The Cost of Being Believed
Chapter 05 - The Cost of Being Believed
June Peterson lived above a bakery in Madison. She'd helped Rose rebuild ordinary routines after years of rehabilitation. On the phone, June asked careful questions: Was Lucy safe? Was Vivian away from the child? Had Adrian contacted independent authorities? Only then did she agree to put Rose in touch with her former husband.
Adrian spent the morning pacing his study. I watched him from the doorway. In the weeks before Lucy was found, he had intimidated employees without noticing their fear. Now he was powerless to force the answer he wanted.
“It's difficult, isn't it?” I said.
“What?”
“Waiting for another person to decide whether they feel safe with you.”
He looked at me for a long time. “I deserved that.”
“No. I wasn't punishing you. I was explaining Lucy.”
He nodded and sat down.
That afternoon, Rose called. I stepped out, giving him privacy. Through the half-open door, I heard him say her name in a voice nothing like the commanding tone the staff knew.
“Rose?”
There was a long silence. Then his chair scraped backward, and I heard him crying.
Later he told me she'd said only a few things. She was alive. She had recovered enough to live independently, though she still struggled with headaches and fragments of memory. She'd been told that Lucy died, and she had not trusted anyone connected with Vivian to tell her otherwise.
Adrian asked if he could bring their daughter. Rose wanted to speak with Lucy's specialist first so the reunion would not overwhelm her.
That evening I gave my notice to Mrs. Finch. I couldn't ignore the way I'd been accused and held against my will, and I needed to make decisions about my own future. Adrian asked me to stay until Lucy felt secure. I told him I would visit as someone Lucy trusted, not as an employee without choices.
May you like
He agreed immediately.
**Three days later, Rose sent a photograph that made Adrian realize the accident had been planned long before the crash.**
