Sea Glass: Marie and Lauryn

Chapter 31

Nottinghamshire, England

The train sped through the green countryside, its constant hum a stark contrast to the storm of thoughts swirling in Lauryn's mind. Her hands were trembling as they rested on the stack of letters in her lap, the familiar blue stamp on each envelope making her heart race with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Rampton Secure Hospital
Woodbeck, Retford DN22 0PD

The letters had been arriving for months, one after another. Lauryn had opened the first, filled with Evan's remorse, his pleas for forgiveness. But after that, she had hidden them deep in the back of the closet. She didn't want to read them, and she didn't want Marie to know they existed. It was too much—too overwhelming. But now, in the quiet of the train, there was no more avoiding it. She needed to know what was inside. She suspected some sort of involvement from Hammersley or Evan in ripping Marie's children away from her. So, even though she was afraid of it, she had decided to meet with Evan to figure it out. And for Marie, she could do this.

Lauryn opened the first envelope, her hands shaking from both her lack of motor control and worry as she unfolded the letter. As she read the familiar words, she found they were much the same as the others.

Dear Ms O'Hara,

I know I have written to you many times before, and I hope you can forgive me for burdening you with my words once more. But this letter is different. This letter is my final attempt to reach out to you, to beg you to understand that I am not the person I was when I hurt you.

There is something I need to tell you, something I believe you have the right to know. My father... it was his influence that pushed me to hurt you, to stalk you, to commit the unspeakable acts I now regret.

I did not understand at the time, but I do now. My father has a hold on me, a power over me that I cannot escape. He has used me to get to you, and to hurt those you love. I was never strong enough to see it for what it was, but now I do. He wants to destroy you, Lauryn. He has been behind everything from the beginning, pulling the strings. The letters you've received are his, not mine. They are part of his plan to break you down.

I don't know how much longer I can hold out before my father breaks me completely. I need you to know this, Lauryn. If anything happens to me, if you hear nothing from me again, it is because he has taken me back under his control.

Please... please do not let him win.

Sincerely,

Evan H.

Lauryn swallowed hard as she finished reading the letter. The familiar pang of sorrow gripped her chest. Evan was still trapped. Despite everything, despite the horror he had put her through, she knew he wasn't fully to blame. The hold his father had over him was too strong, too manipulative. His mental illness, overpowering. But the real terror now was realizing that Lord Hammersley was still pulling strings from the shadows.

Her fingers moved on their own as she picked up the next letter, her heart thudding with anticipation. She quickly opened it and read.

Dear Ms O'Hara,

There's more you need to know. It's taken me some time to come to terms with what I have learned, but I believe this is important for you to understand.

Sally.

You may not have heard of her, but her name is important. She's the woman who has been working closely with my father for some time now. Her role is one you should be aware of, because she is the one who has been manipulating Marshall. It was never Marshall who distanced himself from Marie, Lauryn. It was Sally. Yes, Helen Avon helped, but her influence over Marshall was not as strong as Sally's. She's been hired by Lord Hammersley to get close to him, to make him question his relationship with Marie. Everything that has been happening with Marshall—the emotional distance, the strain between him and Marie—yes, it was there before for years, but it's been truly ignited by her. She's been the one feeding him doubts, slowly tearing apart their relationship.