Unleash The Island

Chapter 22

The forecast was awful with pouring rain on that early January night on the island. Water gushed down the road. The storm had basically made another river. It was freezing cold.

Lisa was packing in her room at her and Ed's house. She shoved everything she could fit into her suitcases. She stuffed as many clothes as she could. While she was sorting through shoes, she found a piece of her childhood: Ed's old paddle. It was missing a piece from when he hit an embedded rock while paddling them through a secluded stream. Lisa insisted on keeping it as a keepsake before he tossed it in the garbage, especially since it would be from their first, official date. Their initials were still carved into it. With hesitation, she threw it by her already packed bag. When she was done with her own stuff, she unzipped Leo's and grabbed clothes from his drawer. His little baby clothes were tossed into the bag. She threw in a few toys and bottles. She did not have a lot of time before he would come back home from his shift.

As she threw her bags into her car, a pair of lights faced her. His car was coming up

the road. Six-month old Leo was sitting in his car seat, playing with a toy. She threw the paddle next to the suitcases, then closed the trunk and locked the car.

Ed pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the car. "You're not actually going to do this."

"Let me go, Ed," Lisa said as she stood in front of her door. "I need to go."

"No," he protested. "I'll do anything, Lisa." Her head shook rapidly. There were tears rolling down her cheeks, but they were blended by the rain. "Please."

"No, Ed." She mentally checked out everything. All she had to do was get in the car. "He wants to support me and Leo. He wants to marry me."

Ed wanted to hold her. He wanted to see her smile again. Her beautiful smile that would make his day better. It was nowhere close to being shown. They were only twenty-three, at the time, yet she looked worn out. Her clothes and hair were getting drenched.

As she turned to open the door, he said, "I love you." He felt a rush of feelings. "I'll love you for as long as I live, Lisa. I'll do anything. Just...don't leave. Don't let him take you."

Take you stuck with her. She wiped away the rain and tears from her eyes before saying, "He's bringing me into a world I've always wanted. For me. For Leo." His eyes were pained and red. "I ask for you to understand why I want this, and why you have to consent to Wayne adopting Leo." The words came out of her mouth too easily for somebody that was emotional.

Ed did not even have time to process any part of that conversation because Lisa swung the car door open and locked it right when she hopped into her seat. She kept her eyes on his. She could see how puffy they were, but she did not feel any guilt. She did not even bother to dry herself off as she shoved the key into the hole, twisted it, and the engine started. The lights flickered on and she was gone. Ed watched as she drove off in the storm.

The weather drove him back inside and he shut the door behind him. His hand yanked something out of his coat pocket. It was a small, velvet box with Lisa's dream ring inside of it: a yellow gold band and diamond in the center, surrounded by smaller ones. He tossed it, not caring about its destination. The paperwork was laid out on the table with a pen on top of the first page. That pen was thrown as well.

Ed stormed upstairs and whirled around the newel when he got to the top of the stairs. When he got to their room, it was worse than he imagined. Almost every piece of her was gone, as if she was never even here. Her jewelry box, clothes, shoes, and her favorite blanket were missing. He walked over towards the crib with a tear rolling down his cheek. It looked exactly like the day he made it: empty. The blanket, pillows, and even the stuffed bear was gone. The little baby was not there to smile at him.

After a half an hour, filled with grief and a breakdown, he strolled down the stairs. The rain was pouring and thunder shook the house. His eyes glared at the stack of papers. Not even bothering to look for the pen he threw, he snatched another one from a drawer. With his jaw clenched and hands shaking, he sat in his chair.

Ed was left with Georgia's envelope, which was sitting in the drawer and it would stay there for almost eighteen more years. He would be left with being unofficially labeled the killer of his own sister, while Lisa got to find her happily ending and he had let her go. He would make Lisa happy by signing those papers, while he was stuck in the turmoil.

A phone buzzed on the table, stirring him away from the papers. It was not his, which meant it was Lisa's. She had left it behind. A part of him told him to leave it there and not interfere. However, he was not in the right headspace, so he snatched it from the table and looked at it. She had gotten a message from the man himself.

Lisa was always bad with codes, passwords, and anything related to secrecy, so it was all the same thing: her birthday. He typed in the numbers and her home screen was apparent. His finger hovered over the messaging icon until he readied himself, mentally.

He scrolled all the way to the top. The conversations between the two of them started months ago, specifically when Leo was just a month old. With each swipe down, his anger grew. They called each other, sent pictures, and even Ed was mentioned.

Wayne: When are you coming over?

Lisa: Once Ed is at work. He's taking a bit longer than I thought.

Wayne: That's okay. As long as I see you in that red-

Another message from Wayne made the messages scroll itself all the way to the bottom, against Ed's will. There was the message from before and the new one.

Wayne: Let me know when you're here.

Ed was not prepared for the new message. His eyes widened as he read the next line.

Wayne: The chapel has an opening in April if we want to take it.