Page 77 of The Wives of Hawthorne Lane
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Georgina
Hawthorne Lane
Knock, knock, knock.
Georgina slowly sits up on the bed in the guest room, pressing her palm to her forehead to quell the dizziness that washes over her.
Knock, knock, knock.
She slides her hand over the contours of her face, assessing the damage. Swelling under her left eye, dried blood crusted under her nose, tenderness in her jaw. Her scalp aches from where Colin grabbed her by the hair and dragged her up to their bedroom after the incident with Lucas, and she’s fairly certain that her right wrist is sprained; it pulses with pain as she props herself up.
She doesn’t care who’s at her door—a trick-or-treater, a vendor looking to be paid—whoever it is can go away. She’s not opening that door for anyone. Christina is safe in her bedroom, and Sebastian is spending the night at a friend’s house. He stalked off after she dragged him away from the fight. Her children are accounted for and Georgina can’t bring herself to care about anyone else. That there’s still a festival going on outside—children laughing, families sharing popcorn from paper sleeves—feels like a personal affront. A mockery.
“Georgina,” a muffled voice calls through the front door. “It’s Hannah. I have Christina with me. It’s an emergency.”
Christina?She must have snuck out of the house while Georgina and Colin were arguing.
Georgina has already started to block it from her memory. She remembers it only in scattered fragments now: Colin’s fist colliding with her cheekbone, the toe of his shoe meeting her ribs as she lay crumpled on the ground, strands of her long red hair clutched between his fingers. This had been bad, even for him. Georgina knew it was partly because she’d stood up to him, embarrassed him in front of their friends and neighbors, and partly because he’d had something to prove to himself. Being forced to back down from Bill Corbin and Seth Warrington must have been a devastating blow to Colin’s ego, but with his wife, in his home, he was still powerful. It was like he was a man possessed. His blows landed wildly—he was unrestrained, unable to stop himself, even though it meant that Georgina wouldn’t be able to show her face in public for weeks. And when it was over, his knuckles swollen, sweat soaking through his shirt, he’d gone to sleep. It was as if, in exorcising the demon that possessed him, there was nothing left of him at all.
Georgina knows that tomorrow Colin won’t remember most of this. The details will feel fuzzy in his head; he’ll look at her and be surprised at the extent of the damage he caused. And it feels so profoundly unfair. He should be forced to face what he’s done, her bruises a penance, the memories lashes on his back.
Georgina climbs out of bed and tiptoes down the stairs as quietly as she can, though her side aches with the effort. She wonders if her rib is broken, but she can’t make a sound—she doesn’t want to risk waking Colin—so she clutches her side and keeps moving forward.
When she reaches the front door, she pauses for a moment with her hand wrapped around the knob. As soon as she opens it, Hannah and Christina are going to see what Colin has done to her. There will be no excuses this time, no stories of walking into doors or falling down the stairs. This time, there will be only the cold, ugly truth of it. She’s ready.
Georgina pulls open the door to find Hannah on her doorstep, Christina standing beside her, swaying slightly on her feet. Her hair is mussed, dirt and twigs tangled in the blond locks, and Colin’s flashlight dangles from a lanyard looped around her wrist.
“Christina?” Georgina rushes to her; her hands grip hershoulders as she looks over her daughter, assessing her for injuries. “Are you okay?” Christina stares at her blankly, and a sinking feeling opens in the pit of Georgina’s stomach. “What happened?”
“There was an incident,” Hannah starts. “I found her in the woods.”
“A man attacked me,” Christina says, her voice reedy and thin. “I hit him with this.” She lifts her wrist and now Georgina sees the blood slicking the end of the metal flashlight. She feels as though she might be sick.
Georgina pinches the lanyard between two fingers, gently lifts it from her daughter’s wrist. “Is he…”
“He’s alive,” Hannah cuts in. “But I think…I think you and I should talk.”
Georgina looks back over her shoulder into the house where Colin is still asleep. Her daughter is not safe here.
“Christina, honey, go to Libby Corbin’s house. Tell them only that there’s been a family emergency and that I’d like you to stay there for the time being. You’ll be safe with them, I promise, okay? I’m going to get your father. He’ll handle this.”
Halloween Night
Transcript of interview with Georgina Pembrook
October 31, 2024
Detective Olsen:So you were woken by the sound of your daughter coming home, is that correct?
Ms. Pembrook:It is. Christina was quite shaken, and her hair and clothes were a mess. She told me that she’d been attacked by a strange man in the woods, that he’d grabbed her and tried to drag her off the path, but she managed to break free. I sent her to go stay with our neighbors the Corbins, and then I immediately woke my husband to tell him what had happened.
Detective Olsen:And how did he take the news that his daughter had been attacked?
Ms. Pembrook:Not well. He was incensed, furious. I begged him to call the police, but he insisted on going to find the man himself. My husband, he’s…he can be impulsive, violent. I’m certain you’ve noticed the marks on my face, Detective. That should give you some idea of what he’s capable of. But when I told him about what happened to Christina—well, he was angrier than I’ve ever seen him. He was completely out of control.
Three Hours
