The Only Exception

Thirty Four

~Lainey~

When you've spent most of your life lying to people in order to protect those yo love, you get used to finding reasonings for actions quickly. When you go through years of abuse and trauma, you learn to pick up on changes in atmosphere before other people do and you know how to use this to your benefit. You teach yourself to pick up on people's actions and find their weaknesses and know from just the air exactly what's going through their mind and you become an Oscar worthy actress when it comes to making sure they believe you. 

So when the door opens and my mother, Andrew and Henry right behind her, I don't hesitate to look up from my sad little spot in the lobby and look relieved. I let a sob break out of my mouth before running to her, wrapping shaky arms around her waist and using every single tactic to force myself to cry into her neck.  

She hesitates. But slowly wraps her arms around me. 

"Lainey? What's wrong?" I shook my head and she pulled back, grabbing for my face. "What happened?" 

"I lost Dean and he was in bed with someone else and I didn't know where else to go so I came back here and they- they told me you lied to me. Tried to get me to come back. But I know they're just trying to hurt me because you don't want to to hurt me do you?" 

"No darling. No of course I don't. Come here." She wraps her arms around me and it almost - almost - feels normal. "Andrew. Find Dean." Great. One down. One to go. I can deal with him later. She stood up again, tutting at the mascara stains down my cheeks "Let's get you cleaned up huh? The ladies rooms are around here aren't they?" I nod. "Okay. You go down there, I'll be with you in a second. Don't worry Lainey." I give her a small smile and turn, walking slowly to the toilets. 

I know for a fact she will not have gone anywhere without her gun and if this is going to succeed, I need to get it and put a bullet in her before she gets a chance to untangle my web of lies. Years of survival, of believing all of this was my fault. Pushing people away and missing out on love and friendships. Because of her. She had me kidnapped, watched them break my bones, had Spencer shot and told me she'd had him killed then forced me into a life I never wanted for even a second.  I believe there is always something in people to try for. There has to be some good in people. But there isn't. Not with her. 

Allowing my mother to walk out of here is a guarantee I will not be able to live happily with Spencer. I will always be on the edge. Knowing she could show up at any moment stronger than ever and I was done. I am done letting her control my life and I'm done living in fear of her and I'm done following the belief that this is my fault. 

I stared at myself in the mirror, not recognizing the woman I had become because of her. I wasn't me. I didn't look like me, I didn't feel like me and I feel like I have no other choice. 

"Okay." The door swung open and closed, her presence being that annoying stone in my shoe for too long and I was itching to get rid of it, no matter what. She dropped her bag onto the counter rifled through it for whatever she wanted. "I knew you coming this weekend was a bad idea but it's okay. At least you know the truth now right?" 

I wiped a tissue under my eyes before scrunching it up. 

"Do you have some lip balm?" 

"Somewhere in the bottom of my bag." I nod, grabbing for her bag. "Don't worry too much about it all Lainey. Dean isn't the only wealthy man in the area back home. I'm sure we can find you-" I pulled the gun out of her bag, safety off and aimed it directly at her head. No hesitation. This woman ruined my life and if I don't stop her now, she's going to burn everyone I love to the ground. "Think-"

"I married Spencer this morning." I pulled the trigged before she could try and talk me out of it, wanting the last thing she heard to be the knowledge she didn't have a single ounce of control over me. I didn't have time to grieve right now. 

I stepped over her corpse, trying not to think about the way her blood was now stained across my face and wedding dress. She did this. She pushed me this far. She started all of this over fucking Henry. I pushed the bathroom doors open, well aware that the prick will have heard the noise and will be waiting for me, likely prepared for a fight. 

He was. 

Stood in the middle of the lobby, just a few feet away, arm around Spencer's throat, gun pressed to his head. How the fuck did he even get to Spence? He was supposed to be upstairs. He was supposed to be up there and I could have had Andrew come back here and taken him out as well before going back to everyone and telling them everything was fine. 

"Put the gun down Lainey." 

"Get your hands off my husband." I snarl but he doesn't move. "I don't think you know how fucking serious I am." I raise the gun again, suddenly thankful me and Chelsea went to gun ranges over the summer as a 'just in case'. I'd flirted with a few guys in there and managed to pick up some handy tricks. Including hitting my target instead of the wall behind them. Never thought I'd actually need that skill yet here we are. 

"Dad-" Andrew burst through the doors. Obviously concerned something was happening. The idiot fumbled to grab his gun from it's holster. 3 seconds of hesitation was enough of a distraction for me to shoot him the same way I'd shot mom. He collapsed to the floor, blood pooling around him and I turned my attention back to Henry. 

Spencer smirked at me before pulling his elbow up to Henry's face and sliding out of the way enough for me to get a clear shot. The final shot echoed in the room, a third corpse falling to the floor in yet another pool of blood and it still took me all of a few seconds, for the ringing in my ear to stop and for my slightly blurred vision to clear enough for me to find Spencer and run to him, swinging my legs around his waist. 

"I told you to go upstairs." I wrapped my arms so tight around his neck there wasn't a chance he could breathe but I really couldn't care less right now. 

"I couldn't. I stayed out of the way but the gun shot-" He panted into my ear. "Fuck Lainey. You should have told me the plan babe. I could have-" 

"I had to do it." I shook my head before sitting up. "I told you I could do it." 

"I knew you could." Spence swiped his thumb through the blood on my face. "You're so cute." 

"I literally just killed 3 people and I'm covered in my mother's blood and you want to call me cute?" 

"Mhm. 'Get your hands off my husband'. You have literally never been hotter to me than in that moment right then." 

"Well I hope you don't intend on seeing it again." 

"Fuck no. I never ever want to see a gun in your hand again. Do you hear me?" 

"Well if you do your job right, I won't need to." He raised an eyebrow and I smirked. "This is a big mess to clear up." 

"Don't worry about it. Let's get you out of this dress and showered before it stains though, yeah?" 

"Yeah."