Wrong Girl (40 page)

“Zack,
this isn’t the right place to do this.” I remind him, glancing around the busy
tables which surround us.

“Then
let’s get out of here. You’re coming back with me.”

He
stands up and offers me his hand, resolute and firm when it comes to his
decision.

“Erm…”
I flounder helplessly, battling between the yearning that I have to leave with
Zack the commitment I made to spend the evening with my friend.

My
gaze wanders across the table and lands on Audrey. Would she hate me if I choose
to leave with him? She’s been such an incredible friend to me over the past few
weeks, how on earth can I just walk out on here like this?

“I’m
not letting you walk away from me again, not without giving me some sort of explanation,
Sam. You’re coming back with me right now. Don’t even bother trying to fight me
on this.”

He
transfixes me with his intense gaze and it’s enough to convince me that he
means business. There is not a single chance that he will leave here without
me.

“Samantha,
it’s ok. Go with him.” Audrey insists, reaching out to squeeze my hand.

“But
I can’t just leave you here.”

“I’ll
be fine.” She assures me. “I’ll phone a friend to come and meet me here
instead.”

“Are
you sure?”

I
stand up but still feel unsure and guilty about walking out on her.

“
Yes
.”
She insists. “Now go.”

I
take Zack’s hand before reaching for my purse. We’re just about to leave when
Audrey stops me, calling out my name.

“What’s
wrong? Do you want me to stay?”

“No,
I want you to take my house keys with you. Feel free to go back there and sort
things out properly.”

“Are
you sure?”

“Of
course.” She encourages me. “And don’t worry, I’ll be home later on but I’m
going to stay out for a little while and give you guys some space.”

“Thank
you so much, Audrey.”

“Yeah,
thanks a lot. That’s really kind of you.” Zack adds, smiling briefly.

He
places his hand on my lower back, guiding me out of the restaurant. He only
lets go when we’re out on the street and he takes hold of my hand instead.

“I
came out with Aaron but we didn’t bring the car. We’ll going to have to grab a
cab back to your friend’s house instead.”

“Wait,
you’re with Aaron? Where is he?”

“Probably
still in the bar where I left him. I thought I saw you walking past and ran
straight out of there. I best call him and let him know I won’t be coming
back.”

“Will
he be ok with that?”

“He’ll
have to be.” Zack retorts dismissively. “There’s things you and I need to
discuss.”

Zack
makes a quick phone call to Aaron and explains that he’s now coming back with
me so we can talk. I can tell by his tone of voice that he’s opened up to his
brother about what’s been going on between us, just like I have with Audrey.

Ending
his phone conversation, Zack lets go of my hand to flag down a nearby taxi. He
opens the door for me to get in first and then slips in beside me. I provide
the driver with Audrey’s address and we spend the rest of the journey in
silence.

The
inquest starts the second we walk through the front door and the tension in the
air is palpable. The weight of it is heavy, causing me to feel trapped and
claustrophobic as he bombards me with questions. He’s relentless in his quest
to uncover the truth and I know how close I am to surrendering it all to him.

“By
the way… I like the new hair.”

His
gaze glides across my body, landing on my new hairstyle as I run my fingers
through it. I suddenly feel self-conscious, as though I’m under scrutiny and
turn away from him, surprised that he even recognised me with the new
hairstyle.

“Thanks,
I fancied a change.”

“It’s
cute. Makes you look more sophisticated.” He assures me.

There’s
a moment of silence between us whilst I consider what I’m going to say next. I
wonder if I should offer him a drink or something but randomly find myself
unable to speak.

“So
this is where you’ve been staying?” He asks, abruptly breaking the silence. “Ten
fucking minutes down the road from my parent’s house?” He sounds bitter,
glaring out the patio doors like Rachel did just hours before.

The
spotlights have come on outside, lighting up the large expanse of Audrey’s
garden. It reminds me of the hotel’s surroundings we stayed at three weeks ago.
The night that changed everything.

“Yes,
this is where I’ve been.” I answer truthfully, taking a seat.

There’s
an even greater silence that follows, overwhelming and all-consuming. It’s
unbearably awkward and I’m just about to say something when he decides to beat
me to it.

“I
need to know why you left.” He states coolly, turning around to face me with a
sombre expression on his face.

“I…
I had to get away.”

“From
me?”

“From
everyone and everything.” I reply, shaking my head in despair.

“Sam,
you had only just got back from the last time you fucked off and left me. Did I
really deserve to be put through that again?”

“No,
you didn’t.” I whisper, lowering my gaze. “You don’t deserve any of this.”

“Just
tell me why.” He begs, moving closer towards me.

“I
can’t.”

“You
owe me that at least!” He exclaims angrily. “Just look at me, do I look like
I’ve slept? Do I look like I’ve had a single moment of peace since you left me?”

“No.”
I respond sincerely, allowing myself to take in his harrowing appearance.

He’s
worn and weary, forlorn and fatigued. His eyes are tearful and full of sorrow,
revealing the pain and excruciating anguish he must have been through these
last couple of weeks.

“So
tell me
why
.” He pleads, falling to his knees before me.

I
hesitate for a moment, recalling the irrevocable fight I had with my mum before
I left. It still hurts to know that my own mother resents the fact that I was born.
For years I truly thought it was all down to me, I thought I was the one to
blame. I believed her hatred for me was because of something I did and punished
myself for years of neglect and rejection. At least now I know the truth. None
of it is my fault, she’s the one to blame and as I’m concerned…
I’m
the
one who
deserves better.

“My
mum knows.” I reluctantly admit. “She knows about us.”

“That’s
impossible. How can she?” He demands.

“She
guessed. She told me she had noticed everything between us, the secretive glances
we made across the table, the atmosphere between us and the way we’ve been
acting around one another. She told me to end it. She gave me no choice.”

“And
that’s why you left?” He asks softly, tilting my chin up to face him.

“No,
I… I found out something else. Something about Rachel.”

“What
did you find out?”

I
honestly didn’t plan on telling him any of this. After all, it’s not my secret
to tell but how else can I explain to him the real reason why I chose to leave?

“My
mum told me something, something about Rachel and her real father.”

“Her
real
father?” Zack prompts me, tucking a stray strand of my brown hair
behind my ear.

“Zack,
Rachel is Harry’s daughter.”

“Harry
as in…?”

“My
uncle, yes.”

“That
animal is Rachel’s
father
?”

“He’s
her biological parent but my own dad was the one who raised her. He knew she
was his brother’s baby but wanted to help my mum take care of her. He was such a
good man.”

“Sweetheart,
I’m so sorry.” He apologises sweetly, his voice so calm and soothing.

“You
would have liked him.” I say warmly, smiling weakly.

“I’m
sure I would have done.” He assures me, returning my smile. “Does Rachel know?”

“No,
she doesn’t. My mum told me she never even told Harry the truth, let alone
anyone else. She’s completely in love with him, Zack. He was her first love.”

“Despite
what he did to you?” He growls with fury, jumping up in anger.

“She
doesn’t believe me. She can’t allow herself to think that the man she loves is
capable of that.” I explain to him, realising for the first time just how much
pain my revelation must have caused her as well.

“I
swear to God if she wasn’t a woman…” He says threateningly.

“Zack,
please. You need to listen to me because there’s more. There’s something else I
need to tell you.”

“What
is it?” He asks, taking a seat beside me on the sofa.

“I
have to end this now.
We
have to end this.” I say gently.

“What?
No, you don’t mean that. You can’t mean it.” He shakes his head, fiercely
unwilling when it comes to accepting the truth.

“I
do.” I murmur, hardly able to believe the words that are being spoken from my
mouth.

“No,
I don’t believe you. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“You
belong with Rachel, Zack. You’re engaged to her and you’re getting married.”

“I
won’t marry her!” He yells, striding across the room in a rage. “I can’t be
with her, not when I’m so in love with you.”

He
rakes his fingers through his hair, tugging on it in despair.

“You
need to stay with her.” I insist, battling against the searing pain my own
words cause me to feel.

“How
can you expect me to do that when I physically ache for someone else? I’m
already starting to resent her, Sam. I don’t mean to but I can’t help it,
everything she does is starting to annoy me and all I can think of is the fact
that she’s the only one who is keeping us apart.”

“You
can’t blame her, Zack. She’s not responsible for any of this and you need to be
there for her right now and support her.”

“What
do you mean?” He narrows his eyes at me in suspicion.

He
knows that something is wrong, he can read me too well and can see beneath the
concern I have for Rachel.

“Please
just go and see her. She needs you.”

“You’re
hiding something. You’re keeping something from me, I know you are.”

His
expression turns dark as he closes in on me, resolute in his decision to find
out what I know.

I
leap up off the sofa, anxious to put some much needed space between us. I can’t
concentrate, I can’t even focus when he’s so close to me.

“Please
don’t ask me, just go and see her.”

“What
are you hiding from me? What has she told you?” He carries on, undeterred and
relentless, following me across the room.

“Rachel
told me something when she came here this afternoon.” I unexpectedly announce,
whirling around to face him.

“You
mean she knew you were here this entire time?”

“No,
she only just figured it out today and wanted to come and see that I was ok.” I
tell him, mentally preparing myself for what I’m about to reveal.

“And…?”

“She’s
pregnant, Zack.”

His
face turns pale, instantly draining his dark complexion of all its colour. He
stares at me in absolute shock and disbelief, struggling to process the life-changing
information I just gave him.

“S-she’s
what?” He stammers helplessly, taking a step back.

“She’s
having your baby.” I repeat gently. “She only just found out today.”

“B-but…
how can she be? We haven’t even slept together.” He shakes his head, vehemently
denying the truth.

“We
both know that you did.” I remind him. “The night you got drunk two weeks ago.”

He
drags his fingers through his hair, groaning loudly in frustration. His entire
demeanour changes as I watch him absorb his startling news.

“She’s
supposed to be on the fucking pill! How the hell did this happen?”

I
consider telling him the truth but quickly realise how it will only make things
worse. I can’t betray my sister and her trust any more than I already have
done.

“I
think she forgot to take some.” I lie. “It’s an easy mistake to make, Zack.”

“I
don’t believe this, I
can’t
believe that this is really happening.” He
murmurs to himself, repeating the same statement over and over again. “It was
one time, one fucking time!” He yells, slamming his fist down onto the dining
room table beside us.

The
vase of flowers resting on it shatters, spilling a residue of water across its
surface.

“Zack!”
I chastise him angrily, spinning around to clean up the mess.

He
grabs hold of my wrist, preventing me from taking a step further.