After Arlington

Chapter 7: Maddy

Part of Maddy felt as if she were on the way to her own execution as she climbed into the car. Her tears had long dried, but her breathing wouldn't return to normal as she buckled her seatbelt. It had taken a long time to coax herself from the bed, her heart racing a million miles an hour as his words rang sharply through her mind.

"I thought you made it clear you didn't want to see me."

"This is important."

He'd given her every opportunity to back out, but she'd stood her ground, desperation taking hold of her mind. He'd suggested meeting for lunch, but she wanted it to be somewhere private. Besides, she had a plane to catch, she couldn't wait that long. He was taking the morning off of work for her, and he had the house to himself. It only made sense that she came to him.

She was really going to do this. There was no turning back.

One moment had glued to her mind, replaying in her memory on a constant loop, the increments growing smaller and smaller until it was all she was thinking about.

She'd been twelve weeks pregnant, still trying to conceal her symptoms at school before she'd dropped out altogether to do her coursework at home. Her mother had accompanied her to see the doctor, her lips pursed the whole drive.

There were a lot of nervous doctor's appointments. After all, with Maddy's track record of party drugs and alcohol, there was a lot that could go wrong.

But not that day. She'd held her mother's hand and said a silent prayer. She'd known the moment the nurse broke into a smile that things would be okay.

"They've got a strong little heartbeat. Would you like to hear?"

Maddy had closed her eyes and focussed on the life growing within her, on the pitter-patter of a fluttering heart filling the room. It was real. Her baby.

Her hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard she was close to swerving into one of her neighbor's fences. She was about to break a lot of agreements, potentially dragging her whole world down around her. She didn't know what the next step would be. At that point, she couldn't care anymore.

All she cared about was freeing herself of the shackles wrapped firmly around her ankles, to release the truth to run its course. To haunt his life as much as it was haunting hers.

But this was more than revenge. It was about what was right.

She'd only been to the Greene's house three times. Once was for Francis' sixteenth birthday, and the other times had been late in the night, when the streets were so quiet she could hear her heart race in adrenaline as he snuck her into his bedroom.

It stood tall and intimidating, home to one of the wealthiest families in the area and hidden behind a tall brick fence and a winding driveway framed with thick hedges. Today, the gate was wide open, inviting her to drive towards the towering Greene mansion.

She didn't get out of the car at first. Maddy was glued to the seat with her gaze fixed ahead, her lips pressed shut, as if by not acknowledging it, time would not prevail. But around her, the world was still turning, her monumental decision seemingly small.

A knock sounded suddenly against her window, shaking her from her faraway mind. He was there, staring through the tinted windows with a confused look on his face. She shuddered, screwing her features up one more time before composing herself and opening the door.

She fought the urge to throw up. In her dreams, she'd confronted this situation many times. But, she always woke up when it came to getting the words out. Now, he was really here in the flesh, blue eyes and blonde hair and features that screamed royalty.