Page 52 of The Lonely Hearts Guide

Elliot wrapped his hand around her frail wrist, tenderly stroking her skin. “I’ll see you again, Mrs. Peppercorn.”

She smiled, nodding her agreement. “Me and you are family now, sugar. All the evil mothers in the world couldn’t keep me away from you.”

As they hugged and said their tearful goodbyes, Alexander stood behind Elliot, slowly rubbing his back. His phone chimed again, and Elliot knew it must be the pilot advising him he’d arrived.

Five minutes later, after rushing across the cruise ship in a mad dash, the thwomp-thwomp-thwomp of the helicopter’s rotor played out like a breathtaking symphony, promising freedom and family on the other side of the sea.

The helicopter hadn’t landed, but it wasn’t very high up, and there was a ladder hanging down, ready to lead them into their future. Elliot gave Alexander a final kiss before their journey up, touching their foreheads together, and shouting over the thwomping sound, “I’m going to make you so happy, Alexander.” Elliot placed his hand on Alexander’s hip and felt something hard beneath the fabric. He opened his mouth to ask what it was, but Alexander’s smile paralyzed him. Alexander’s net worth may have been in the billions, but his smile was worth everything. Then a new expression worked its way onto Alexander's face. Disbelief, maybe? Confusion? Elliot wasn’t sure. Not until he heard her.

“Absolutely not,” Mother screamed over the roars and thwomps. “Elliot Price, I forbid you from getting on that helicopter.”

Elliot’s entire body stiffened. How had she escaped Mrs. Peppercorn’s bindings? What would happen to him now? Could he still escape? So many questions roared through his head, but for the first time in his life, Elliot wasn’t alone. Elliot had never been able to rely on anyone, but he could rely on Alexander. The next thing he knew, Alexander had his hand around Elliot’s wrist, tugging. Looking over his shoulder, Alexander was already on the third rung of the ladder. “Baby, I need you to climb. Come on, I’ve got you.”

When Elliot stared into Alexander’s eyes, he felt a lifetime pass between them. It was filled with laughter and love and so much peace. It was a gentle life. A quiet one. It may not have been a love story for the ages, but it was simple and it was true. Truer than anything Elliot had ever felt. So, he climbed. Rung after rung, step after step, Elliot made his way up with the man he loved.

Lightning struck the sea, illuminating the night, giving Elliot a vision of the world in panorama. In the distance, there was nothing but sea and sky, and the sight of it terrified him. If he fell, he would never be found. He was sure of it. He would sink to the seafloor and be forgotten, his quiet life snuffed out before it had truly begun. So Elliot climbed faster, desperate to reach safety.

There was movement below him, and it struck up a fresh wave of panic inside him. He didn’t have time to look down, he couldn’t risk losing the momentum they’d gained. Then he felt it. Her hand on his ankle. Nails digging into his skin.

“You get down here now!” Mother screamed. “Elliot Price, I will not tell you again.”

To Elliot’s horror, the helicopter rose higher in the evening sky, and when Elliot looked down, Mother was still at his heels, as the ship was shrinking beneath them.

His leg was shaking, and when he realized it was from Mother jerking his ankle back and forth, his heart thundered in his chest. It was as if Mother was trying to make him fall on purpose. He kicked at her, not necessarily trying to kick her off the ladder, but simply as a fight for his own survival.

Professor Plum squeaked in his pocket, but Elliot couldn’t let go of the ladder to console him.

“Stop,” Elliot pleaded. “Mother, you’ll make me fall!”

She glared at him. “That’s the point. You let go of this ladder right this second.”

“We’ll drown!”

She shook her head. “Clarence will find us again. I will not allow this, Elliot. I will not allow you to make a mockery of my life’s work. Let go!”

Elliot reached down to knock her hand loose, but as he did so, her unnecessarily sharp fingernails sliced at his palm, making him howl in pain. He knew he had to get away from her, but when he reached for the next step on the ladder, sharp pain coursed across his palm where Mother’s nail had connected. It felt like pouring alcohol on a flesh wound—a sharp and relentless stinging sensation. He tried again, only to realize it was no use. He wouldn’t be able to use that hand to climb.

Looking up, Elliot’s heart ached. Alexander was trying so hard to get them to safety, and it was all for nothing. If Elliot remained connected to Mother, he would drag both Alexander and Professor Plum to their watery graves along with them. He couldn’t have that.

“I said, let go!” Mother shouted again.

Elliot closed his eyes and did just that. He let go of the version of Mother he’d held in his heart. Elliot let go of a life of endless strife and misery, and he grabbed on to the life he planned with Alexander. Or, rather, Alexander grabbed onto him, holding Elliot as close as he could.

“Kick,” Alexander screamed over the roaring rotors. “Kick her off or she’ll take you with her!”

But Mother’s grip was relentless. Even as her heels kicked into the air, she remained steadfast and unwavering. “Elliot Price, you let go of him this instant! This isn’t the way a bountiful beau is meant to behave. I raised you better than this.”

“No,” Elliot barked, furiously kicking his leg to shake her loose. He was so close to finding his forever, and here was Mother, trying to ruin it. Again. Never before had Elliot felt the level of anger he had for Mother at that moment. He was so close to freedom, and she was trying to take it from him. “Not Elliot Price! I’m just Elliot. That may be who you see me as, but that is not my name.”

“Sweetheart, your future is waiting,” she cried as the grip she had on him loosened. “Master Price will forgive and forget. You just have to let go.”

Elliot shook his head. “Jared is dead.”

The look of horror and hopelessness on her face was palpable. “What do you mean?”

“I killed him,” he said flatly. “He hurt me. He tried to hurt my baby—”

“Jared Price’s baby,” she attempted to correct him, looking shell-shocked. “It’s his baby. He paid for it. Dear God. You’ve gone mad, haven’t you?”

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