Chapter Chapter Twenty-Seven
UNEDITED
ONE WEEK LATER
"Good morning." Clarissa smiles sweetly at Sabrina whiles holding up a white paper bag. She was standing in front of the open condo door.
"Come in." Sabrina opens it fully. "I'm so happy to see you. What are you doing here? And so early..."
"I bought chocolate croissants," Nathan called her last night and asked for her to be here for Sabrina. Whatever that meant. He also gave her specific instructions. "Okay let's sit at the table. "Sabrina suggests as she shuts the door and follows her sister-in-law in the living instead.
"Can we sit here?"
"Sure."
They both sit on opposite sides of the three-seater sofa and begin digging in the bag
Jasmine is sleeping?" Clarissa wanted to confirm.
"Hmm mm. Kids with Kate?" Sabrina takes a napkin from the bag.
"Yep." Clarissa looks at the clock at 8:42 AM.
"So..how are you?" Sabrina asks.
"I'm fine."
"Really? Is that why you're over here at this hour in the morning without your kids."
She smiles gently. "I." She begins and stops. "Can we put on the tv?"
Whiles grabbing the remote from the coffee table, Sabrina eyes her Sister-in-law strangely. What is going on with her? "Sure."
"Channel six please."
The morning news anchor's voices filled the room with noise.
"Nathan and I are getting a divorce. For real this time." She needed to vent." He moved out a few days ago. Without even telling me." Since he left completely she's been feeling weak. Clarissa brows lift. He didn't mention that. "What?"
"It's a long story. After everything that happened, he can't trust me."
"You and Nathan love each other."
"It's not enough. He has to trust me too. He should know me." She sighs and sets her croissant on the coffee table. "Honestly, I want him to come back home. I want to although he doesn't trust me, I want to be with him. I want to believe he does, and not care if I have to live on my toes forever. I want to continue to prove to him that I'm not a cheater. Does that make me pathetic?"
"I can tell you first hand that sometimes it's not about trusting you, it's maybe more about not being so secure in himself. And no, it doesn't make you pathetic. There's nothing wrong with loving someone that much." She sets her croissant down. She lost her appetite and suddenly couldn't hold back pending tears. "I'm sorry." She daps a napkin under her eyes.
"What's the matter?" Sabrina inquirers.
"I want my husband back. She admits. "Does that make me, pathetic?"
"Not at all."
"I don't know how to, or if he would even have me back, or if I could be what he needs anymore.
"I'm not understanding."
Clarissa takes in a breath while trying to find the right words. "He left me for another woman." Her voice cracks. "I'm not good enough."
"Oh nooo." Sabrina rushes over to hug her now crying, sister-in-law. "It's going to be okay...don't say you're not good enough."
"He is still with her. He never even tried to fix things." She sniffles.
"I can't believe this. This is so unlike Jacob. He loves you."
"I did it," Clarissa admits. "I made him run."
"No don't say that. I know it sucks to admit but Jacob is a complete asshole."
"No Sabrina. I wasn't a good wife to him. All the things he was saying that night, they were true." She bows her head. "After I had Emmie, I lost my figure, and after I had Matthew, I lost my confidence. I felt ugly and insecure. I don't feel a smudge of sexy. So I ran from Jacob. I didn't want him to even look at me. I felt like I might one day see how unattractive I have gotten in his eyes. It got to the point where I wouldn't even let him see me change. When I think about it all, I don't know why he didn't leave sooner."
"Love is not held to outer beauty. Jacob is in love with you. You're the mother of his children and I'm sure if you would have told him about your insecurities he would reassure you of his love and desire."
"Of course he would have reassured me. No man in this world will tell their wife she looks repulsive when she does right?"
"You're beautiful. Please stop thinking of yourself so negatively."
"Please welcome Mr. Nathan Alden." Sabrina head swings to the flatscreen on the wall. It's funny how she was hearing only cluttered noise coming from the tv until the sound of his name came through it. "What is Nathan doing on the tv?" Clarissa forgot what she was doing there. "I'm not sure." She wipes her tears.
"So Mr. Alden I understand that you have some video footage to share with you and also you're willing to answer some questions about your personal life." The female host asks."
"Yes, that's correct." Nathan adjusts his tie, lays his forearm on the armrest, and leans back on the sofa.
Sabrina's heart was racing so fast and her widened eyes stayed glued to the tv. What was happening in the world?
"Well let's start by telling everyone why you're here." The host continues.
"I want to right the wrong that's been done to my wife."
"The host rests her chin on her thumb. "What's been done?"
"I have distrusted her to the fullest extent." He clears his throat. "The media and the general public have shamed her, and my own mother and cousin set her up to look like a cheater." "Wow." Her brows elevate. How will
Theses clips right all of these wrongs?"
"Play the videos. It's best if everyone sees it."
"Definitely." She looks back at a producer who gives her the go-ahead. "Roll it."
With those two words, Sabrina locks her concentration on the screen and watches all three clips.
An anatomic bomb blew off in her mind. She was livid and paralyzed. Her stomach rumbled with disgust and hatred. She kept glaring at the tv although all that was on now was commercials. "Sabrina?" Clarissa snaps her fingers in front of her face. "At least blink."
Meanwhile. Vivian had her fist full of her own hair and was pacing her condo. Agony mixed with fear was her emotions. Afraid to death about what was going to happen to her now. What is Nathan going to do? Her life was ruined. "Ruined!" She screams. "Ruined."She sobs. She happened to be standing by a mirror hanging on the hallway wall. Panting with shaking breath, she watches her self oddly before dragging her hands down her face, stretching it to look like a droopy dog. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She yells out a cry. It was a cry from within, her deepest and darkest place. The place that can't accept defeat.
Elsewhere.
Judd has been chained to a bed in a one-window bedroom. He was being kept there and is being used to blackmail Vivian for all he's worth to her. When he told them about killing Sabrina, they laughed. They knew who she was and of her high profile husband. Instead of trying to kill her, they tried to get what they could out of Vivian.
She was getting more scared by the day and getting really close to shelling out some cash, but all Judd's luck literally ran out with the morning news.
Bam! His room door slams into the wall.
He manages to contain his fear to stay within. As Carlos walks in, and Cliff and Antonio soon follow behind he quickly tries to accept that he was gonna die today.
Cliff's boots clicked as he walked back and forth from the window to the door in front of Judd's bed.
"Just how are we going to get this money now?" He stressed as he squeezes a black gun in his left hand.
Judd's loan technically wasn't a loan but an investment and not for a small amount. He partnered with them a while ago and promised to make them money by cheating the casinos. At first, he did, so they gave him more but he soon lost it all. Both Carlos and Antonio stayed in stance with their arms folded and smirks. That only meant that Cliff knew exactly what he was going to do.
His heart rate shoots sky-high. The knocking of Cliff's boots was starting to sound like death busting through his side window.
Cliff stops in front of the tv hanging on the wall and tosses the gun at Judd unexpectedly. "You're gonna make me my money back today. I mean, after what I just saw on the news, you have nothing to lose." Judd hesitates.
"Pick it up, before I make you eat it." Cliff's lips twitches.
He reaches for the gun and gulps so hard the room heard it.
"You ever use one of those before?" Antonio asks.
"No."
Cliff laughs. "You better figure it out because you're gonna kidnap your cousin's wife today."
"That's nearly impossible."
"You're a dead man any which way you look at it then... You don't want to go, then unfortunately for you, I have no use for you." Cliff pulls out a silver gun that was tucked in the back of his pants. He cocks it back and points it at Judd. "So what's it gonna be?"
"I'll do it." The coward belts out. "But I don't know how to get to her."
"Well, where Mr. Alden is, Mrs. Alden can't be too far away. Make your first stop the local news station." Cliff commands.
Back in Sabrina's world.
She had begun to piece together the puzzle. "I'm an ignorant person." She states as she paces in front of the tv while waiting for the news to come back.
"Don't say that. Because if you're ignorant than what the hell am I?
"I never thought it was possible for someone to be that sadistic. I didn't know people like her exist."
Right then Clarissa's phone rings. She answers and begins to discuss with her sister if maybe they were adopted.
During this time, the news comes back.
"Wow. We're back here live in the studio Victoria here talking to Nathan Alden." She looks away from the camera and toward Nathan. "We all just had to catch our breaths after watching those clips. You must be heartbroken." "I am." He adjusts himself. "My wife justifiably wants to divorce me because of her actions."
"Wait a minute, I'm confused. I thought you and Sabrina were back together?"
"Because of the way I distrusted her, she had decided that it's best we parent our daughter as friends."
"You don't seem to be in agreement with her."
"Not at all. I want her. When it hit me that my marriage was ending again it was the scariest feeling I've ever felt. It made me wake up and realize I was being an idiot. I was letting my insecurities be my judgment." "Nathan Alden with insecurities?" The host says surprisingly.
Unfortunately. He breaths. "I don't deserve her, but I'm determined to get justice for her. That is why I am here. To show everyone who the true culprit is and." He looks into the camera. "Sabrina, sweetheart. I love you. I believe you, and I trust you. I am willing to take any punishment. Even if it is losing you forever.
"Awwww." Victoria covers her heart.
"And to my mother." His features turn roguish. "Right before I walked into this studio I handed my assistant a copy of those videos to take to the police station. There should be a knock on your door any moment now." He smiles. Sabrina turns to Clarissa. "I have to go to him." She announces. "This station's studio is about ten minutes from here right?"
"I think so."
"You mind watching Jasmine for a little while?"
"Of course not but it's going to be crazy out there right now."
"I don't care. I need to see him." She rushes to her bedroom closet and grabs a pair of running sneakers. She was wearing only sweats and a grey t-shirt that had been vomited already but didn't care. Her husband went on live tv and got her justice. He searched for proof himself and showed it to the world for her. Like hell, if she wasn't going to go to him. "When she wakes she going to want a bottle. I should only be gone for a couple of hours tops." She gives Clarissa some directions before picking up her phone and calling a driver to meet her in front of the building.
~~~~~~~
Vivian now sat on her king-size bed thinking. She spent over a thousand dollars on her bedding. It was a nice olive green kind of color. She waited months just for them to get the right one and when it finally arrived she didn't want to sleep on it. She pulled it off the bed and used another blanket it was so pretty, but what did it matter now? She now realized how tedious and unnecessary these things are. Now all she wants is her freedom. *Knock knock knock* "Vivian Alden! It's the police. We have a warrant for your arrest. Open up!"
Vivian nearly jumps out of her skin. Her hands and her lips trembled.
*Knock knock knock.* "Open up!"
She began to hyperventilate. She was deathly afraid and frozen.
They knocked one more time before having the manger of the building open the door.
She began violently sobbing when they busted in through her room door. "You have the right to remain silent." They began to read her rights. They pulled her off the bed and handcuff her behind her back.
She bows her head and balls her eyes out as they escort through the building and lobby. She was a mess. Her hair in shambles and her make up leaking down her face. When they reach the front of the building there was a crowd of people. Her sobs so grew harder.
The crowd began screaming insults at her. "Evil hag!" "Bitch!" "Your own son! You're a disgrace to humanity!"
"Ahh!" She hollers when someone's chocolate milkshake slams her in the face. A cup of Soda next. Wrappers and pretty much anything people had in their hands.
People in the crowd began laughing at her cry face. One of the ugliest by far.
Now sticky from chocolate and soda, and crying horribly ugly. She is shoved into the back of a police car and taken away.
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