuresince Eddie came back. So it was Eddie’s word against mine.”

Her words have a strange effect on me. Seeing our parents battle our same doubts and insecurities seems strange. I’ve always thought they were so confident, so sure of themselves.

“When I saw that he texted Arianna to try and get her to see him later that night,” Tilly continues. “I decided enough was enough. I wrote Eddie a note that said I was tired and I was going back to my room. Then I snuck into Arianna and Tom’s bungalow to borrow that shotgun. It was the only weapon I could have access to.”

Arianna covers Tilly’s hand with hers. “Tom and I heard you and saw you with my father’s shotgun.”

Tilly’s laugh is a bitter sound. “Yeah, I’m not a very good burglar. I thought you two would be occupied with your anniversary celebration.”

Arianna’s green eyes look remarkably similar to Stefan’s when she’s angry. “We should have been. Instead Eddie decided to text me right before he took you to his room and Tom and I were arguing about it. Once you were gone, Eddie texted me again.”

Dad rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I’m sorry for doubting you, darling. But when I saw those texts, I thought I was going to lose you.”

What a fucking mess.

The rest of the story is even worse.

Eddie kept texting both his ex-wives though, eventually sending his final text in the exact moment when Dad and Arianna caught Tilly with the shotgun.

“So you planned to kill him?” I ask, shocked by their story.

“Not at first,” Arianna sighs. “The plan was to confront him with the shotgun and threaten him.”

Tilly backs her up. “We just wanted him to stop messing with us and with our sons. That’s why I wanted the shotgun, to make him listen.”

I’m not convinced. “But you said that Eddie needed to be stopped.”

Tilly nods. “Yes, bytalkingto him. The shotgun was just a way to ensure he would shut up and listen for once.”

“That was one hell of a conversation. It left three people dead.” Stefan observes.

“It was a shit show,” Arianna says. “The plan was that Tom and I would go to the quail hunt as planned and I would slip away to join Tilly and confront Eddie together. We just wanted to scare him, I swear.”

“But things went horribly wrong from the get go.” Tilly adds. “Eddie arrived at the stables in a Jeep. I confronted him the second he got out of the car.”

Arianna swallows, visibly shaken by the memory. “Eddie tried to lie again and Tilly yelled at him to stop lying.”

“I’m sorry,” Crew interrupts. “But didn’t he get spooked by you holding a fucking shotgun, Mom?”

Tilly shrugs. “He didn’t look worried. He probably thought I was headed to the quail hunt after we talked. Your father had always underestimated me, Crew. He thought he could talk himself out of any situation, that’s why I had that gun, to show him that I was over his lies. But he wouldn’t stop talking, so I threatened him. I told him to shut up or I’d shoot him.”

Jules shakes his head. “Let me guess. He didn’t shut up.”

“No,” Tilly’s tone is grim. “He laughed at me. He said ‘don’tbe ridiculous, Tilly. We both know you wouldn’t harm a fly.’ I was furious, so I yelled that I would shoot him. He grabbed the end of the gun and I pulled away. We fought and… and…”

Tilly covers his mouth with her hand.

“The shot that killed Eddie was an accident. I had just arrived from the hunt and I saw everything.” Arianna says.

“What about Trevor and Maura?” I ask.

“That’s the worst part.” Arianna’s tone is resigned. “That shot was so loud. Trevor came out of one of the stables. He was there with Maura. Probably for a drug deal.”

Stefan is skeptical. “Did the police find any drugs at the scene?”

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