New Beginnings Can Bring Clarity
Jessica sat down with a wide smile, placing the package carefully in her lap as she brought her crystal glass to her lips and drank slowly. Her eyes smiled at her mother and sister as she casually drank her water, and she felt the cool liquid slide down her throat, grounding her. She drank for a bit too long—a deliberate stall to give her mind time to craft a diversion—until she caught an odd, knowing gleam in Amber's eyes.
Just as the silence threatened to become awkward, Amber turned and spoke to their mother, shifting the spotlight with surgical precision. "Mommy, do you think a doula is a good idea for me? You were at the births of both DJ's and Sam's children, and you have your own experiences—what do you think?"
Angelica smiled at her daughter, providing the very reprieve Jessica had been praying for. "You are always so analytical, Am, just like your father. Let me think." Angelica paused, actually closing her eyes as she took a slow sip of her cold chia tea latte. Amber and Jessica exchanged a quick, knowing glance—a rare moment of sibling synchronicity—before both refocusing on their mother to await her response.
"To be honest, I would prefer you not use a doula," Angelica finally said. "I know having one does not necessarily mean you will have a home birth, but…" She shook her head in dread, the expression of someone haunted by a vivid, unpleasant memory. "When Brenda had little Damon, I was scared to death."
Amber nodded in understanding before turning her gaze back to Jessica. "I assume you will be having the twins at the hospital, right?"
Jessica looked positively aghast at the suggestion. "Umm, of course I am. Even if I weren't having twins, I would not be in some water-bath giving birth like some sort of experimental subject."
Amber laughed softly. "I guess it is a bit like being in a petri dish."
Angelica nodded in firm approval. "Exactly. My Jessica is very pragmatic and sensible. You others are always wanting to try new things that simply terrify me."
As Angelica turned to call for the waitress, Jessica caught Amber's eye and mouthed a silent thank you. Amber simply cocked her head, acknowledging the gratitude with a small nod. They did not always need to be at odds; even in a Great War, there were often lulls in the fighting. And Amber had no doubt that she was, indeed, at war with her elder sister.
Jessica managed to navigate the rest of the lunch without further difficulty. Her mother seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of the package, but Jessica could feel Amber's surreptitious glances every time she sipped her drink or when Jessica's attention was diverted by their mother.
Jessica was beginning to realize that her sisters were perhaps better at this game than she had credited them for. She had gained a newfound respect for Amber that day—noting how easily she had deflected their mother's attention and managed to make Jessica herself lower her guard. She realized then that she would need to be much more careful from here on out. She could no longer afford to underestimate anyone whom Anthony Shaw considered a worthy adversary.
Later, as she parked in her driveway, Jessica found she was no longer able to wait. She opened the small, unassuming package, her eye twitching with a spark of anticipation when she saw the secure phone and tablet inside. She knew instinctively that these were the replacements for her current hardware, and she knew exactly how to dispose of the old set. She powered up the phone, leaned back into the leather seat of her car, and closed her eyes to wait.
A slow smile spread across her lips and her heart skipped an odd beat as a familiar voice filled the quiet cabin of the car.
"Hello, my love. If you are hearing this, I have had to scrub my Anthony Shaw identity. I hope it won't be because of your sister, but I am reasonably certain her entry into the fray is the cause. I will be coming to you soon—as Albert Cummings. I am no longer happy with my shadowy presence in your life. I have no problem with you having this Dan as your toy, but you are ultimately mine, Jessica. Period. I am no longer allowing you to not be mine. I hope you understand this. I will wait for you, but I will wait at your side. I have a few more things to resolve, but… if this reaches you two weeks after I started my scrub, I will be with you one week after that. As always, delete this message, scrub the other devices, and sell them through the usual channels. I am sure I didn't have to remind you of any of that, but you are my most precious love, Jessica, and I am always going to protect you. I love you, Auriolus, and I will see you soon."
Jessica didn't move for a long time after the message ended. She sat in the silence, processing the sheer depth of this man's devotion. She had known for a long time—perhaps from the very first moment love had sparked within him—that he was hers entirely.
She began memorizing his new name—Albert Cummings—knowing he would have already uploaded the relevant dossier to her new tablet. She sighed and smiled, her eyes opening as her mind snapped into tactical mode. She deleted the message, tucked the new phone into a secure inner pocket of her bag, and retrieved its predecessor.
As she stepped out of the car, she opened the advanced scrubbing app on the old phone and initiated the wipe. She felt remarkably calm, and an odd sense of pride began to swell within her. Her little sister had actually forced this man to not only alter his global plans but to step out of the shadows and into the light. Virginia was clearly a more formidable threat than Anthony had suspected.
Jessica was proud of her sister, but a new sensation was taking root as well. She was beginning to understand just how much she needed and wanted this man, and strangely, it was Virginia's interference that had clarified it.
Maybe, Jessica thought, it truly was time to finally give him what he wanted. Maybe it was time to start scrubbing her old life away and beginning anew with him.