Memories That Still Haunt Us

Chapter Fifty-Six:

As I'm busy cleaning the house while Beck is at school and Ellis works in the office, the doorbell suddenly echoes through the house. Old timey tune that drags on for a few seconds too long. Becoming loud and annoying.

Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I go to open the front door but find Ellis has already opened it, and Millie's father has forced himself inside the house, a smug grin on his face as his eyes wander around the house.

Ellis folds his arms tightly across his chest. "Was I not clear before when I told you to get the fuck out of our house?"

"I just came by to inform you that I'm not letting this go. I've had our private investigator do some digging, something I should've done long before my daughter married you, and I was shocked to see your mother died. Not recently either, but the same year you were supposedly kicked out of your home, which is the lie you told Millie."

I stand back out of sight, listening in on the conversation. I'm surprised by her father's revelation. For all the things Ellis and I have told each other, never once has he mentioned his mother's death. He said he hadn't seen her since he was kicked out. That he had no clue where she was or what she was doing. Perhaps he didn't know.

Ellis stays calm. Expression neutral. Unaffected by Millie's father's words.

Her father continues on after he realizes Ellis is not going to respond. "I was also shocked to see that not only did your mother die of an overdose that day, but so did her boyfriend at the time and another one of their junky friends. All overdosed in the living room of your home. Seems odd, doesn't it? Then that same day you disappeared, fled your house, and never came back." Her father grows closer to Ellis in an attempt to intimidate him. "You've known all along that your mother has been dead; why have you never said anything? It seems pretty obvious to me that you killed them all and then met my daughter, realizing it was your perfect ticket out of the country."

"I didn't fucking kill my mum, and I didn't fucking kill my wife." Ellis hisses through clenched teeth. "If you had any bloody proof, you would've taken it to the police. You have nothing on me. You have no idea what you're talking about. Go ahead and keep looking into me, but you'll never find anything. What you will find, though, is your daughter leaving our child to die locked in a hot car for half the bloody day. Or better yet, let me bring up all the proof I have of the countless times she cheated on me right after it happened. Or should I show the police the bruises left on Beck after he spent time at your lot? Or maybe all the psychotic shit Millie did to the nanny when she was supposed to be at work, a job that she lied about going to for months!" With each word, Ellis's voice raises. "Shall I go on?"

Her father jabs Ellis with a stiff finger. "Who the hell would ever believe you? We'll destroy you before you ever say a word. Haven't you figured out by now that we own you? I'll fucking strip you for parts, Ellis. This house is ours; you're lucky we haven't taken it back. You know how easy it would be for us to get custody of Beckham?" He takes a step away from Ellis, backing towards the door. "I'll prove you killed her, and I'll make sure you get locked up for life."

Ellis bites back a laugh. "Take the house. You can have it. But you'll never have Beckham, and you'll never find anything on me. Keep wasting your time though." He waves him out the door, slamming it in his face and locking up.

I exhale heavily. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath this whole time. I watch as Ellis clenches and unclenches his hands. Balling them into tight fists, then stretching each finger out. His chest rises and falls before he turns to move back into his study, but not before his eyes spot me, hiding near the archway of the kitchen, beside the staircase.

His eyes narrow slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me about your mom?" I ask.

He approaches me slowly, then casually stuffs his hands inside his slack pockets. "It wasn't important."

"That your mom and two other people OD'd inside your house?"

He brings himself closer to me, causing me to crane my neck to look up at him. "After it happened, I shut it out. It was too hard, so I just tried to pretend it never happened. That it wasn't real, and honestly, I've convinced myself of that for a long time now. I created this story in my mind that she kicked me out, and that's why I left and never went back."

He seems sincere. His eyes are full of pain as he recounts the events that happened that day. I see the agonizing memories shift in his mind. Memories that he's kept locked away all this time.

I reach for him, placing my hand on his arm. "Did you leave because you were scared?"

"I knew if police showed up, they'd just put me in the system, and I'd bounce around from one care home to another. Living on the streets seemed like a better option, and thankfully, I was taken in by Rosie. But I never killed anybody, Reign."

"I know, I know."

Ellis cups my face with his hands, kissing me gingerly. I almost tell him about Millie and that night on the bridge. He deserves to know what happened. But instead, I keep my mouth shut and kiss him back. I let him channel his anger and pain into me.