The Truth of Never (The Never Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  I walked out of the room with him and a few minutes later, we were seated and having coffee.

  "Have you come up with something?" I asked.

  “The only reasonable line of action that we can pursue is a compensation claim."

  I glared at him. "Are you kidding me? Compensation claim? We can’t even sue for wrongful death?"

  "That won't hold because..."

  He stopped, but what he was trying to say was apparent- She wasn't dead yet.

  "Listen to me." I told him. "I don't need a dime from that bastard. What I need is something that can hang over his head for the rest of his miserable life. I told you from the beginning that what I want is him behind bars."

  "I’m sorry but that's not possible, except there's a way you can prove that in some way he caused the accident. Then and depending on the weight of the evidence, he can be prosecuted for criminally negligent homicide. But again, that is very unlikely.”

  With a heavy sigh, I leaned back against the chair. "Isn't there a way he can be framed for this? Something like he intentionally pushed her in front of the vehicle or something?"

  "There were witnesses who gave reports and it says that he had already crossed the street."

  "You know all you're doing is giving me excuses. Figure something out. If you can’t get him with the accident then get him through his job or something. He's a freaking journalist. Just pronouncing someone's name wrong can ruin his career."

  "Suing for damages can also cause him significant damage."

  "I don't want to hear it. It's just money. It doesn't mean anything to him."

  "That may be true but if you take most of what he has, then that might get his attention."

  For a brief second that gave me something to think about so I got up, and took short paces around our table. "How much can we take?"

  "Well, he's worth quite a lot, so we can claim for something that will significantly set him back. For instance you have a show scheduled in a few months so if we can gather enough evidence to file a compensation claim, then he can cover the losses that you will incur due to your inability to participate as you would have. Your work is renowned so paying for ruining your entire collection should severely knock him down."

  I returned to the chair and sat down. "That seems alright but it's not enough for me." I said, shaking my head.

  "There is one more option. But I'm not sure if you'll be okay with it. It can generate the wrong attention."

  "What is it?"

  "We could get him second for degree manslaughter, but it'll be on the basis of assisting Mrs. Bach in committing suicide. That could get him at least ten years."

  "What? Suicide? My mother didn't commit suicide. I can’t let that be her legacy.”

  "I understand." He said. "It was a distasteful proposition. I apologize."

  We were quiet for a while and in that time, I allowed myself to consider it.

  “Maybe we can make it work.” I said. “What if we can prove that he somehow drove her to it by preying on some sort of weakness."

  "That could stand but what weakness could she possibly have had, and how would he have been aware of it?"

  "She's his mother." I told him and his eyes eyebrows rose in surprise. "I just recently found out myself."

  "Um - Okay." He eventually said and looked away to think. Picking up my cup of coffee, I took a sip and immediately spat it back into the cup. It had turned cold. Grabbing a napkin from the table I wiped my lips and angrily pushed the cup away.

  "I still don't see how we'll be able to build a strong case. Did he know that she was his mother?"

  "I don't know that, but I'm going to assume that he did.”

  "Hmm... Then we could blame him for somehow preying on her fragile emotional state." His hand was underneath his chin and his eyes distant as he ran through avenues in his head. "She’d just been embarrassed at a funeral, and he'd just assaulted you. We could say that he told her something that made her purposely run into an incoming vehicle."

  "She didn't talk to him. He was already crossing the street when she started going after him."

  "Maybe but you saw that. I've checked and there is no CCTV footage of the incident. There are only statements from the witnesses and none of them noticed them enough to mention if they were talking, or if they were apart. Nevertheless, let's say someone else saw. That means that we would need more concrete evidence and I don't see how we’re going to obtain that."

  I was deep in thought as I listened to him, processing all that he was saying and then suddenly, something occurred to me.

  "What if there’s evidence that they were in communication before that date?”

  "What do you mean? Did they contact each other?"

  "No, but I can make it seem like they did. Not through emails or phone calls but we can do it through letters. He seems naturally aloof and from what I know, he does hold a grudge against her for abandoning him. So it somehow makes sense to me that he would rather communicate through letters so that he can keep the reality that he was probably avoiding at bay. Creating the letters is not a big deal. I can emulate both of their handwritings perfectly, and create what we need."

  "That won't work. If the mail company is subpoenaed and it shows that there are no records of them being sent, then that would constitute fabrication of evidence and land you in trouble. Damian, I can't say I fully understand what you're going through because that would be a lie. The most I can do is imagine it and even that is painful enough. But this route is too risky. Please reconsider. There are other things we can't get him for but..."

  "I want him gone." I stated.

  "I'm speaking now not as your lawyer but as your friend. This could very well not go according to plan and it could terribly damage the both of us. Also would Elizabeth want this? She felt sorry towards him, and..."

  "Don't you dare tell me what she felt," I hissed, and got up from the chair. "I don't give a fuck. I've been in hell for the last two weeks. I had to carry my almost dead mother across continents while the bastard who caused this is probably back to his life as if nothing happened. Call me when you make up your mind or have something. If it's not you it'll be someone else, so the choice is yours."

  Lenora

  That night I couldn’t sleep. I held Nathan’s key card in my hand as I stared up at the ceiling and pondered on what I should do. He’d looked so haggard today and if there was something I could do to take away even a fraction of the pain he was feeling, I was willing to do it.

  I got up from the bed and went over to the sofa. My drapes were wide open so I had a great view of the city from where I sat but as I stared out, all I could think about was how he was faring. I looked down at the keycard in my hand and contemplated on what to do. I couldn't make up my mind so I just went back to my nightstand to pick up my phone. The phone rang to disconnection multiple times before I finally gave up and threw it on the bed. Fisting a handful of hair in my hands, I sat down and bowed my head to think. Then I made up my mind.

  Hurrying into my dressing room, I threw on a pair of leggings and a hoodie, and was out of the apartment in no time. I took a cab, and soon I was back at Nathan's place. I stood outside the door for at least five minutes before I finally had the courage to knock. Was I pushing too hard? I wondered? Would it be better for me to just give him his space?

  Eventually I damned the consequences to hell and knocked, but as expected there was no reply. So I slotted in the key card and let myself in. The entire suite was dark so I was tempted to turn the lights on but I restrained myself. I walked as carefully as I could, my nose continuously twitching at how stuffy the room, was and the stench of alcohol that permeated the air.

  I reached the bedroom but he wasn’t there, so I headed towards the bathroom and without thinking, turned the lights on. I met him dressed in only a pair of sweat pants and seated on the floor in the bathroom. His head was rested on his folded arms, which were balanced on his knee. He didn't move, so after checking to see whe
re I would sit, I immediately turned the lights off and sat down.

  I didn't make a sound, and he didn't tell me to leave even though I was certain he knew that I was there. I was prepared to remain there for as long as he would, but somewhere along the line, I fell asleep.

  I jerked awake about three hours later, to find myself lying comfortably underneath the covers in the bedroom. Feeling useless, I jumped out of bed and went to find him. I returned back to the bathroom and saw that he was still in the same position.

  With a sigh, I turned around and quietly left. He was in serious pain. Since I'd arrived he hadn't even said a word to me, nor had I seen his face. I’d only been graced with the sight of the back of his head as it hung in lamentation. I checked the time on my phone to see that it was 5am, which gave me only a few more hours to do something to help him before I had to leave for work. So I turned on the lights to see what I was working with, and my jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

  The entire place was a mess. Clothes were strewn across the living room, and the adjoining kitchen had stacks and stacks of empty takeout boxes. The sight I met scared me not just because of how messy it was, but because of the insight that it gave to Nathan’s current state of mind. For someone who couldn't stand messes, much less live in them, this was incredibly close to a cry for help.

  Immediately I got to work. I started with the kitchen and after clearing out all the empty boxes and bagging all the trash, I went to the living room to start on the clothes. However they were all dirty, so I bagged all those too and carried them to the door. His bedroom was spotless since he hadn't been sleeping in it so there was nothing to do there except fix up where I had slept. When I was done, I briefly left the suite and went down to the whole foods market in the basement of the building. I picked up some scented candles, and some groceries.

  When I got back, I went to the bathroom to peep in on him and saw that he was still in the same position. So I left, and arranged the vegetables, meat and snacks that I had gotten him. I didn't know what to cook for him so I just fried some eggs, made toast and coffee. I had a hectic day planned at work today so I eventually had to leave. I wrote a note telling him that there was food when he wanted it, and went to the bathroom to give it to him so that he wouldn’t miss it. I put it beside him but I didn't want the note to get missing so I carefully slipped it under his toe. I stared at his head, wishing he would lift it up so I could at least see his face, but he didn't. So I placed a soft kiss on his head, told him I loved him and was about to leave when he caught my hand.

  My heart almost catapulted out of my chest. He lifted his head and whispered a ‘thank you’ but I heard it as clearly as if he were speaking into my ear. I couldn't contain my smile and when he leaned towards me to plant a soft kiss on my lips, my legs melted and I fell back on my bottom.

  "I'm sorry." I said, and quickly got back up. There was only the ghost of a smile on his face but it was more than enough for me. I found myself bowing as I took my leave, almost hitting my head against the door because I couldn't stop looking at him.

  "I love you." I said again, and closed the door behind me. I stood there for a few more seconds and tried to recompose myself. That was all I’d needed from him- that little acknowledgement. It was the little sliver of hope that I was eager to hold on to because it told me that he would be able to get through this and once again, become his usual self. I felt like skipping as I left his apartment, but I settled for the huge smile on my face, picked up his bag of laundry and was on my way.

  *

  Later that day, I had a meeting with Stacy and Howard Stern concerning the suspended filming of my documentary. It'd bothered me all day of how I was going to turn it down but when they told me the network had also decided to put it on hold for a while because of all the delay it had suffered, I felt incredibly relieved.

  "That's perfectly fine with me." I told them, and got up to see them out. However, Stacy told Howard to go on as she had some other matters to discuss with me, so I sat back down and tried my best to push our slight friction back in Portugal out of mind.

  She placed an envelope on my desk. "These are the documents Nathan needs to have gone through and responded to by now, but no one can reach him.”

  “You know his name is Alex, right?” I said, but she just gave me a dry look and went on.

  “His assistant has had to reschedule many of his speaking engagements, and since he's renewed his contract to remain in New York his show will be resuming in a few weeks. But he needs to begin preparations with his team. I'm coming to you because I'm assuming you have an idea of where he could be."

  "I do know where he is. Do you mind leaving it with me? I'll get it to him as soon as possible. He's had a lot to deal with lately as you know, so he had to take a little break."

  "Actually I do mind." She said, and I raised my head to hers.

  "Excuse me?"

  "This is confidential information and I can't just give it out to a stranger. I have to personally make sure that it's delivered to him so that I don't suffer any consequences. It's company policy."

  "Uh huh," I replied sarcastically, and immediately rose to my feet. "Well in that case we're done here. I can't reveal his whereabouts to you, you know, privacy policies."

  She took a few more seconds but she eventually rose to her feet, her glare apparent that we would never be friends. I didn't give a damn; I just wanted her out of my building.

  "Lenora this is important." She told me, and I wanted to slap the bolts out of her brain.

  "And me telling you that I can't say where he is isn't? He can't see anyone now so unless you're ready to send your message through me you'll just have to wait until you see him yourself."

  "Honestly, I don’t understand what gives you the right to hide information about him? Up until a few weeks ago you barely even knew if he was alive. But now all of a sudden you're his secretary?"

  She relayed the insult in such a polite tone that I didn’t know whether to ignore it or flat out cause a scene. Anyway, I chose the higher road and took a deep breath to calm my temper.

  "Stacy," I said with a smile. "Please get the hell out of my office. You've provoked me enough today."

  With a glare, she picked up her purse, snatched the envelope away and walked out. I took a seat and tried to get back to work but I was too pissed. So I called up Elisa and Carlie to see if they were free to go to lunch. They were so I left the office and we all went together to a restaurant a few minutes away. Elisa was having some problems with her mother in law who was in town so after listening to her complaints and frowning at Carlie’s ridiculous advice, I told her to ask Wendy and brought up Stacy's rudeness. After first politely asking how Nathan was doing, they jumped on her case and I sat back to listen with amusement.

  "You should sue that bitch." Carlie said, and it made me smile.

  "For what? Trying to prove to me that she has the upper hand because she dated the guy?"

  "Yup, that sounds like a valid reason to me. And also, verbal harassment. You're not just anybody."

  "Why didn't you just snatch the envelope from her and call security to kick her out?" Elisa asked.

  "Really Elisa?"

  "Yes, really. This feels like another Beverly situation to me and I'm not happy that yet again, you're just watching it happen. Nathan's yours, so stop acting all humble and refuse the bullshit. She did this back in Portugal too. And if you'd thrown her out of your office, she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it because Nathan will back you up and say that he'd permitted you to receive the document on his behalf. That would shut her up for good."

  I just sighed and shook my head at the both of them as I took a sip of my coffee. "Coming to you guys was a bad idea.”

  *

  That evening, I went home and couldn't believe how excited I was at the prospect of doing Nathan's laundry. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd done mine so when my housekeeper met me seated on the floor in my laundry room and neatly fol
ding his dried clothes, she was concerned.

  "I'm fine." I told her and got ready to take the clothes to his place.

  When I arrived at his room, I again met a dark apartment so I switched on a lamp by the door to guide me, and made my way to the bedroom so that I could put the clothes in his dresser. However, I was surprised when I walked in and saw him asleep on the bed. Immediately, I reversed my steps so that I wouldn't disturb him.

  I'd brought Chinese takeout along with me so I just put that in the kitchen for when he would wake up, and left the clothes on the arm chair in the living room. I could see that he had eaten a little of what I'd prepared that morning but the coffee pot was empty. I made some tea for myself and sat down in front of a muted television. I didn't really care for the Modern Family episode that was showing, so I was already falling asleep when I felt an arm around me. I instantly awakened, and turned to meet Nathan's blue eyes staring at me.

  “Hey!" I said, the fog of sleep instantly clearing from my eyes. "Do you need something?”

  He shook his head and gently brushed my hair away from my face. He'd shaved, and smelt absolutely amazing.

  "Thank you for being here." He said, and something warm spilled inside my chest. I was too choked up with emotion to speak so I just nodded, and relished the feel of his hand as they glided softly down my cheek and towards the corner of my mouth. He traced my bottom lip with his finger and then raised his gaze to mine.

  The raw emotion in his eyes was electrifying, and as I stared into it, I found myself leaning towards him. I shut my eyes and softly pressed my lips to his with the intention of reminding him that he wasn't alone, and that I would be there to help pull him out of the abyss that the incidents of the past week had plunged him into. However, his response was far from modest. He slanted his head to deepen the kiss and before I knew what was happening, he was lying down on the couch and pulling me to him.