Chapter 66

* Janie *

They released me. I was a bit skeptical that it could be that easy, so I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to be followed, but all I saw was my shadow in the concrete as I tried to move as fast as I could through the strange streets.

My head was finally starting to feel normal again, and my only thought was of getting out of L.A. I was sure no one was going to listen to any explanations I had, and there was no doubt in my mind that Mary and the others would be coming after me.

The fear that gripped me with that thought had me pushing myself even harder, even though my body still felt weak from my time in the hospital. I needed a place to lay low and some time to think about everything that had happened today and was happening now.

I’ll deal with my marriage situation later, but right now, I need to stay alive. I didn’t know where I was when I looked around, but it didn’t matter; as long as I found a place to lay low for a day or so, I’d be able to get myself out of here and somewhere safe.

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine at the thought of what would happen to me if they found me. Not just Mary either, but the people she dealt with. The reason I’d been so meticulous about keeping notes and such was that I knew those men and women would pay anything to keep their little secret hidden.

I’d planned on using that information later down the road once I had everything in place, but now that was out the window. I would like to roll into a ball and wallow in self-pity because everything had gone to shit, but there was no time. After what I just saw, the recordings from earlier being broadcasted all over the news, I knew I had to get as far away from here as possible.

Calling my dad wouldn’t help. He’s the first place they’d look, and he’s probably having his own problems as well now that I’d spilled the beans. I didn’t care; all I cared about was getting out of there and somehow making my way back to Ryder.

The divorce can’t be real because I don’t remember signing any papers even though the signature had clearly been mine. I’ll just tell the judge that I’d been tricked. I no longer care what the public thinks, even though I felt tears gathered in my eyes when I thought of the way they were sure to turn on me now.

Everything that we’d worked so hard to hide was now fodder for the masses. It was all that bitch Mary’s fault. She was the one who kept up the smear campaign against that Elena bitch. It was her idea to keep going after her in the hopes of making her crazy while that deceitful bitch Rachel had kept feeding her drugs to help her along in that direction.

It was a good plan in the beginning, especially once the magic woman assured us that it would work and I’d have her out of me and Ryder’s life forever, and I’d be his wife. I didn’t care about anything else back then and didn’t stop to think of what could happen if things went south.

My only interest was and always will be Ryder and me being together. Every little girl has dreams; why is it so bad that I wanted mine to be fulfilled and went to any lengths to do it? Why did she deserve him and not me? Why does everyone like her so much?

My heart hurt at the realization that after everything I’d done, I was still only second best in everyone’s eyes. It’s humiliating to accept and know that even with all the well-laid plans, I still ended up like this.

The bots we’d bought to continuously attack her online had been doing a good job for years. The people we’d incited against her had bought our story that her public persona was a lie and that, behind the scenes, she was a monstrous bitch. They were our best line of defense because they were always the first ones to attack whenever something good happened to her.

Mary and I had worked on that idea together. I’d only become interested in her and her daughters’ campaign when it looked like Ryder would never give me the attention, he gave to her when they were together. His indifference made me so angry that I would make up shit about her and post it online, anonymously, of course.

The more he hated me, the more I blamed her, and the vicious cycle never seemed to end. I found solace in the love and adoration of his fans who sided with me when I forgot that it was really the bots pushing that narrative, of course.

In my head, I’d made myself believe that they were actually human beings who loved me and liked seeing us together. On the days that his hatred of me got too bad behind closed doors, I’d appease myself with the knowledge that I was part of the Hollywood in-crowd now, and nothing could change that.

It was thanks to Mary, of course; my association with her family was something I knew I could fall back on. I knew that whenever I was seen with either Noel or Nicole or both, that my status would go up even further in everyone’s eyes, and for years it had worked like that in my favor.

While I was shining and receiving all the praise, that bitch was hiding in the dark, licking her wounds, and I loved it. The more pain we caused her, the better I felt, and no matter how bleak my relationship was with Ryder when we were alone, and the cameras were off, I could still revel in the fact that I had him and she didn’t.

So where did everything go wrong? Although it had fast become a hollow victory with Ryder shunning and humiliating me the very same day of our wedding when he had a moment of clarity and asked aloud what the fuck I was doing near him, things had smoothed themselves out with time. That and the help of some powerful magic.

Speaking of which, I need to call Mom; she’d know what to do. But where was she going to find another magic woman this soon? Obviously, she and the aunts weren’t strong enough for what we needed, or they would’ve handled things on their own, to begin with.

No matter what, though, I won’t give Ryder up. No matter what, I will always be Mrs. Sumner, and no one was going to take that away from me. He’s my whole life, my only identity. Without him, I’m nothing, and after this fiasco, I’ll be even less than that.

This is all I’ve ever wanted since the first time I laid eyes on him. I knew when my dad came on board that it was only because of the money, but I didn’t care; I wanted Ryder, and nothing else mattered.

My heart raced with the memories. The days and nights when I had to watch him be with her. Times when I was too young to do anything about it. I’d bided my time well, and the stars had aligned in my favor, just as Mom and Dad had promised.

So what if I did all those things to help me reach my goals? I’m sure I’m not the first one. That woman, Gisselle, Brisiel, or whatever the hell her name is, was around here long before I showed up, so I’m sure I’m not her only client and that no one else was going to her just to have their palms read.

I know the fans are going to have a field day with this now, and the people who loved me yesterday are going to hate my guts today. It doesn’t matter; I’ll just stay off the Internet for a while.

I’d downloaded the best praise posts over the years to pull out each time I needed a boost. Maybe I’ll reread them all for the next couple of days while I lay low and think of my next move.

The one good thing was that no one knew about my hidden account, and I was glad now more than ever that I’d had the foresight to put that money away. In the beginning, I didn’t use to think that way. I thought with the love of my man; I wouldn’t ever have to worry about the future.

But those hopes were dashed almost immediately when I saw the hate and disdain in my new husband’s eyes. And even though he was still under my control with the drugs and whatever else Mom and the aunts were doing, something warned me to look out for myself.

It was a bitter pill to swallow; having to wear two faces hadn’t been easy either. So no matter how we started, I’d done more than enough to deserve his love. My stomach turned, and I fought back tears as I recalled all the times he’d rebuffed me.

I knew at some point that he only even left the house with me and put on a happy face to save his own face and reputation. But no one knows the hell I suffered once the door was closed and the curtains drawn.

He never hit me; that might’ve been easier to deal with instead of his disdain and outright hostility whenever I tried getting near him. Bruises heal, but knowing that the person you were obsessed with hated your guts is a pain you could never escape.

The thought of being away from Ryder left me physically ill. As usual, my first fear and worry was that he was with her. I’ve spent many a sleepless night worried about that over the last five years. I’d got to the point that I almost hated him for not loving me the way he’d so publicly loved her when they were together.

Then the speculation started about our marriage and the haste in which it had happened, only making matters worse. I’d spread the story of how in love we were, made the public see and accept that he had chosen me after all.

But now everyone knows that it was all a lie. That I’d tricked him, lied to him, and it won’t be long before they realized that all the things that had been said about her over the past five years were all lies made up by the Hudsons and me.

My stomach dropped when I realized that Ryder, too, would be counted among that number. If he ever finds out that I’d used his social media handles to spread hate against her, I’m almost certain he’d hate me even more.

I didn’t worry too much about it before because I was guaranteed that the spell would keep him by my side forever. But now that, too, seems to have been jeopardized, and there was nothing I could do about it for the time being because I had no idea where he was.

I’d been so lost in thought that I hadn’t been paying attention to where I was going. Not that I would’ve known because the place still looked unfamiliar. We couldn’t have gone too far, though, because I don’t remember us driving for that long after they picked me up in front of Mary’s place.

I was starting to count my lucky stars that those men had let me go, and I was free. No one knew where I was, so I was safe. As soon as I had the thought and was beginning to feel a little better about this turn of events, I turned the corner and walked into the middle of a throng of reporters. It was as if they were waiting for me.

“There she is. Is it true that…. Did you know that….” The questions were coming hard and fast, and once again, I felt trapped and ambushed. The flash of the cameras did something strange to me, and the fear I felt was indescribable. I had the fleeting thought that this was a far cry from what I was used to.

I was usually the one calling them any time Ryder and I were going to be out somewhere together. Just knowing that she would see us holding hands as we walked side by side was enough to make my whole damn week.

It didn’t matter that he never really held my hand, never closed his fingers around mine, or that I was always the one doing the holding. I’m sure no one had ever noticed those little details; it was enough that everyone thought we were together. A happy, loving couple.

So where had it all gone wrong? “Move, get out of my way.” I tried turning my face away from the cameras and ignored their questions as they dogged my every step. “Is it true that Ryder and Elena have gotten back together?” That question made my blood boil, and I was no longer interested in keeping up the disinterested facade.

“She’ll never have him; he loves me, only me.” Even I was surprised by my voice. It didn’t sound like me, not at all like my usual amiable tone when talking to the paparazzi. I pushed my way through them as their questions felt like stones and darts against my mind. “Leave me alone,” I screamed and started running away, looking for a dark alley that I could disappear into.

It’s not true; it can’t be true. My skin felt too tight, and I wanted to climb out of it. My mind was jumping around from one thought to the next, but nothing made sense. My chest felt tight each time I replayed those words in my head. That’s the one thing I cannot live with. Ryder being anywhere near that bitch, Elena.

The tears flowed freely down my cheeks in frustration and anger. Is it true? Or just another lie from the paparazzi? I’d fed them enough over the years to suspect anything that came out of their mouths. So why did I already believe that it might be true?

The fact that I always ignored that he was still thinking about her doesn’t make it any less so. The nights he’d cried out for her in his sleep, those nights I’d wanted to hunt her down and murder her were always fresh in my mind.

Those nights and those tears had only served to make me hate her more. The whole world was always moaning and groaning about her pain. That was another one of our reasons for constantly attacking her. She had too much public sentiment when Ryder and I first got married, so it was easy back then to paint her as the villain.

No one knew for sure why Ryder had chosen me, so it was easy to spin it my way and make her out to be the reason for their breakup. No one knew that I had been stalking him for years or of our plans for me to become his wife since I was fourteen years old or thereabouts.

Each time things died down, and she came back with some new venture or the other, we’d ramp up the old propaganda machine, using the idiots on the Internet as our mouthpiece to do our bidding after the bots had dominated the headlines with whatever spiel we fed them. We can get back there; there must be a way to turn this all around.

Mary has been doing it for years; how else did she get the world to believe that those sluttish talentless hacks she calls daughters were superstars? A thought struck me just then. Her son, he hates them all, his mother and sisters. The poor boy had eaten himself into the size of half a cow to protect himself from them.

Had he even tried to break out in the mainstream the way they did, he’d be dead already. I’m not sure what they have against the men in their family, but I know it’s something deep that goes back years. Now Mary’s ex was running around here in a dress and stilettos because that’s the only way he could escape them and keep his life.

There was so much I could use against her, against all of them. But I had to get myself to a safe place first, then I could think more clearly about what I was going to do. I could sneak into my old home since it was on lockdown, but the only problem is, I have no idea if those people stayed there around the clock.

It would take the men and women Mary dealt with hours to get here since most of them lived overseas, but there were a few right here in this town that might fear what I know. I started feeling tired again but knew that I had to keep going.

Just as I put some distance between the paparazzi and me, my phone rang. I was hoping it was my dad, or even my mom, anyone that could help me, help get me out of here in one piece. “Hello!”

“The hunter has become the hunted. How does it feel?”

“You little bitch, when I get my hands on you, you’re going to be sorry.” I was so angry I could hardly breathe.

“I wish you would. Anyway, my Daddy just lectured me about playing with my food, so I’ll get to the point. You have nowhere to run, don’t look for your dad to save you. He’s trying to save himself. Oh, and by the way, I found your secret account.”

I wanted to scream but could hear the paparazzi’s footsteps as they looked for me. I could hear them shouting out to one another, asking where I’d disappeared to, and I had to stuff my fist into my mouth to keep the screams at bay when she rattled off my account number.

“For someone who doesn’t work, where did you get that kind of money? Were you robbing the love of your life as well? Or were you being paid by someone else?” How could someone who sounded like a kindergartener ask such questions? Was I still under the influence of something?

No, the first time I spoke to her, she sounded young too, and I wasn’t high then; or was I? I don’t remember. “Who are you?”

“No one important. You’d better listen. You told the whole world with your own mouth on national television what you did to get Ryder Sumner and how you harmed Elena Gianni. You also told them about Mary, Scott, and Matt and their trafficking business. Your life isn’t worth the air you breathe. Do you know why?”

I wanted to hang up. I didn’t want to hear shit she had to say. But I was afraid of what might happen if I did. I was very sure that she was the one who had sent me to that place, that it was because of her that I said all those things in front of the cameras.

“I’ll tell you!” She sang the little ditty Nicole Noel, and I sang about Elena. That was the beginning of all this.

“What about the stupid song?”

“Some names should not be taken in vain.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you a Christian? Or is that another lie?”

What the hell is she talking about?

* Ryder *

She didn’t push for anything more than what I’d shared though I was certain she knew I was holding back. There might be no way to keep this all away from her, as I’m sure it will be all over the net for a while, but at least for now, she can have a few more days of peace.

Char had shared some of what they’d done with her, but even she had held back the worst of it. But that’s not the reason I didn’t want her seeing that mess; I didn’t want her asking questions about what Janie meant about Mary and the kids.

It was only a matter of time before someone went digging into those allegations, and if they didn’t, I have no doubt that Lyon’s daughter and her friends would lead them in that direction. It’s foolish to think I can keep it hidden from Elena forever, but I’m going to give it my best shot.

I looked at her now, and my heart swelled with all the love and adoration I felt for her. She seemed fascinated with this place, and I promised myself to look into real estate around the area first thing Monday morning. Secretly, of course, I get the feeling we’re going to need to lay low for a little bit, just like we had in L.A.

Since there wasn’t really a movie being shot and no tours needed, I was going to have a lot of free time on my hands. I plan to be there when Lyon and his men go on their rescue mission; I’d already asked and was approved by the big man. As long as I kept my ass out of the way and out of the line of fire, he would let me tag along.

I needed to see with my own two eyes that the girls who had been taken were safe. I’ve already organized in my head how I was going to set them up for life once they were freed. Lyon assured me that they had medical staff on hand to treat the victims as soon as we brought them home, and we’d found most of the parents; some had died in the interim, and some families had been broken apart.

Whoever we find will be compensated by me. Aside from what had been done to me and Elena, that was the hardest thing to deal with about this whole mess. I still stay awake late at night thinking about my own stupidity and wishing I’d been a better person.

My blindness and sheer stupidity had caused all of this, and this woman across the room from me had suffered. My heart will never forgive me for that.