Page 67 of Where She Is
“But it makes a difference to me, Daniel. I can’t take her constant bitching.”
He moves his other hand to my thigh, squeezing it gently. I look into his beautiful, determined eyes which literally will me to be strong. “She also said something else… something about Lou.”
I notice his jaw twitch with irritation as he waits for me to continue. “She told me she got rid of Lou, and she can get rid of me too.”
Daniel stands abruptly. Running his hand through his hair in frustration—pacing the floor. “Bloody bitch”
I pull myself up from the sofa and stand in his path. Gently, I reach for his hand and move it away from his hair, then hold it tight. I try to catch his eye with my own. “What was she talking about?” He remains silent. “This is me, Daniel. I thought we trusted each other. No secrets, lies or games, remember? I need the absolute truth from you.”
I wait. Then I wait some more, but he’s staring into space and shutting down on me. This is something I can’t cope with. I make a bold move by deciding the only way to get him out of this is to threaten to leave. I head towards the bedroom and gather my things together. It’s not long before he walks in behind me. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I won’t stay here, Daniel. If this is how it will be, I have to go. I’m sorry.”
He reaches for me, but I move away. The pain in his beautiful face is agonising and I don’t want to make this difficult for him, but he told me we’d be straight with one another. We haven’t been together long enough for me to make demands, but I have to stand my ground. If I back down now and accept his silence, then I will never know. In the end, it might tear us apart. I don’t want that and from his reaction; I don’t think he does either.
“All right, Hannah! All right! I’ll tell you, but for God’s sake, put the suitcase down. Please.”
He pulls me to his body, his front to my back and his lips travel to my ear before he breathes against it softly. My fingers grip his arms around me and we stay like this until he eventually sits at the end of the bed and pulls me onto his lap. I rest my head against his shoulder until he’s ready to talk.
“Freya is right in a way.”
I immediately bolt upright, not giving him time to finish.
“What do you mean? Are you going to tell me you lied and there was something between you two?”
Out of nowhere, Daniel almost chokes out laughing at this suggestion. It’s unexpected and I’m confused and a bit pissed off. “What’s so funny?”
“Why the hell would I want to be with someone like that? Hear me out, okay?”
I nod and lay my head back against his shoulder. I feel him inhale deeply then release it slowly.
“It was Freya who gave the drugs to Lou the night she died.”
I can’t help the gasp that escapes my lips. This is not what I expected. “After we found Lou’s body, I called the police. They had to confirm her death was accidental and not suicide and there were no other parties involved. At the time, the family business was at the top of its game. We were building most ofSydney and dad wanted to keep our pristine reputation intact. He made the whole thing go away, I have no idea to this day how he did it and I don’t want to ask. The only thing I do know is there were terms as far as Freya was concerned. She was never allowed out of his sight. She would live on the farm and only ever socialise with us. She is never out on her own in case that tongue of hers causes any damage. It was the only way. Joe then decided he couldn’t be with her. Her actions repulsed him and although you might think Joe is in love with her, I can assure you, that’s not true. He is merely keeping the peace. Not long after we found out exactly what happened, Joe wanted a divorce. He was moving into the city, but mum and dad expected Freya to stay here and live on the farm. They would continue to keep tabs on her that way. Well, naturally Freya was having none of it and threatened to call the papers and tell them all about Lou’s drug addiction. Our lives, company and reputation, would be in ruins if anyone ever found out. Dad didn’t want to take a chance so Joe accepted the fact he had to stay in a loveless marriage because his loyalty to our family means more than anything to him.”
He falls silent, and I take a few minutes to process exactly what he has just told me. I really don’t know what to say. It all sounds like a terrible movie to me. I sit up and put my head in my hands. This is all too much. I feel the slow rhythm of his palm as it glides across my back. He’s waiting for my response, but I’m suffocating with information.
“Can I have another whisky?”
We both head back to the other room and I take a seat while Daniel fills our glasses. I knock mine back before his whisky touches his lips.
I hold out my glass for a refill. “Please?” But Daniel just looks at me.
“Hannah, getting drunk is not the answer.”
I glare into his eyes making him realise the shadow of hislarge imposing frame over me won’t help him now. He silently gives in and refills my glass before screwing the whisky lid back in place and taking his seat next to me. I know he’s waiting for my reaction.
“Your dad is not the man I thought he was.” Daniel stands and walks around the room. “Fuck. Hannah, what did you expect him to do?”
“I’d expect him to do what any other reasonable person would under those circumstances—let the police do their job and tell the truth!”
“We couldn’t take the risk. Dad knew this scandal would finish us.”
“Jesus, Daniel! This isn’t a soap opera, for Christ’s sake! This is real life. It would have blown over in time. Freya would have served her sentence, Joe would have been free and your family would eventually heal. This would all have gone away by now!”
“Dad believed it was the right thing to do.”
“Well, he was wrong. For such an intelligent business man, he’s made the most monumental mistake, and you’ve all suffered because of it. What a bloody mess.”
