"You’ve been taking your sweet time with the move. I am starting to feel like you don’t want to leave your home. Is it the memories of raising Jack here?" Gwen asked. "Or is it that you still have feelings for Joseph."

Dorothy knew her sister had to be losing her mind for thinking she cared about her late husband. "There is much to move and since it will be permanent, I am enjoying my last days in Lockwood. You only want it to be quick so you can get away from your husband."

"I am tired of the way that man breathes. Should I follow your lead and get rid of him or would that be too suspicious?" Gwen wondered, hoping that it wasn’t. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"You don’t need to kill him. Just leave," Dorothy answered.

"That is rich coming from you," Gwen replied. She could take that advice from anyone else who hadn’t killed their husband.

"I am ready to face the consequences should the town guards realise my role in his death. You, my dear sister, would crumble standing before the court. I am saving you from not being able to sleep at night. Just leave your husband and come with me. I will take care of your needs," Dorothy offered.

With everything left in her hands, Dorothy had full control of all the money and what her husband owned.

’That does sound convincing but I would like to take what I am owed. I didn’t face affairs like you did but I certainly wasted plenty of my years. We should have fought against our father’s decision as to who we would wed. He spoke lies each time he spoke of our husbands," said Gwen.

Gwen wouldn’t mind having her father dug up to give him a little slap. Gwen could put up with her husband but Dorothy had it worse.

"Mother would be proud of you. You followed her leave with your hands full advice. You guaranteed that Jack would have everything. Years of affairs and Joseph never once spoke of an illegitimate child. Or was that what you were doing?" Gwen asked, afraid of her sister. How was there never once a secret child?

Dorothy didn’t answer and instead enjoyed her wine.

"I am glad that we are sisters so I never have to worry about you killing me. Since you are leaving, what will you do with her?" Gwen questioned, referring to Beth. It had been hilarious from the second she found out that Beth was trapped there.

Beth was stuck in the place she so desperately wanted to fit into in the past but now she wanted to get out and could not leave. The only problem Gwen had was that Dorothy would not let her go to speak to Beth.

"She has to go. I cannot keep her with me forever. She is quiet now but I still need her gone. I think she has learned her lesson," Dorothy said, certain of it since she had seen the defeat from how Beth looked now.

"I do not. She wanted to kill you. How certain are you- Jack!" Gwen exclaimed, startled by his sudden appearance. Dorothy didn’t inform her that he would be coming by. "It’s been so long since I last saw you. Have you come to help your mother move?"

Jack looked around at the almost empty home. This was the first he heard about his mother moving away. "She didn’t tell me that she was moving."

"How can I when we have not spoken to each other for some time now? It is your aunt that I am having as a guest, not Scarlet. If Scarlet is who you are looking for-"

"I am not looking for Scarlet. Why would I bother myself with a woman who does not want me?" Jack replied, his tone not convincing though he meant what he said. He would not feed Scarlet’s ego by chasing her when she had another man.

Dorothy could only laugh as he was the same one acting a fool over Scarlet not long ago. Though his talk with Scarlet went well, Dorothy was yet to believe he had moved on from his former wife. ’Then what are you here for? To speak about your father’s things? I have not packed up any so you can take what you like."

"I will take them but that is not what I am here for. I am leaving town right now. It is not to go to Scarlet and her family. I know they will shoot me on sight if I do. I need a break," Jack revealed. "I will be away for a while and come back to take over the business if you would allow me."

Dorothy was pleasantly surprised to hear Jack was leaving. She never thought there would come a day when he would wake up. "How long will you be gone for? You cannot leave for a long time and think that position will be open for you. I have already started to prepare your cousin for it. You have left us hanging while worrying about Beth and Scarlet."

"I know. I know of my mistakes. I will only be gone for two weeks and when I return, I need something to distract myself with. You did not go through all that trouble just for me to not inherit the business," Jack said, his nervousness growing as he feared he might have lost everything.

Jack needed to build back up the wealth he lost during the time he spent with a woman who sucked him dry.

"So, you did know what I did for you. I thought you would have kept pretending or giving credit to your father. You are lucky that I love you, you foolish boy. I will only give you one last chance to prove yourself. Prove that I did not endure all that I did just for you to disappoint me. Have your break and return in due time," Dorothy answered, agreeing to it.

She always thought that Jack needed to step away from Lockwood for a moment to clear his head and then return. Convincing him to leave was always the problem.

"You know that I will not let you disappoint me twice, right? I will cut you out of my life if you mess up again. Don’t entertain women nor bother the ones you once had in your life. Focus this time and I will help you to be something great. Please work on yourself, Jack."

Regardless of his foolish mistakes, Dorothy couldn’t help wanting the best for her son. There were days when she wanted to hit some sense into him and then other days when she wanted to hug him. She raised him well to know that he could do great things but he was caught up in acting like a fool.

Jack nodded his head. He glanced at his aunt who listened to the conversation. There was more he came for to speak to his mother about but he wanted for her to be alone. After some time to think, he had to apologise to her the most. Say sorry for becoming everything she disliked about his father.

Instead of an apology, Jack said, "I will come for his things another time. Have fun wherever you are going, mother."