by Sloan Storm
DANI
Nearly crushing the phone in the palm of my hand, I lifted it to my ear. Chloe stood nearby, one arm stretched across her midsection, the other bent at the elbow and resting on top of it. She drew her hand to her mouth and immediately began to chew her thumbnail. Closing my eyes, I took one last deep breath. But before I could say a single word, Marco spoke.
“Dani,” he began, with an urgency in his tone. “I got your message, and let me tell you, you’ve only got half the story. Trust me, you just don’t understand.”
I wasn’t interested in playing any games. I prepared to hang up on him.
“Don’t give me that, Marco. I deserve better than some bullshit story from you. I…”
“This isn’t bullshit, Dani!” he screamed, his voice cracking. “Jesus fucking Christ, at least give me a chance to explain myself. You called me up, leaving me not one but two, long, accusatory messages. Did you ever think, even for a single second, that you weren’t the only one being victimized by Serena?”
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Marco took notice of my hesitation.
“That’s what I suspected,” he began, exhaling what seemed like a sincere breath of relief. “Just give me five minutes. That’s all I need. Let me explain my side, because Serena is not to be trusted.”
“Hang on…” I replied, covering the receiver and looking at Chloe.
Chloe shrugged.
“What’s going on?”
I shook my head, inwardly cursing myself for even considering his offer.
“He says…” I began, my voice trailing off.
Chloe lifted her arms skyward.
“What?”
Before I said anything, I muted the phone.
“Marco wants to talk. He wants me to give him five minutes.”
Chloe nodded and shrugged at the same time.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“Like, does he sound sincere?”
Honestly, I couldn’t tell any more. Truth and deception used to be clear lines in my mind. But now it seemed like everywhere I turned, the things I thought made life stable, didn’t anymore.
“Chloe, I really… I just don’t know.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding her head. “Well I mean, let me ask it another way. Do you want to hear what he has to say?”
I looked away from her, swallowing hard and trying to disguise my hurt. Of course I wanted to hear what he had to say. Even though our time together had been short, it was still the most exciting relationship I’d ever had. Who in their right mind would just throw that away without even listening, if only for a few minutes?
While I considered her question, Chloe answered it for me.
“Dani, do you need some privacy?”
I swallowed hard again.
“No. Whatever he has to say, I want you here with me.”
Chloe stood, walked over to me and we hugged.
“I’ll be right here,” she said, pulling away from me.
I nodded and lifted the phone into my line of sight, taking Marco off mute before bringing it to my ear again.
“Okay,” I began, nibbling on my lower lip. “You have five minutes.”
“Thank you, Dani. This whole explanation won’t take me more than three.”
Exhaling, I leaned against my kitchen counter. Chloe walked across the room and sat on the couch.
“Are you married to her?” I whispered, unwilling to wait for him to give me the answer.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
“Jesus!” I yelled. “How could you? How could you do such a thing, Marco?”
Chloe snapped her head in my direction.
“Hey!” he exclaimed, interrupting me. “You said I had five minutes to explain. Remember?”
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes.
“Okay.” I replied, exhaling. “Just… whatever.”
“Yes,” he began, his voice carrying an air of sincerity. “Serena and I are married. But, there’s a lot more to the story.”
“Four minutes and forty-five seconds…” I muttered.
Marco breathed heavy, sounding aggravated. But the truth was, I didn’t care. It took every ounce of resolve I had not to hang up on him.
“Okay, look… Serena and I have known each other since we were very young, probably since our early teens. Have we hooked up? Yes. Off and on for many years - which leads me to the marriage. It was a couple of years ago, just after my rookie season. We were in Italy and I was just blowing off some steam. We had too much to drink, one thing led to another, and we found a priest willing to marry us.”
I cut him off.
“This is how you’re convincing me? Do you realize how ridiculous you sound right now, Marco?”
He didn’t acknowledge my question.
“As I was saying, Dani, we found a priest who was willing to perform the ceremony. Almost as soon as it happened, I realized what a stupid mistake I’d made, and ever since, I’ve been working with my attorneys to get the marriage annulled. Serena has been resisting the entire time. It’s a long complicated story, but the marriage is close to being dissolved.”
Marco paused and I remained silent, still not sure what to make of his story.
“The simple fact, Dani, is that Serena is grasping at straws, and her attorney knows it. It’s nothing more than a bluff.”
While he spoke, I began to walk towards my bedroom. I reached up and closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead with the tips of my fingers. Halfway down the hallway, I responded.
“Well, I was in that meeting today, Marco and let me tell you… It sure didn’t seem like a bluff. As far as her attorney, my bosses, and the firm's attorney are concerned, your marriage to Serena is valid.”
“I understand, Dani. I’m just telling you that she’s bluffing. I’m sorry for what’s happened and I…”
Entering my bedroom, I interrupted him.
“You’re sorry?” I began, pacing back and forth. “You did hear my message. Right? You understand that I was fired, and my career is over, don’t you? Apologies aren’t going to do anything to help me, Marco. I’ve lost everything, and it’s all because of your secrets.”
“I wasn’t trying to keep secrets from you, Dani! You aren’t listening! As I explained, the divorce is nearly final. Everything that's happening right now is Serena’s own doing. Frankly, I’m shocked at what’s happened. I never would have expected something this drastic from her. I’m very sorry for what’s happened, for not telling you about it. And I promise, I will make this right. You have to trust me. I need to have it out with her, once and for all.”
I stopped in place, chewing on my lip.
“What about the video, Marco?”
I heard him swallow hard through the receiver.
“I don’t know anything about it, other than what you’ve told me. I’ll get to the bottom of it just like everything else, Dani. I promise.”
When he finished speaking, I exhaled, disgusted by all of it.
“I feel like your promises aren’t worth very much right now, Marco.”
“That’s understandable,” he replied, his tone soft. “If I were in your situation, Dani, I would probably feel the same way. All I’m asking for is a chance.”
Every fiber of my being told me to just end it and get on with my life, no matter how difficult the prospect might have been at the time. It seemed that for every second I spent on the phone listening to his voice, a little piece of me died. Each word he spoke was like a knife, cutting into my soul. I felt lost, unable to make a decision knowing full well whatever one I did make would only lead me to more pain.
My voice choked. “I-I don’t know who to trust anymore, Marco.”
With that, I lowered the phone away from my ear. When I did, I could hear him still speaking, begging for me to give him a chance. I couldn’t, wouldn’t.
I hung up.
MARCO
“Shit!” I exclaimed, pulling the
phone away from my ear.
I looked down at my other hand, opening my palm and glancing at the small camera I found inside of the strong box. I’d wanted to reveal the discovery to Dani, but until I had a chance to confront Serena about it, it would only make things worse.
For the moment, it looked like Dani was all but done with me. If there was any hope of turning the situation around, I had to handle Serena and do it right away. I looked at my cell phone again, swiping it on.
“Take it easy, Marco,” I muttered, scrolling through my contacts until I found her number.
After dialing her number, it rang a second later.
“Marco! My love,” Serena answered, her voice carrying a sickening sweetness. “I wondered when you might be calling.”
Every word from her lips dripped into my ear, like poison. I heard it in her tone – she thought she’d won. I would never give her the satisfaction, ever. Even so, she had a knack for pushing my buttons, and if there was ever a time to put a stop to her manipulative behavior, this was it.
“Why would you be wondering when I was going to call, Serena?”
“Oh, Marco, I don’t see any reason why we have to pretend. That slut was only after one thing. We both know it. I was only doing what a good wife should.”
I chuckled under my breath. I don’t suppose I should’ve expected anything else from her.
“I’ve got something in my hand, Serena,” I began, flipping the small camera in the air like a coin. “Would you like to guess what it is?”
“Our marriage certificate?” she said, giggling with soft laughter.
“No, not exactly,” I replied. “I’ll give you one more chance.”
Serena exhaled.
“This conversation is boring me, Marco. Don’t you think it’s time for us to talk about our reconciliation? Especially now?”
Ignoring her, I continued.
“It’s a camera, Serena.”
“So? What does it have to do with me?”
Extending my arm, I pinched the tiny device between my thumb and index finger, looking at it.
“I’ll have to hand it to you, Serena. Something like this… it’s pretty clever and way beyond anything I’d ever imagine you being capable of doing.”
She didn’t bite. At least, not yet.
“Marco, unless you want to tell me what you’re talking about, I don’t have time to play these silly games with you.”
“No,” I began, closing my fingers around the camera once again. “You’ve moved well beyond game playing. Haven’t you? You’ve gone straight into destroying people’s lives.”
Serena scoffed.
“I don’t have to sit here and be insulted, Marco. I have no idea what you mean. Whose life have I…”
I squeezed the hand holding the camera, nearly crushing it.
“You lied to me!” I yelled.
Fear crept into her tone.
“I would never lie to you, Marco, not after all these years. How can you say such a thing to me?”
I didn’t bother to suppress my disgust.
“It’s easy. When I asked you if you looked in the strong box, you told me you didn’t. That was a lie. Do you know how I know?”
Serena sniffed with defiance.
“It’s because I just got off the phone with Dani. Apparently, you went to her office in New York, posing as my wife…”
She interrupted me.
“I am not posing!” she screamed. “We are married, Marco!”
Ignoring her, I continued, picking up where I left off.
“Not only did you misrepresent our relationship and your claim to my inheritance, but you humiliated a perfectly innocent woman in the process. Because of your insane jealousy, not to mention a complete disregard for my privacy, you used the camera I’m holding in my hand to film us having sex and attempted to entrap her with the evidence.”
Serena cackled hysterically. The good news was I’d heard her laugh so many times over the years, I knew exactly the meaning behind it.
“And, that’s only half of it, Serena. I am only going to ask you this one time. So help me, if you lie to me, I will destroy you.”
Serena fell silent for a moment before responding.
“I’m not going to be threatened by you, Marco. I’m hanging up.”
“If you do, Serena, then I promise you, you will regret it.”
She remained on the line.
“When you planted the camera, Serena, and don’t bother denying it, did you look around inside of the strong box?”
She cleared her throat but didn’t answer.
“Serena,” I warned. “This is no time to play games with me.”
“Marco,” she began, slowing down her words. “I don’t know what you're talking about. I don’t know anything about a camera. And I certainly don’t know anything about what was in your strong box. I already told you that I didn’t look inside of it.”
Knowing Serena like I did, if she’d had any idea about my true identity, there would have been no way for her to keep it hidden from me. While I didn’t believe her lie about the camera, something told me she didn't know about the envelope and its contents.
“Anything else, Marco?”
I thought about her question for a couple of seconds. Things didn’t have to end up like this between us. Somewhere along the way she’d lost track of the true nature of our relationship. I'd never promised to be with her. The marriage was a stupid mistake. We’d talked about it, but deep down, I knew she would do anything she could to keep it intact. If it had just been between her and me, I might have been more lenient with her.
But the level she’d stooped to, to hurt Dani… Unforgivable wasn’t too strong a word to describe how I felt about it.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you, Serena. That was never my intention. But unless you take responsibility for what you’ve done and make things right with Dani's employer, then you leave me no choice but to handle the situation myself. And I can promise you that if you decide to go that route, you won’t like the outcome.”
Serena huffed, sticking to her claim of innocence and ignorance.
“You’ve always enjoyed hurting me, Marco. Isn’t that true? That’s how you keep yourself safe, isn’t it?”
“You’re out of your mind, Serena. Really, I feel pity for you.”
“Marco, the way I see things, I’ve protected your little whore. I’ve kept her safe from you. And that’s why you’re angry. You can’t do to her what you’ve done to me.”
I looked towards the ceiling and let out a calm, slow exhale. I should’ve known better. Serena had never been honest. I didn’t know why I expected anything different this time. Left with no choice, I issued my ultimatum.
“Serena, I will never speak to you again. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that I will make sure that you and your sleazy attorney pay for what you’ve done, not only to Dani, but also to me. I hope that you find a way to get your life together, Serena. I will miss our friendship even though the person I grew up with has been gone, for a long, long time now.”
With that, I dropped the phone away from my ear and disconnected it. Within a couple of seconds, Serena called me back.
I blocked the number - for good.
DANI
Chloe stayed over with me, but even so, I found it next to impossible to get any sleep. Dragging myself out of bed the next morning, I made my way to the kitchen, passing by the living room and Chloe, who was sleeping on the couch. I wasn’t even sure why I bothered getting out of bed. It wasn't like I had a job to go to or anything to do, at all.
Marco hadn’t called or messaged to let me know about his conversation with Serena. Like a zombie, I staggered along the tile floor, unaware of the present and numb to my future.
My shuffling feet caught Chloe’s attention.
“Hey,” she whispered, propping herself up on her elbow and squinting at me. “Is everything okay?”
I stopped, turning to look at her.
> “Yes, I was just thirsty. Sorry to wake you.”
Chloe stretched, easing herself into a seated position on the couch. She patted on the cushion next to her.
“Come sit for a minute, Dani.”
I pointed in the direction of the kitchen.
“Okay, I just want to get something to drink. Do you want anything?”
Chloe shook her head and leaned back into the couch, closing her eyes.
“No.”
A couple of minutes later I returned with a glass of water and sat down next to her.
Without opening her eyes, Chloe asked, “Did you hear anything from Marco?”
I took a swallow of the cold liquid.
“No.”
Sitting there alongside of her, I felt like my very existence was in limbo.
What was I going to do?
Aside from Chloe, of course, I had no one to turn to, no one to rely on for anything. She would do whatever she could to help, but my situation was far beyond anything she could fix. Sighing, I leaned back into the cushion next to her and reclined my head into the back of the couch.
“Did you sleep?” Chloe asked, her eyes still closed and her words barely above a mumble. “You seemed pretty tired when you went to bed.”
Looking down, I traced the top of the glass with my fingertip, causing it to make a sound.
“I was tired. But no, I didn’t sleep very much.”
We sat there in silence for a couple of seconds. At last, Chloe swiveled her head on the couch and opened her eyes in my direction.
“What are you going to do?”
I looked at her, shrugging.
“That depends on what you’re talking about.”
Chloe lifted her head away from the cushion.
“Oh my God, Dani,” she began, covering her mouth with her hand. “Your dad, I totally forgot. With everything that happened yesterday, I totally forgot. How's he doing?”
I continued to circle the rim with the pad of my finger.
Shrugging, I replied, “I haven’t been answering my mom’s calls. She did text me the other day, though, and told me his condition was stable. I’m guessing nothing has changed, but I really don’t know.”
Chloe reach for my thigh and rubbed it.
“Well at least he’s in the hospital. If anything goes seriously wrong, there’s no better place for him to be.”
