Adrienne had cried herself to sleep and woke up in the evening. She checked her phone and saw tons of missed calls and messages from Richard.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Are you okay? Did something happen?"
"Please call me."
Those were some of the texts from Richard.
She didn't know what to say or how to explain her feelings and instead of replying to his texts or calling him back, she texted Lisa.
She made a list of things she needed Lisa to bring and sent it along with the address.
Then, Adrienne washed her face, went downstairs, and got into her car.
***
"What's going on? What are we doing here?" Lisa asked Adrienne as she followed her, carrying two big bags in her hands.
Adrienne ignored her and walked quickly towards the entrance of the building.
It was a large, white mansion with a sign that read "Joygood Memorial Park".
Lisa had a bad feeling about this place. It was a private cemetery for the rich and powerful, where they buried their secrets and scandals, not just their dead.
"Adrienne, wait!" Lisa called out, struggling to keep up with her.
"What are we doing here? Why did you ask me to get all these?"
"You can drop the bags and leave if you want," Adrienne said coldly without looking back at Lisa or slowing down.
Adrienne reached the front door and pushed it open. She was greeted by a receptionist who looked bored and annoyed. She glanced at Adrienne and Lisa, then at the bags they were carrying.
"Can I help you?" she asked in a dull voice.
"Are you Thelma? I called earlier," Adrienne said, pulling out a wad of cash from her bag.
She threw it on the receptionist's desk, making her eyes widen.
"Give me access to the private cemetery. Now."
The receptionist looked at the money, then at Adrienne. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She pressed a button on her phone and said, "The visitors are here. Please escort them."
A few seconds later, two men in black suits appeared. They looked at Adrienne and Lisa, then at the bags they were carrying. They did not ask any questions but gestured for them to follow them.
"Come on, Lisa," Adrienne said, grabbing one of the bags. "It's fun time."
Lisa followed her, feeling confused and scared. She wondered what Adrienne was up to in the private cemetery.
The bag contained cans of spray paint, a sledgehammer, a sturdy hammer, a chisel, bottles of beer, and cans of soda.
The men stopped at a specific grave. It was secluded and the only one in that part of the large yard.
"Thank you," Adrienne smiled at the men. They bowed politely and left.
Adrienne examined the grave and a smirk appeared on her face. Lisa was still puzzled. She felt like she was seeing a different side of Adrienne.
"What's going on?" Lisa asked.
Lisa then noticed the inscription on the grave.
"In loving memory of... " Lisa gasped, stopping mid-sentence.
"Adrienne, no. You're not planning to do what I think, are you?" Lisa asked, getting frightened.
"Yes, I am. We're digging up Michael's dead body from this grave," Adrienne's smirk stayed.
"What? Adrienne, you've gone mad, please. How can we do something like that? That's unethical and so unlike the 'Adrienne Davison' I know," Lisa panicked as she scolded Adrienne.
Adrienne laughed briefly.
"I'm just kidding. But I did consider digging up his grave," Adrienne said and Lisa sighed in relief.
"So, what are we doing here then?" Lisa asked.
Adrienne then took one of the bags from Lisa.
"I need to vent the anger inside me. I need to let it out before I call Richard," Adrienne said.
"Again, what are we doing here?" Lisa repeated her question, wanting a clear answer.
Without warning, Adrienne grabbed the hammer and started smashing the grave, attempting to crack it open.
Lisa gasped. She ran to Adrienne and snatched the hammer from her.
"You're going to get in trouble. Let's go now," Lisa scolded, but Adrienne refused to budge.
"I'm just going to crack open his grave and spray paint his decaying body, and I'll pay those men to bury him again and fix the grave," Adrienne smirked.
"No! This isn't the Adrienne I know. Who is this monster? Who are you? This is so wrong and I won't let you ruin your reputation.
I know Michael did terrible things to you and he is the one who destroyed your life, but you shouldn't sink to his level," Lisa said, her voice becoming softer.
Adrienne collapsed, regretting her actions and choices. She dropped the hammer to the ground.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, barely audible through her tears.
"I just wanted to make him pay somehow. I didn't realize how serious or how low I had sunk.
I desperately needed something to distract me from the overwhelming emotions in my heart," Adrienne said.
"It's okay to feel those emotions, but don't let them control you," Lisa said.
Adrienne then sat on the grass and Lisa joined her.
"I still think it's unfair that he died without facing justice. It will take a lot for me to move on from that fact," Adrienne sighed.
"Call him," Lisa said.
"Call who?" Adrienne asked, looking up at Lisa and seeing her holding her phone out.
"You miss him, don't you? He'll help you cope with those feelings and make you feel better. I know he will," Lisa said, still offering the phone to Adrienne.
Adrienne looked at the phone and realized Lisa was right. She took the phone from Lisa.
"Thank you, Lisa," Adrienne said and called Richard.
Thankfully, he answered in less than five seconds.
"Babydoll. I'm glad you finally..."
Adrienne cut him off.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that, I shouldn't have ignored you when you were hurting."
"Girl, it's fine. Like you said, we need to call out the wrongs of the dead. We owe it to the people they hurt, like you.
Even though she was my daughter and we had a bad relationship, her legacy won't be whitewashed just because she's dead.
I love you, and I won't ignore the harm she did to you, because she's dead. I won't compromise honesty for 'respecting the dead'.
No false praise or false honor here. I completely understand why you didn't want to see me then.
Michael died without paying for his crimes, and now Juliette. Whatever you decide, I'll respect it. Respect for the living shouldn't hide the truth about the past," Richard finished.
Adrienne breathed a sigh of relief. Richard's words made her feel alive and she wanted to hear more from him.
"Adrienne? Are you there?" His question snapped her back to reality.
Adrienne smiled and said,
"Yes, I'm here. And I'm sorry for being so distant. I just... I don't know how to handle all this. It's like a nightmare that never ends."
Richard said, "I know, baby. I know. It's hard for me too. But we have each other, right? We can get through this together. You don't have to face it alone."
Adrienne felt a wave of gratitude and love for Richard. He understood her pain, didn't judge her for her feelings, and supported her.
"My love, my rock, my anchor, my soulmate..." Adrienne continued.
"What are you saying?" he asked playfully.
"I'm describing you," Adrienne laughed.
"Really? Go on then," he urged.
"The one who fills me with so much joy and passion and the best juices, the one who makes my heart race just by saying my name, the one who kisses me like no other.
I love how you say my name. I love your husky voice. I love the way you look at me with your piercing cobalt eyes.
And damn! Your lips. I could kiss them all day. Their taste, their softness, gosh!
And don't get me started on that perfect jawline. Then your muscular arms, your sculpted ribs.
Right now, I just want to trace paths on your chest, down to your abdomen, down to your waistline and into your..." Adrienne's praises were suddenly interrupted by Lisa coughing in the background.
It was a fake cough, meant to stop Adrienne from describing Richard's member.
Adrienne looked at Lisa and Lisa rolled her eyes at Adrienne and mouthed "I'm still here" to her.
Adrienne heard Richard chuckle softly on the phone and she blushed.
"That was so sweet," Richard said.
"Of course, it was," Adrienne said proudly.
"Why did you stop?" Richard asked.
"It was Lisa's fault. Don't mind her. I guess I made her uncomfortable.
And hey, you won't believe what I almost did tonight," Adrienne said, laughing again.
"Something crazy?" Richard asked and Adrienne told him how she dragged Lisa to the private cemetery to destroy Michael's grave.
"What? I'm so glad Lisa stopped you in time," Richard said.
"Me too. I finally realized that some people make bad choices when they're angry," Adrienne said.
"That aside," she continued before Richard could reply.
"I want to see you. I want to hug and kiss you. Can you come over?" Adrienne asked.
"Do you even have to ask? I'll be there in a flash," Richard said.
"Let's meet at the hotel, okay? I'll wait for you. Hurry up. I can't wait to see you."
Richard said, "Me neither, baby. Me neither. I'll see you soon. I love you."
"I love you too. See you soon."
They hung up the phone, and Adrienne felt a wave of excitement and anticipation.
"That went well," Lisa said.
"Thank you, Lisa," Adrienne thanked her.
"What were you going to do with these bottles of beer if you had smashed the grave?" Lisa asked.
"I don't even know. I think I wanted to smash them on the grave or something and then drink the soda afterward. What was I thinking?" Adrienne couldn't believe she wanted to do something like that.
"Well, you didn't break it, but we can still have the soda, right?" Lisa said, grabbing two cans of soda from the second bag.
She gave one to Adrienne and they sat close to each other on the grass, looking at the moonlit night sky.
"Cheers."