A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 9

Sidney hung up the phone after Lawson's call. She was glad he thought about her and called, even if it was a short conversation. Sidney brought some work home, so the brief conversation was fine. Lawson was flying home tomorrow evening, and they had plans for Friday, so she could wait. After making a sandwich, Sidney fetched her laptop, forgetting about the flash drive she sat on top of it a few days ago. She picked it up and returned to her sitting room.

Making herself comfortable, she decided to get to work. After a few minutes, curiosity began to get the better of her, so she decided to see what was on the flash drive. She put it in the USB port and clicked to open it. What she saw puzzled her. She could see it contained numerous files that looked like they pertained to Pierson's business. What got her attention was what looked like several video files. She didn't remember loading any videos recently. To solve the mystery, she clicked on the first one.

Instantly, she recognized the room as Lawson's bedroom. Sidney then watched in horror as she and Lawson came onto the screen. The memory of that night came rushing back to her. Sidney felt a knot forming in her stomach as she watched her and Lawson's lovemaking. Worse still, the camera angle changed several times, meaning multiple hidden cameras were in his room.

Sidney gasped and turned off the video. She counted fourteen other videos on the drive. The date on the next video was the night of their engagement in the hotel room they stayed in that night. She told herself to stop, but something inside her told her to click one more file. It was again Lawson's bedroom, but the woman in the video was not her. Closing the video, she slammed the laptop closed so hard she thought she may have broken it.

Tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably. She felt physically and emotionally sick, but Sidney felt betrayed. In their time together, she gave Lawson the best of her. He was the only man she'd ever been with, and she gave him her whole heart. Now, her heart was lying in pieces. Leaving everything sitting where it was, she went to her bed. The realization that her bed was where she first gave herself to him made it impossible for her to stay there. She got a quilt and blanket out of her closet and returned to her couch.

When she arrived, the laptop still sat on the cushions where she left it. Moving the computer, she grabbed the flash drive. Her first thought was to destroy it. However, a voice inside her said she should keep it. Seeing it made her sick again, so she took it to her bedroom and placed it in the top drawer of her chest of drawers. She returned to the couch, pulled the blanket and quilt over her head, and cried.

The next day, the Thursday before Lawson returned, she called in sick to work. She'd never taken a day off before since she started her job. Today, she only wanted to lay on her couch and shut out the world. What was she going to do? Lawson would be home tomorrow, expecting her to meet him on his family's yacht outside Warrenton. She had to think of something. Was this the end of their marriage before it even started? How could this have happened?

Sidney must have lost track of time because she was startled to hear a knock on her door. "Sidney," came her mother's voice, "Sidney, open up; it's Mom." She slowly got up from the couch and opened the door for her mother. "Sidney, honey, your office called me and said you were sick. Is everything okay? Are you not feeling well? Have you eaten enough? How's your stomach? Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"Mom, I'm fine; please stop asking me health questions."

"Well, what's wrong? Are you constipated? Because if you are, I can get you some medicine to fix that in less than an hour."

"No, Mom, please no. I don't feel well and would like to be alone right now."

"It's your fiancée. I knew it. Did you two get in a fight? I told your father I thought he was too good to be true. You know nobody is that clean. When I was in school, this guy tried to seduce me, but I told him that.."

"Mom," Sidney said, almost screaming. "Mom, please, I appreciate you coming, but I want to be alone."

"No, sweetheart, please. You look terrible. Please tell me what I can do for you. Tell me how to help."

"I don't think you can, Mom," she said as tears began to fall again. "Can I just lay on the couch with my head in your lap while you play with my hair like you did when I was little?" Sophia agreed, and she sat down. Sidney laid her head on her mother's lap as Sophia ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. The tears didn't stop, but her sobbing did. Sophia whispered kind words to her daughter. It occurred to her that she'd not seen Sidney like this since her heart broke in high school. This was different. She could tell her daughter's heart was broken, and as much as she wanted to fix it, she knew this was something that would have to run its course. Whatever it was, she would tell her when she was ready.

Late that afternoon, Sophia talked her into eating something. She cooked a small spaghetti and brought it to the couch. Sidney picked at it before eating about half of the meal. She thanked her mother for coming by and cooking for her. Sophia didn't pry any further as badly as she wanted to. Together, they spent another hour watching television.

As she got up to leave, she asked her daughter, "Is there anything you need?" Sidney told her there wasn't and that she was feeling better. Sophia thought that wasn't the truth, but she didn't press her anymore. Her mother pulled her close and embraced her, "I love you, baby. Whatever you're going through, I'm here for you when you're ready. Your dad and I will pray for you when I get home."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you, too. Be careful going home."

She shut the door behind her mother and went back to the couch. Looking at the clock, she realized that she was supposed to meet Lawson in less than twenty-four hours. Sidney considered canceling on him. She also thought about calling him up and breaking things off with him. Another part of her wanted to throw the ring in his face.

Every emotion available flowed through her. She was angry at Lawson for doing this to her. She was heartbroken for giving her love to him and having him use her that way. Mostly, Sidney was depressed and disappointed. She dated Lawson for over two years and felt like he had played her for a fool. Yet, at the same time, she still loved him. She still loved him even after all she had seen on that flash drive. After all, you just found out, how could you still love someone like that? It didn't make any sense. Did she want to try and save their relationship? Unbelievably, she did. They had been through so much, and she had given so much to him that she couldn't let him go without trying.

While Sidney was lost in her thoughts, the phone rang. It was Lawson calling to check-in. She picked up the phone and started to answer it, but she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. The call went to voicemail. Thirty minutes later, she listened to it. He said he was calling to check in on her before bed because he had an early morning meeting before flying home. He wished her good night before signing off.

The following day, she called in sick again. She spent the entire morning rehearsing what she would say and then changing it repeatedly. Everything that passed through her mind seemed to fall short of what she wanted to tell him. After lunch, she started to pack her bag for the yacht. She repeatedly picked up her phone to tell him she wasn't coming and never wanted to see him again. Each time, she decided not to give up on him. He deserved a chance, if nothing else, to set things right. Tonight would be one of the most important nights of her life.