Shortcake*

Chapter 27: A Little Denial

*Copyright: Stephanie Myrick, 2023. Posted to Wattpad ONLY*

Cleo shook her head. "Maybe? But if that was the case, he either changed his mind or was only going along to make Anthony happy because when I told Nico I was terrified to have kids, he brought me to the doctor behind Anthony's back and paid for the birth control. I would buy him something he wanted or needed to pay him back."

"Still, either way, the compromise would have been there." Link pressed. "Maybe Nico didn't want you to have more of a connection to Anthony than you already did, and that's why he helped you out."

Cleo shrugged. "Whatever the reason, I'm glad he did it. Anyway, things fell into a routine for the next two years. Nico and I became closer. I eventually told him how I ended up married to Anthony, and that was the first time I saw Nico lose his temper. He was under the impression that I had been happy to marry Anthony; he removed me from an abusive situation and now felt responsible for me. He had been confused when I said I was terrified to have kids because Anthony said I wanted them but hadn't said anything at the time."

"After that, Anthony began drinking a lot more and was still going out on Wednesday nights, which was when Nico and I went to the movies, but he sometimes went on other nights, which, looking back, would always put Nico in a horrible mood and he would stay with me all day for a couple of days, rather than going into the office to do his hours with Anthony."

"So, how did his hours with Anthony work if he was supposed to be with you?" Link furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I had a personal trainer and yoga instructor - a woman, of course - I've always been lazy when it came to the gym, and I'll gain weight quickly if I don't work out consistently, which was a huge problem for Anthony, he wanted me to be more muscular. Anyway, I would spend the mornings with her, and Nico would go into the office and then spend the afternoons and a couple of evenings a week with me."

"Ah." Link nodded. "Makes sense. Anthony was making sure you looked more masculine and keeping his side piece under his desk in the morning." Cleo frowned and looked over at him. "I don't mean to be crude, Shortcake, but I'm pretty sure that's what was going on."

"I don't know if I feel betrayed by Nico or grateful to him." Cleo groaned. "I don't know how to feel about any of this."

"You don't have to feel any type of way about any of this." Link reached for hand. "We're still figuring things out. We only have theories, nothing concrete."

"I guess, but I'm also pretty sure we're right." She sighed and looked down at her phone before squeezing Link's hand and letting go to add to the timeline. "So that brings us up to 2013. Anthony suddenly decided he wanted out of Albany and applied for a position with a firm in New York City. He got it, and we went down on Memorial Day weekend to look at houses, leaving on the 22nd and coming back early on the 27th because I had been informed of my parent's death late in the evening on the 26th. Nico didn't come with us because he had a family reunion that weekend. After everything was said and done with my parents' funeral and estate, we moved to the City at the end of July, and Nico moved down in mid-August. He lived with us until he started hairdressing school in January of 2014, still doing night classes, working with Anthony in the morning and spending the afternoons with me."

"Anthony's drinking got out of control when Nico moved out. He was drunk a lot and hit me the first time in October. I moved in with Nico a few weeks later, and Nico walked in on him strangling me on February 12th. He was arrested and charged with domestic violence and attempted murder, got out on bail and died on July 7th at 1 AM, driving home drunk from the strip club. After his estate was settled and Nico graduated from college, we moved to Los Angeles in March 2017."

"I wonder if Nico and Anthony broke up when Nico moved out?" Link mused as she finished typing on the phone.

"No, they still worked and spent time together after." Cleo shook her head. "Nico cut all contact with him when he slapped me. He went with me to collect my things from the house, and when Anthony tried to apologize to me, Nico cut him off and began laying into him about hitting me. I could hear him yelling at Anthony the whole time I was packing. Anthony was sobbing and saying he didn't mean to do it, he was drunk, and he was sorry, but Nico just kept cutting him off, saying things like: "I warned you what would happen if you hurt her. I told you to stop drinking and get help. You didn't listen, and now you're losing everything." When I came down, he came out of Anthony's office and took me out of there without letting me see him."

"So where was Nico the night your husband died?" Link asked curiously.

Cleo shifted uncomfortably. "He told me he had a date." She whispered. "I couldn't reach him after the cops informed me of Anthony's death. He came home the next morning in a panic when he saw my messages, apologizing profusely because he had put his phone on silent while he was with his date. I didn't question him any more than that. I know he did provide an alibi to the police, and it was checked out. It took a little more time to clear me because I was at Nico's alone. Eventually, they got the security footage for the building that showed I never left the apartment."

"Right." Link nodded slowly. "So technically, Nico had motive and means for both your parents and your husband."

"Technically... But I just don't see him doing it. Why would he? He doesn't need to stalk me; he's had full access to my life for sixteen years. I also don't believe he was sleeping around with women who looked like me." Cleo folded her arms and pouted. "I can't see him doing this Link."

"Cleo, I know you don't want to think that way about your best friend. But I need you to remain objective about this, okay?" Link glanced at her as they came up on the city limits. "Some things are suspicious and paint him in a bad light. Someone could be trying to frame him, or he could have done them. If he had an alibi for the night your husband died, then the police would have followed up on it, and we'll find out tomorrow when we meet with the detective."

Cleo nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

*Copyright: Stephanie Myrick, 2023. Posted to Wattpad ONLY*