The Dark Side of the Rainbow (3 page)

Managing to suppress the urge to rail at the injustice and the pain, he looked over at his daughter, who sat staring forward, tears streaming down her face.
I have to pull myself together for Olivia
, he had thought wildly. He may have lost his son, but he still had his baby girl and she needed him. More than ever before, she would depend on his strength and courage to get them through this dark time. Later, as they stood by the gravesite, Josh Nelson’s resolve would be put to the test.

The minister looked up toward the heavens. “Lord, we commend into your loving hands the precious spirit of Jacob Nelson. Keep him safely within your grasp until the time comes when we will see him once again.”

The moment the first flower was laid to rest on top of the casket, something snapped inside Olivia. Flinging herself on top of her brother’s casket she wailed, “Jacob, why did you leave me? Why? How am I supposed to live without you?” Not caring about anyone around her, she grabbed hold of the casket, pressing her cheek against the hard glossy cherry wood. “Jacob, please come back. Please come back. I can’t do this without you. Please!” she begged over and over. The sister’s gut-wrenching sobs ripped apart the heart of every soul in attendance.

Josh reached down for his daughter, intending to pull her away from the casket but instead laid his arms around her, lying with her across the hard wood of the coffin, combining his cries with hers.

Too tragic and personal to watch, the crowd, who had gathered to pay their last respects, quietly turned to leave father and daughter alone in their grief.

The shared moment at their beloved’s graveside was the first of many events that would begin tearing down the wall that had built its way around the hearts of the devastated pair. Almost all of the hard stone would be removed from Olivia’s soul, except for one small section. It was the part of her pain she would never let go of, for it guarded the searing hatred she felt for the young man who had taken away the person she loved most in life.

When the devastated sister heard that Landon Gray had only received three months of house arrest for the charges of reckless endangerment, the barricade grew stronger and more impenetrable. Long after the billionaire’s son fled to South America, the anger marched onward.

* * *

I
t had been years since Olivia had seen Landon Gray in person, but in a few short hours she would lay eyes on him again for the first time. When the moment came, she would have to find a way to look him in the face without allowing even a glimmer of her wrath to seep through the cracks of the wall. All of her expectations hinged on her ability to embrace and charm the man who had given her every reason to hate.

P
ATAGONIA, ARGENTINA

NOVEMBER—PRESENT DAY

Landon shifted the Cadillac Escalade into a lower gear, navigating it down the mountainside while keeping the old familiar thoughts of suicide at bay. It had been a long time since he last envisioned himself driving through the rails that kept vehicles from toppling over the side of the steep terrain. When he first arrived in Patagonia, fighting the suicidal thoughts had been a minute-by-minute struggle. After a short while, the young man had nearly lost the battle forever.

The week before Landon’s house arrest ended, his sister Natasha had arrived from South America to collect her brother. Eight years his senior, the older woman had arranged to take him with her back to Patagonia. Their parents agreed that leaving Portland would be best for their son. All these years later, Landon could see the wisdom in their decision; but he hadn’t been able to at the time.

When he was delivered to the police station the day of the accident, Landon was read his rights to have an attorney, which he waived. He pleaded guilty to the charges of reckless endangerment. An hour after his questioning, his parents and one of their many attorneys arrived to have him released. Refusing to leave, Landon demanded to remain in custody. Because of the nature of the teenager’s charges and the lack of space in the juvenile detention center, to his dismay he was released on his own recognizance.

That evening, alone in his dark room, the first thoughts of suicide had made themselves known. He knew that his death would be better than seeing over and over in his mind the lifeless body of Jacob Nelson.

Landon had not seen the exact moment of the accident. One quick look into the review mirror to see how far he had outpaced Jacob and his Mustang caused his adrenaline rush to careen when he saw the overturned car, yards behind his. Slamming on his brakes, Landon turned his Chevy around and sped to the place where Jacob’s body lay. The sight of Olivia pulling at her hair while screaming out her brother’s name made the cut into the film sequence which played non-stop in his mind.

What kept him from going to his father’s gun cabinet that night was the idea that he would be better punished serving time. Killing himself would be an easy way out, which he didn’t deserve. Rotting away in a cell would be a much better penance.

Because of Landon’s confession, there was no trial. When he faced the judge several days later and was remanded to three months of house arrest, the young boy wished he had taken hold of one of his father’s weapons.

When Landon demanded that the judge sentence him to time in lock up, the judge refused, stating that he would not allow the teenager to throw his life way because of a foolish, immature act. The crime didn’t warrant the punishment the younger man was dictating.

In a fit of desperation, Landon countered that if the judge did not put him in jail he would end his life, and his blood would be on the judge’s hands. The tactic worked, causing the head of the court to change his mind. Instead of house arrest, the young suicidal man was ordered to detention in a psychiatric ward at one of the local hospitals for treatment.

Concerned about their son being institutionalized, the Gray’s told the judge they would retain Landon at home with a guard and around the clock psychiatric supervision. Afraid for their son’s life, they followed through with their promise, locking him away in a section of the sprawling house. The teenager was supervised and treated by one of the best psychiatrists money could buy. With a promise to continue his therapy, Natasha Gray came for her brother and left for Patagonia the day after his sentence had ended.

Unwilling to let anything happen to Landon, the older sister continued the close psychiatric supervision and celebrated the progress her beloved brother had made. Constant mental care eventually gave way to daily visits and then weekly. After three months of weekly appointments, Natasha Gray believed Landon to be better. She felt the weight of his pain finally lifting from her.

Able to breathe freely for the first time in months, one day she suggested they take their sailboat out onto Lake Nahuel Huapi. It was late fall and unusually warm. That evening Natasha had a gala to attend at the resort with several VIP investors who had expressed interest in NLG Property Group’s hospitality conglomerate in South America. At the time, Landon’s sister was the head of the company’s operations and had been in the role for the last five years. Before the important evening, they would have the day to bask in the beauty of their little piece of paradise.

It had been a spectacular morning and afternoon. Landon was in the best spirits he had been in since the accident. He laughed more that day than he had in months. Later, that evening, he watched his sister take one more glance at her appearance in the foyer mirror before she left for the event. She asked him about his plans and if he was sure he didn’t want to join her at the resort.

Shaking his head, Landon told her a shower and some television were on his agenda for the night. Natasha kissed him on the cheek before making her way toward the door, adding that she would be home early.

Halfway to the resort, the young executive realized she had forgotten her cell phone. She had left the house with plenty of time to spare, so she turned around to retrieve it.

Upon her return, the house was eerily silent. Natasha called for Landon. When she did not hear him respond, she made her way to his bedroom. His room was dark, but the light was on in the bathroom. She called again. When he didn’t answer, she forced herself toward the bathroom, her heart pounding.

The sight of her brother lying in the bathtub filled with blood-stained water brought all of her nightmares since his suicidal episodes back to reality. Landon, who was conscious when she discovered him, removed his lethargic arm from the water and held it out to her. The blood and water dripping from the slit in his wrist splattered against the black and white checkered tiles below him.

“I’m sorry, Natasha. I love you,” where the last words her brother spoke before losing consciousness.

In her panicked state, his sister managed to apply tourniquets to both his forearms to stop the blood flow before calling for help.

Hours later, while recovering in the hospital, Landon asked for Natasha. Knowing he would survive, the older sibling walked into her brother’s room carrying with her all the fear she had felt for the past several months. More than anguish, there was also a fury born of love that filled her to bursting. Natasha looked Landon in the eyes and raged at him for being a coward. How dare he take the easy way out, leaving her all alone to suffer a life without him?

The look he had seen on Natasha’s face while in the tub had been the very same expression on the face of Olivia Nelson when Landon saw her kneeling next to her brother’s body on the causeway. As Landon had lain in the white porcelain basin, with his life flowing out of him, he realized the agony he had caused his sister was akin to the anguish he had forced upon Jacob Nelson’s sister and father. As his eyes fluttered closed, Landon had prayed that if he survived, he would never again attempt to take his life. He would somehow learn to shoulder the burden of his tragic mistake. He would do it for Natasha, the sister he loved.

For the last twelve years, he held true to his promise. The idea of living life while Jacob Nelson lie dead in the ground seemed impossible to bear at times; yet he managed to bring the self-destructive thoughts under control.

Throwing himself into the family business had helped. His sister was grooming him to one day take over. She was not interested in running the family’s South American empire for the rest of her life. Natasha wanted to be married and to have children. Seven years ago, when she hired the resort’s new executive chef, Gaston Arnaud, the two fell wildly in love and married six months to the day they met. A niece and a nephew later, Landon was now the head of NLG Property Group’s South American hospitality holdings based in Patagonia.

Finally off the mountainside, Landon made his way to the highway that would take him to the San Carlos de Bariloche Airport. It was unusual to see the head of a vast corporation driving the resort’s SUV to pick up guests, but it was not unusual to see the young executive do what was necessary to keep things in order.

He chuckled to himself when he remembered the look on the resort’s general manager’s face when Landon had insisted that he pick up the arriving guests from the airport. The hotel was facing a mini-crisis with the staff, several of whom had called out unexpectedly. Ricardo needed to be there to keep everything from falling apart. Landon could handle the trip to and from Bariloche. Besides it was Sunday, his day off; what better way to spend it than to make the beautiful drive?

This region of Argentina had quickly become his home. Being in this breathtaking land had gone a long way toward his healing, and helping Landon accept the tragic decision he had made those many years ago. Sadly, nothing could completely wipe away the consequences of it. The loss of a good man’s life had been the devastating result, yet something more tragic had occurred that day. The truth often kept him up at night.

The relationship between Jacob and Olivia had been legendary. Most of the kids at Riverdale High had grown up together and knew how close the siblings were. They were best friends, a friendship that was as true as any. The shared blood running through their veins made the connection perfect.

It was as if everyone in their community had suffered from the loss of Jacob Nelson’s life. He was a good person, loyal and kind. It was the tightly knit bond between the siblings and the suffering inflicted upon Olivia that had caused the mourners the most sorrow. The sister would never again experience the unique connection she had with her brother. She may have memories, but they were a weak substitute.

Landon checked the speedometer, switched lanes, and thought about the promise of something wonderful also lost in the accident. That summer, twelve years ago, Landon found himself falling in love with Olivia Nelson. One simple and courageous act of kindness caused his feelings for her to come into sharp focus. The longing he felt had been on the verge of exploding into something beautiful, a forever kind of love.

The beginning of that something beautiful had dissipated into a million shards of light, scattering into the colors of the rainbow that had filled the sky that day. The remnants of the potential love were so far flung, never to be made whole again.

Landon couldn’t help but remember the day he first noticed Olivia.

* * *

L
andon saw the crowd in the hallway and knew something was wrong. Curious, he made his way toward the group of people. His height gave him an advantage, and he could see clearly what was happening. What he witnessed caused something to shift deep inside of him. It was one of those life-altering moments that would permanently change him; an indelible impression upon the very nature of his person.

Standing with her back against the lockers, hugging her books to her chest in fear, was Shannon Able, the most ordinary and homeliest person in all of Riverdale High. Landon would later discover that mean girl, Celeste Peters, had somehow been provoked into taunting the meeker girl.

Standing between the two ladies was the beautiful Olivia Nelson, facing mean girl Peters. “I know you’re upset, Celeste. I’m not sure what happened, but you don’t want to do this. In a few moments, you’ll calm down and realize walking away is the right thing to do.”