Empire of Lies

Meredith NOW

Foolish, foolish girl…

I stare at the road ahead as Michael’s car crosses a bridge in the distance. The taillights flash faintly under the dark sky, and a hopeless part of me actually believes that he’ll come to his senses and hit the brakes. That within seconds, he’ll speed in reverse and apologize for leaving me here alone. That maybe—just maybe, he’ll come back to help pick up the emotional shrapnel from all of the bombshells he’s dropped.

“It’s your fucking father. You’ve been crying all these tears about him, but he’s not interested in seeing or hearing from you again…” “I never told you that I was a fucking hero...” “This is the end of us, Meredith...”

His words play in my mind, on an endless loop, and I can feel my heart breaking a bit more with each rewind.

Holding my ground, I stand in the middle of the road until I can’t see anything more, until my brain finally strangles my heart and forces me to see the truth.

Your husband is a murderer-for-hire, and your father hired him to kill you…Everything you know about both of them is a goddamn lie.

He’s gone, and we’re over.

Fucking over.

I was insane enough to be willing to look over him kidnapping and holding me hostage in an abandoned mansion, more than willing to listen to whatever the hell burned him so badly in the past—to better understand him, but this?

This is the final play of our game, and I’ll never allow a rematch.

Ignoring the tears that are falling down my face, I pick up my duffle bag and walk toward the bed and breakfast’s entrance. By the time I make it onto the front porch, I stop and look over my shoulder.

This small town is completely quiet. There’s no one around, and Michael’s final instructions don’t seem to make much sense to me anymore.

“Eight o’clock check out. Cab to Naco. Pay in cash and show the Harriet passport. Check into the Rio Grande Hotel, and tell them you’re meeting someone named Be