46. Alyssa

The last few days have been chaotic. For one, Jacks was gone. Garrett had gone behind my back and sent her back to Cali, but once he explained that she was keeping an eye on Natalie, I let it go. But that's not the biggest surprise. Apparently, Denny and Lacey had run off together, or at least that's what everyone thinks.

No one knows for sure because no one saw them leave together, but the fact that they both disappeared at the same time made it appear that they had. Though Denny's Mom was telling anyone who would listen how much her son hated Lacey, which no one believed because they all pretty much knew about that video by now.

Speaking of everyone knowing, news of Helen's arrest was already making the rounds, and the local gossip tree was in full force. I think the general consensus was that Helen had lost her shit because Dad went to my wedding without her because I didn't want her there after years of abuse.

A little side note, Rhoda has been sharing some old texts between Helen and her friends bragging about how she was making mine and my Mom's lives hell. I didn't even have to embellish that shit to make her get hate; it was that horrible on its own.

Anyway, the ladies and some gents, too, I believe, were adding two and two together and getting ten, which was perfect for my purpose. They were of the belief that Helen, in a fit of rage, had released a monumental number of fleas in Dad's home to destroy it out of jealousy and hate.

There was mention of her meltdown in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly; thanks again to Rhoda releasing that footage, and pretty much everyone was convinced Helen was no longer playing with a full deck. That's for the years my mother had suffered mentally while that bitch was turning the screws and making it worse.

There was no bail, and somehow, the case was being rushed through the system, and she was looking at twenty years to life. At least that's the gossip, but no one will know for sure until the trial starts if there's even going to be one. Her court-appointed attorney may be pushing hard for her to take a plea deal, but again, I don't know how true that is because it's just hearsay at this point.

Mitzie was long gone, thanks to Garrett, who had met her on my behalf the day after I saw her in the hospital because I had a meeting I couldn't miss. He'd sent the poor girl out of the country because Garrett couldn't do anything like a normal person; he'd sent her all the way to the UK to the Sassoon academy because they were the best, he said.

She didn't hang around to see what became of her mother because she was just done and I can't say that I blame her. I always thought Helen spoiled her and gave her the life she thought she was stealing away from me. I had no idea that she was being abused and neglected. And that Helen only paid attention to her when I was around to make me feel left out.

I didn't know that Dad lived like a prisoner in his own home or that Helen made his life hell each time he did something for me. There's something seriously wrong with that woman, but whatever. The fact that she would be behind bars for years was enough to make my eight-year-old self clap with glee.

All of this shit had been done in less than a week, and I knew it had a lot to do with my husband's money greasing palms and making things seem much easier than they really are for those with less deep pockets.

As much as I appreciate the speed at which he'd done most of these things my mind was mostly occupied with Natalie's son. Sabi kept me up to date daily since she'd worked her magic and was now in Natalie's good graces.

The fact that she has to pretend to hate me and want me out of her family is a small price to pay to keep a little boy safe. She and the nanny had become close like I'd told her to, and she was getting even more info from that angle. It took her two tries but we were able to hack into the nanny cam, which was the only thing keeping me sane these days.

The reason I'd asked Sabrina to get close was because I figured if Natalie believed there was a chance for her and Garrett, she'd go easy on the kid. One of the things I got Sabrina to talk Natalie into doing was leaving the house more and more, so she was only home in the evenings after the baby went to bed.

I feel sick to my stomach each time I go to review the recordings because I never know what I'm going to find, but thankfully they were mostly filled with her rants against me and what a gold-digging bitch I am, with poor Sabrina having to egg her on and keep the look of distaste off her face while she's at it.

I prefer that to watching her hit her child. There was more than enough shit on there to get her divorced ten times because I can't imagine that any man could stomach hearing his wife go on and on about her ex and how much she wished they were still together.

She'd railed against that poor man as if he had done something to her. She claimed she only married him as a test to my husband because she wanted to see if he would step in like some cheesy romance novel and stop her from getting married at the last minute. That's when I realized she was both crazy and stupid as hell.

Since we were leaving tomorrow, I'd invited my family over for dinner. Dad was Mom's plus one, which I didn't fight against, but I still wasn't ready to engage with him. My bitchiness extended to icing him out while talking to everyone else in the room.

It was childish and petty, but I'm still pissed at him for getting involved with that snake who damn near destroyed all of us. No one spoke about her and the shit she'd done, and there was no mention of Mitzie either, though I had told the boys what I was doing there.

They seemed surprised as well as relieved because they, too, had suspected, I guess from things Dad had said, that Mitzie didn't have it that easy either. I wanted to ask the man I used to look up to how the hell he could sit back and watch that monster destroy two young lives.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, and that's why I'm nowhere near close to letting him off the hook. Mom seemed much happier than I'd ever seen her, and they were making plans to get remarried once the divorce was final, which should be in another three months.

For now, Dad was living back at the family home and was still bitching about the money he lost because of Helen when she had his house condemned. And no, I did not correct him.

He asked the boys to ask me what happened to his car and my response was very succinct and to the point. ‘What makes you so sure that I had something to do with it?'

I knew for a fact that his insurance covered it, and he was already waiting for a replacement, so at the end of the day, it was just a minor inconvenience. I was actually hoping that the classic would get condemned along with the house because I know that would've hurt.

"So, how long are you guys going to be there for?"

"A week, maybe. Garrett browbeat my boss into letting me go remote unless I need to travel for a meeting or something."

"Oh? And how do you feel about that?"

"I'm not sure yet; give it some time, and I'll let you know."

"It doesn't matter; she's not going back because she doesn't know how to stay out of trouble. It's best if she stays here where I can keep an eye on her." Who asked him? My brothers were smirking and trying to hide it as if I couldn't read their minds. I know they were thinking that there was someone who could control me, finally.

I could tell them how I controlled him, but that was not a good dinner table conversation, and besides, my brothers did not need to know about my sex life. I gave Garrett a warning look filled with promise for the night to come, but he just winked at me and took a sip of his wine.

I hate when he plays the Lord of the Manor; it just pisses me off. But he knew I wouldn't do or say anything with my family there. He gave everyone a tour of the house after dessert because I was too beat to move. I felt like a beached whale, even though I don't remember eating that much.

Things were coming along nicely, even with the few surprises here and there. The only person I hadn't dealt with was Sherry, who has been trying to get through to me with apologies. Garrett thinks I should give her another chance, but Garrett is a wuss.

Who's to say she won't sympathize with the next bitch who tries to sleep with my husband. I don't for the life of me understand why people don't understand the consequences of their choices. It was her choice to defend her sister for whatever reason, and it's my choice to sever ties; it's as simple as that.

No matter what happens, the trust is gone. She may have her reasons for doing it, like the fact that Lacey is her sister. Just as I have my reasons for cutting her off even though we'd been joined at the hip since we were about four or five.

I don't know; when it's the ones closest to you that hurt you, the cut goes deeper. Had she been someone who didn't know me and my stance maybe I could see my way to forgiving her.

But the fact is that she knows me better than most and still chose to come at me with that shit. There's no coming back from that. Even if I gave her the time of day again, we'll never be the same because the trust is gone.

She didn't have my back; she chose to stand up for her sister, who she knew was wrong. She wanted me to swallow that shit because of our friendship, and that's a hard no from me.

As it stands, I think she should stick with family and lose my number because there are just some things I won't even try to get over. I could, of course, tell her that, but she knows me well enough to know that my no contact means we're done. I guess she'll stop trying when she tires herself out.

Isn't it a strange world where I am now trying to help Mitzie, who I have hated for most of my life while shutting out my best friend, who has been there since the beginning? I wish I wasn't this person, but I said it in the beginning, I'm a bitch.

DENNY

"What the hell is this place? Why did you bring us here?"

"This is a little island off of Seychelles."

"Where the hell is that?"

"The Indian Ocean, you dumb bitch."

"Fuck you."

She has been getting on my nerves for the last few days or however long we were locked in the belly of the ship to get here. No one would answer our questions, and we were made to stay below deck, locked away all day with no light other than the little window in the room that only scared the shit out of me because it was a direct view into the bottom of the sea.

Lacey was sick most of the time and expected me to take care of her, but I just ignored her ass the whole time. The only time we saw anyone else was at mealtime, and that person never answered any of our questions and I wasn't even about to attempt rushing him because he was built like a tank.

Lacey tried being seductive, but I guess she didn't know what she looked like after spending days in the hole. She smelled rank as fuck and looked like one flew over the cuckoo's nest. I wasn't faring much better, but I wasn't the one making eyes at some strange man who acted like he didn't even see us each time he came into that dark, clustered room.

There was a toilet but no shower, and we weren't even given a bucket with water until the last day. It was humiliating but I had long given up on trying to feel human at this point. With the nausea gone, that bite was still hurting like a bitch, and I just wanted the ship to get to where the hell it was going so I could breathe fresh air again.

That brings us to now. The scenery was beautiful, I'm not gonna lie, but I didn't trust anything at this point. I still didn't know how the hell I even got on the ship. The last thing I remember is being asleep in my room and Mom coming in. I now know that that was not Mom but one of these people who had literally Shanghaied me in this day and age.

Lacey, in the midst of one of her rambling bitch fests, had claimed that she was given a ride from the hospital by who I'm sure she thought was another mark, only to find her ass on a boat going to who knows where.

As I said, the place was beautiful, but there were no houses as far as the eye could see, just some huts off in the distance and what looked like half-naked people milling about from place to place, not paying us any attention, which I found strange.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"This is going to be your home for at least five years."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Mr. Jacobi wanted me to tell you that with good behavior if you still want to, you can leave the island after five years is up."

"You can't do that." Lacey started yelling and cussing, blaming me somehow for this shit that I knew nothing about. I, in turn, warned them, there were three of them, that I would kill her ass before they got back on the boat. They didn't seem to care.

"You two might want to calm down and listen because your life might depend on it. The penalty for adultery or infidelity here is death. So you can decide now if you want to enter as a married couple, or if you want to meet someone here. You can also choose to remain single for the next five years, but if you're caught having relations with anyone here, your life will be forfeit."

What the fuck kind of bullshit is this? I can't marry this bitch because I hate her more than words can say. I'm sure she doesn't want to marry me either because she's the only one on this island who knows that I have a small dick, something I am sure she'd be more than happy to share with the locals.

"I won't marry him; I'd rather shoot myself."

"Be my guest bitch. I doubt they have penicillin here. I'll be sure to tell the locals about your disease-infested ass." I was heated and was thinking of ways to get back on the boat without anyone noticing when one of the men walked away to meet one of the locals.

They exchanged words while looking back at us, and I felt the world spin. This can't be real. This has got to be some kind of joke. How the fuck did I end up here just because I fucked this bitch? I glared at her with all the hate I felt and promised myself that the first chance I got, I was going to end her life.

NATALIE

Thank heaven, someone else sees what I see. I was feeling hopeless there for a while after talking to Garrett's Mom. I can't for the life of me understand how she could just accept that stranger into her family, but now I know from Sabrina that it was all for show.

Of course, I should've known that the family wouldn't want a scandal, so they'd join ranks to show a united front. The fact that they hadn't been cold to me when I visited should've been proof enough that they hadn't forgotten me.

But the way they reacted when I mentioned my doubts about this girl and Garrett's marriage made me doubt. Now, in the last few days, Sabrina and I have grown close, closer even than we had been in the past when I was dating her brother because back then, I just saw her as a brat who was always trying to take her brother's attention away from me.

Who would've thought we would be here now, almost like sisters. She'd even taken an interest in my kid, which was for the best because if things go the way I expect, she'd soon be his aunt. I knew through her that Garrett was coming home soon and had drawn the conclusion that he was the one to send the message through her because the jealous bitch he had married had made him block me.

I can't wait for her to get here so she can see how things really are. It's good that she's coming so she can see firsthand that she's not one of us and will never be accepted by anyone.