The Ultimate Betrayal (18 page)

A
licia pressed the power button on her phone more than once, making sure her battery was dead. She'd just pulled into the garage, but before she'd left Levi's, she'd turned on her phone and seen two missed calls from Phillip and two from her dad. She'd also seen that her battery was still at 70 percent. So, for a few minutes, she'd sat in Levi's driveway, browsing her Facebook newsfeed and reading various articles on Twitter. By the time she'd started up her car, her battery had drained to 60 percent. This was when she'd clicked open her iHeartRadio app, found a great R & B station, and played it the whole way back to Mitchell. She hadn't been sure her plan would work, but thankfully, by the time she'd stopped at the mall and purchased a few items—to prove she'd been shopping—she'd successfully run down her battery and driven home.

Alicia had also taken a shower at Levi's, washed her face, held a cold towel across her eyes, and reapplied her makeup. That way Phillip wouldn't be able to tell she'd been crying. It was good, too, that she'd known so many of the songs she'd heard on iHeartRadio, she'd sung her way out of sadness.

Now all she had to do was put on a happy face and prepare herself for all the questions Phillip would be asking as soon as he saw her.

She grabbed four shopping bags, walked up to the door leading to the kitchen, turned the key, and went inside.

Phillip stood there waiting for her. “Where in the world have you been? Didn't you get my messages?”

“No, baby, I'm sorry. My phone has been dead for hours.”

“What about the charger in your car?”

“I couldn't find it. I never have to use it, so I must have misplaced it.”

“Where have you been?” he asked in a louder voice.

She set her bags down for effect. “Baby, please don't be upset…but I went shopping again. I went to see Melanie, she and I got into it, and the next thing I knew I was over at Woodfield.”

“For nine hours? Because it sounds like you left Melanie's around two o'clock.”

Alicia wanted to ask why Melanie had told him anything at all, but she didn't want to take a chance on making him more furious.

“I got caught up, and I'm sorry. I know I said I wouldn't do this again, but Melanie really upset me.”

“Well, while you were MIA, Brad was in a serious car accident and a child died. Her mother was drunk driving and ran a red light.”

“Oh no,” she said, leaning against the counter. “Is Brad okay?”

“No. He has a concussion and brain swelling, so they have him heavily sedated.”

“Dear God. And that poor child.”

“That's why I kept calling you. That's why I left you those messages, but some good that did.”

“I'm really sorry.”

“What's wrong with you? Why are you all of a sudden shopping again?”

“I told you, Melanie and I got into it. I should've just come home.”

“Yeah, that's exactly what you should've done.”

Alicia hated having to defend herself about shopping, but it was better for him to believe she'd been at the mall for hours than to suspect the truth.

“Did you just leave the hospital?” she asked.

“About an hour ago, but you really need to call Melanie. And why did the two of you fall out? Because she never said a word to me about it.”

“Remember, I told you Brad wanted me to talk to her about all the weight she's losing. I brought it up, and one thing led to another.”

“Well, you need to check on her. Not tomorrow but now.”

Phillip was angrier than Alicia had seen him in years. Their quarrel tonight reminded her of all the horrible arguments they'd had the first time they were married.

“Can I use your phone? Mine is still dead.”

“Your charger is right over there,” he said, glancing toward the electrical outlet near the toaster.

Alicia pulled her phone from her tote and plugged it in. When it came on, she dialed Melanie, but she didn't answer. It wasn't as though Alicia expected her to, anyway, not with the way they'd spoken to each other earlier.

“I'll just have to try her later.”

“Your best friend's husband could have died today, and you're not going to the hospital? Not to mention Brad's my best friend who I love like a brother.”

“Visiting hours are over.”

“Not for emergencies.”

“Melanie won't want me there.”

“Well, I'm going back, but you do what you want,” he said, walking away from her and going upstairs.

Alicia was staying home, and she was glad Phillip had left the kitchen for the time being. He seemed so through with her, but she would explain and apologize for the next week if that's what it took for him to get over this.

She dialed into her voice mail system and listened to the messages her dad and Phillip had left her. She'd purposely not played them when she'd first discovered them, because she'd wanted her plan to seem as genuine as possible. That way, if, for instance, Phillip walked back into the kitchen without warning, he'd see her checking her messages the same as anyone would do as soon as they realized they'd missed a few calls. But when she heard the last one from her dad, she deleted it. His tone was stern and terse, and he sounded as though he was expecting the worst. There was no way she was calling him back tonight. She would just wait and see him at church in the morning. Her dad wasn't always tactful, but he would never question or accuse her of anything in front of others. She knew she'd have to talk to him at some point, but it would be on her own terms and not until she was ready. It wouldn't be a second before that.

N
ormally, the eight o'clock service wasn't as full as the one at eleven, but today, a lot of Deliverance Outreach members had gotten up early. Although, Alicia was sure it had something to do with her dad announcing last week at both services that “my son-in-law will be delivering the eight a.m. message next Sunday, and I'm asking that you all come out to support him.” This didn't happen at every church, but whenever her dad asked his congregation to do something, they were usually in agreement.

Service wouldn't be starting for another twenty minutes, so while Alicia, Charlotte, and most everyone else had taken their seats, many parishioners quietly chattered amongst themselves.

“It's great that so many people came out this morning,” Charlotte said, crossing her legs and pulling her black knit skirt closer to her knees.

Alicia nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Phillip always gives such a great teaching sermon, and everyone loves him.”

“I know. He's definitely a wonderful speaker.”

“So, how's Brad? Did you make it out to the hospital last night?”

“No, I didn't, and I haven't spoken to Melanie yet, either.”

“Why, what's wrong?”

“It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later.”

“We were out there for a while yesterday evening, so I hope he's doing better.”

“Me, too,” Alicia said. “And I've been praying for him.”

“And that poor baby that died. It's so hard to believe a mother would drink and then subject her child to so much danger.”

“It's very sad.”

Alicia looked up when one of the male ushers walked toward them.

“Sister Sullivan,” he said to her. “Your dad would like to see you in his office.”

Alicia wanted him to go away, but he stood there waiting.

“Thanks,” she said.

“You're welcome,” the man said, finally leaving.

Charlotte looked at her. “Is everything okay?”

“I guess.”

“Something's wrong. What is it?”

Alicia wanted to tell Charlotte everything, but she couldn't. If anyone would understand what she was going through, it would be her stepmother. However, Alicia was too ashamed to tell her about Levi. “Nothing, but I'd better go see what Daddy wants.”

Alicia got up, walked across the front of the sanctuary, and went into the hallway leading to her father's office. As it was, Phillip hadn't said a word to her since returning from the hospital late last night, and he had driven to church without her, so there was no telling what her dad was preparing to say or do. Especially since he'd already left her a not-so-nice message yesterday.

She knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Curtis said.

Alicia opened it and went in. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“I do. Please close the door and have a seat.”

Alicia did what he asked.

Curtis leaned forward, locking his hands together and resting them on his desk. “So, after all that I tried to tell you back in June. After I reminded you about the dangers of temptation, you still went out and did whatever you wanted. Even knowing what happened the last time you had an affair with Levi.”

Alicia swallowed and looked him straight in the eyes. “I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done anything wrong.”

“Alicia, you and I both know that you're lying. We also know that your phone wasn't off yesterday for no reason.”

“There actually was a reason. My battery was dead.”

Curtis leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with disappointment. “You were with him Friday night, too, weren't you?”

“Daddy, I'm not seeing Levi, so I'm not sure what else you want me to say.”

“You're lying, and I know you're lying. As soon as I called Phillip Friday night, and he told me you'd been shopping over in Oak Brook since noontime, I knew what you were up to. Poor Phillip joked about it, saying he hoped you hadn't returned to your old ways and was spending every dime you had. But my thoughts immediately shifted to Levi. Then, when you wouldn't answer your phone last night, I knew what you were doing. You were with Levi both days, weren't you?”

Alicia rarely got upset with her father, but he was starting to annoy her. “I'm really offended by all these accusations.”

“Why won't you just answer the question? Were you with him or not? I already know you were, but I wanna hear you say it.”

Alicia stood up. “Daddy, you know what? I'm a grown woman, and I don't have to lie about anything.”

“Then why are you?”

She pushed the chair she'd been sitting in closer to his desk. “Is that all you wanted? Because I need to get back to my seat.”

“I just have one last thing to say. Whatever you're
not
doing, you need to stop doing for good. Shut it down before you're sorrier than you were the last time. Nip this craziness in the bud before somebody gets hurt.”

She hated when her father spoke sarcastically and acted as though he'd never committed a sin in his life. Yes, he'd changed for the better, and yes, he was now faithful to his wife, but he had a past and he wasn't perfect. She also didn't like the fact that he'd summoned her to his office as if she were a child. He had no right doing that, but she wouldn't let her father's interrogation ruin her Sunday. She would enjoy her husband's sermon and look forward to seeing her mom and stepdad for dinner.

After Alicia returned to the sanctuary and praise and worship service ended, Phillip got up and walked into the pulpit. Normally, before he gave any sermon, he squeezed Alicia's hand, touched her in some kind of way, or just smiled at her. But today, he acted as though she didn't exist. She wasn't sure what it would take to soften his rage, but she had to figure it out before the day was over.

Phillip scanned through his electronic tablet and glanced at Alicia. There was still no smile on his face, and if anything, he seemed irritated and as though he didn't want to be there.

“A few months ago during Bible study, my father-in-law taught a lesson entitled Temptation and the Tricks of the Devil. I was really touched by it, and while my original topic for today was The Joy of Forgiveness, I realized last night that God had something else He wanted me to talk about. So, if you would, please turn in your Bibles to Romans six, twenty-three.”

Alicia knew exactly what scripture that was, and she wondered why Phillip had suddenly changed his sermon.

“Do you all have it?” he asked.

“Yes,” most everyone said.

“And Romans six, twenty-three, reads, ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'” Phillip looked at Alicia again and then across the congregation. “So my topic for today is Sin and The Ultimate Betrayal.”

Alicia wasn't sure if it was her guilt that was making her take Phillip's topic personally, or if Phillip actually believed she'd betrayed him in some way. Because with the way he kept glaring at her, he seemed to be speaking to her directly. Her father sometimes did that very thing when he wanted to get a point across to Charlotte, or even Alicia for that matter, but she hadn't expected this from Phillip.

“Of course, we all know that the ultimate betrayal in history was when Judas identified Jesus to the Roman soldiers so they could arrest him. But over the years, I've learned that betrayal can occur on many levels. It can also involve grave amounts of sin, and innocent people can be hurt pretty badly. And please don't get me wrong, we've all sinned at one time or another and fallen short of the glory of God, but there ought to come a time when, as Christians, we don't want to commit those same awful sins anymore. And yes, it is also true that we all make mistakes, but when we make mistakes, we also have an opportunity to learn some very valuable lessons. That way, we never, ever make those mistakes again.”

“Amen,” some of the members said.

“The other thing I've learned is that lying can cause just as much pain as any other sin. Not being honest with the people we love can cause irreparable damage. It can also cause lots of suspicion and total distrust.”

If Alicia could run out of the church without anyone seeing her she would. She wasn't sure whether Phillip suspected anything about Levi, or whether he was referring to the way she'd lied to him about going on another shopping spree. Years ago, when she'd gone out and blown all their money on shopping, he had become furious and they'd argued like enemies—every single time she'd done it. But today, she couldn't tell which was which. Was it the shopping he was still so upset about, or did he think she was having an affair again? Surely two days of shopping hadn't made him believe she was sleeping around. But what if it had? What if he knew more than he was saying? What if her father had shared with Phillip his own suspicions? But then, there was no way her dad would betray her that way. He wouldn't do that to his own daughter. Or would he? What if her father was having her followed the same as Levi had? It certainly wouldn't be out of character for him. He had done much worse to others in the past, so anything was possible. But then again, her dad wasn't like that anymore.

Alicia tossed so many thoughts and scenarios through her mind, her head started to ache. Sneaking around, hiding, and lying for two days straight was weighing heavily on her heart, and it was making her insane. One weekend was only a short period of time, but as she sat listening to Phillip, she knew she couldn't go on this way. There was something too unsettling about the pain and the troubled look she saw on his face. She needed to decide who she was going to spend the rest of her life with: her husband or the man she loved so completely. Phillip or Levi? The man who'd never stopped loving her or the
other
man who'd never stopped loving her? Because if she didn't, she knew her father's words would play out in real life. Somebody would get hurt. She wished that weren't true, but it was almost inevitable.