Secret Love

Renee was just finding her ground as a single mother of 2 rowdy boys, it has been four long years since her abusive, controlling husband died. She struggled at first, with nothing her wealth left for her. She had to fight for jobs, with none working out until 2 years after his death. She was furious at first that Leo left her and her boys nothing to survive until she got a steady income, but she made ends meet by baking bread, growing vegetation, and picking up shifts at her local diner. After working at the diner for 1 year she saved just enough money to move into this almost perfect home in the city. Not ideal but it is what she could afford on the market with two kids. The house was big enough for them to have their own rooms (if you count the living room as Renee's room which she converted it into). But it was too small to bring all her belongings from the house they had just moved from, a big 3-story home that she could no longer afford taxes on. She decided to sell everything she had left of Leo's, sold what she could not take and stored the rest, with the money from that and her job as a server she paid 6 months of rent on their new apartment she found after a year of looking. After 4 stressful years, she was finally relaxed with a house they could afford, fewer bills, less space to keep clean, and new schools with better education. She sat down once the boys had gone to bed and stared at the few boxes of hers, she had, she was not a material person, so she did not have much. Renee then went to the fridge, grabbed her bottle of whiskey and a cup, sat on the floor, and started to unpack.

Three hours later she was awoken by her phone ringing. wondering who is calling her at nine at night she answers the phone, "hello?". "I apologize for calling so late Renee do you have a second to talk?" asked a familiar voice. Renee looked at her phone and recognized the name now that she was fully awake, it was Jake, her late husband's lawyer. Puzzled by the call after Leo had been gone for three years, she sat up quickly spilling the cup of whiskey she passed out before finishing, she responded "hi Jake, I do what can I do for you?". After a brief pause, he sighed "I hate this conversation is just now happening, but I need to meet with you as soon as possible" wondering what he wanted she agreed to a coffee after the kids go to school Monday which was the following morning. After hanging up the phone she cleaned the spilled drink and blew up her air mattress, threw a VHS tape on and fell asleep. The boys were out of bed before Renee was and they ran and jumped on her before the alarms could even go off, excited to start their new school. She gets up and makes them breakfast and her some coffee. As they are eating, she is making sure they have their uniforms ready, bags packed and lunches ready. The whole time wondering what Jake could want after 4 years of no contact since he was indeed Leo's lawyer and not hers. She had never needed one, but she was all too familiar with why he needed one. Once the kids are ready to go, she waits with them until the bus arrives and thankfully here it is right on the corner, no more walking what seems forever to get to it. Once she seen them off to school, she then Walked to the coffee shop down the road she was meeting with Jake at. Once she had arrived, she quickly found him with no problem. She remembered how handsome he was, long curly hair to his shoulders, a smile that would guide you if you were lost in the dark, and eyes bluer than the ocean and a complexion that was kissed by the sun and tall, usually taller than most people around him.

Renee stood there taking in the tall, beautiful man just as she remembered when Jake spotted her and walked up to her with 2 coffees in hand and 2 bagels, her favorite ones at that; everything bagels with vegetable cream cheese. "Well right on time, I hope you don't mind but I also got you a bagel I hope this was the right one" he said as he handed her one of each. With a smile she took both from him, "How did you know what I would prefer?" she asked, also confused as to how he knew what she would have ordered. Jake did nothing more than shrug his shoulders with a smile, and motioned to follow him out the door, confused, she followed. Thankfully, she knew his office was a block down and across the street, so the walk was not long before they were there. "You still didn't answer my question about the bagel," she said with a laugh as they walked into his office to talk. "well....." he said trying to not mention how he would watch and listen to her any time he met with them knowing how she was being treated he wanted to remember what she liked in case he could sneak her food or drinks or anything really, but Leo was always hovering and it was hard, " Leo told me one day that he couldn't understand how you like that combination so much when there is better options, but it's also one of my favorites too" knowing he hated the vegetable cream cheese. Renee was taken by surprise that Leo would say something about her that was not as vulgar, but she was quick to dismiss it when she realized why she was there, " well Jake thank you, but what did you want to see me about? Did Leo rack up a debt or get into trouble what is going on?". Jake mid bite of his bagel reached into his file cabinet and pulled out a big white envelope setting it on his desk. "Let's finish this bagel before we begin it's pretty good" Jake suggested as he shoves the bagel back into his mouth. Renee was not interested in the bagel at this moment, but she did sip her coffee while she waited for him to finish.

When Jake finished his bagel he cleared his desk of crumbs, sipped his coffee, and slid the envelope over so it was in between him and Renee. He tapped it with his hand multiple times in silence, Renee with no more patience, asked once again " Jake why am I here? what is this about?". He opened the envelope and pulled out a few papers, and cleared his throat, " well Renee, this is probably excuse my language, the worst thing a client has ever asked me to do for them." Confused, Renee lowers her eyes to the papers in Jakes hands wondering what the hell he is talking about. "Leo, being the person he was, had asked me to not speak about this until now, he wanted to leave you something but with strings attached." What did he just say? thought Renee. He said 4 years ago that Leo left me nothing besides a few years paid off on the house they lived in, then the house was to be sold and whatever money was in the bank. Leo did not even leave his own kids anything, but that was not surprising as he only pretended to care about them. Reluctant to even ask, "What do you mean he wanted to leave something? you said he left us nothing but what we already had, he didn't care about his kids enough to even leave them money for school" she said as her voice started to get louder. Renee did not care about getting anything for herself, all she wanted out of that sick bastard of a "husband" she had, was that he take care of his kids which he did while he was alive, never raised his hands to them and tried to be good Infront of them, but when he died he left them nothing while in a very expensive school that they couldn't afford no more without him.

Renee, I am sorry I allowed money to influence me into doing this, but Leo left you and the boys something but wanted me to wait to give it to you. He said for 10 years or until you leave that god forsaken house to hold onto the will and a few things for you" he said as he handed her a key and a letter. A letter from Leo, there is no way this is real, she thought as she took them both. When she saw the handwriting, she could not help but gasp; it was indeed from Leo that it was addressed by a name he called her only when they were first "in-love"- 'to my princess-Renee'.

Renee could not believe her eyes, she hurried to open the letter so she could read it. "Dear Princess..." she looked at Jake then back down in disbelief, " I know the last thing you are expecting right now in life is this. I know it is too late to apologize for how I treated you and what I have done to you was unspeakable. Even now after death I wronged you one more time, I left you thinking you were nothing, had nothing, will be nothing. I know in my last few months you cared for me when you should not have, you had the chance to leave but you stayed. Thank you for taking care of me like you always did. Please listen to Jake and do not be mad at him. Just listen to him and take what he gives you. Please, if not for you then take it all for the kids. Love Leo your king." Renee balled the paper up feeling her rage rising "who does he think he is, he ask for forgiveness for beating me black and blue, starving me, causing bodily harm in ways I could not explain to people so I had to hide it with long clothes or pretend to be sick when we had company..." she realized while rampaging about this Jake had a look of shock on his face like he did not know about it. Renee quickly sat down embarrassed for her rant, "Renee..." Jake said after a few moments. "I had no idea it was that bad..." he paused looking down at the papers in his hand, the will that ass hole paid him to hide from her, "I'm so sorry." he said finally. A few moments passed then Renee asked, "well Jake the most I can say is he did ask me not to be mad at you. What did Leo leave for my kids?". Shocked at her words Jake cleared his throat and read the will "Leo left you a beautiful home in Oklahoma, he actually trusted it to you and the kids, so you don't have payments". A home in Oklahoma... Could it be the house she thought it was? No way, she thought. He had no idea she was even looking at that house, she had found her dream home she wanted if she was ever brave enough to leave him. She kept it hidden from him. Jake disrupted her thoughts confirming what she thought was impossible, "Leo said he found this house listing in a book of yours and thought you would love it, so he bought it for you right before he fell ill." he said with a look of disgust on his face. Jake kept reading, "there is also a safe with 3 million dollars in it." WHAT? Renee spit out her coffee, "WHAT?"