Glass Towers: Surrendered (9 page)

The Detective
’s thoughtless comments really cut through Harrison, especially since he has been carrying around the burden of guilt about Adelaide for all these years. Now, he feels it is all his fault that I was attacked. I am so banged up and that is eating him up the most.

Since I have been home from the hospital,
Harrison has been sleeping in a portable bed in the room with me. My body is still so damaged that he is afraid to be in the same bed with me. He is concerned about inflicting any further pain on me during sleep. Our sex life is totally non-existent, and who knows when we will be able to resume our activities. He acts as if I am a delicate china doll and as such, he will hardly kiss me, let alone touch me in any way.

Despite all the pain I am enduring, I find myself thinking of Harriso
n and how he makes my body feel. I feel alive when I am having sex with him. Better than alive! I feel like the most desired woman in the world the way he worships my body and gives me pleasure. He feeds me emotionally. I never feel starved for affection or adoration. He gives me all the things that I was deprived of and so desperately craved in my previous marriage. I miss the intimacy of his hands and mouth on my body, exploring every surface and crevice. Not to mention, his body blows my mind. I marvel at it each and every time he is naked. I feel my loins burning an inferno through the bed sheets, as I think of my husband naked. Oh, I must be getting better, if through this pain I can think of all the places, positions, and body parts that I want to experience and explore with my new husband. I love those words, “my husband”.

I am interrupted
in the middle of my random, disjointed thoughts.

“
Here we are Mrs. Towers. I have your soup and crackers here. I am sorry I didn’t hurry back with the crackers. It took me some time to find your phone. I had to ask around. You have quite the staff here, but nobody knew about your phone.” She shakes her head, as she places the tray of steaming soup across my lap.

I glance down and see a phone on the tray
, but it is not mine. I look back at the nurse.

I’m confused
, “This is not my phone. Where did this come from?”

“I don’t have the slightest
idea. This phone was finally given to me by one of the men out by the elevator. As I was passing back through with your tray, he laid it on the tray for me, since my hands were full.” She gives me a side-glance.

I don’t think I trust this woman. Her responses to me are
fine, but  her body language is odd. I pick up the phone and swipe my finger across the screen. I see a little envelope in a circle. I touch it. A message window pops open and there is a text from Harrison.

11:47 AM

Your Husband

Mi Amore
. I got you a new phone. I switched you to a new network under Towers Holdings. Do not give your number out to anyone other than who I programmed in the phone.

Wow, ok. I wonder who
m he deemed worthy of making addition to my address book. This is a new brand of phone for me, so it takes me a minute to locate my contacts. I scroll through and note that just a few of my usual personal contacts are present. I notice one in particular that is missing: Bradley. I smirk to myself, knowing full well why that contact is missing. It looks like I will need to enter all of my business contacts. I’ll have to do that another day.

I go back to messaging and reply to Harrison.

12:24 PM

Mrs. Towers

Thank you for the new phone. Why did you replace my old one?”

12:25 PM

Your Husband

Mrs. Towers. We can discuss that later. I am glad you are awake. How are you feeling?

Oh no
, he doesn’t! I am not letting him skate around my question. No way!

12:25 PM

Mrs. Towers

Mr. Towers. I would appreciate a straightforward answer. Why did you get me a new phone? I feel weak and nauseated. I took my meds so will be passing out right after I eat some soup.

12:26 PM

Your Husband

Mrs. Towers. I will discuss your phone later. I miss you.

Aaack! He is so exasperating. I type my message as fast as my fingers can fly across the touch screen.

12:26 PM

Mrs. Towers

Now. Tell me now!

No response. I get zero response from him. What the hell? I wait a couple minutes.

12:28 PM

Mrs. Towers

Damn it. Tell me. Now I am upset!

12:28 PM

Your Husband

Your phone was stolen the day you were attacked.

Oh. I feel like I just swallowed a lead weight.

12:28 PM

Mrs. Towers

You mean it has been gone all this time? Why didn’t you tell me?

12:29 PM

Your Husband

We have enough to worry about. Your phone was hardly at the top of the list.

I begin to write back a snappy response
, but I stop myself. What am I doing? I shouldn’t attack Harrison. He is just protecting me. As always. The temples of my forehead are pulsing and my stomach is sour from the meds. I quickly write a response, so I can choke down some food.

12:29 PM

Mrs. Towers

I understand. I am just so frustrated. I just want to be back on our honeymoon Harrison.

12:30 PM

Your Husband.

I know. Me too. I love you Danielle. As soon as you are well, let’s go to Montreal. I want you to meet your new family.

Gasp. I wasn’t prepared for that. I want to meet his family. The thought of it is just a bit much for me now, considering what I have been through. I eat a couple bites of chicken rice soup and sodium crackers then respond.

12:33 PM

Mrs. Towers

When do you think we will go? I am nowhere near fit to travel yet. I have physical therapy to finish.

12:35

Your Husband

I know. We have some time before you are ready. I just thought you would be excited about meeting my family.

12:35 PM

Mrs. Towers

Oh, Harrison. I do want to meet your family. I am just not ready.

12:36 PM

Your Husband

I was thinking we could go back to Montreal around my birthday and stay through the New Year.

Oh my gosh! That is right!
His birthday is in several weeks. With everything that has happened, I barely know what day of the week it is.

12:37 PM

Mrs. Towers

Ok. I guess that will work. I am sleepy now. Can we talk about this tonight?

12:38 PM

Your Husband

Yes, I have a conference call this afternoon but will come home right after.

12:38 PM

Your Husband

I love you

My insides get all tingly whenever I hear that. It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world to love and be loved. I don’t care how much I might sound like a sentimental sappy song from the seventies. I love being loved.

12:39 PM

Mrs. Towers

I love you too. See you tonight.

Two weeks later and I am completely on the mend. I still have telltale signs that I had an accident. My slight limp and swollen nose give some clue to my recent history. Otherwise, I am feeling a lot better and my strength is returning. I am finally completely off the meds, which has helped with my nightmares.

It has been six weeks since the accident
, and I am terrified to leave the penthouse. Albert has stayed on with us. He is still here fulltime and we have two security guards, who patrol the Towers grounds. My parents went home to resume their life at the coast almost ten days ago. I am doing great with physical therapy on my knee. Today was my last day, in fact, and I am now cleared to resume normal activity. Except for running. I have no desire to go running anyway. I am opting for the treadmill Harrison has brought in and set up in one of the extra rooms. In fact, he had the guest room furniture removed and set up a makeshift gym for me. There is a nice executive gym in the Towers HQ, but he essentially doesn’t want me leaving the penthouse, unless it is for a doctor’s appointment. Harrison and Albert both accompany me to my appointments. I know he is trying to protect me, but I feel like a prisoner here.

I have been unable to conduct my business
, so I referred my new clients to a colleague. I know her from when I worked for the Davenport’s firm, back when I was still married to Bradley.

Harrison just dropped me off after returning from my physical therapy appointment. I am heading in to take a shower
, when the pile of boxes and suitcases catches my attention. I suppose I should work on getting the rest of those emptied and finish moving my stuff into my new home. It is hard to believe that I am now living in the place I decorated six months ago. You never know what twists and turns fate has in store. I just hope that Harrison and his men can expose Marion soon. I can’t take living in fear much longer.

I walk over to t
he boxes and start unpacking. While I was in the hospital, Harrison had my condo packed up and all of my personal items were delivered here, but all of the furnishings were packed and stored. Simone packed up my things at her place, and Garrin brought them here. All of the things from my condo have already been put away neatly by one of the staff, I presume. The belongings from Simone’s are all that is left for me to unpack.

At
the bottom of one of the first suitcase, I find my pink velour tracksuit jacket. I start to re-fold it, when something falls out from one of the pockets. I reach down and pick it up. It’s a small silver metal emblem in the shape of a
fleur de lis
, about the size of a dime. It’s as if it came off a piece of jewelry or something. I am staring at it in my hand when it occurs to me where I have seen this before. My blood runs cold. This is the same exact emblem that was on the silver cufflink I gave to the detective. How can that be? I sit down on the edge of the bed to think. Why was this in my pocket? When is the last time I wore this jacket? Still staring at the emblem, it suddenly comes to me where I found this. I vaguely remember picking this up in Simone’s mudroom. I am struggling to remember the details, though. I stand up, walk over to my bedside table, and place the object next to my phone. I will save it and give it to Harrison. He can pass it on to the detectives.

In the meantime, I have other things on which to focus, like getting ready to seduce my husband tonight. The doctor said I was able to return to normal activity, and having sex with Harrison on a frequent basis is certainly normal for us.

After I finish unpacking, I have the new maid, Alicia, come in and remove the empty moving boxes and suitcases. Harrison hired her when I was on bed rest. She came recommended by the private nurse, Glenda. I warmed up to Glenda, but I felt very guarded around her at first. She always seemed to be watching me, and it was creepy. I’m relieved that she was only here for a week, and now she is gone. Alicia is a nice enough girl, but far too attractive for my liking. I would rather have an average-looking middle-aged woman. Instead, I have Alicia who is barely twenty-one, with blonde hair, blue eyes, a petite little figure and stands no more than 5 feet tall. I swear I have caught Harrison checking her out. Of course, that could simply be my insecurity rearing its ugly head. Having been cheated on profusely, turns even a secure girl into a raving, insecure lunatic. I fight the lunacy on a regular basis. It is not easy to trust, even when someone hasn’t given you reason not to.

I shake myself out of my silly musings and decide to hunt down Philippe, to discuss my dinner ideas with him. I head down the hall to the kitchen and as I pass by Harrison’s study, I notice the door is ajar. I take a step toward it to peek in, and at the same moment the door flies open and out walks Alicia. We are both startled, but she is clearly surprised to see me standing there. As she begins to speak, I cut her off.

“What are you doing in my husband’s study?’

She stammers, “I...uh...was cleaning in there.”

I look down at her hands and do not see any cleaning implements in her grasp. She must have noticed her faux pas as she quickly adds, “Well, I was about to clean in here, I wanted to take a peek around and see what tools I was going to require.”

It sounds plausible enough, but I am just not buying it. I think she was snooping around.

‘So, what did you surmise?”