by C. J. Anaya
After a few moments Brody entered the room. Midge felt like she could finally take in her first real breath of the day. She leveled her gaze at Brody, giving him a sincere smile and waiting for him to acknowledge her, but his gaze remained steadfast and resolute, pointing toward the back of the courtyard. Upon closer inspection his jaw appeared tense, a muscle bulged in his neck, and his fists were clenched at his sides. Something terrible must have occurred for him to appear so distraught. Midge feared that something had happened to his mother. She nearly rushed over to inquire about Blanche’s health, but caught herself. The glint of a camera in her peripheral vision grabbed her attention and reminded her where she stood.
Brody’s words and movements were stiff as he said, “I want you ladies to know that my decision tonight was based on the level of love, honesty, integrity, and compassion you have shown toward me and toward those you interact with. True affection and trust is important to me. It was easy to make this decision tonight based on my feelings for you and your true and sincere affections for me.”
Brody grabbed a diamond encrusted rose and held it before him still refusing to make eye contact with her. Midge was utterly bewildered by the anger and tension pulsing about him.
“The first person I choose tonight is…Charlene.”
Charlene let out a huge sigh of relief, walking over to Brody and folding herself into his tight embrace. Then Brody took their hug a little further. After Charlene accepted his rose, he clasped hold of her by the waist and brought his lips to hers, participating in a rather passionate exchange that didn’t seem to surprise Charlene in the slightest but definitely bowled Midge over. She eagerly accepted his affections while Midge stood reeling with this new development, attempting to hide the fact that she felt like she’d just been sucker punched, stabbed in the heart, and left for dead by someone she’d given more than just her trust to.
Why is he kissing her? Why would he do this?
She felt Cambria squeeze her hand as the young girl let out a shaky breath and muttered, “Well, that was unexpected. I know he promised to kiss only those he felt serious about, but I thought he was only serious about you.”
She could only nod in quiet bewilderment as their kiss ended and Charlene came back to stand in line with them. She looked thrilled by the change of events, and Midge certainly couldn’t blame her for that. She glanced to Brody again, and this time he met her gaze with a smug, satisfied one of his own. The corners of his eyes were strained with bottled up rage, but he kept his composure, wiping the brief smugness from his expression so quickly that Midge wondered if she had imagined it.
Brody called out two more girls,—neither one of them Midge or Cambria—and gave them both what Midge considered overenthusiastic hugs and shared kisses on the cheek.
Her stomach continued its churning as Brody reached for the last diamond encrusted rose on the table and brought it forward.
“The last girl who has shown me what true love and genuine affection can do for a relationship is…”
Midge felt the sinking sensation tank to the bottom of her stomach as Brody’s gaze fell upon her, filled with nothing but disgust and contempt. Then he turned his attention to Cambria and gifted her a beautiful smile.
“Cambria.”
A collective gasp swept the room as crew, contestants and security alike reacted to this unexpected twist in the competition. Midge hardly felt the floor beneath her feet as despair, grief, agony, anger, outrage, and finally a numb kind of acceptance settled in while Cambria quickly glanced to her and then left her side, making her way in front of Brody and accepting his rose and another unsettling display of public affection. Brody made certain to make eye contact with Midge the moment his kiss with Cambria concluded.
Midge stared back at him as the shock and eventual numbness at such an unexpected betrayal set in. Cambria returned to the center of their group, and flashed Midge a worried look. Midge wondered if she was broadcasting the pain she felt, but she simply didn’t have the emotional energy required to paste on a brave face in order to deal with this very public, very humiliating rejection after she had finally taken that leap of faith and trusted in him.
She’d actually believed in the love he’d so willingly offered, at least where she was concerned, but apparently she really had been part of the angle used to help his image and get ratings for the show. Did that mean her father knew about this? Not that he would have understood the emotional ramifications for her since he wasn’t aware of her feelings for Brody, but still, had the public rejection been his idea for more ratings, and now she would forever be that poor girl who wasn’t good enough for Brody Prescott?
And that wasn’t even the part that hurt. No. His malicious rejection of her after gaining her trust hurt far worse. He knew her vulnerabilities and was aware of her fears on camera. He’d managed to hit her in the most vindictive way imaginable, and she had no idea why. She didn’t believe Brody to be a cruel individual, but perhaps he had played her for a fool.
Brody came forward and reached out to embrace her as was customary for him to do with contestants he’d eliminated. His arms felt like liquid fire as they touched her, scalding her and wounding her at the absurdity of this interaction, adding insult to injury. Just before he released her she heard him whisper in her ear.
“I suppose you thought you had me wrapped around your little finger, Midge. Now it’s time you realize that whatever was between us was little more than a publicity stunt. Thanks for playing along so nicely. Enjoy your trust fund.”
Midge. Not Madelyn. The distinction couldn’t have been any plainer, though most wouldn’t understand its significance like she did.
His words effectively shoved that knife to the hilt embedding it deep within her chest. Midge’s heart blackened and withered like a decaying flower in the midst of winter. Her devastation was so complete, she nearly fainted when he released her, wobbling for a moment and causing Brody to hesitantly reach his hand out as if to steady her, but then he pulled back and hardened his features. Midge’s shock at this horrific turn of events was so complete that she failed to notice the brief look of concern that crossed Brody’s face as he studied her.
“Good-bye, Midge,” he whispered, and then strode from the room.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I still can’t believe Brody proposed to Charlene and passed up an opportunity to be with you,” Lisa said as she passed a tray of Oreos to Midge and then seated herself on the sofa next to her.
Midge sighed, deciding that any more Oreos would no doubt be vomited up if Lisa insisted on rehashing the events of her failed attempt at a relationship with Brody Prescott.
She’d refused to watch the rest of the season, knowing full well that his choice would be between Cambria and Charlene. How had this inconceivable scenario reared its ugly head? Her existence since the night she’d been eliminated from the show could be compared to that of a zombie going through the motions; never quite aware of its surroundings.
“There’s a story there. Something happened to scare the guy. Something sneaky and underhanded,” Stacey said as she grabbed the Oreos from Midge and sat down on the other side of the couch.
Stacey had been key in getting her out of Germany with her possessions and her sanity intact. After Brody’s hurtful rejection, Midge hadn’t been capable of making a single decision in regards to her welfare, and her father had requested that Stacey accompany her on the flight home.
Her father’s anger at the situation had come as a complete surprise since she assumed that he had staged the whole thing, but apparently he’d been just as convinced as everyone else that Brody was sincere in his pursuit of her. Stacey had gone from babysitting her to actually moving in, and Lisa had accepted the new roomie with amazing aplomb. Midge suspected that had much to do with a three-way split in rent.
Penny pincher!
“There’s nothing sinister about Brody dumping me other than the way he went about doing it,” Midge said. She really didn’t w
ant to listen to Lisa and Stacey analyze and dissect the entire extent of her relationship with Brody and its devastating demise. Not again, anyway.
“He loves you. I’m absolutely positive of it, but something spooked him, and I’m inclined to think it was Felicia.”
“She’d already been arrested at that point,” Lisa said, not for the first time this evening.
“I still think she got to him somehow.”
“Guys,” Midge’s voice came out defeated and spent. “I can’t listen to this anymore. Can we please drop the subject, and forget that I ever had feelings for Brody Prescott?”
“You’re going to have to face him, eventually, you know. The cast’s Tell All live broadcast is this Friday. You’ll be sitting with all of the contestants waiting to rehash the dirty, gruesome details of the entire series. It’s going to be absolutely hellish, so consider our theorizing as part of your prep time for the cameras,” Stacey countered.
Midge sank into the couch a little further and did her best to focus on The Mindy Project. Her mood needed a good dose of Mindy’s irreverent and unapologetic behavior. After watching one of these episodes she always felt empowered enough to tell herself that she was a dainty princess rather than a floating blimp getting rounder by the minute due to the exorbitant amount of Oreos she’d inhaled over the last two weeks. Unfortunately, Mindy and Danny had finally come around to admitting their love for one another which was a painful reminder of the love she wasn’t sharing with Brody. She reached for the remote and changed the channel much to the dismay of her outraged roommates.
“They just solved their inner and external conflicts, enabling them to come together in love and happiness. How could you change the channel like that?” Lisa wailed.
Midge raised an eyebrow at Lisa’s wording. “Have you been reading my Writing 101 books?”
“I was bored while you were gone. Dry reading, by the way.”
“I need a breather from all things romance,” Midge replied, vigorously flipping through the channels. She stopped on Channel 9 news, convinced that terrorists, petty thievery, and drive-by shootings would put her in an infinitely cheerier mood.
“A shocking update on the Felicia Davenport case,” said the news anchor. “Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting the theory that Felicia Davenport murdered all three of her late husbands, Judge Griffin has deemed that Ms. Davenport is not a flight risk at this time. Her bail has been set for one hundred thousand dollars which was paid by her father. His team of lawyers have worked up a convincing case to dispute these three counts of premeditated murder. The case goes to trial in three months.”
“That wench is roaming the streets of L.A. a free woman?” Lisa gasped.
Midge shook her head, unable to comprehend how Felicia’s lawyers managed to get her out on bail.
“I’m going to call Rhodes and get him to set up some surveillance around the apartment,” Stacey said, reaching for her phone.
“Why on earth would you do that?” Midge grabbed Stacey’s hand to stop her.
“For two reasons. One: because Felicia was targeting you during the competition, and there’s no telling what she’ll do now that she’s out.”
“She was targeting me because I was a threat to her relationship with Brody, and she was targeting Cambria because the girl is so dang cute. Charlene’s the one who needs the protection now.”
“I doubt that Felicia will go after Charlene. She knows she doesn’t have a chance with Brody at this point. Her vendetta against you may have started because of Brody, but it became personal lightning fast. Might have had something to do with those awesome insults you hurled at her throughout the series. Though I found it highly entertaining, was it really necessary to taunt the tramp?”
“I stand by my insults.”
Lisa shook her head, a wide grin spreading across her face. “If she’s gunning for anyone she’s gunning for you.”
“What’s the second reason?”
“Rhodes is super dreamy.” Stacey fluttered her lashes and fanned herself with her hand.
“I second that,” Lisa muttered. “I wish you would have accepted his offer to have lunch with him last week, Midge.”
“I’ve sworn off men. I think my track record speaks for itself.”
“Ugh. These manly security guards and all of their rippling pectorals are completely wasted on you. Stacey, do you think we should invite Rhodes to our pity party tonight?”
Stacey whipped out her phone and started dialing. “He can offer security and entertainment all at the same time. More bang for our buck.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Midge moved to stand up, but both Stacey and Lisa firmly pushed her back onto the sofa.
“Not a chance, Midge. We need to exorcise Brody’s demon from your psyche; otherwise, you’re never going to recover from such a publicly humiliating rejection,” Lisa said.
Midge gritted her teeth. “No one ever puts anything quite as succinctly as you do, Lisa.”
“Thank you.”
Brody’s gut clenched in dismay as Gregg imparted the news of Felicia’s release.
“I feel like the only way I’ll ever be rid of that woman is if someone shoots her in the head.”
Gregg slapped a hand to his forehead and then moved to close Brody’s office door.
“When discussing the finer points of someone’s murder, I’d appreciate it if you could avoid letting your secretary in on the gruesome details. It tends to give the wrong impression.”
“Do we have any information to add to the case? Anything that implicitly ties Felicia to those murders?”
“Nothing. Everything I found was circumstantial, and I still have no idea who leaked that information to the press or the authorities. The only reason I’m telling you about this now is because I’m concerned about Madelyn.”
Brody visibly blanched at the sound of her name. Nausea clawed at his insides and bile threatened to choke him. This physical reaction to the mention of Madelyn was something he hadn’t prepared himself for. Her loss was something he felt as keenly as he would a lost limb or the death of a loved one. He was grieving the loss of her love, of her presence in his life, and was furious with himself when the girl in question didn’t give a fig about him or his feelings. All the while he had a wonderful girl like Charlene to hold onto, and he could hardly work up the enthusiasm to meet her for dinner tonight.
“Why…” he took a moment to collect himself before continuing. “Why on earth would you be worried about Madelyn? Why would you even mention her name?”
“When Felicia was asked by a reporter if she knew the identity of the person who had leaked the information she immediately blamed Madelyn Knightly for it.”
Brody’s brows drew together. “That’s ridiculous. Madelyn didn’t have the time or the resources to look into Felicia’s background.”
“Nevertheless she is quoted as stating that Madelyn Knightly has maligned and unnecessarily attacked her. From what we know of Felicia’s background and temperament, I think it’s safe to assume that Felicia will shut her up any way she deems necessary.”
“You think Madelyn is in danger?”
Gregg solemnly nodded and then waited as Brody processed this new development.
“Why bring this to me, Gregg? Her welfare isn’t my concern. She isn’t my responsibility.”
“You love her, and I believe she loves you.”
“You saw the video.”
“I can’t help but think it was a huge misunderstanding. Consider the source. Charlene had a lot to gain by turning you against Madelyn.”
“Charlene has been nothing but wonderful throughout all of this. Madelyn’s denial of love for me wasn’t edited. She said all of that, willingly, I might add, and a great deal more. I had the DVD checked for inconsistencies, and there were none.”
“But maybe there was more. Is it possible you received the whole of what was filmed?”
“How could
anymore footage of that conversation between Felicia and Madelyn negate what Madelyn clearly stated?”
Gregg shook his head, clearly discouraged, yet looking for some lifeline, some other contingency that he and Brody had failed to unearth.
“It’s just…the look on her face, Brody. When those cameras panned to her face after you kissed Charlene…I’ve never seen anyone more shocked or more devastated. And then when you chose Cambria…you could see the shock register, the light leaving her eyes. Those damn cameras did a thorough job of capturing every single emotion she experienced when she realized you were sending her home, and I’m sorry, but those emotions would not have belonged to someone completely and wholly indifferent to you.”
“She was simply embarrassed and upset that I rejected her first. Do you think I was willing to wait it out and hope that she wouldn’t reject me once I was down on my knee begging for her to accept me?”
“You didn’t even give her a chance to explain,” Gregg tried again. “You never showed her the film. All she knows at this point is that you offered her love as a publicity stunt. You were never sincere.”
“That’s exactly what I want her to think. It’s what she has to believe. She’ll never know how much she hurt me. She’ll never know what her cruel rejection did to me.”
“No. I suppose she won’t, but everyone else certainly knows what your cruel rejection did to her…even if you can’t see it. You’re a good man, Brody, but there were other, less hurtful ways of handling that situation. You should have given her a chance.”
“I’ll never believe that, and you’ll never convince me of that.”
Gregg sighed in defeat and handed over a piece of paper to Brody before moving toward the door. He stopped just before opening it to say, “You’re not happy with Charlene. I hope you don’t live to regret the fact that you’ve completely settled for something average when you could have reached for something spectacular.” He opened the door. “Madelyn’s address and phone number are on that paper. You can go after her and beg for her forgiveness…or refuse to see reason, but at the very least, make sure Felicia doesn’t harm her.”
