Chapter 99: For Good
Moana
I was still staring into the fountain, utterly taken aback by Ethan’s sudden decision to kiss me when I just needed a friend to confide in, when I suddenly heard the sound of heels clicking across stone.
My heart dropped when I looked up and saw who was headed straight for me: Kelly.
She had a devious smirk on her face that told me everything I needed to know. She was up to something. I would have tried to get up and walk away, but she clearly saw me already and it was too late.
“Hey, Kelly,” I said, forcing a faint smile. “How are you?” I tried to be polite and ignore the fact that she was clearly wearing the exact same dress as I was, even though it made me uncomfortable to see her like that. I kept telling myself that maybe it was just a coincidence, as the store that Edrick took me to did seem expensive and popular, but I knew Kelly just enough to sense that it was completely intentional on her part. She clearly even had the dress altered to sit more tightly on her abdomen, as though she was trying to flaunt the fact that her belly was flat and slim while mine was growing.
Kelly stopped in front of me with that same smirk on her face. She had her phone in her hand and was gripping it so tightly that her knuckles were right. Now that she was up close, I could tell that there was something else behind her smirk: pure evil and hatred. Her eyes were cold and calculating.
“You know,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, “I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. I mean, it’s obvious that you’re only trying to scam poor Edrick into giving you money and social status, and he’s falling for it for some stupid reason, but I thought ‘Hey… Maybe she is just a nanny looking for work’. Turns out I was wrong, and everyone can see it. Edrick will see it, too, after tonight.”
“Um… What?” I asked, blinking incredulously. “I’m not sure if I know what you’re talking about.”
Kelly scoffed. She still stood in front of me, effectively blocking anyone from seeing me. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was intentional, as though she didn’t want anyone to see what she was about to do to me. “You’re such a slut, seducing two brothers like that in one night.”
My eyes widened. Did she see my kiss with Ethan? Anyone on the outside could have been able to tell that that kiss was spontaneous and not consensual. “Kelly, that’s not what—”
“Oh, save your excuses,” she said, tapping on her phone now to unlock it. “I saw you. And I have proof.”
“Proof?”
“Here.” She tapped some more on her screen and then turned it around so I could see. My eyes widened as she did; on the screen, there was a clear picture of Ethan kissing me on the fountain. It was right before I came to my senses and pushed him away, which made it appear as though I liked it. As though I wanted him to kiss me, even though I didn’t really want him to at all.
“Ethan kissed me without my permission, and I rejected him,” I snarled, standing. “You’re twisting the narrative.”
“I’m twisting the narrative?” Kelly responded with a wry chuckle. “You’re the one who’s been waltzing around with Edrick, weaseling your way into his life and his family’s life. Everyone knows what you’ve been up to and it’s pathetic. Why can’t you just take Michael’s money and leave all of us alone?”
A pit formed in my stomach. Kelly knew about Michael’s ultimatum? Were they in on it together, or something? All along, Kelly had been following Edrick around like a lost puppy, and his father had apparently been pushing it for years. I couldn’t help but wonder if they planned on working together tonight to push Edrick and I apart and make me go away. Was that why Kelly wanted to speak to Edrick privately at the beginning of the banquet?
“I think you’re just jealous,” I blurted out.
Kelly’s eyes widened. “Jealous?” she asked, laughing abrasively. “Me? Jealous of you? That’s ridiculous! I would never be jealous of a worthless human nanny who had to go and get herself knocked up by a wealthy werewolf CEO in a pathetic attempt to climb the social ranks.”
Now, I was the one who laughed. I felt Mina bubbling up again inside of me, urging me to stand up for myself, and I did just that. Mina’s presence instilled me with newfound confidence, and suddenly I didn’t care what anyone would think if they overheard me. To me, Kelly was nothing but a sullen teenager.
“You are jealous,” I said. “You’re jealous that Edrick will never want you. You think that he’ll choose a human nanny over you, and you can’t stand that. You’re like a child.”
Kelly’s eyes widened so far that I could see the whites all around her pupils. Her face went beet red, and even the veins on her neck began to pop out.
“You little b***h,” she snarled. Then, in one swift movement, she raised her hand, pulled it back, and slapped me across the face as hard as she could. There was a flash of light just from the force of being struck by a werewolf; it made my head reel, and I fell back onto the edge of the fountain, clutching my face.
“I’m showing Edrick this photo tonight,” Kelly said nonchalantly as she stuck her phone back in her purse while I was still sitting on the edge of the fountain and clutching my face, staring dazedly down at the ground. “Either take Michael’s money and leave us all alone once and for all, or I’ll make sure Edrick kicks you out himself.”
I couldn’t speak. The pain from the slap was still throbbing through my face and my head, making my ears ring so much that I could hardly even hear Kelly’s voice. Finally, seemingly satisfied with her destruction, she flicked her long, blonde hair over her shoulder with a hmph and stormed off. The last thing I heard after the fading sound of her heels clicking away on the cobblestone ground was the sound of the door opening and closing, temporarily letting the music and voices carry across the small garden air before disappearing again.
Once I was alone, a sob escaped my throat. I lowered my shaking hand from my stinging face, my entire body shaking with pain and rage. No matter whether I took Michael’s bribe and left or didn’t take it, I was still stuck between a rock and a hard place. Would Edrick really kick me out over a kiss that I didn’t even want? Would my child always wonder why his or her father didn’t want to be in our lives? Would Ella always wonder why I left her?
The tears started to flow now, and I knew that I would be seen easily here and people would begin to start asking questions. So, gathering what little dignity I had left, I stood and began to make my way further away from the banquet hall where I could be truly alone with my pain.
