Secret Affection

Chapter 20

"Tell me again how this was a good idea?"

I never claimed I had good ideas, but talking Lauren into scheduling an appointment with my mother seemed the smartest and easiest route to take. Not only have I yet to receive my set of names for the day, but Lauren is currently sitting in the waiting room of my mother's practice with said scheduled appointment.

"It was the first thing I thought of."

"You thought, 'Hey, Lo is practically alone, why not throw her to the wolves and leave her little sisters life in my hands'!?"

"Where did your faith in me go?"

"Directly out the same door you walked out of almost two years ago."

Okay, I deserved that.

"It's over your time, Lo. Are you sure you made the call?"

"I wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't."

"I'm just asking."

"Run me through the plan one more time, ya know, just in case."

Sighing, I open the glove compartment of my new car and search for the small piece of notebook paper I wrote our plans on. Pulling it out, I lay my legs across the center console and into the passenger seat.

"So my brilliant plan-"

"Our."

"I came up with a good ninety percent of it."

"I can easily take the ten percent out and leave this waiting room."

I ignore her, continuing to read through the bullet points,

"Alright, step one, get access to my mother practice building."

"In progress, next?"

"When she asks of your family, you tell her you have an uncle left alive. If she asks, say it's Howard Long."

"The lawyer?"

"The exact same one. Then, she should try to make you seem mentally unstable. You just go with it."

"Go with it?"

"The goal is to get you inside the ward."

"Alright, then my part?"

"Just be careful, alright? I don't need you setting the place on fire."

"Don't worry, Aly. Your girl and I will be breathing fresh air by the end of the week."

"I sure hope so."

I hear a voice carry through Lauren's earpiece,

"Miss Smith."

I chuckle at the fake name and I can tell Lauren is trying her hardest to not roll her eyes at it herself when she actually responds to it.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Matthews will see you now, honey."

I hear rustling on the opposite side of the coms, but I can tell Lauren is in the room alone when her snide remarks come through clearly.

"Smith? Really? Do I look like a Smith to you?"

"What did you want me to do? Give your real last name up? Then your sisters life would've literally been in my hands. I love Morgan more than your unappreciative ass, so there was no way."