CHAPTER 174 Family's Little Secret

*Lisa*
*Chicago*

I woke up to the unfamiliar ringing sound of a phone. It was nearby, incessant as well as annoying. As I slowly opened my eyes, I became conscious of a dull gnawing pain in the middle of my forehead which throbbed painfully with each shrill sound the phone made.

I slightly raised my head from my pillow, lifting my face away from the pool of drool that had seeped through the cloth of my pillow. However, I suddenly felt dizzy, so I quickly rested my head back against the pillow, allowing my cheek to rest on my wet saliva.

*Gosh*, *I had so much to drink last night*.

I moved my eyes to soak in my surroundings while the infernal ringing continued. The room was dark despite the sunlight streaming in between the gaps of the floor length curtains. In the middle of the room, I noticed the silhouette of a champagne bottle beside two flutes on top of a coffee table as well as my clothes and underwear strewn across a couch near my bed.

I blinked my eyes rapidly while I massaged my forehead, trying to remember where I was. Ugh, the hangover I was experiencing made my brain foggy.

It took a few moments, but I finally recognized the hotel suite I have stayed in for the past three nights. Although, this was the first morning I didn't wake up to the sunlight on my face and the spectacular view of the beautiful city of Chicago.

Link must have covered the tall windows with the curtains while I was asleep.

*Link*...

The memory of the night before quickly flooded my mind. I moved my head to take a look at myself and found I was lying on my stomach near the edge of the bed, completely naked.

After we made love, I remember floating into a blissful sleep, my carnal desires ultimately satisfied. It has been a long time since I've felt this way... years even-

As much as I wanted to reminisce, the high-pitched sound wouldn't stop. I picked up the handset, utterly grateful the room fell silent.

"Hello?" I croaked. My mouth was dry, my voice hoarse and I knew my breath stank to high heavens. I pulled up the white bed sheet which had fallen to the floor and covered my mouth. If there's anything that could repulse a man in the morning, it's bad breath.

"Good morning Ms. Murdock, this is Mandy from the front desk. You asked for an eight-thirty wake up call," a woman's perky voice said, reminding me I still had to get ready for my flight back to North Dakota. Today was Liam and Virtue's wedding.

"Thank you, Mandy," I mumbled grumpily and quickly placed the handset back onto the phone's cradle.

*Lisa, you need to brush your teeth*.

Yet, instead of getting up to use the bathroom, I took a moment to visualize Link's lovemaking...

How his lips kissed me from head to toe...

How his hands caressed every inch of my willing body...

How his fingers stroke me into submission...

How his tongue set me on fire...

And how his throbbing cock brought me to the heights of pleasure.

My nipples quickly hardened, then I felt that familiar longing between my legs. I sighed. Just the mere thought of his cock made me wet with desire.

Well, there was still time for a quickie, but first, a trip to the bathroom. I had to brush my teeth.

I gingerly sat up, the white sheet slipping down to reveal my nakedness.

I looked down at myself and saw my bare breasts illuminated by the sun's yellow rays peeking in through the gaps of the curtains. The sight instantly rekindled the memory of Link's tongue swirling around each rosy nub as I writhed underneath him and moaned for more... much, much more.

I turned around with a warm inviting smile on my lips to greet the man who had made me feel every inch a woman, but instead of finding Link on his side of the bed, I found a piece of paper laying on the dent of the pillow where his head was supposed to be.

He did tell me he had an early flight in the morning. Silly me, I chose to ignore it, thinking he would stay with me instead.

*But seriously*? *He left without saying goodbye*?

I felt a huge wave of disappointment as I stared at the small piece of paper. *Maybe it wasn't as good for him as it was for me*. *Maybe he fucked me out of pity*...

I turned on the small bedside lamp and took a deep breath, praying it wasn't a "I hope we can remain friends" kind of note, because I really wanted to be more than just friends...

*Now that I was finally free*...

I decided it was best for me to take a shower before reading Link's note. Once all the evidence of our lovemaking was gone, I would accept his rejection and move forward.

In the shower, I allowed the warm water to cascade over my body, hoping to wash away the remnants of our night together. Yet, the images of Link's lovemaking kept flooding my mind, leaving me lusting after him.

I would cherish this one night forever. Link made me realize my full potential as a woman. I felt strong. I felt empowered...

I no longer had any second thoughts. I was now determined to become Councilwoman Lisa Brent-Murdock, even if my father disapproved.

After getting dressed, I began to pack for my flight home. I was placing all my toiletries back into my carry-on when I noticed my wedding ring on the dresser.

*I didn't wear it last night*. Why should I? Cris is dead and I'm a widow.

It was a shock to find two men standing on my doorstep so early on a Monday morning. I was on my way out to the office to make sure all my affairs were in order before I flew to Chicago. I had planned to make a quick stop at town hall to talk to Liam then walk to Main Street to watch the opening ceremony of the Spring Honey Bee Celebration. It was seven-thirty in the morning and I was rummaging through my bag for my car keys when I stumbled upon the gentlemen about to ring the doorbell.

"Good morning, Ma'am," the taller one said. He had light brown wavy hair and friendly light brown eyes with specks of green in them. He was clean shaven with a long crooked nose and a small scar that ran through one of his bushy eyebrows. He was wearing a light gray suit, blue tie and a crisp white shirt. "Are you by any chance Mrs. Lisa Murdock?"

"Yes," I answered quietly, wondering who they were. "How may I help you?"

"I'm Detective Jonathan Benson and this is my partner Detective William Sikes. We're from the Bismarck Police Department," he said, moving his jacket to reveal his badge on his belt.

"We're sorry to barge in on you so early in the morning," Detective Sikes said, the older of the two. He was of average height, had black hair with a matching moustache. His eyes were a light blue and there were prominent wrinkles on his forehead. He was sporting a dark blue suit with a matching vest and tie over a light blue shirt. "We understand you filed a missing persons report for your husband, Councilman Cris Murdock. We're here with some news."

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, a feeling of renewed hope washing over me. "Have you found him? Where is he? Is he at the police station or maybe the hospital?"

"Ah, no, Ma'am," Detective Sikes answered, his eyes avoiding mine. "We believe your husband may have committed suicide." I looked at Detective Benson and noticed he was looking down at his feet, obviously uncomfortable to be the bearer of bad news.

"N-No, t-that's n-not possible," I stuttered, unwilling to accept Cris was dead. "H-he couldn't have killed himself. Sure, he's been stressed out... with the upcoming elections and all." I paused, my eyes widening at a sudden realization. "H-Have you found his body? Is that why you're here? You need me to identify the body of my husband?" Both detectives shook their heads, assuaging my fears, but it was short-lived.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't found his body. We believe it to be at the bottom of Elk's cliff. We need to send in a team there, but the Forest Ranger said there are mountain lions in those parts," Detective Sikes explained. "But we did find this at the edge of the cliff." He took out a plastic bag from his pocket and handed it to me. Inside was Cris' wedding ring.

I felt like I couldn't breath. Tears began to well up in my eyes while my whole body began to tremble. I leaned against the door in an effort to prevent myself from collapsing.

"We're terribly sorry for your loss, Mrs. Murdock," Detective Benson mumbled. I opened my mouth to acknowledge his simple words of comfort, but no words came out.

"Mrs. Murdock, here's my card," Detective Sikes said. "We understand if you need some time alone to process this. If you ever need us, give me a call."

I nodded absentmindedly and took his card. As they walked back to their car, I somehow managed to open the front door of the house, despite the sorry state I was in. Once I was inside, I broke down and cried, pitiful gut-wrenching sobs racked my body as I tried to accept Cris was no more.

I took the ring out of the plastic bag and read the engraving on the inner band. "*Truly*, *madly*, *deeply*."

When we married, I felt I was the happiest woman on the planet...

Until the late nights out became a regular thing.

Until he stopped making love to me and decided for the both of us that having children was out of the question.

Until I caught him having sex with his secretary here at his home office. She was naked, her breasts pushed against the top of his desk while he shoved his dick in her from behind, spanking her already red buttcheeks each time he rammed into her.

When he saw me, he grinned wickedly and asked if I cared to join them. *The nerve of that asshole*!

I wiped my eyes and laughed at myself for wasting my tears on him. Our marriage was over a long time ago and now I was finally free to do whatever I wanted. I no longer needed to stay in an unhappy marriage for the sake of appearances.

Pete was wrong; it wasn't Joy Taylor. Cris committed suicide.

Then I thought about it. Maybe Joy Taylor did push him off the edge of the cliff. I could check the CCTV footage in the area to confirm.

But why go through all that trouble? His wedding ring was found on the cliff's edge. Cris could have planted it there to make it look like a suicide. He did have enemies. I decided I would push through and fly to Chicago for answers. Anyway, I still needed to find myself a dress for Liam and Virtue's wedding and Chicago would be the perfect place to find that dress.

With Cris gone, Liam needed someone to run for councilman, someone people respected in this town. If I was elected, I would become the official realtor of all the the residential communities in New Salem. Aside from the potential business perks, I would also be entitled to a cut from all the extracurricular activities Liam and the organization were invested in. The money would finally go to me and not Cris, although, bless his heart, he did save so much of that money.

My family and I have always been entitled to a cut, but we couldn't let people find out about our family's little secret. Truth be told, it has been very difficult for me pretending to be the humble little rich girl, the remorseful friend, the dutiful wife and the worst, the nobody.

I was about to pick up Link's note when my smartphone began to vibrate. It was my mother.

"Lisa, dear, you didn't call me back. You promised me you would call after you spoke with him," she scolded me. "So, how was your meeting with De Vega?"