Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“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.