49. Garrett

Ican't catch a break. I barely slept a wink last night, Marcus is on the loose, and Kevin is in my home office having a meltdown. My wife, as if she didn't trust me to handle things, had chosen to show him all the recordings from the nanny cam at once and he was not handling it well.

As if that wasn't enough, she'd threatened to post it all online if he didn't handle the situation in a way she approved. Not only that, in front of him she'd asked for my contacts in the media just so he'd know how serious she was about going public.

Of course, I gave them to her, even though I knew the poor guy was caught between a rock and a hard place; that's my wife; I promised to choose her side in all things. But fuck if she isn't the most stubborn little shit ever to walk the earth.

I don't know what she dreamt last night, but she woke up this morning loaded for bear. Even our morning sex was a little bit violent, and I have the scratch marks on my back to prove it. I took it all in stride, though, because I knew she was pissed from last night; I just didn't realize how upset she really was.

I can only be thankful that she's too preoccupied with this matter to realize that her precious Jacks is missing. I haven't thought of a good enough answer to give her that wouldn't be an outright lie. Just the thought of lying to her makes my stomach hurt, so I know that's not an avenue I can take.

Natalie had sobered up some and was going on the rampage, making threats and acting out of control. Kevin refuses to go to the house right now because he swears he might do something drastic to her, and I can't in all good conscience try to force him before he's ready.

Some of the shit she said on those recordings, especially the ones referring to me, must be hard for him to stomach. I was embarrassed just listening to them and hoping my wife had enough foresight to recognize the ramblings of a delusional woman. Because some of that shit surely sounded like Natalie and I were lovers who'd been interrupted by time and place.

I had no idea she was so obsessed with me. I guess I have my selfishness to blame for not seeing it before. I thought because I was done that meant she had moved on as well. She was the one who gave the ultimatum that put an end to us, after all, so I don't see why she should be acting like this.

I'm not sure if my marriage sent her over the edge or if she'd been this crazy all along. If she was, then she'd hidden it very well over the years we were together, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. It boggles my mind that a woman I barely spare a thought these days could have me so prevalent in her mind and thoughts as to go to these lengths.

There was a loud knock at the door and the doorbell was going off at the same time. Whoever it was, was in one hell of a rush, and I made it to the door two steps behind the butler. It was Natalie and her parents, and I can't say I was surprised to see them. They've always stood behind her, no matter what.

"Where is my son? Give me back my son, you bitch." I looked over my shoulder to see Alyssa and Kevin coming down the stairs. Natalie tried getting by me to get to her and I had to push her back. "Don't! I don't want to hit you, but if you touch my wife, I will hurt you."

"How could you choose her over me? How can you take her side after what she did? Look at my face." She had two black eyes, and there were strips of medical tape across the bridge of her nose. Her lip was split as well, and her cheek was swollen. It had taken Alyssa less than five minutes to do all that.

"Garrett, what's going on here? What is the meaning of all this? Where is my grandson? And why did you let this person attack my daughter?"

"Your daughter abused your grandson, and I took him away for his safety." I wasn't about to let them attack Alyssa, so I was willing to take all the blame.

"You're lying, I didn't do anything. It was her; she came into my house and attacked me for nothing. You've got to believe me, Daddy; they're all lying." She tried getting around me again, screaming at the top of her lungs. She hadn't once acknowledged her husband, and I wasn't even sure she was aware he was standing right there.

"You crazy bitch, you hit my son, not just once, but many times over the last few weeks that we know of." Kevin stepped forward, barely restraining his anger. It was the first time since he arrived at my home that he didn't look like a broken man.

"You're crazy; what the hell are you talking about? Did that bitch tell you that? Where is she? I hired her, I pay her, not you." Natalie looked around for the nanny who had been left upstairs with the baby, who was doing much better this morning, though he still seemed a bit on edge and cranky. Poor little guy.

"What the hell are you rambling about? Who cares who pays who? Everything was caught by the cameras. The nanny didn't say shit to me because she was too afraid of the threats you made."

"What cameras?" Natalie seemed to have had the air knocked out of her at his announcement.

"Oh, didn't you know? I had cameras installed when my son started getting one too many bruises. Even before Alyssa suspected you, I knew there was something going on. Only I thought it had to be the nanny hurting him because I never would've imagined you capable of something so disgusting."

"Oh, I see, you and that slut conspired against me. You see, Garrett, they're in it together. They know that you love me, and they're trying to get in our way." She looked at me as if pleading with me to admit to this.

"How did you get like this? You've gone completely mad. I never loved you; you knew that. I kept you around because you were the least annoying of all the others who were always throwing themselves at me."

"You're lying; you're just saying that."

"Think, how much time did I spend with you throughout our relationship? How many times did I initiate anything with you? Even our nights out were planned by you." She dropped to her knees and tried walking toward me on them as I stepped back out of the way so she couldn't touch me.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you saying these things? We were meant to be together. Otherwise, why would you have stayed with me that long? We can go back to the way things were before I gave you the ultimatum."

Her mother helped her up off the floor, finally embarrassed by her daughter's behavior.

"Oh? And what about your husband and child?" Did she even remember them? It didn't look so because she stopped talking as she looked around as if searching for an answer.

"No, this isn't right; we were so good together. Everyone said so. We were always together; you took me to all those dinners and parties; I was always the one on your arm. How can you say that you never loved me? I know you loved me in the beginning; you had to."

"I never loved you or was in love with you. You always knew because I never kept it a secret. You knew I wasn't looking to get serious with anyone, and since you accepted that, I kept you around because you were never a distraction."

"As for us spending all our time together, I spent most of my time focused on building my business. I didn't have the time to invest in a relationship. These are things you knew. Whatever story you made up with your friends to make us seem like more than we were is on you, but when did you start believing your own lies?"

"No, it's not true. If I didn't try to force you, we would still be together."

"I doubt that. I would've met my wife sooner or later, and we'd be right where we are today. She's the only one I would ever marry, the only one I want to spend my life with. You were just a placeholder. Nothing more."

Natalie fell to her knees, wailing, while her parents tried to get her up off the floor again. Kevin and Alyssa were both staring at her, not moving, and I felt like I was in the middle of a very poorly written movie plot.

Her father finally thought to talk to her husband, who looked like he was ready to commit murder. Not one of the three had asked how the child was doing. The first thing Natalie's Mom did as soon as her husband and son-in-law left the room was try to guilt me for my treatment of her daughter.

"How could you just stand by and let this person assault my daughter after all that you two meant to each other? You were together for so many years; how could you be so cold?"

"Your daughter has been married to someone else for almost four years. I don't know what she's been telling you, but we hadn't spoken in all that time until I got married. We're not close; in fact, by the time we broke up, we weren't that close, and she knows it."

"Oh, so she's one of those spoilt brats who didn't want the toy but didn't want anyone else to play with it." Alyssa sneered. "I guess I can see where she gets it from because both you and your husband are tools. Not one of you asked how the child she abused is doing. That would be your grandchild; remember him?"

"Who are you to speak here? You have no say in this. You're not one of us. You need to leave." I opened my mouth to blast Natalie's Mom for speaking to my wife like that in her own home, but she beat me to it.

"Bitch, I don't want to be one of you monsters. Your daughter, who apparently is one of you, whatever the fuck that means, is so obsessed with my husband's dick that she lost her damn mind and attacked her own child. What you need to do is get her some help. You know what, fuck this."

She got her phone out and started typing away. "What're you doing? What is she doing?" Natalie's Mom asked me. I wasn't sure, but I had a pretty good idea.

"There, I just sent the footage to someone who could use it for good."

I'd taken my focus off of Natalie, who used my distraction to fly at Alyssa. She moved so damn fast that I didn't see it. I only saw the takedown, but I know she used her leg to sweep Natalie's from out under her before slamming her to the floor.

No one spoke for the first few seconds because I think we were all in shock. I came unstuck when she grabbed Natalie's hair and started slamming her face into the marble floor. She's completely fucking nuts.

Mother and daughter started screaming bloody murder until the two men came running. Natalie's Dad started making threats as soon as he saw his daughter, but Alyssa didn't seem to care. I was holding her back after getting her away from Natalie because she looked like she wasn't done.

"You're not the only one who knows how to protect your family. If anyone comes after my wife, I will take all of you down."

"How can you say that, Garrett? We accepted you into our family for so many years…"

"Cut the bullshit. You always knew I wasn't going to marry her. And the only reason you wanted me in your family was because of my family's connections. Your daughter always knew where I stood, so if she lied to herself and the rest of you, that's on you."

"What do you mean? Didn't you promise to marry her and then renege?"

"Is that what she told you? That was never going to happen. I knew what she was two years in; I just didn't know she was this bad. My mother would never have accepted her because she, too, saw what she is."

"Stop talking, you're lying. Daddy, you've got to help me. They're trying to destroy me. Kevin, do something." He just shook his head and walked out of the room and back up the stairs.

"Who did you send it to?" I asked Alyssa while Natalie's parents tended to her.

"I sent it to the online group that likes exposing filth. I'm sure it's all over the internet by now. So if they were planning to rug sweep, they're too late."

"You okay?"

"Get that wailing bitch out of my house before I break her in half. Hey, I'm about to call the cops. You three need to leave."

"Not without my son. I'll have you arrested for kidnapping."

"His father is here. He saw what you did to his son. Do you really think he's going to side with you? Now, get the hell out of my home. As for you two, you're despicable. You raised that; she's your kid, I understand, but what about that little boy. Why aren't either of you fighting to protect him?"

"We didn't know!" Natalie's Dad answered, looking and sounding defeated. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"But Daddy…"

"Now, Natalie."

Her Mom started to say something, but he shut her down. "I saw the recording; I blame you for this. Whenever I tried to correct her, you stepped in and made sure she didn't face any consequences; that's why we have a day like today."

"Don't you dare!"

"Don't I dare what? We both know it's the truth. You turned my daughter into this. Someone who beats her child because her ex doesn't want her anymore. Garrett, I'm sorry; we'll get her out of here. Kevin can go back to the house; we'll be taking her to get some help."

The three of them left with Natalie screaming about the bitch stealing her life. "Kevin, you should be prepared, maybe you can stay somewhere else with the baby in the meantime until things cool down."

"Why? What's happened?"

"Alyssa released the video online. Your place is probably crawling with reporters by now." I thought he would be pissed at this, but instead, he turned to my wife and thanked her.

"Thank you. I know her father was willing to gloss this over and go back to things the way they were. I wouldn't have been able to stand up to him and his wife; I've never been able to. They encouraged their daughter in everything, and I was made to go along with it."

"I was going to divorce her, but then she came up pregnant. I always suspected that she wasn't over you; I just didn't know how fractured her mind was."

"Why do you people always go to mental illness to cover up bad behavior? She's just evil." Alyssa was still huffing and puffing and nowhere near satisfied.

"You're right, of course, but I'll bet you anything that's the angle her parents will take."

"Fine, let them do that if they want. I'll just destroy them with trial by public opinion. I'm going to make it so she can't go anywhere without everyone knowing what she is."

Alyssa turned and headed back upstairs and I closed my eyes and tried to calm my mind for what comes next.

HELEN

I've been here for days, and no one has come to see me except the court-ordered attorney, who seems wet behind the ears. He keeps telling me to plead guilty for a lighter sentence because of the evidence, but what evidence could there be? She was standing with a gun pointed at me when I left.

No one believed me, and just my luck, a cop had shown up that day and saw me there when he came to serve me the divorce papers. They kept saying that my actions led to her death as if I was deliberately trying to kill her, which had never crossed my mind.

I haven't heard a word or been able to get ahold of anyone and it's as if I'd been forgotten. My hope has dwindled down to almost nothing as the days go by, and I'm starting to get really scared. The only hope I have is that since he and I were not yet divorced, my husband, to save face, would come to my rescue.

I've thought of everything and that's all I can come up with because everything else is a dead end. I feel as if my life has been spiraling ever since that day at the airport. Nothing has gone right since then, and things keep happening one after the other to the point that as soon as I put out one fire, another one gets started.

The nights in here are the worst, because it's so quiet that all I am left with to distract me are my thoughts. I thought of everything I should've done differently over the years, all the ways I could've avoided something like this happening to me.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I had gone wrong. Everything had been running smoothly since the day Corbin and I got married. I'd set a course for myself once I got the opening and never looked back. So, what if I had to burn some bridges behind me. It's not like I was the first.

What woman or man, for that matter, wouldn't take the bull by the horns when given the opportunity? All I did was grab for the brass ring like any sensible person would have. But now I have no one.

My ex hasn't spoken to me in years, and my Dad never got over the shame of my affair with Corbin. It's been years since he acknowledged me and because of that, I had kept my daughter away from him and his wife.

I was surprised when the bitch let me stay the night, though I hadn't exactly given her a choice. I should never have gone there; I should've found someone else for help. But there was no one.

Someone had exposed me, and now all those snooty bitches were afraid that I might come after their husbands, so no one was going to help. I knew this because the phone call I made after Dad yelled at me and hung up the phone was to one of the women I had thought was my friend.

Now I know what she and everyone else really thought of me. She'd taken great pleasure in telling me just how much I was hated, how they all remained friends with that Gigi bitch over the years, and how I was and will never be one of them.

I can't wait to get out of here so I can make them all pay for putting me down. They were riding high now because I was down, but once I get in front of the judge and tell him my side, I'm sure he'll let me walk. Then, I will be sure to make these people eat their words.

"You have a visitor." One of the cops appeared out of nowhere.

"Who? Me?" He opened the cell door and let me walk out in front of him. Corbin must've finally learned where I was. I was ready to forgive him anything if he got me out of here, but there was no way I was going to let him off the hook completely.

Once I get out of here and back on my feet, I'll be sure to make him and the rest of them pay for leaving me stuck here. I came up short when I got to the visiting room and saw who was sitting on the other side of the glass.

"You, what're you doing here?" I picked up the phone and yelled at her. She's the last person I wanted to see or talk to. I know the bitch was just here to rub it in.

"I just came to tell you that Mitzie is doing well."

"Mitzie? What about Mitzie? What did you do to my daughter?"

"I said she was doing fine. My daughter and son-in-law sent her out of the country to some fancy cosmetology school. I knew as a mother you would be more worried about her than anything."

I knew from the look on her face that she was mocking me. We both know that I didn't think of that girl even once because I knew she didn't have the money needed to get me out of here, even if they had set bail.

So what? Am I supposed to start feeling bad? "If that's all you came here for, you can leave." Wait, what did she mean Alyssa and her husband had sent Mitzie away? "What did your daughter do to my daughter?"

"I just told you. By the way, there are some things I need to tell you now that's you're behind bars and can't harm anyone else. Corbin and I have been together all along. We just kept up the pretense because of your threat against our child."

"I spent the last decade laughing at you behind your back. You got to do all the cooking and cleaning while I reaped the benefits. Didn't you ever wonder how he could go that long without sex?" She had the nerve to smirk at me and I hated her more in that moment than ever before. She had to be making it up. There's no way I wouldn't have noticed something like that going on right under my nose.

"You bitch, you're lying. I knew where he was at all times."

"Yes, you knew he left to go to work each day, but did you know that he had been working from home long before it became a thing? That's right, for the last five years, since all the kids were out of the house, he has spent every day with me at our home."

"When Alyssa was still in school here, he used to leave before school let out, but after she left, all those late nights at the office were actually spent with me. I've been on almost every work trip he's taken in the last twelve years as well."

It can't be. Then what the hell does that make me? I lived in that house with him all these years where he treated me like a stranger. He started taking more and more out-of-town trips for work to get away from me, but I didn't mind because his absence freed me up to have my own affairs. "You're lying; you're making it all up."

I fought back tears of anger and hate as my heart sank. No wonder she never made a stink after that first year. They must've all been laughing at me. She, Corbin, and their kids. Who else knew? How many people?

"I would've heard something if this was true."

"The reason you heard nothing is because no one likes you. All those times Corbin went to his family's home and events without you, we were together. They would never tell you because they don't like you and you never belonged. You were nothing more than the adulterous slut who climbed onto a married man's bed."

"Don't worry, I made him pay as well, but we made up a long time ago. So, you see, you didn't win anything. And thanks to the prenup you signed, you'll get nothing in the divorce. Oh, and by the way, some of the wives of the men you cheated with are looking into suing you for alienation of affection."

"That's not even a thing."

"Oh, but it is. So, if you own anything it will most likely go to them if they go through with it. But you don't own anything, do you? You didn't come into the marriage with anything, and you're leaving it with even less. You haven't worked in how long now?"

"Shut your mouth." If I could reach through the glass partition, I would've strangled her with my bare hands. I refused to let her see that her words were getting to me in any way, but the truth of her words rang true. I have no pension, no savings, nothing. I wasn't prepared for this.

"Did you do all this? Was it you? The fleas, the arrest, everything?"

"No, that was my daughter. She's been holding a grudge all these years; we just never noticed how deep it ran until now. She planned everything except for what landed you in here. You did that all on your own."

"How? She hasn't been around our house in years, so how did she plan all this?"

"You'd have to ask her, but I'm afraid you won't get the chance because I don't think she cares enough to come to see you. She's too busy with her new life. I just thought I should come to warn you that her husband is very protective of her, so even if a low-class bitch like you found the money to hire someone to harm her, you'd fail."

"You think you've won. You just wait until I get out of here."

"I knew you were crazy, but I didn't know you were stupid as well. You're not getting out of here. Everything you did until now is being talked about all over town. All the money you stole, all the lies you told, it's all coming out in the wash. And since you once threatened her life, Alyssa's husband is willing to spend any amount of money to make sure you never see the light of day."

"You bitch, I'll never let you have a moment's peace."

"My peace doesn't have anything to do with you. I've finally got my whole family back together while you are going to rot in jail. If by some miracle you get out of here, you'll be an old woman by then. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I have to get back to my life. By the way, I'll be a better stepmother to your kid than you ever were to mine."

I hit the phone against the glass and called her back, but she just kept walking. What did she mean by that? Had she turned my daughter against me? And why is Alyssa helping Mitzie after hating her for years? Why would my daughter trust them?

Does that mean that I'm really going to rot away in here? Corbin is going to leave me, and now Mitzie's gone. Who is there to help me on the outside? I tried calling my Dad when they first brought me here, but he believed I had killed his wife and was being an ass.

My ex wouldn't spit on me if I was on fire and there were no friends, no one, that was willing to come to my rescue. I felt even worse as I was led back to my cell than I did when I left. How had everything come to this?

What could I have done differently to avoid this outcome? I crawled onto the filthy prison cot and cried mournfully.