Page 62 of Between Now and Always

Phillip Phillips song, starts to play and it takes me a second to register it. But the apprehension that starts to churn in my gut my show on my face because Penn drops her hands.

“What’s wrong?”

I shake myself and rush to the table where I left my phone. “Nothing, it’s my brother, probably calling to wish my Happy Thanksgiving,” I say and pray that I’m right.

“Hey you, Happy Thanksgiving,” I answer with an airy cheeriness I don’t feel.

There’s a beat of silence. “Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving. I’d forgotten that was today,” he says in a weary tone. I turn my back so the rest of them can’t see my face.

“Did you spend it alone?” I ask, a stab of guilt that I’m here with people and he’s alone makes me flinch.

“Didyouforget where I am?” he asks sarcastically, but with no ire.

“I’m sorry. So…then why are you calling?” I ask and hold my breath for his answer.

“I found Dina,” he says.

“Oh, thank God,” I exclaim.

He lets out a shuddering exhale and my heart skips a beat.

“Right?”I prompt when he doesn’t say anything,

“I’m sending you an email. Read it, and then call me back.”

* * *

The entire world has stopped turning.

We’re in Penn’s office, Dean is on speaker phone, Phil is joining us from mine. We couldn’t reach Carter. I was angry with him, but right now I wish more than anything he was here. When I read Phil’s email, my world stopped turning.

The documents they shared lay out a damning narrative.

One that breaks my heart and boils my blood at the same time.

“Beth, is it normal for you and Dina to go months without speaking?” Deans asks.

“Well…yeah, I mean. We’ve definitely gone longer, but I called her when I got settled here and didn’t hear back. I didn’t think much of it. When she’s working on something, she tends to be MIA.”

I’ve thought about her so much and now resent the shame I felt for not being better about staying in touch.

“Well, these pictures show her going into your grandmother’s house two weeks after the wedding. Less than a week later, we have these transfers to off shore accounts in her name. And then she disappears.”

“Yeah, probably to a tropical paradise somewhere,” Phil says, his voice laden with bitterness.

“I can’t believe this. Dina wouldn’t…” I shake my head, not able to finish the sentence because the proof shows that she did.

“I have her letter of resignation from her job Clo. I mean, she says she’d come into some money and was moving away.” Phil says gently.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were looking for her?” I snap.

“I told you I was going to take care of it. I wanted you to focus on what you were doing. And it wasn’t until three months ago that I even started my search.”

“Well, she liked him enough to go on your honeymoon with him. The pictures say everything, Beth.”

“I don’t understand…shehatesDuke,” I say, bewildered.

The pictures Phil’s PI took of them cut my legs out from under me. She’s kissing him, they’re laughing together, he’s touching her in a way that onlyloverstouch each other. And even though I can see it with own eyes, it doesn’t make any sense. Dinawouldn’t.

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