The Life: Sacrifice (The Life 3)

“Are you talking about my daughter? Is that the little bitch you’re referring to? Or is it your own?”

“Felix!” She does put upon umbrage very well; how did I miss that before?

“What all did you two do to my daughter?”

“Nothing, why won’t you believe me?”

“A pout on an adult age woman is not as effective as you seem to think.” Her face changed immediately, and I saw it just for a second before she schooled her face again. Just for a split second there, I saw the light that entered her eyes, a look I’d never seen before.

Something inside me eased, and I knew what I had to do. “Look, Becky, I don’t know what to believe anymore. I need time to think, to get my head around all this.”

“I can’t believe you’d throw me over this easy. We’ve been married longer than you and her, you know. I’m the one who was here to pick up the pieces… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” I kept my voice void of all emotion, the way she’s used to, as I took another sip straight from the bottle this time. “Look, as I was about to say, whatever is going on, Gia has asked you to leave this house. I think you should go until I come up with something. Here, take this, get yourself a room in town for now and I’ll talk with Gia, get her to calm down.”

“But…”

“There’s no other way.”

“What do you mean? She’s just a kid; she doesn’t have that kind of power.”

“Actually, she does in this case. Even though she doesn’t inherit for another few months on her eighteenth birthday, the estate is under her grandmother’s care. It’ll only take a word from her to make it happen.”

“But you’re Gia’s father; surely you have the right.”

“Not in this. Adrienne’s inheritance is passed down through the women in her family; husbands have nothing to do with it. I’m sure I don’t know how to undo a couple of centuries-old tradition that has been in good standing for generations.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?” She took the wad of money I held out to her.

“Don’t worry about it; consider it a mini-vacation. You’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks; go enjoy room service and unwind. Watch TV, get your hair and nails done.” She actually looked like she was buying it. Who is this creature?

“Come with me.”

“I can’t do that. What will we do with Victoria? She, too, has had a hard couple of weeks.”

“I don’t care about her after the lies she told either. Little brat.”

“Don’t be like that.” I swallowed my bile and touched her hand lovingly. That seemed to work as she relaxed just a little.

“It’ll only be for a few days, I promise. Go on now. I promise to come to see you soon. Just call after you check-in in, let me know you made it okay.” I got up and walked her to the door with a smile on my face that I did not feel. Each moment in her presence was torture, and it was all I could do not to break her neck right there in the foyer.

I played the doting husband, going so far as to walk her out to the car, held my breath and disgust in check when she pressed her reptilian lips against mine, and smiled as I held the door open for her. As she drove off, I looked back towards the house. It had been some time since I actually looked at the place.

A place that once held all the happiness to be found in my world. It had been Adrienne’s dream house and, at the time, way above my pay grade. I could afford it now, but that too was thanks to the start her family had given us as part of our wedding present. My heart ached at the memory of all that my beautiful wife had brought into my life. The love we’d shared was one for the books. So how had it come to this? How did our beautiful dream become this nightmare?

I saw Victoria moving around in her room through the windows upstairs and sighed in almost defeat. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with her now. On the one hand, I feel a sense of responsibility, and on the other, I’m very disappointed that she sat on the truth she’d revealed only tonight for so long.

I sighed deeply before making my way back into the house, feeling like the whole world rested on my shoulders. The alcohol, for now, was keeping my disgust with myself somewhat dulled, but I knew once it wore off, once life came back into focus, that I’d have to face the truth of my own actions. How am I going to live with myself in the next few days while I get my affairs in order?