The Perfect Family

24. Lainey, tell me what to do and I'll do it.

Lainey hears the call Nero gets and tries to go with him but he just tells her to sit and wait for anything related to Orson.

Impatient Lainey goes outside to her car ready to go in, but gets held at gunpoint by a man dressed the same way Benjamin was.

"Get in slowly," The man says to Lainey while having his finger on the trigger, ready to release a bullet into Lainey at any given moment.

Once Lainey dips into the driver's seat, the stranger in all black holds the gun up to her face instead of head.

"Drive," The man says with a deep raspy voice.

Lainey starts the ignition backing out of the driveway with no direction, just driving until the stranger makes her stop in front of this abandoned building that looks like construction is still going on but put on pause with tools and rubble everywhere.

"Go in," The man says, pushing the metal to Lainey's head forcefully.

Lainey's eye twitches with anger, wondering who the hell this stranger was to even pull something like this off, the balls they had to even hold a gun to her head and force her to this bullshit place.

"Once you get inside, turn and don't face me."

Lainey starts walking listening to the footsteps of the man, after a few more steps, he stops as she was on a black arrow on the floor that he could have painted himself.

"Close your eyes and when I get to three open them."

The man starts the countdown then Lainey opens her eyes to see the unimaginable...her mom alive.

"You're fucking sick," Lainey says trembling with anger.

Tesni walks up to her daughter, about to hold her face, but Lainey moves away, having Tesni grab her face roughly.

"You think I did this by myself? I'm not the only actor in the family Ley."

Lainey flips through her memory like you would when looking for something on t.v and shakes her head.

"Why would Nero go along with it? Or papá? Do you know Oreo is in a fucking mental institution because of you?"

Tesni sighs like all of what Lainey is saying is all spilled milk and doesn't give her any sort of concern like how she once was when it came to Orson.

"Why!" Lainey yells, ready to black out with rage like Orson has done many times.

Tesni holds her head then looks to Lainey, "Me and your father have many enemies, this was one way to ensure things would work itself out."

"All I hear is bullshit," Lainey says, detached to her actual self.

Looking down she sees a metal rod and when Tesni came closer, Lainey picked it up and swung it towards Tesni's head, making the metal make a sound as it hit Tesni's skull.

What happened next left Lainey dissociated with blood splattered onto her face and clothes not being in control of her emotions, just like Orson had done, but instead of her having to fix the mess, someone had to step in and take the reins.

Dropping the metal rod, seeing the blood of her dead but alive mom, her stomach curls having her tumble back realizing what she just did.

"N-No...I...I didn't mean it."

Lainey's phone pierces the silence, letting her know she had it on her the whole time.

With nothing left to do, she answers with tears streaming down.

"Lainey, Nero has been trying to reach you but he said your phone must have been off," Kade says.

Lainey's mouth tremors in utter fear but Kade catches on asking what was wrong and if she was in trouble.

"I–I–can't breathe," Lainey says, squatting down, closing her eyes holding her chest.

"Speak to me Lainey, what happened?" Kade says already heading out to his car to go find her.

Lainey covers her mouth as she feels she's about to vomit but her body makes her turn to the side having whatever she ate hours before come up anyways.

Kade hears asking Lainey to send her location to him but she hangs up continuing to throw up.

Few feet away, Tesni coughs, struggling to catch her breath but with the remaining breath she has she says, "So much...of this family...mistakes...were because of me."

Lainey wipes her mouth having the bitter taste of the meal she vomited lingering looking at her mom.

Tesni looks to Lainey with one tear falling mixing in with her own blood, saying, "My...last...wish?" She gasps but continues, "Don't be with someone...like Kade...he'll want you to tell him all your secrets...and you're not prepared for that," Tesni then closes her eyes letting another tear fall, making it her final words to Lainey.

Kade finally tracks down Lainey with pinning her location, seeing her rocking back and forth with her mom in her arms.

"Lainey..." Kade says getting out of his car running up to her but sees the brutal scene with blood on her and around.

Kade had a decision to make. Was he going to help Lainey? Or call the cops and have Lainey taken away?

Wrapping his mind around someone being dead, Lainey being the cause and doing the right thing...

Kade goes over to Lainey, crouching down to see it was Tesni, taking him back as Lainey said she was already dead.

"L-Lainey, we have to call for help."

Lainey shakes her head, "I did it...I killed her Kade."

Rapid beating from both chests, Kade looks to Lainey then Tesni's bloody face, consumed with massive grief and disbelief.

"We can't just leave her–this– the way it is Lainey, it looks pretty fucked up."

Lainey, still holding onto Tesni, lets her tears stream down saying the most cold response she could think of to keep Kade away, on behalf of her mother's one true dying wish.

"You were just a puppy lost, craving love from me. I knew once I fucked you, you would be wrapped around my finger. So, go back to your life and call the cops if you need to, but me and you are not even a possibility. We never were. I don't need you to rescue me, I don't need you period."

Kade's jaw twitches with confusion and aggression, almost believing Lainey.

"You're not serious. You're just bullshitting me. I know you Lainey."

Lainey lets out a forced, painful laugh as she says, "They were right. Everyone that warned you about me? All true," Looking at him she says, "How's it feel to be in love with a murderer like me, Kade?" Once those words left her mouth, a deep scorching pile of guilt swarmed down her throat and right into her stomach, having her inside squirm with regret.

Kade shakes his head, "You'r fucking lying."

Lainey closes her eyes wanting to stop this charade as she hears Kade say, "Lainey, tell me what to do and I'll do it," Having her know all the cuts she tried to make with her words, only showed the opposite of what she was really feeling towards Kade having him see right through it.