Page 227 of Misrule
As she’d left Hortensia, she’d been overcome with dizziness and an awful pain in her back. Both had passed. Since she’d been much closer to the park than to the clubhouse, she’d headed there. After parking she’d sat in her car and realized she wouldn’t be able to make it to the fitting. By then, she’d been sure, all the girls had left. She didn’t want to dampen their day, so she’d sent Roxy and Bailey a text, stating she couldn’t make it to the shop.
The thought to call Krag, Webster, Pete, or Talbot crossed her mind, but one was as bad as the other. They’d just fuss at her and berate her.
Sighing, Meggie rested against the tree trunk, her eyes sliding close. She was suddenly so tired. Maybe, a short nap would rejuvenate her and allow her to get home before Christopher ever realized she hadn’t shown up to the fitting.
Stumbling into her bathroom, Kendall set her note down on the counter, then stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was limp and her eyes were red-rimmed. Her face looked pale and washed-out.
She looked completely broken. And she was. She couldn’t do this anymore. Life was just too hard. Too heartbreaking.
Too lonely.
Roxy and Bailey had been calling her. She’d been due to meet them at the Whittlestones. Instead, after leaving Emily, Kendall had come home, ignoring her ringing telephone and the numerous texts.
On her way up the stairs, she made a monumental decision, so she’d gone to her bedroom and written a note. One day, someone would find her. By then, she probably would’ve decomposed beyond recognition. Roxy called her every day, but she had yet to visit.
Maybe, after a week or two of Kendall not answering, Roxy would decide it was time to see about her in person. Of course, there was Charlotte, but she wanted Kendall to be a certain way,acta certain way. Charlotte pressured Kendall to make decisions she didn’t want to make.
She was all alone.
Tears streaming down her face, Kendall opened the first prescription bottle and poured the contents into her hands. Grabbing the glass she kept near her toothpaste, she filled it with water, shoved the pills into her mouth and washed them down.
She gagged, spitting a few out.
But she was determined. Johnnie and Emily as a couple was just too much for Kendall to bear. Of all the women in the world, he’d chosen the one who hated Kendall the most.
A sob escaped her. She opened the next prescription bottle. Bypassing her hand, she upended the contents into her mouth.
Heat rose around her and nausea churned in her belly. The room spun around her and she fell to her knees, her stomach heaving.
Grabbing the third bottle, Kendall’s hand trembled. Somehow, she managed to swallow most of the pills. Once she swallowed the last of her pills, she grabbed her phone.
The screen and keypad were so blurry. Her heart pounded in her chest, its beat rising in her ears. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but knew she’d never finish the text, so she wrote one, simple word, and pressed send.
Bye
Chapter Fifty-Six
“Baby, thank you for riding with me to Kendall’s,” Roxy said, making the turn-off onto the street that led to Kendall’s house.
“No problem, Momma,” Bailey responded.
The other girls were so fed-up with Kendall, they’d decided to head back to the clubhouse rather than roll with Roxy to see why she hadn’t shown up to the fitting and why she wasn’t answering her phone. Something didn’t seem right to Roxy. Kendall had been very excited to be a part of the wedding. Roxy didn’t believe she’d stay away if not for a drastic reason.
Of course, maybe, because Meggie hadn’t sounded herself when she’d called and said she wouldn’t make it to the fitting, Roxy was panicking for no reason. Hopefully, that was the case.
Roxy pulled behind Kendall’s Navigator. “I won’t be long,” she promised.
“Take your time,” Bailey answered, pulling her cell phone from her purse. “I’ll call Lucas.”
Smiling, Roxy got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. She walked up the steps, then rang the doorbell. Noting the attached camera, she waved.
“It’s me, baby,” she said just in case Kendall was looking at the monitor and wishing she had a key. The same unease that Roxy had been feeling for most of the day slid into her again.
Just as she rang the bell a second time, her phone rang. She’d already given Grant a special ring, so she knew it was him calling.
“Hey, sugar,” she answered. The little boy had made a lot of strides since he’d moved to Hortensia.
“Hi, Roxy,” he answered. “Can I have some ice cream? I asked Dad but he told me to call you.”
