29. C H E L S I E

TWENTY-NINE

C H E L S I E

“Heyo, you’ve reached Wilks. Leave me a message, and I’ll give you a ring when I’m free. Bye!”

“Gary, first of all, what in the world is this outgoing message? Second, you missed the ceremony! The cocktail hour and now we’re just finishing up dinner. What is going on? Are you okay? Are you coming?” I let out a sigh of frustration, followed by my frantic trail of questions. “Gary,” I begin again, defeated by now. “You promised me that you’d be here. You promised. Just give me a call back, please . Let me know you’re okay.”

One pleading call after another, and still no Gary. He’s turned radio silent. I checked online, and his game finished over four hours ago—they won, granted, and if he had left immediately, like he said he was going to, he should’ve only been a few minutes late.

But now we’re three hours in, and he’s nowhere to be seen. Instead, all I can see is the concern that consumes me, anxiety that has become a lasting character trait, and a sense of doubt that has forced itself to creep in.

“I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but listen, I never cheated on you. I was reliable, trustworthy and most of all, I always showed up.”

It makes me sick that Simon’s words loom throughout my mind right now, just like how he’s haunted me every corner I’ve turned with his cynical smirk and the taunting wave of his phone, reminding me of that photo. Reminding me of the power he continues to hang over my head.

Simon’s been sneaky, though. Somehow him being here has completely gone over Ruby’s head, who, by now, has maximized her night out and is the first one to break out onto the dance floor. I’m glad at least one of us is having a good time…

I hate to be the nagging girlfriend, but at least let me know that you’re alive!?

I decide that that will be the final text I send to Gary before I tuck my phone into my purse and accept defeat.

He’s not coming.

He’s not coming because he got caught up with something. Or he’s not coming because maybe he had to stick around after the game for one of the guys. That’s got to be it. Because surely, he’s not not coming because he took Felicity up on her offer, right?

I’ve got to stop this torture. This relentless torture of replaying conversations, hyper fixating on photos, and toying with the idea that Gary isn’t who he says he is.

Maybe I should’ve known better.

Maybe I was right. I shouldn’t have jumped into another relationship right after leaving a toxic one.

Maybe I should’ve taken this time for myself like I knew I should’ve from the start…

I’m exhausting myself by the second, and it’s not just because of the relentless ‘should haves’ that pass through my mind. Regardless of how hard I try to convince myself that being with Gary wasn’t the right choice, I refuse to believe he was ever a mistake.

“Care for a dance?” Simon strides his way towards my table, extending out his hand for me to grasp as he gestures back onto the dance floor. “You like this song, don’t you, darling ?”

I’m repulsed by his optimism. Does he really think that he’ll ever be so easily forgiven for me to ever accept his invitation? I’m convinced he thinks that we’ve got a chance of getting back together, which only leads me to another one of my conclusions about him—he’s delusional.

I will never look at Simon the way I once did, not only because I’ll never feel those feelings for him again, but because my once interpretation of love is nowhere near what it is now.

What Simon and I had wasn’t love. It never was. I know that now because love can only produce heartbreak. I wasn’t heartbroken over Simon, but now, with Gary not here, I can feel myself starting to fall apart.

“Get lost, Simon.” I’m sharp with my words as I turn my body so that I’m facing away from him. “You’ve done enough tonight.”

“Oh, c’mon, love.” Simon doesn’t pick up on the obvious hint that his company is far from welcome. “I had to tell you the truth. Now, no more sulking. Have a dance with me. Please.”

I swiftly turn back around, hair swaying over my shoulder. “Did you not hear what I said, Simon?” I stare him up and down in disgust. “Get away from me.”

After lingering for a second longer, Simon pulls his hand back and tucks it into his pocket. “You wanna play games with me, Chelsie?” he taunts with a scornful look of disdain. “Well, how about this then? If you don’t dance with me, I’ll go to your parents and tell them the truth. You know, the truth about where you’ve been all this time.”

I grind my teeth together as he tests me. There’s no way he would do this here. In front of everyone? Or would he? I can’t put anything past him anymore.

“Well then…” He turns on his heel. “You’ve made your choice. After all, they do say that honesty is the best gift?—”

I rise out of my seat before I even realize it, bringing him to a stop as the corners of his mouth curl into a sly smirk.

“Good choice.” Simon extends his hand out once more, gesturing again for me to take it. “Now, dance with me, darling . We’ve got some catching up to do, am I right?”

I refuse to accept his hand. Instead, I’m left staring at it, paralyzed in place, until he firmly grasps a hold of me and drags me out onto the dance floor.

Just the feeling of his skin on mine is enough for the world to tortuously slow down. Being with him makes me hardly feel like I’m myself. It’s an out-of-body experience, a sense of disassociation, one that I can only assume is a way to mask this pain.

Yet, even though I’m not mentally processing the way he wraps his arms around my waist and whispers sexually explicit remarks into my ear, I’m thinking. Wondering. Questioning. Is this how things are going to be forever?

Am I doomed and tormented by the same man I met at nineteen?

I don’t know. All I know is that I can’t understand a single word he’s saying. Hell, I can hardly hear him. All I can hear is his voice in my mind that tells me to stop fighting this.

“Don’t you know me by now? You know that I’ll always do what it takes. That I never, ever, give up.”

Simon is never going to let this go. He’s never going to let me go. Is this just how my life is supposed to pan out? A sick and cruel fate that the universe has decided to subject me to? How dare I be given a taste of heaven only to be thrown back into the hands of the devil.

What did I do to deserve this?

“We’re going to slow things down a little bit now,” the DJ announces, prompting Simon’s grasp to only tighten around my waist as the opening chords of a slow song echo throughout the venue.

Just up ahead, I can see Mum and Dad dancing, lost in each other's eyes as they sway back and forth. Not too far away from them is Ruby, who has seemingly found a partner of her own, twirling without a care, and finally, last and apparently least, me, with Simon, who’s ambitious enough not even to allow the song to reach the chorus before he’s decided to lean in for a kiss.

“I missed you, Chelsie.” I can feel his breath as it tickles against my lips. “Come back to me, darling,” he pleads. “Let’s start over?—”

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” A loud and immediately unmistakable voice darts both of our heads in the direction of the entryway as none other than Gary Wilkinson frantically rushes his way through the entrance, where he manages to bump into a caterer and knock everything to the ground.

The crash is loud enough to command everyone’s attention. My guy sure knows how to make a first impression.

“I’m so sorry!” Gary kneels down to pick up the assorted cutlery that’s spread across the floor before placing a hand on the server's shoulder. “Are you alright?” he asks the girl, who turns flush in the face as he helps her back onto her feet.

It’s an exchange that makes me wince, but even despite his irresistible charm, at this moment, Gary looks visibly disheveled.

His shirt is buttoned up wrong, his tie is loose around his neck, and I could’ve sworn his fly was undone. But even amidst the chaos, just the look of him is enough for me to find some inner strength to peel myself away from Simon’s grasp. Yet, I’m not quick enough. Gary has already found me in the crowd, eyes like lasers, as Simon reaches to pull me back in.

“Stop.” I reject his touch, stumbling back, but he pulls me in again. “Let me go. Get off of me!”

“Oi!” Gary shouts as he charges his way forward. His usually soft stare is now replaced with eyes full of fury—he’s mad. I don’t blame him. “Get your fucking hands off of my girl.” Gary pushes against Simon’s chest, prompting him to let me go and fall to the ground.

His impact forces the crowd to go silent as all eyes fall on Gary.

“You hear me, you piece of shit? Don’t you ever touch her again!”

“Gary!” I attempt to pull on his arm, but he’s too quick. In his rage, he’s already managed to sucker punch Simon repeatedly in the face as he kneels over either side of him.

Simon shows not an ounce of resistance when it comes to fighting back and is quick to land a few punches in return.

By now, the two of them have created enough space around them that those on the dancefloor have begun to squall in panic—myself included.

“Gary, please!” I’m hopeful he can hear me as I plead for him to stop. “No more! That’s enough!”

“Is that all you’ve got, mate?” Simon continues to taunt him, only making matters so much worse. “Maybe I wouldn’t have had to swoop in if you actually fucking showed up! You may have had your fun with her, but she was mine first?—”

Simon can hardly finish with his spiel, given that Gary has planted a clean shot directly into his face, where immediately, blood begins to splatter.

“Enough, you two!” Two people from the crowd take the liberty to hold them both back from one another, but it’s not enough to stop Gary from fighting it.

“Yours?” he shouts. “She’ll never be yours, you sick fuck! You hurt her! You fucking hurt her! How dare you even think you had the right to show up here? You’re scum. Absolute fucking scum!”

All eyes fall onto me this time as the room is silenced once more. This time, the set that stands out the most is my mum’s, who, somehow, has managed to push her way through the crowd.

“Chelsie?” The way she says my name is enough for me to know that she heard everything Gary had just outed on the dance floor. “Simon…” she stumbles. “He–he hurt you?”

“Yes, he fucking hurt her!” Gary answers for me, continuing to peel away from the firm grasp someone has placed him under. “For months, he hurt her! He should be in fucking prison for domestic violence, not dancing on the bloody dance floor!”

“Chelsie?” Next, it’s my dad who finds his way to my side—a paining sense of hurt in his eyes. “Is this true?”

Seeing my parents so distraught makes my heart feel like it’s about to be ripped out of my chest.

I was na?ve to think that this secret would never come out, but hopeful enough that if it would, it wouldn’t be here. In front of everyone. Where they can see all the pain I’ve been unknowingly carrying—the burden that never should’ve been mine to begin with.

I’m so weak, but I’m even more tired of lying. I can no longer hold back, and as I look into Gary’s reassuring eyes that beg me to tell the truth, I nod. I nod ever so faintly that I worry my mum and dad won’t pick up on it, but somehow, they do. The gasp radiating between the two of them is enough to confirm it.

Picking up on the action, Simon finally speaks up, immediately attesting to the claims.

“Don’t listen to a damn thing either of them are saying!” He stands up, wiping the blood away from his bottom lip in protest. “He’s a fucking cheater.” He points over to Gary. “And she…” He turns his finger in my direction. “Is a Goddamn liar!”

“What the fuck did you just call me?” Gary’s about ready to swing again, but this time, Ruby joins the commotion and pulls his arm back.

He looks down at her in surprise but attempts to settle himself in her presence, that is until Simon walks over and stops inches away from his face.

“You heard what I said,” Simon says through clenched teeth. “You wanna call me scum? Well, where the hell have you been all night, huh? Probably getting your dick wet by some other girl. I know who you really are, Gary Wilkinson,” he seethes. “You’re nothing but a fucking man-whore. Guess that makes sense why you’re with Chelsie.”

“I’m gonna fucking kill you.” The man holding Gary back is useless this time as he lunges forward at Simon and clutches his hand around his neck.

“Gary!” I race over, pulling on his free hand as an insurmountable sense of worry pools down my face. “Please, Gary,” I cry. “Stop. Just stop. Please.”

“Baby.” Gary peers up and into my eyes, immediately releasing Simon as he pulls me in close, wrapping me in his body.

“It’s me. It’s me,” I soothe him. “I’m here.”

“I’m so sorry, baby girl,” he whispers into my hair. “God, I should’ve been here.” He reaches for my hands and brings them to his lips. “Don’t believe anything he says, Chelsie. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, baby girl. You know me.”

There’s no time to respond to his remark given that my parents have re-inserted themselves back into the conversation —lost and flustered beyond merit when they say, “Can someone please explain to us what the hell is going on here?”

“Explain?” Simon cockily turns in their direction, and I’m shocked he’s even able to stand up.“I’d be happy to! Everyone…” He looks towards the on-lookers, standing by without a care. “Little Miss. Chelsie Windsor over here, you know, daughter of today’s bride and groom? Well, she’s been lying to everyone for months.”

“Lying?” Mum butts in. “Chelsie? Lying about what?”

“I—”

“She’s been lying about being in school,” Simon answers for me as I cling to Gary. “The truth is, she’s not in school at all. She dropped out and has been living with Ruby in Crawley. How do you think she and Wilks met, huh?”

I watch Mum and Dad swallow, seemingly piecing together everything Simon says. “So, riddle me with this? Are you all really going to believe her when she says I hurt her? Believe what either of them have been saying?” He scoffs. “As if.”

“Chelsie…” Mum stares over at me with a betrayed look in her eyes. “Is this true? Have you been lying to us about being in school?”

“You know how important your education is to us, Chelsie. You know how hard both your Mum and I have worked so that you can get you where you want to go. Have you seriously done this?”

I’m left drowning without so much as a lifejacket—each of my parent's blows feels like a wave dragging me under. I want to leave. I want to swim away—escape. Christ, I’ve become such an expert at it by now that it feels like second nature, but I know I can’t— I won’t .

There’s nowhere left to hide. This room may be full of people, but I can only see the truth—the truth I refuse to hold back on a second longer.

“Simon’s right.” I hate the way I just started my statement off with that. “I have been living with Ruby… in Crawley.”

Mum’s face falls into her hands as Dad furrows his brows in disappointment. “Chelsie, how could?—”

“But I didn’t drop out of school,” I cut my dad short. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t have. I’m on a break. I had to take a break, Mum and Dad, and if you need a reason why, well, you’re standing right in front of it.”

I peel away from Gary and point towards Simon.

“The truth is, Simon had been hurting me, not just emotionally, but physically. I spent months suffering from his abuse, his force, his manipulation, so much so that I couldn’t take it anymore. I…” My voice starts to crack. “I didn’t know what else to do…”

“You have to believe her.” Ruby jumps in as she takes my hand and squeezes it into her own. “You might not have seen what happened, Mum and Dad, but I did. I saw. That night at Dad’s retirement party, I caught her running out of the greenhouse because of what Simon had done to her. Her face… she was swollen, flush, her skin was already starting to bruise…” She can hardly speak herself. “And seeing her like that…” She looks back at me with tears in her eyes. “It killed me. Broke me. So, I helped her. I helped her lie. I encouraged her to take some time off school so that she could get away from him. It was me. It was all my fault. So, if you two want to get mad at anyone, get mad at me. Not her.”

“I just…” Mum shakes her head in disbelief, looking up at my dad for reassurance, but there’s no use, he’s turned white as a ghost. “How had all of this been happening and we didn’t know?”

“Because I hid it,” I admit.

“But why?” Dad asks. “Why not tell us?

“Because I was afraid that?—”

“She had no proof.” It’s Simon’s parents who finish my sentence for me, although in no way, shape or form, was that how it was going to end.

Both his mum and dad rush to his aid, protecting him, just like I knew they would.

“You do realize that this is quite an accusation, don’t you, Chelsie?”

“Accusation?” I sputter. “Are you kidding me?”

“Yes, without proof,” his dad debates. “An accusation is all it is.”

“You want proof?” Ruby charges her way forward, pulling her phone out of her pocket and flashing it in his direction. “Then what do you all call this?”

Whatever she shows them, it’s enough to silence them instantly.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Ruby walks back towards the two of us, showcasing to my parents exactly what she’d shown them, and as I lean in, I catch a glimpse of it myself.

It's security camera footage from inside of Ruby’s bakery, dated back to the day Simon came in and forcefully pinned me back against the display.

The video is a haunting reminder of only one of his many crimes, but enough to fuel a sense of revenge.

“And if we want to explore additional ‘proof’,” Ruby carries on. “Well, I’ve got countless photos of what Simon did to her that night in the greenhouse, not to mention Chelsie’s roommate to serve as a witness who has also been a subject to Simon’s abuse. So, don’t fuck with me because, frankly, I’m not afraid to ruin your life, just like you tried to ruin my sister’s.”

I’m left completely dumbfounded. Silenced. I had absolutely no idea that all along, Ruby had been building a case against Simon, one that reminds me that I’ve got the best sister in the world.

“It’s uh… not what it looks like,” Simon sputters like an idiotic fool. “That day at the bakery, Chelsie and I were just talking, things got heated and?—”

“Leave. Now ,” Dad speaks up, making his way towards Simon and his family. “All of you. Or I’m calling the police.”

“Mark…” Simon pleads, hopeful that his attempt at using his first name will sway him.

It doesn’t.

“Get out!” Mum steps in next, her attempt to guard me is soon followed by Ruby, and finally accompanied by Gary as he joins them.

“You heard what they said,” Gary commands. “Get the fuck out of here, or else .”

Simon and his family are left frozen in place before finally making their way through the crowd and exiting out front.

Now, with them gone, everyone manages to look over at me, waiting for me to speak. To say something, but in reality, I refuse to say another word.

Just like I’d anticipated, now is the perfect time to leave myself…