Wicked

Chapter 30 (Final Chapter)

Tim POV: 

Faith stirs her Long Island iced tea, slowly growing a little less tense as the amount in her glass drops. She sips through her straw, tilting her head as her eyes gleam toward me. 

"So where have you been? I mean, you kind of fell off the radar a few years ago." I let out, sipping on a glass of bourbon. She shrugs, her tan skin glowing against her curly blonde hair. 

"Scott found out that Byron was producing for you too and pulled me out of the studio. I've done a couple songs on my own but nothing really worth putting out on an album." She replies, sighing somberly, although her slight smile is still present. "He controls everything. My bank accounts, my documents, my phone... He even locks up the keys when he doesn't want me leaving." She admits, biting her lip before looking out at the water as the stars start to shine against it. "I managed to slip out some money without him noticing, and I bought a place out here where I escape to sometimes. I tell him that I'm going out for a writing retreat where there's a no-cellphone policy so." She says, laughing to herself. Her eyes drift up toward me once more, seeming a little moist.

"Are you okay?" I ask, as she shakes her head. Her eyes well once more, filling her waterline. "Then let's get you out of there." I let out, leaning forward. She laughs, shaking her head at her drink. 

"He's made it systematically impossible to leave him." She claims, leaning back in her chair as defeat covers her expression. "I mean, he controls my career. All the payments are made out to him and I never signed a prenup, so he'd have half of whatever is left. Then he'd blacklist me from Nashville and I'd have nothing left to care for Grace, so he'd take her too." She rambles, hives starting to appear across her skin. 

"You can't lose Grace. He's not her father, and as far as I know, he hasn't adopted her either. And if you're concerned about money, Faith, I could –" I begin before she shuts her eyes and starts to shake her head.  

"I can't have you do that." She says, staring at her drink before taking a large sip. Her reaction makes me pause for a moment, before I notice her shaking hands. 

"I'm her father, Faith. I mean, I owe you child supp–" I start as she shakes her head and interrupts once more. 

"You don't owe me anything, Tim. I never told you." She lets out, seeming to retract herself completely. She falls silent, as I feel my chest ache over the change. 

"Faith, what's going on?" I call out, watching her eyes drift up toward me. She looks like she's drowning in something, but I can't tell what. "You're hot and cold..." I acknowledge, as her shoulders rise. 

"You knew, right?" She croaks, as I narrow my eyes at her. "You knew when we got back together that we couldn't ever... It was just sex, right?" She says, echoing an argument that paralyzed me decades ago. I stare at her, opening my mouth but running short of air. 

"No, it wasn't." I let out, watching her eyes cloud with tears. "When we got together initially, I planned on marrying you, and when we got back together that was still my plan." I assert, as she winces. 

"But I was just a mistr–" She starts before I speak over her. 

"Don't you dare..." I begin, watching shock coat her. "You were not a mistress, Faith. You were not just some hookup because I didn't want to sleep with my wife. I loved you. I was ready to give up my marriage for you, and I ultimately did." I state, as she breathes deeply. "Where the hell did you ever get the idea that you were a mistress?" I argue, feeling offended by the notion. She looks weak, as she looks down at her hands and the wedding ring on her finger. 

"He had been pretty persistent on reminding me..." She lets out as I study her for a moment. 

"Reminding you of what?" I press, as she sighs, her breathing sounding uneasy.