Secrets Uncovered

by Shelia M. Goss

  Chapter Forty

  Kem lay across her bed waiting for the entertainment show to come on. Brent was on his way over. By the time he got there, she would have seen the show so she would know what questions to ask him.

  Kem turned the volume up because she didn’t want to miss anything Alize Jenkins said.

  Sandy Blair asked Alize a few questions about herself. Kem rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe Brent would date someone like her. She could tell the woman was a gold digger just by looking at her. She applied too much make-up. Her blouse was too tight. She was showing too much cleavage. Alize had on too much lip-gloss. She was a big old mess. Someone on that show’s hair and make-up team should have done something. Even her lace front wig wasn’t applied right.

  Brent walked in just as the interview started. “Hey, babe.”

  Kem threw her hand in the air. “I’m watching this interview.”

  “We should talk,” Brent said. He went and stood in front of the television.

  “Move. We’ll talk after I watch this,” Kem said as she tilted her head so she could see around Brent.

  When Brent realized she wasn’t going to stop watching, he moved out of her way. He sat on the opposite side of the bed.

  “Alize, how long did you know Brent McKenzie before you slept with him?”

  Alize laughed and she sounded like a hyena. “Let’s just say it wasn’t long. Look at me. How could he resist?”

  Kem rolled her eyes. She then glanced at Brent. “You used to mess with that?”

  “Kem, turn it off.”

  “Nope.”

  She turned back towards the television screen.

  A video of a seven-year-old boy appeared on the screen. Sandy Blair said, “Isn’t he adorable?”

  The seven-year-old asked Alize on the video, “Are you going to find my daddy?”

  Then the video cut off. Sandy Blair was back in the studio with Alize. “We cut the video off because we understand you got a little emotional after Hennessey asked that question.”

  Alize began to sniff as if on cue. “Yes. I call him Hen. Hen asks me all the time why his daddy isn’t around. He feels like his dad doesn’t love him.”

  “Is he aware of who his father is?” Sandy asked.

  “Yes.” Alize looked directly at the camera. “Hen knows Brent McKenzie is his father. I made sure of it.”

  Sandy looked at the camera. “As a reputable journalist, I asked Alize for proof and she was happy to share a copy of Hennessey’s birth certificate.”

  Alize held the birth certificate up and the camera zoomed in. Listed as the mother was Alize Jenkins and typed in bold letters was Brent McKenzie’s name listed as the father. Brent’s blurred handwritten signature appeared below his name.

  Kem’s mouth flew open. She recognized his signature.

  Sandy said, “We attempted to contact Brent for his side of the story but his reps have not returned any of our calls.”

  Kem tuned out the rest of the interview.

  “Kem, I can explain,” Brent said.

  “How could you abandon a child? Do you know how it feels to know your dad doesn’t want you?” Kem sat straight up in the bed and faced Brent.

  “Kem, it’s not what you think. Trust me.”

  “Trust you? How can I trust a man who would leave his own child? Oh, I get it. You chose fame over family.”

  Brent now stood near Kem. He reached for her but she moved back on the bed.

  “Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me again.”

  “Calm down, Kem. You’re overreacting.”

  “You know what I’ve gone through. So to hear that the man I love would do to his child what I thought my dad did to me is just a little too much to deal with right now.”

  Brent sat on the bed. “If you would just listen, you would realize all is not what it seems. I’m not the child’s father.”

  “Then why is Sandy showing pictures of you being the proud father as her segment ends?”

  Brent turned to face the television. Photos of him with Hennessey when he was a baby and a toddler appeared on the screen. “Kem, I can explain.”

  “Get out. If you could leave an innocent child, you would have no problem leaving me when you got tired of me. I feel like a fool.”

  “You’re acting like a fool because you’re not giving me the chance to explain.” Brent threw his hands in the air.

  “There’s nothing you can say to me that will change my mind.”

  “Kem, you’re making a big mistake. I’m going to leave and let you calm down and then we can talk later.”

  “Other than at work, there’s nothing else we need to talk about. Brent, after learning this about you, I don’t feel like I can trust you with my heart anymore.” Tears streamed down Kem’s face.

  “Kem, are you listening to yourself? Haven’t I been there for you? Haven’t I proven to you that I’m trustworthy? I don’t know what else I can do to prove my loyalty to you. I would never abandon you.”

  Kem interrupted Brent. She wouldn’t allow him a chance to explain himself. Instead, she blurted, “A man who would leave a child is not the kind of man I want in my life.”

  “You’re making a huge mistake,” Brent insisted.

  “The only mistake I made was agreeing to marry you.” Kem removed the engagement ring. “Take this and get the hell out of my house.”

  “Kem, don’t do this. Baby, please. Just give me a few days and I can prove you’re wrong. All you have to do is hear me out.”

  “There’s nothing else you can say to change my mind.” Kem held out the ring. “Come on, take it.”

  “I don’t want it. I gave it to you. Keep it.”

  “Fine.” Kem threw the ring at Brent.

  It landed on the bed beside him. He looked at it, then back at her. He shook his head. Instead of picking the ring up, he stood. “If you let me walk out the door, I’m not coming back.”

  “Good riddance. I don’t need a man in my life that I can’t trust.”

  “And without trust, we have nothing,” Brent said. Sadness filled his eyes.

  “I don’t trust you,” Kem repeated.

  “In that case, you’re right. It is best that we end things. Good-bye, Kem.” Brent turned and didn’t look back, leaving Kem in her bedroom by herself.

  Kem picked up the engagement ring off the bed, held it to her heart and slid down under the covers. She cried her eyes out as she rocked back and forth. Everything she thought she knew about Brent was an illusion. He’d fooled her into thinking he loved her. She cried out, “Why me, Lord? Why me?”

  Brent had been her rock and now she felt like she was sinking in quicksand with no sign of relief.

  Chapter Forty-One

  The following morning, after a restless night, Kem wished she could have called in sick but she couldn’t. She forced herself out of the bed. She walked like a zombie to the bathroom. She normally dressed in office attire, but today was a casual dress day for her. She put on a pair of jeans and a Los Angeles Lakers T-shirt. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and put on a Los Angeles Lakers ball cap. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red from all the crying she’d done off and on throughout the night.

  An hour later, she was pulling into the studio parking lot. She couldn’t remember how she got there because she’d zoned out. She was definitely just going through the motions. She barely spoke to people when she arrived at her office.

  Ellen spoke but she ignored her and went straight into her office. She tried to close the door but not without Ellen interfering. “Are you okay?” Ellen asked.

  Kem, with her huge black shades on, looked at Ellen and replied, “Does it look like I’m okay?”

  “How’s Brent handling all of this?” Ellen asked.

  “I don’t know. You shoul
d ask him.” Kem wasn’t in the mood to discuss this with anyone, especially Ellen. “Can I have some privacy? I have some work to do before our regularly scheduled meeting. And Ellen?”

  “Yes?” Ellen responded.

  “I don’t want to be disturbed so handle all my calls.”

  Ellen left and closed the door.

  Kem sat behind her computer and stared at the screen. She had no idea how she was going to get through the day. It was as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. She picked up the photo of her and Brent off her desk. It reminded her of happier times—the night they both won Emmys.

  “How could I have been so wrong about you?” Kem asked out loud.

  Brent snapped at everyone he came in contact with so he decided to stay in his trailer until it was time for his scenes to be filmed. He was still upset about how Kem treated him. He could understand her being upset but to break up with him over what Alize said without even give him the chance to explain himself? It was like she believed the words of a total stranger verses listening to him, a man she knew loved her.

  Kem probably didn’t know how much she’d hurt him. Leaving her last night was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. He loved Kem and to know she didn’t trust or believe in him enough broke his heart in two. After she told him to leave, he sat outside her house for at least an hour. He’d thought about going back inside several times but instead, he decided to leave. He’d rode around the city and ended up at the beach. He spent the night in his car. He hadn’t gone home since the incident happened. After waking up on the beach, he drove straight to the studio.

  He heard a knock at his trailer door. “Come in,” Brent yelled.

  “Hey, buddy, just coming to check on you. Been seeing all the drama,” Ellen said.

  “Don’t believe everything you see,” Brent snapped.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm. Kem’s been a little testy this morning herself.”

  “So she’s here?” Brent asked.

  “Yes, and she looks like you…like crap.”

  “Thank you, Ellen. I can always count on you to keep it real with me.”

  Ellen smiled. “You know it. I suggest you stop by hair and make-up so they can do something about those bags under your eyes. We wouldn’t want that coming across on screen.”

  “Bye, Ellen.”

  “I’m going, but I’m just saying.” Ellen walked out of his trailer and left Brent alone.

  Brent hated to know Kem was going through the turmoil alone, but it was her choice. If she hadn’t pushed him away, they could get through this together. After Kem broke off their engagement, Brent’s feelings were hurt. At that point, he didn’t feel the need to clear the air with her. He would leave her with her own thoughts because he knew the truth and soon she would too.

  He showered and dressed then looked at himself in the mirror. Ellen was right. He needed something to get rid of the bags under his eyes. He took extra time in the make-up chair as the make-up artist worked his magic.

  “Just call me a miracle worker,” Glen said as he handed Brent a mirror.

  Brent held the mirror up. The bags under his eyes had disappeared. “That’s why you’re the man.”

  “For the record, I don’t believe anything that trick is saying about you.” Glen started messing with stuff at his station.

  “Thanks. I think you’re the only one.”

  “I’ve known you long enough to know you’re not that type of person.”

  “I wished someone else would have the same faith in me as you do. But she didn’t, so oh well.”

  “Just give her some time. She’ll see.”

  “I need her to trust me now. Not after I show the world Alize has been lying.”

  “You know women. They can dish it, but they can’t take it.”

  “You’re the first one I’m sharing this with, but it’s over between us. Kem threw her ring at me and told me to get out…that it’s over.”

  “Man, you know she didn’t mean it.”

  “If you would have seen the disappointment and anger on her face, you wouldn’t be saying that.” Brent recalled the look. “It’s time for me to get on set and get into character. At least Max has something good going on.”

  Brent caught a glimpse of Kem right before filming. She pretended to look right through him.

  Oh, so it’s like that, Brent said to himself.

  After Brent thought about the entire scenario, he realized Kem wasn’t innocent. Her actions were now coming across as selfish. Besides, it wasn’t her reputation being smeared through the mud. It was his. He needed her to be there for him like he’d been there for her. She kept saying he abandoned someone, but he hadn’t. Too bad he couldn’t say the same thing about her. Just when he needed her the most, Kem abandoned him and it hit him hard in the gut.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Kem sat in her producer’s chair and watched the scenes being filmed. How many scenes was Brent going to be in? She needed them to be through filming sooner rather than later. She couldn’t stand the sight of him right now.

  He came across smug as if he didn’t have a care in the world. In her mind, Brent wasn’t having an issue moving on without her. He hadn’t tried to reach out to her since she kicked him out the night before. That sort of hurt her. But why should it? She did tell him she didn’t want anything else to do with him.

  Kem was torn. The love she had for him hadn’t disappeared overnight. Maybe she had overreacted. But there was nothing he could say to her to justify leaving a child behind just because he no longer liked the mother. He didn’t have problems with the mother when he was sleeping with her. But she guessed the reality of being with a woman like Alize made him realize he’d made a mistake. No child should suffer for their parents’ mistakes.

  If her mom hadn’t left a confession of guilt, Kem never would have known that her dad hadn’t abandoned her in the way she thought. But it was hard erasing twenty-two years of guilt and insecurities resulting from her initial assessment of the situation.

  So no, she wasn’t in a place mentally to offer forgiveness to Brent. Maybe later, but not right now. She couldn’t marry him knowing what she knew. Breaking up with him was for the best or so she kept telling herself.

  Brent avoided her after his scene was over and that was also for the best. The last thing either one of them needed was for them to have an altercation on the job.

  Kem went to her office. Her attempts to reach Charlotte were unsuccessful. Brent’s fiasco was probably keeping her busy. Luckily, she was able to reach Mona.

  “Mona, I don’t know if I did the right thing or not but I broke up with Brent.”

  “Over what this Alize Jenkins woman said? Are you crazy?”

  “I feel he should have been there for his child. It’s not the child’s fault he made a poor choice of judgment when he got with her.”

  “Kem, I understand how you’re feeling but you should at least give Brent a chance to explain himself. There are always two sides to every story.”

  Talking to Mona was supposed to make her feel better, not worse.

  “I have to go. I’ll call you later,” Kem said.

  “See, there you go trying to run away just because I’m not cosigning your foolishness.”

  “But you wouldn’t be saying that if it was Terrance.”

  “Terrance and I have had our share of challenges. Believe that. Although me and my mother-in-law aren’t beefing any more, she still isn’t the easiest person to get along with.”

  “But, think about it. If Terrance had a child that he wasn’t taking care of, wouldn’t it upset you?” Kem asked. She was now leaning back in her chair.

  “It would but after we discussed the issue, we would deal with the situation together.”

  Kem ended the call with Mona. Mona’s words rang over and over
in her head. “We would deal with the situation together.”

  Kem now second-guessed herself. Had she overreacted? Should she have given Brent the opportunity to explain his side of the story? Those questions and more swam around inside her head.

  Brent walked inside of his house with his head held low. The last time he was this depressed he’d received news his mom died. Losing Kem in this way was almost like death to him.

  Aunt Edna greeted him. “You look like you lost your best friend.”

  “I did. She broke up with me, Auntie.”

  Aunt Edna wrapped her arms around him and he cried on her shoulders. He felt like a little boy crying to his auntie, but he needed to get the built-up frustrations out of his system.

  He pulled himself together as she tried to give him a pep talk.

  “She’ll come around. She’ll see you aren’t the man this Sandy Blair is trying to make you out to be.”

  Brent headed to the kitchen. “If she believes Sandy and Alize, I don’t want anything to do with her.”

  “You’re upset. You don’t mean that.”

  Brent took a bottle of orange juice out of the refrigerator and began to drink it. “Yes, I do. I thought Kem knew me better than that. She knows there’s no way I would have a child and not be a part of that child’s life. What hurts me the most is that she’s taking someone else’s word over mine.”

  “Did you share with her you had a DNA test done later that proved Alize lied about the child’s paternity?”

  “Our conversation never got that far. She cut me off every time I tried to explain,” Brent admitted.

  “Right now you both are being stubborn. Make her see things your way,” Aunt Edna said.

  “Aunt Edna, you should have seen the disappointment in her eyes. I swear for a brief second I saw hate.”

  “You’re just overreacting. Let her cool off and then try to talk to her.”

  “I’m done. If she doesn’t want me then I’m giving her what she wants. What’s that song by Bobby Womack? ‘If You Think You’re Lonely Now.’ Well, if she thinks she’s lonely now, wait until she realizes she no longer has me there.”