Chapter 161 - The Truth

Lance. 

There are tears in her eyes. 

I can see the regret as they flood them. I am sure she is thinking she should have not come for this. I might have not gotten a confession from her but I see things clearly. She doesn't have to admit what happened, there is no need to. She knows what happened that night. 

In fact, she is the only one that knows what happened to him. 

"You can't just assume you know what happened. This is bullshit." She stands up from the chair. I remain seated. She is not going to leave. She has a lot to lose if I involve the police on this. She has known what happened to Patrick's father for the whole year and she didn't say anything—instead, she chose to blackmail her son, or should I say, manipulate him. 

"You are free to go. I will take all my assumptions to the cops. I mean, it is due time for that. A whole year has gone by and your husband has been missing. The least you can do is find out what happened to him.''

Her eyes flicker back and forth to me and the door. She wants to leave but something is stopping her. "You have no idea. You think you know everything but you don't.'' 

I nod. "Why don't you have a seat and tell me what you think it is that I don't know."

She takes one last look at the door and then settles back on the chair. The tears that have been threatening to fall, finally slip out of her eyes. She tries to wipe them away but I know how these things work. No matter how much you try to stop them, the faster they will fall. "I need you to leave Patrick alone. He has been through so much." I tell her blatantly because this is the reason why I am here. I am not here to find out what happened to his father, I don't care about the man. To me, his is a monster. He deserved everything he got. 

Death was an easy way out for him. 

"He is my son,'' she mumbles. It is even difficult for her to say those words. Deep down, she knows that she hasn't really treated him like her son. She hasn't been the best person to him and the best thing for her to do to make amends is to leave him alone. Let him leave his life and leave the past behind. "I love him,'' she adds.

I nod even though I do not believe her one bit "Patrick is finally getting his life together. Can you forget about everything that happened and move on?'' I ask her. 

"He didn't kill Benjie,'' she finally confesses. 

I am guessing Benjie was her husband. "Are you going to tell me what happened that night?'' I ask her because my phone is still recording. This is the confession that I will need to get her. This is the confession that will free Patrick completely. 

"Benjie wasn't the best father, hell, he wants even the best husband. A drunk with anger issues that drove him insane. He would always get drunk and take it out on Patrick. I couldn't do anything, I wasn't strong enough."

I don't say anything even though I believe there was so much she could've done. She stayed in the marriage even though her husband turned their son into a punching bag. She had every right to leave and take her son with her. I know these things are not the easiest but that was what she needed to do, for her son. I remember Jack telling me that she was no different. Her words were her weapon that she would use to hurt him. 

"You weren't any better.'' 

She nods "I was weak. I couldn't handle it all and I took it out on him. He didn't deserve all I did but it is too late to even ask for forgiveness.''

It is never too late but I remain quiet. I am not here to tell her what she could have done right. I am here to find out the truth. That is all that matters to me. She can go and fucking redeem herself on her own time. 

"So you thought it would be a good idea to watch him die?''

She shakes her head, "That is not what happened. I didn't kill him,'' she cries. 

I shake my head in disbelief. 

"Tell me what happened that night. I need to know why you wouldn't leave Patrick alone. 

"I need the money." 

"For what?'' 

She shakes her head "You wouldn't understand. He is the only one that can help us." She cries out like I even have a clue on what she is saying.

Us?

"What are you talking about?'' I ask her. "who are you helping?'' 

It already feels like I know the answer before she even says anything. I take a deep breath as the words leave her lips and travel into the holes of my ear. I can't even fathom that she would do such a thing. 

"He is not dead." 

My heart stops in my chest. Here I was, thinking I had problems in my life. I have been spoilt. I have treated my mother like she was a villain. Judged her so much even though through all her actions, she has tried to be there for me. She took in my best friend when he had no one. I used to think I had it bad. That my situation was terrible but listening to Candice. I see that people have it way worse than me—in fact, I have had a pretty easy life. I have had a mother that suffered to make sure I wouldn't suffer. She never let dad's death deter her. She remained in the picture. She let me get away with a lot of things that I shouldn't have. 

I have been a bitch to her. 

"Your husband is alive?" I ask her, still in complete and utter disbelief.

She nods. Right now, there is no point in recording what she is saying anymore. I don't need any evidence. All along, she has known that he was alive and she made Patrick feel like shit, knowing full well that he would think he killed her. She used his weakness to rob him, to extort him. He has been running away all this while when in reality he is the victim. He is the one that has been through so much shit. 

Fucking hell.

I exhale heavily for the first time since I came here. For the first time, this feels like a fucking win. I might have not succeeded in getting Ford out of the hospital. I might feel like things haven't been going well for us but right now, starting at this woman, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to bother Patrick again, just makes this all better. 

I needed this win. 

Fuck, I needed it even more than I thought. 

"I can't do this on my own. I don't have any money to take care of him. I will never be able to help him in the way that he needs,'' she tells me. I can't understand how someone will want to help someone that hurt her so much. That was his punishment. He deserves everything that happened to him. 

He deserves to suffer. 

"You need to leave Patrick alone,'' I warn her. 

"I need to explain this to him. He will never forgive me If you tell him.'' she grabs my hands in hers. Tugging on it roughly. There is nothing more I can do for her. 

She needs to deal with her baggage and not involve Patrick any longer. I leave the café with a sense of accomplishment. Jack looks up from his phone when he sees me. There is an eager expression on his face. He doesn't have a clue on how that went. Slowly, a smile spreads to my face. The joy of what I did back there, showing. 

"How did it go?'' he asks eagerly.

"Exactly as we planned."

I relay everything back to him. Explaining how she Benjamin didn't die that night. How she manipulated Patrick into paying her husband's bills, instead of telling him the truth. Jack listens but deep down, he already knows that they are free. That freedom that I will soon have with Ford. 

I don't want to abandon mom but I have to get him out. I will save him before his father ends up killing him. This is not going to be easy. I know we are going to face challenges along the line.

We get back to the apartment and Eren is waiting for me inside "Dude," he calls me with a smile on his face. 

What could possibly make him this happy? "Did he agree to it?'' I ask him. This is my fight. I will not wait for anyone to give me what I want and what I want is Ford out of there. 

"You know it."