Page 102 of The Illusion
"I've got an empty house in West Seattle," Ryan says. "No furniture, but I'll have it set up by tomorrow. It's close enough that you can get back to your house if you need to, but far enough that no one will think to look for you there."
He's thought of everything. Every detail. Every angle. "Why are you doing this?" I ask quietly.
There's a pause. Then Ryan says, "Because you deserve better than what he's doing to you. And because I'm done watching him destroy you."
Jamie reaches over and squeezes my hand and nods.
"There's one more thing," Ryan says. “To get all the information you can, you need to hire a private investigator. My dad knows one and he said he's perfect."
My pulse quickens. “Do you think Asher’s up to something besides whatever is happening with Devon?”
“The only thing I know for sure about Asher at this point is that he’s told so many fucking lies, you need someone to get everything together so you know exactly what you’re dealing with.”
Jamie looks at me. I can see the question in her eyes. Am I ready for this? Am I ready to know?
I think about Asher's relief this morning. The way he practically skipped out the door. The twenty thousand dollars hethrew at Jamie like it was nothing just to make sure I left. "Do it," I say. "Hire the investigator. I want to know everything."
"You're sure?"
"I'm positive. You’re right. I need to know."
"Okay," Ryan says. "I'll make the call today.”
"What do we do in the meantime?" Jamie asks.
"You act normal," Ryan says. "You stay at work. You pack for your trip. You don't change your behavior at all. And tomorrow morning, you meet me at the West Seattle house. I'll text the address to Jamie's phone since we're keeping yours clean."
"Okay."
"Julie," Ryan says. His voice is softer now. "This is going to work. We're going to figure out what he's doing. And then you're going to have options."
Options. The word feels foreign. I haven't had options in so long. "Thank you," I say. "For all of this. For believing in me."
"I should have confronted him sooner. I should’ve seen what he is. And what he fucking isn’t."
“None of us saw, Ryan. Not really. But when it mattered, you did confront him. That's what's saving me right now.”
We end the call. Jamie and I stand in the back room of our shop, surrounded by bottles and labels and the smell of essential oils. Everything looks the same as it did an hour ago. But everything has changed.
"Are you scared?" Jamie asks.
"Terrified," I admit. "But I'm also relieved. Because for the first time in months, I'm not doing this alone."
She pulls me into a hug. "You were never alone. I've been here the whole time."
"I know. But now we have a plan. Now we have help."
"Ryan's parents," Jamie says, pulling back with a small smile. "I can't believe they're going to take a proxy trip for us."
"I can't believe any of this is happening."
"Do you think the investigator will find something?"
I think about Devon. About the way Asher looks at her. About the panic attacks that only happen when we're together. About the hours he spends in her room. About the way he can't touch me but had no problem getting hard in the shower. About him telling Ryan he never loved me. "Yeah," I say. "I think he'll find something."
Jamie nods. "Then let's finish packing your weekend bag tonight. Make it look real."
"It has to look real," I agree. "Because if he suspects anything, this whole thing falls apart."
