The lawn was perfectly green. The flowers were perfectly arranged. Everything was perfect on the outside, but Nathan now knew that inside his mother was rotten. Evil. He pulled into the driveway and slammed on the brakes. His car stopped with a screech. He got out and marched to the front door. He didn’t knock. He used his key.
He still had a key from when he lived here as a child. The door swung open. Mother. Nathan shouted. His voice echoed through the big fancy house. Mother, I know you’re here. Come out. He heard footsteps on the marble floor, high heels clicking, getting closer. Patricia appeared at the top of the grand staircase.
She was wearing a cream colored dress and pearls. Her hair was styled perfectly. She looked elegant and calm. Nathan, darling, she said with a smile. What a surprise. I didn’t know you were coming. Why didn’t you call? She walked down the stairs gracefully like a queen descending from her throne.
And why are you shouting? You know I don’t like shouting in the house. It’s so unrefined. Nathan stared at her. This woman, this woman who had raised him, fed him, hugged him when he was sad, read him bedtime stories, taught him to tie his shoes. This woman had destroyed his life. “Evelyn is alive,” Nathan said. His voice was quiet now, but it shook with anger. Patricia’s smile didn’t change, “Not even a little bit.
” “I’m sorry, dear.” “What did you say?” “You heard me?” Nathan said, “Evelyn, my wife, the woman you told me, died 8 years ago.” “She’s alive.” Patricia reached the bottom of the stairs. She walked past Nathan into the living room and sat down on an expensive white couch. She crossed her legs elegantly.
“Nathan, I think you need to sit down,” she said calmly. “You’re not making sense. Perhaps you’re working too hard. You look tired.” “Don’t,” Nathan said through clenched teeth. “Don’t try to make me think I’m crazy.” I saw her. I talked to her. She’s alive. And she told me everything. Something flickered in Patricia’s eyes just for a second.
But then the calm mask came back. Everything? Patricia repeated. What exactly is everything? How you threatened her? Nathan said walking into the living room. How you told her she wasn’t good enough for me. How you offered her money to leave. How you terrorized her when she was pregnant with my child.
Patricia picked up a teacup from the table next to her and took a sip. That’s quite a story. It’s not a story, Nathan said, his voice rising. It’s the truth and you know it. Patricia sat down her teacup gently. She looked at Nathan with cold eyes.
Let’s say hypothetically that this woman you claim is Evelyn did tell you these things, Patricia said. Did it ever occur to you that she might be lying? Why would she lie? Nathan demanded money perhaps? Patricia suggested. You’re a rich man now, Nathan. A millionaire. Maybe this woman, whoever she is, saw an opportunity. Maybe she’s pretending to be your dead wife to get money from you.
She’s not pretending. Nathan shouted. I know my own wife. I know her face. Her voice. Her. You knew your wife 8 years ago. Patricia interrupted. People change. Faces change. And apparently your judgment has become quite poor if you believe this ridiculous story. Nathan felt like he was going to explode.
She has my son, a boy named Lucas. He has my eyes, my face. He’s 8 years old, the exact age he would be if Evelyn had been pregnant when she disappeared. Patricia’s expression didn’t change. Many children have green eyes, Nathan. That proves nothing. Stop lying. Nathan yelled. “Just stop. I know what you did.” Evelyn told me about the car. About the fire. About how you staged her death.
Finally, Patricia’s calm mask cracked just a little bit. Her eyes narrowed. “And you believed her?” Patricia asked. “You believed some woman living in an abandoned house over your own mother?” Yes, Nathan said, because unlike you, she told me the truth. Patricia stood up slowly.
She was shorter than Nathan, but somehow she still seemed to tower over him. The truth, she said coldly, is that Evelyn Martinez was a mistake. A terrible mistake that would have ruined your life. Nathan’s breath caught. So, you admit it. You admit you knew she was alive. Patricia walked to the window and looked out at her perfect garden. I did what any good mother would do, she said.
I protected my son. Protected me. Nathan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. You lied to me. You made me think my wife was dead. You kept me from knowing my own child. That child was never supposed to exist, Patricia said, turning to face him. Her voice was cold as ice. And that woman was never supposed to be your wife. But she was my wife, Nathan shouted. I loved her.
We were married. We were building a life together. A life of poverty and struggle, Patricia said with disgust. She was a waitress, Nathan. A nobody with no education, no class, no prospects. You could have married someone important, someone worthy of the Cole name. She was worthy, Nathan said, his voice breaking. She was kind and loving and good. She made me happy.
She made you weak, Patricia corrected. Before her, you were ambitious. You wanted to be successful, but after you married her, all you cared about was coming home to playhouse with your little waitress wife. Patricia walked closer to Nathan. I built this family in Nathan.
Your father and I worked hard to give you every advantage, the best schools, the best connections, the best opportunities, and you were about to throw it all away for a girl you met at a diner. So, you decided to get rid of her,” Nathan said, tears streaming down his face. “Now you decided to play God with our lives.” I did what was necessary, Patricia said without any emotion in her voice.
And it worked, didn’t it? After she was gone, you threw yourself into your work. You became successful. You became the man you were meant to be. I became empty, Nathan shouted. I became a shell. I lost the only person who ever really loved me. She didn’t love you, Patricia said. She loved your potential. She loved what she thought you could give her. But real love, real love is what I’ve given you.
I sacrificed everything to make sure you had the best life possible. Nathan stared at his mother like he was seeing her for the first time. You’re insane, he whispered. You’re actually insane. Patricia’s face hardened. I’m practical. There’s a difference. You threatened a pregnant woman, Nathan said. You staged a death. You committed fraud.
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