Vanessa laid awake on the lumpy hotel mattress. She heard a train whistle in the distance and saw a line of light from a street lamp creep into the room between a gap in the shades, but none of this was what was keeping her awake. It was her husband's admission that was keeping her from falling asleep.
"I'm not who you think I am."
Just remembering those words sent a shiver down her spine.
When she heard the familiar sound of his light snoring, she turned to look at him. They'd been together for almost 5 years, but she felt like she was lying next to a stranger.
Quietly, she got out of bed, slipped on a pair of shoes, and crept out of the hotel room. She walked down to the lobby and asked the desk clerk if she could borrow the phone.
"Zara? I'm sorry to call so late, hon, but I need a favor. What's the number of that lawyer who was trying to find me?" As she waited for Zara to find the number, she asked the desk clerk for a piece of paper and a pen. "Thanks, hon," she said as she finished jotting down the number. "I appreciate it, but I've got to go. If you happen to talk to her, tell her to expect my call. I don't know when that will be, but hopefully I'll get the chance to call soon." After saying goodnight, Vanessa hung up and headed back to the room.
Just as she was walking away from the desk, her husband was rounding the corner. Casually, she slipped the note into her pocket.
"There you are. What are you doing down here?" he asked.
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get some air."
"Well, come back to the room. It's too late for you to be wandering around alone. It's not safe."
Vanessa managed a smile and tried to act like everything was fine and normal, but she no longer knew if she was safe with her husband or if she could trust him.
After talking with Serena, Blaine was anxious to see what else he could uncover about her ex-husband. Unfortunately, he couldn't get to that right away. As soon as he got back to campus, he had to go to class, since he couldn't afford to skip twice in one day. Then after class he had to go to work in the computer lab. He thought he might find some spare time to search then, but the lab was full of students and he kept unusually busy.
It was after dark before he got a chance to sit down at the computer. He brewed a cup of coffee and started his search.
Luckily, the search for Silas Rochester brought up more results than his search for Sebastian Barrett or Dorothy Summers. He found what he was looking for almost right away.
As he read through the results, Blaine started to realize he had found more than he had bargained for. When he came across a familiar name, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Blaine jumped up and rushed to the phone. He knew it was late, but this was too good to wait until morning. "Reese! Are you busy?"
"I was," she replied groggily. "Busy sleeping."
"I'm sorry, but I just found out something huge. Can I come over?"
Reese hesitated. "Can't you just tell me over the phone?"
"No, this is too big. You've got to hear this in person."
Reese sighed. She didn't like the idea of having someone over so late, especially a guy that she worked with, but Blaine seemed so excited and she was rather curious herself. "Ok," she gave in.
As Reese got dressed and started straightening up the house, she tried to guess what Blaine had found out. What could the big news be? She knew it was unlikely, but for a brief moment she hoped it was about her. Maybe Blaine found out who her family was, where she came from. Maybe he had been able to discover the past that she had been unable to find. She shook the thought from her mind. It was a crazy thought.
"I must be crazy," she muttered to herself as the doorbell rang. "What am I doing?" She couldn't believe she was letting Blaine come over to her house and so late at night.
When she answered the door, Blaine was standing on the other side. He looked so excited, that she couldn't help smiling back at him as she invited him in. "Ok, now can you tell me? What's this all about?"
"I went to the mental hospital today."
"And they didn't decide to keep you there?" she said dryly.
Blaine was caught off guard for a second. Once he realized she was teasing him, he laughed, "I guess that's what I get for getting you out of bed in the middle of the night," he joked. "But no. I went there to talk to Serena Barrett."
"The barkeeper's ex-wife?"
"That's the one?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were going?"
"It was a spur of the moment trip and I knew you'd be at work."
"Right," Reese agreed. She wished she could have gone, but it was for the best. She had been neglecting her job lately. "So what happened?"
"She told me her life story and it turns out that old Sebastian's been lying about his identity since he met her. When Serena caught on to him he had her declared mentally unstable and divorced her."
"That's awful! So who is he really?"
"Silas Rochester," Blaine said slowly with emphasis.
"Who's that?" she replied blankly.
"I never heard of him either, but I did some research just now. I found out that the Rochesters used to be a big family around here, socially that is, but Silas was the last one in the family line, so when he died, the family name died too."
"Wait? He died?" Reese asked confused.
"Faked his death to escape his debts, then married Serena," Blaine explained. "But get this. He had a sister who died before he did and she was married to . . . Lawrence Arrendale."
Reese gasped, "You don't think it's the same. . . No, it couldn't be. He's too young."
"You're right. He was Lawrence's father."
"Which makes Sebastian- or Silas, his uncle?"
"Exactly."
"Do you think he knows?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to tell him. You don't have his number, do you?"
"I do, but Blaine, it's late," Reese protested.
"You're right," Blaine said as he stood to leave. "I'm sorry I got you up."
"Don't be," Reese said, standing as well. "I'm glad you called me. But I'll never get back to sleep after that story."
"Me neither," Blaine replied. "I'm thinking about going by the campus coffee shop for a bite to eat. Want to come along?"
Reese shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
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