Haunted - Sunny Wolfe Page 0,35

them. I put the box on the made bed. Roman was so neat. I liked that. I stripped off my clothes and got into the shower. I couldn’t help but think about the pending move. I was sad because I loved my house, but Roman was right. We couldn’t live here. I hoped that would be okay with Joey. I was sure he’d be fine. He dealt with my split from Eric okay and Joey loved the idea of Roman being his stepdad.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I proceeded to put on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. When I walked back into the bedroom, I looked at the sweet gesture that Roman had done for me.

But when I looked in the box, there was a mask. One of those living doll masks that Jason had worn.

No! No! No! No!

Not now. I tentatively reached out and touched the mask. It was real. I felt the silicone. I slowly backed up, trying to get away from the mask. I exited the bedroom and continued to walk backward down the hall.

“No! No! No! No!”

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Roman yelled from the den.

“Uh, I forgot something at the store.” I put on my tennis shoes and grabbed my purse and raced for my vehicle. I had to get out of there before Roman cornered me. I knew I would blab everything when those emerald eyes looked at me. I drove off quickly. I looked back and saw him at the doorway with the phone to his ear.

“Shit!” I drove not knowing where I was going. I stopped at a remote park and sat on one of the benches under a tree. What was I going to do? I had to tell him I was sick. I had to. He could file for an annulment. I would set him free. Then I would have to go to a mental ward. I had to for Joey. I was a schizophrenic. There was no denying it anymore.

I started to cry. I was lucky that the park was deserted. That was one of the reasons the park was my favorite. I cried and cried until at least an hour passed. I was empty. I knew what I had to do, but I didn’t want to. I wanted the fairy-tale ending. I wanted my rock star and my son. Now I was going to lose it all. I wondered if there was a song for this situation. I laughed, which made me sound even more insane.

I heard a car drive up and then I heard a familiar voice.

“I found her. Yup. I’ll call you back soon. Okay. Bye.”

I knew who it was without even looking.

Phoebe.

“You know your husband is at home ready to watch Glee, which I can’t see how you even talked him into that. He said his wife was whispering and talking and then ran out the door. You left your cell phone at home, and after an hour, he started getting really worried. Then he called me.”

“Why you?”

“Uh, maybe because I am awesome and I can get things done, like bring his wife home. If he called Eve, you two would be under some big oak tree reading a book together.” She laughed but stopped when she noticed I wasn’t laughing with her.

“Beth, what’s going on?”

I turned my head away and sobbed. “Why couldn’t I have a happy ending?”

“Honey, what do you mean? You just married the guy that you’ve had a crush on for five years. Some people would call that a happy ending.”

“Phoebe, I’m sick.”

There was a lengthy pause.

“What do you mean sick?”

“I think I am schizophrenic.”

“Why?”

I told her everything. Everything I thought I saw or heard since the kidnapping. She listened, taking everything in.

“You mean just because both of your parents suffered from depression makes you susceptible to this?”

“I’m not sure. I know depression can be genetic. Joe was bipolar. Is it so far of a throw that I could be a schizophrenic?”

“I don’t know, honey.”

“I have to go see a doctor or a psychiatrist. It would be irresponsible to have this and not tell people. I’ve been trying to make myself believe it was post-traumatic stress but fuck! Phoebe, the mask felt real. I touched it. I saw it. The banging on my door, I heard it. It was real or at least I think it was real. Roman isn’t going to want me. Eric sure as hell won’t let me be alone with Joey, for good