Escape.
The word was an intoxicating vapor that enveloped her senses with a longing she could scarcely contain. Stumbling around in this stupor that had become her life was like constantly seeing a scrumptious dish of food from afar and yet never being able to taste it. While she looked perfect on the outside, she was starving on the inside. Starved from finding an abiding love and purpose that she craved more than air. Memories from before crowded her brain. She’d been strong then … carefree … so sure about the direction her life was taking.
And then he came into her world.
In a few short hours, everything would change. She would finally be free from her golden shackles. Free to go where she pleased. Free to live her life as Jackie Dennis. All she had to do was hold it together for a little while longer. Sharp fingernails of doubt pricked at the corners of her mind as she went hot all over and then frigidly cold. He would see through the ruse. He would take one look at her and know what she was about to do.
Trembles ran through her hands as she clutched them together. No! She couldn’t give in to the fear. She had to pretend. She was stronger than this. Her smile was flawless … fixed in place, and as perfect as her exquisite designer gown.
“Hello, darling,” an older woman said by way of greeting.
“How kind of you to come.” She caught the sweet fragrance of Maude’s perfume as they air-kissed.
“Don’t you look lovely?” Maude paused, looking her over with a sharp gaze. “How are you, Jaclyn?”
“Fine,” she chattered brightly, cringing at the shadow of doubt in Maude’s eyes. Maude’s husband was close friends with Zachary—Xavier’s uncle, who oversaw the Kiplings’ business affairs and lucrative estate. No doubt Maude had caught wind of Jaclyn’s recent stay at a mental hospital. Let them all think she was crazy! Jaclyn didn’t care. They were under the Kiplings’ influence and would believe whatever the powers that be wanted them to.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Maude, Jaclyn floated amongst the well-dressed guests, laughing lightly at their quips while ignoring the inquisitive eyes that regarded her with suspicion. She fingered her jeweled necklace. It was worth a fortune—her nest egg that she would use to start a new life. Everything else would have to be left behind. Her beautiful clothes. The pictures of her mom. Her favorite copy of Wuthering Heights that she’d had since high school. A bubble of hysterical laughter rose in her throat as she swallowed it back down. When she was an English major in college, she never could have conceived that she’d be living out a real-life version of Emily Bronte’s novel. Or maybe this was Jane Eyre. Worse! Wide Sargasso Sea. Oh, beloved. How did it come to this?
Xavier had given her the necklace on their one-year anniversary. A pang went through her. Despite everything, a part of her still loved him. Maybe she was a crazy fool like everyone believed.
She felt the heat of watchful eyes and looked across the crowded room to where Xavier was talking to a group of men. A smile of acknowledgement trembled over her lips as their eyes caught. He knows! her mind screamed.
Her knees went weak as alarm roiled her stomach. She might’ve lost it then had a woman not caught her arm and struck up an inane conversation about an upcoming garden party.
When it was time for the toasts, Jaclyn slipped away. She was met outside by the moist salty air and the distant roar of waves crashing against the rocks. The Kipling mansion was perched on the edge of a cliff, the back of the structure giving way to a magnificent view of the ocean. When Jaclyn first came to the Kipling estate, she was enamored with the drama of a house situated so close to the edge of a steep cliff. Now, the cliff was a persistent reminder of her precarious situation and the danger that would befall her with one misstep.
The rustle of her silk gown kept time with the frantic clicks of her heels as she hurried to the designated meeting place. Almost there! Bud, her driver, would be waiting at the edge of the circular driveway. Picking her way over the cobblestone and around the conglomerate of expensive cars, Jaclyn quickened her pace when she spotted the limo.
Her hand had just grasped the door handle when he called her name, the sound carrying eerily on the fluid hands of the wind.
“Jac—lyn!”
“No,” she whimpered, trying to open the car door, but it was locked.
“Jac—lyn.”
This time, the voice had a singsong quality that reminded her of a tiger toying with its prey.
Slowly, she turned.
“What’re you doing out here, darling?” Xavier asked as he came towards her. Dressed in a tuxedo, Xavier Kipling was by far the most handsome and elegant man Jaclyn had ever seen. In the pale light of the full moon, his high cheekbones had an ethereal quality that gave him a phantom-like appearance.
“Stop!” she shrieked. Holding out her hand, she shrank back against the limo.
He stopped in his tracks. “Darling, it’s me. No need to be afraid.”
“I can’t do this,” she cried. “You have to let me go.” A sob choked her throat. “Please.”
“I could never let you go,” he responded in a wounded tone. “I love you.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as he stepped closer.
“It’s chilly out here,” he said pleasantly. “Let’s get you inside where you can get warm. It’s time to take your medicine.”
“No!” she barked, a suffocating panic engulfing her. “Bud was supposed to meet me out here. He’s taking me to the airport!”
He gave her a quizzical look. “The airport? Where are you going?”
“Back home to Florida,” she croaked. “To be with my mom.”
A soft chuckle of surprise sounded in his throat. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
She searched his chiseled face, which was infused with such nobility. No wonder she’d fallen so hard for him. She’d wanted to believe that he was good … that he truly loved her.
“Darling, you’re confused. Your mother passed away. Don’t you remember?”
“No!” she uttered as an invisible noose tightened around her neck. He was a monster! “Y—you killed her?” Her entire body was filled with loathing as she glared at him. “How could you?” Her mother was all she had left. Xavier had stripped away her spirit … her dignity … and now he’d taken her precious mother.
The tone of his voice remained calm, placating. “No, Jaclyn, she died of a heart attack. Surely you remember. I sent you the video link of the funeral while you were in the hospital.”
Her world began to spin. “No!” Was she confused? Everything was so muddled. She searched her brain. Memories of her stay at the hospital were fuzzy. She’d fought against the orderlies … ranted and raved about Xavier. But in the end, a curious blankness overshadowed all. It was the pills! It had to be. She wasn’t crazy … was she? “I have to go. Bud is waiting for me.”
“Who’s Bud?”
A silent scream started in her head, filling her entire body. Her words came out breathless. “My driver.” Her voice broke. “Please, Xavier. No more games.”
“We don’t have a driver named Bud. Stewart has been our driver for years.”
“No,” she screamed. “You’re a liar!” Bud was filling in for Stewart while he was looking after his ailing dad. She’d worked everything out with Bud. He purchased her airline ticket. He had her purse, which contained her driver’s license and what little cash she could squirrel away. Her throat closed, making it hard to breathe. She pressed her fingers against her temples, wishing she could make herself disappear into nothing. With her mother gone, she had nothing left to live for.
“What’s going on?” a female voice asked.
Xavier turned toward the woman. “Oh, Merla,” he said in relief. “I’m glad you’re here. Jaclyn has had a setback.”
“Of course she has,” Merla sneered. “Probably because tonight wasn’t all about her.”
“Enough!” Xavier commanded. He took in a deep breath, his voice resuming its civility. “Jaclyn is under the assumption that I have a driver named Bud.”
Merla grunted. “That’s a new one.”
“I’ve been trying to tell her that she’s mistaken.” A trace of impatience seeped into his tone. “Darling, let’s go back inside. I’ll call Doctor Stanton. He may need to increase your meds.” He spoke as though he were talking to a child who was slow to understand.
“My mother’s dead?” Jaclyn’s mind refused to accept the words. “How could she be dead? I just spoke to her a few days ago … right before she went on her cruise.” This was a nightmare. She’d entered a world where up was down and down was up. Granted, she’d experienced lapses in memory, but this was insane.
“She went on the cruise a couple of days before you went into the hospital,” Xavier said gently. “In fact, she was on the cruise when she had the heart attack.”
Xavier stepped forward and caught hold of Jaclyn’s arm. She made a feeble effort to pull away, but he gathered her in his arms.
“My mother’s dead?” she whimpered, searching his face.
“I’m afraid so,” he said sorrowfully. “I’m so sorry.” His voice grew throaty with emotion. “Darling, don’t ever try to leave me again. You know how much I love you. Remember what I told you on our wedding day? I’ll always take care of you. Always,” he said fiercely.
All hope of escape dissipated into the humid air as Jaclyn nodded numbly and allowed Xavier to lead her back to the house.
