The Girl that Fled (Bliss Book 3)

by Veronica Soliman

  His phone rang and he pressed it against his ear.

  "Adam, I need you to get over here quickly!" Magdalene said. "I need help deciding the cake flavor and we might as well choose the wine and the food today as well. We have under three months now!" Magdalene’s worried tone made Adam chuckle. It was hard being annoyed when there were fresh fruits, fresh smiles, clear air, and sunlight pouring on him. But he was annoyed that this was an utter waste of his time.

  He turned on his heel walking the few miles to where he had parked his car. He drove to the airport and flew home.

  ¤¤¤

  Eleanor didn't like- no- she despised the silence that had now filled the limousine as they approached Adam's mansion.

  "Max, I need you to take me to Magdalene’s, I'm in a rush." Adam finally spoke. He hadn't mentioned anything the whole ride and Eleanor was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Perhaps he had figured it was her, a small smile curled her lips upward, maybe her getup distracted him.

  "Would you like me to drop off miss Elena first?" Max asked as Adam gave Eleanor a small glance.

  "Magdalene might chop my dick off if I'm any later." He laughed as Max changed routes and began driving to Magdalene’s house.

  Eleanor sat silently; her fingers clung together as she nervously tapped the back of her thumb. She hated Magdalene, Adam's new fiancé, and she hadn't even met the girl yet.

  As soon as they arrived, Adam turned toward to the green-eyed, red head known as Elena.

  "I hope you don't mind. Feel free to join us, we could always use another opinion to make this wedding perfect." Eleanor couldn't help the way she stared at him, noticing every detail of his speech. He didn't seem at all excited, but maybe she was putting her own emotions forward and calling them his. Eleanor looked at Max in the rearview mirror who had distracted himself with a movie and the cool air-conditioning.

  "I'll wait here Mr. and... Carnegie." Max said, quickly catching himself before saying misses. Adam stood for a moment and expectantly waited for an answer.

  "Sure. What's going to happen here?" Eleanor asked. At the sound of this, Adam's face fell into a heartwarming smile. Eleanor thought she would fall from her seat looking at him, she missed Adam so much, but the thought of him marrying someone else and moving on was not appealing.

  "We're going to be tasting food and cake and wine for the wedding. Magdalene will probably need a tenth opinion."

  "I don't mean to intrude Mr. Carnegie." Adam stopped in his spot and Eleanor fought to keep her heart rate at a steady pace.

  "You won't be intruding. I invited you, Magdalene won't mind." His face broke into a smile, "and call me Adam." Was he flirting? Eleanor couldn't help but think he was? Adam was typically so loyal; he never did flirt. Perhaps that one-time Rachel had visited he seemed like a flirt- but maybe that's just how he talked when he wasn't being a businessman. Adam was being himself and Eleanor wished his smiles and his love, and his kisses were once again directed at her.

  She blushed as they entered Magdalene’s home. Eleanor wasn't surprised at the size of her luxurious home, literally everyone she had met these past few days was stinking rich and the ooze of money just leaked out of them. The apparent reason was that Magdalene probably never worked- just how Eleanor had been when she was living with Adam. But contrary to Eleanor, Magdalene actually didn't want to work, she would much rather stay at home and apply different colored lipstick all day.

  "Adam you're finally here." She rushed up to him in her short blue dress, planting a kiss on his soft lips. Eleanor immediately looked away. It hurt. Adam stood still as Magdalene tiptoed to kiss him while a flood of emotions enveloped Eleanor.

  "Hey Maggie." He grinned stupidly as Magdalene wrapped her fingers around his arm.

  "Let's go inside. Everything has been ready for like a whole hour." She tugged on his arm, dragging him behind her and disregarding the fact that there was someone else in the room.

  Magdalene wrapped Adam's hand around her delicate shoulder as she spun and placed her silky-smooth fingers on his face.

  "You need to shave." She grinned, her eyes landing on the shiny ring on his finger. It still bothered her that Adam still wore his wedding ring sleeve though his wife was gone. Adam smiled down at her, bringing up his left hand to move a hair out of her eyes, but she stopped him.

  "Why are you still wearing this?" She glared angrily at the wedding ring he had on, "babe, I thought you had taken it off by now." She pouted, meeting his eyes as Eleanor turned her attention away from their tiny dispute. "We're about to get married and you still wear these memorabilia?"

  "Just trying to be fashionable. Bling is clearly in..." Adam chuckled as Eleanor looked down, a smile forming as she didn't know what to do with herself. She felt awkward just standing there. Adam was being cute and funny and in any other situation, she would've joked back, teased him, then flung herself at his face.

  "That's not funny Adam. If you're still hung up on your dead wife, I don't think we can move forward." She said as Adam's face fell. The fact that the words affected him like that affected Eleanor in more ways than she thought possible.

  "Mags, I'm not hung over her, I'll have it off and stowed away tomorrow."

  "Adam!" Magdalene whined, "this relationship feels like there are three people involved!" She glazed her fingers over his hand as she held it in front of his face. She slid the ring off his fingers as Adam gaped at her.

  "What're you doing." He asked, his eyes wide. Eleanor couldn't keep her eyes off of them now, Magdalene seemed insane and the longer she watched them, the more she wanted to puke. She took a deep breath as Magdalene stepped toward the faucet and tossed the ring into the drain.

  "Magdalene!" Adam shouted as she turned on the garbage disposal of the sink. Adam rushed forward, trying to stop her, but it was too late. Eleanor stared wide eyed at the bitch, filled with anger.

  "Trust me babe, it's for the better, your dead wife won't be on your mind anymore now."

  Adam was good at hiding his anger and frustration, but this had crossed the line. He tried to stand calm and pretend that nothing had happened, but she had taken away the last precious thing that connected him to Eleanor. The emblem that bound him to his wife. He was enraged.

  "Stop calling her dead!" His voice was low and deep, almost a growl. It was as though Eleanor wasn't even in the room anymore, she stepped away, unable to catch her breath as she found the bathroom and buried herself inside.

  Then came the waterworks. She had never regretted her decision more than at this very moment. Tears flooded her face as her contacts fell out her eyes. She couldn't keep the sounds of loud sobs from hissing and sleeping through her mouth.

  It hurt.

  Chapter 14: The Ring

  "I think I will take that flight to England Mrs. Carnegie; my family needs to hear from me, and I need to see them. Thank you for your kindness, but I just can't stay here a minute longer." Eleanor said, her eyes down cast as the green seemed to reflect off the tile floor.

  Her mind kept wandering to earlier that day, her short time with Adam in the limousine and the way his bitch of a fiancé had just thrown his ring down the drain. There was nothing she could do but cry for a few minutes, clean up her act and hide her eyes as Max drove them to Adam's house.

  In short, Eleanor was sad. No, she wasn't, she was devasted and angry. She had overstayed her welcome and no longer wanted to remain in New Jersey. The entire United States sickened her now.

  "Why Elena? I thought you were going to help us?" Eleanor didn't respond. She merely kept her head down and waited for Mrs. Carnegie to agree.

  It took a few minutes of tense silence before Zac walked in and made an attempt at lightening the mood.

  "I. O. U. That's what Bree left for the Josiah guy and it’s in the same handwriting as the girl who claimed to be Eleanor and left the ring t..." Zac stopped talking, sensing that nobody was even listening to him.

  "Maybe you should just drop the case!" Eleanor finally burst, "whatev
er clues you're finding must have been planted. Maybe someone collected her body after she died and buried it. Did you think of that?" Eleanor glared at Zac, "Adam's wife is dead and you're all just wasting time dwelling on it! Get over yourself Zac, you're not a good detective or investigator or whatever. All the clues you found lead back to someone who planted all this because Eleanor is dead. They matched her blood. You'd have better luck finding her in the dirt near the woods than assuming she might be alive!"

  "Elena, I think you should be going now." It wasn't Mrs. Carnegie or Zac that spoke these words. It wasn't someone she had even noticed enter the room until her blazing green eyes met the motionless brown ones of Adam Carnegie. It hurt her the most to have him hear this, but this silly search for Eleanor was too much. She didn't want to be found, even if momentarily she wanted to be near him. Her wish had been fulfilled and she needed to go back into hiding.

  She turned to Adam now, ready to unleash her anger on him. She was upset that his idiotic fiancé had thrown away the last thing that linked them together.

  But Eleanor had wanted this right- he had to move on eventually. Adam was still young and absolutely stunning, but he was hung up over a dead girl. Along with the ring in Magdalene’s luxurious sink.

  "You need to stop this!" She glared at him, feeling more powerful than she had been in almost a year. She wanted to shake him until he realized she was Eleanor, "Eleanor is dead okay, you need to move on. Magdalene was right to toss the ring away. You need to get over her. It's been a year!" Eleanor sputtered in her accent as all eyes were on her.

  "Who are you to tell me what to do?!" Adam glared violently, his fists clenched and unclenched as he held her eyes in his. He was clearly furious, not wanted to believe that she was gone. There were a few stages of grief, however Adam was still pretending Eleanor wasn't long gone, and maybe her being harsh to him now could get him to the next step. Acceptance.

  "I've seen the news Mr. Carnegie, the whole world did. Eleanor was suicidal for a long time; she probably finally got the guts to do it when you lied to her sorry ass. But I've barely been here for two days and the mood is intolerable. Brighten up, you have a new woman in your life- and you're marrying one soon. Honestly, Magdalene is the perfect girl for you. Get over Eleanor." Even though it pained her, Eleanor knew he needed to hear those words.

  Adam glared at her for a minute longer, unblinking as a lone tear strode down his face and be finally looked away. He was barely holding on and wanted to fall on his knees and scream.

  "Get out of my house." He said coldly, "I'll pay for your damn ticket to England. I never want to see you again!" His temper wore thin as he yelled. Eleanor was shocked and hurt, but she hid it well, pleased that she could make him change his mind.

  "Does that mean..." Zac interrupted.

  "Whoever the hell you are, I never want to see you again." Adam hissed at Eleanor; pain written all over his face. He then turned to Zac, "you're fired. Whether she is dead or alive. I've moved on." He said, something in him had certainly changed now and Adam wasn't having it.

  "Perhaps you should leave." Mrs. Carnegie said, grabbing Eleanor by the wrist and walking her to the front door. "I applaud you Elena. He would have kept searching for the dead girl otherwise." Mrs. Carnegie spoke as Eleanor sighed.

  Eleanor couldn't hide the quivering of her lip. She stared at the chandelier above her head, her red wig falling into place behind her.

  "You're welcome." Eleanor sniffled and wiped her nose.

  Mrs. Carnegie pulled out a small envelope filled with money.

  "For your troubles, and as a thank you." Mrs. Carnegie said, "I will arrange for Max to drop you off at the airport tomorrow morning."

  Adam's face appeared; his glare focused on Eleanor's face as she spoke with his mother.

  "I can take her now. Better to be rid of her sooner." Adam said, mumbling the second half of his sentence. Eleanor's eyes focused on his as she felt her heart sink to her stomach. She had never seen him this angry, not once in her entire time knowing Adam. He didn't get mad; he was patent, and his temper was like a cemented wall. I guess grief changed him.

  She shook her head but could do nothing about it. He had already grabbed the keys and pushed past them out the door.

  His mind wandered to earlier, wondering why Elena had hid in the bathroom after Magdalene tossed the ring away. Why he had heard her sobs after he and Maggie had forgiven each other.

  Elena had walked back in a few minutes later with eye liner streaming down her eyes and the green seemed to have changed color. But it was hardly noticeable, and perhaps the black eyeliner has made her eyes seem blue.

  They had sat in silence as Magdalene refused to dwell on the topic of the ring as the waiters brought in loads of wine, cake, and other foods. Everything tasted bland as Adam tried it. Unimpressed with all the expensive food. Not once did Magdalene acknowledge Elena's existence which made Adam think he had brought in a ghost.

  She neither spoke nor tried any of the food, quietly playing with the hem of her shirt while Magdalene and the waiters went on about the exquisite this and the rare that.

  Afterwards, Magdalene kissed Adam goodbye, as Elena turned away again. Perhaps she was uncomfortable with seeing this. Perhaps Adam was paying too much attention to a stranger. The ride home was silent as Elena had went upstairs and showered then came back down with her hair looking exactly how it had before she showered. Maybe she hadn't washed it.

  But as soon as she walked down the stairs, she approached Mrs. Carnegie and made a huge request as Adam stood out of sight in the kitchen. He only appeared near the end, hurt and angry at the words she had been spouting in her cute English accent.

  He needed to hear those words, he needed to stop the hope that Eleanor might be alive. Because simple fact is- she isn't.

  Eleanor Carnegie had killed herself on one cold night in February a year ago and perhaps her body had been buried before anyone came to her. Before the truck driver could spot her under his truck.

  The thoughts surged through Adam's mind as he waited for Elena to sit in the car with him. His hands felt naked, the ring was gone, and he couldn't bring it back.

  It was still suspicious how Eleanor's fingerprints were in his murdered father's home- or perhaps he had died of a heart attack. Adam didn't know. And the fact that Bree, whoever she was, had dropped the ring off at his front gate. Disappearing without a trace and even her boyfriend had left to go back home without her.

  Adam couldn't put a finger on it, but he knew this wasn't over.

  He had a new goal in mind as he watched Elena get inside his car. He would find this Bree and force her to tell him where she got Eleanor's ring. He may as well just arrest her; she may have been the one to hide Eleanor's body and steal her ring.

  The most frustrating part was that Adam didn't understand why anyone in their right mind would return the expensive ring to him. He shook his head as the engine revved to life.

  Adam wasn't about to let this tale off the hook. He needed to talk to Gary, the other investigator, and shift standpoints.

  He didn't care who Murdered his father- that old wench deserved it anyway. He wanted to know who had stowed away Eleanor's body. And where it was so he could give her a proper burial.

  And to do that, he had to return to a place that he knew Bree had lived. A place filled with people that could describe her- he could put a bounty on her maybe, if that wasn't already too extreme. A place where the people could draw her up for him.

  Adam was going to throw the hurtful bitch in his car at an airport first, then head off to Clearwater, Oklahoma- where the small-town folk would know and follow in his footsteps. They would purely help him out, wouldn't they?

  Chapter 15: Night

  "Get out." Adam commanded.

  "You're only mad because you thought your precious Eleanor was still alive. You can thank me later for enlightening you!" Eleanor couldn't leave without having said those words, she wanted him to hate her, to squirm to th
e point where he would never want to see her again.

  "Elena, get the fuck out of my car." He glared at her red hair, turning his body to face her now and dangerously inching closer. He hardly ever swore, therefore she must have royally pissed him off.

  "You don't have to tell me twice." Eleanor said with the same poisonous tone of voice, matching his toxic glare with her own.

  "Your passion toward this subject makes you seem suspicious Elena." Eleanor snapped her head toward him, his face seemed calm but there was a burning tension in his voice. She took a deep breath and inched closer to him, so close she wished he would kiss her like old times. But she wasn't her. Eleanor was a figment of her imagination now, she had a rude awakening, she had to forget about herself.

  "You only wish I was suspicious. I'm just speaking the truth." She lied, poison dripping from her voice. Their breaths melded and neither one backed away, enraged at one another and neither daring to back down.

  Adam wasn't about to stand down, his face hovered over hers, forcing his eyes to challenge hers. Eleanor controlled her hitching breath and her racing heart, struggling to keep her mind from going woozy for long enough. She hadn't felt this way in almost a year and she definitely wasn't over Adam. But she needed him to forget about her.

  "Get. out. of my car." A shiver ran through Eleanor's body as she quickly disguised it, desire filled her but as quickly as it mocked her with its ugly face, it was gone. She had to force herself to hate the man she loved, and she knew now that he was tormented by Eleanor's ghost. His dark circles had engulfed half his face and Eleanor didn't want to push him any further.

  She wanted to escape before he noticed anything that might actually make him suspicious.

  "Goodbye Mr. Carnegie." She moved away, opening the door and walking into the crowded airport. She had no idea where she wanted to go now. A world of endless possibilities had surfaced before her and all she wanted to do was run into the safety net that was Adam Carnegie. She wanted to lay her head on his chest as he kissed her hair and held her close.