19
Lauren
I ran through the front door with the bags of takeout food on one arm and a bottle of wine in the other. “Isaac, I have amazing news!” I shouted as I kicked the door shut behind me.
My nirvana quickly faded as I took in Isaac’s face as he stood in the kitchen, his phone pressed up to his ear. Something was wrong.
He was nodding his head and kept saying he understood.
I stood in place until his eyes finally fixed on me. A look of panic and something else I couldn’t understand floated across his face.
I waited until he ended the call and then I took a step further into the room.
“I got the promotion today. I also picked up dinner and wine,” I said as I placed my items on the kitchen counter.
“I’m so sorry,” Isaac said as he shook his head. “I am so proud of you for getting that promotion, but I just received a call and I have to tell you something,” he said.
Before I could comprehend what he was saying, Cole and Melanie walked through the front door. They both looked at me with questioning looks.
“What’s going on?” Cole asked as he surveyed the scene.
Melanie just looked at me with sadness radiating from her eyes.
“I don’t know,” I said with a sigh.
“I need everyone to sit down,” Isaac began as he motioned for all to go to the living room.
We followed his instructions and sat down. With nervous glances, we all watched as Isaac paced the floor in front of us.
“What I am about to tell you is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me. I know I have messed up and none of you should ever trust me or believe anything I say again, but this time, I am telling the truth,” Isaac was blabbering and speaking way too fast.
He wasn’t making any sense and I could see Cole growing anxious with anticipation.
“Just spit it out,” I yelled as I grew frustrated.
Sighing, Isaac stopped pacing and looked at all three of us waiting and hanging on his every word. “The night that Cole came to meet with me I had too many drinks. Jagger invited a group of girls to come hang out with us. You all know Jagger, he is single and loves to hook up with as many women as he can. I swear, one day he will meet the right girl and those one night stands won’t matter anymore,” he veered off thinking.
“Enough Isaac,” I screamed. I stood up and threw my hands up in the air. “Just tell us what is going on. I am about to lose my mind!”
Grabbing my hand, Melanie pulled me back down to the couch. “Lauren, calm down,” she whispered.
“Isaac, we have heard enough. Tell us what is going on or I am taking Melanie and we are leaving,” Cole stated through gritted teeth.
Blowing out a long breath, Isaac began to shake. “There was this girl. Her name was Tiffany. She was hitting on me and kept asking me to go back to her place. I didn’t touch her, I swear. Each time she hit on me, I would tell her no. I even talked about you Lauren. I told her how much I loved you and how I was trying to win you back. I guess I had way too many drinks because when I stood up to leave, I couldn’t walk straight. I searched for Jagger, but he had already left with two girls. Tiffany offered to take me home. I told her I wasn’t going to hook up with her and she said she understood. She helped me to her car and I guess I passed out. When I woke the next morning, I was in her bed. I swear, I don’t remember having sex with her but she just called and told me she is pregnant and...it’s mine,” Isaac finished and a cry escaped his lips.
I believed our love could withstand anything. Maybe I was wrong.
My body began to shake as sweat lined my forehead. I felt a huge ball in my stomach drop as panic and unease settled in. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Isaac and I were back to having our perfect life. How could he sleep with her? How could she be pregnant? This couldn’t be true. It had to be a nightmare. Wake up! Wake up!
“Lauren, please say something,” Isaac cried as he fell to his knees before me.
“Wait. Did you say her name was Tiffany?” Cole asked as he stood.
“You know her?” Isaac asked as he turned his head away from me for just a second.
“I know of her yeah. Man, that girl is trouble. Even Jagger wouldn’t mess with her. She is known for trying to hook up with guys to use them to get what she wants. Money. Sex. Drugs. Blackmail. You name it and she has done it. I don’t remember seeing her there when I was with you all,” Cole finished.
“Jagger didn’t invite the girls until after you left. He said there was no way you would let him bring girls with you there,” Isaac finished.
Cole smiled and I saw relief wash over Melanie.
However, I was still having a panic attack and slowly dying on the inside.
“She is setting me up,” Isaac said in a harsh tone. “You all have to believe me. I wouldn’t sleep with her. Not when I thought I had a chance of making things right with Lauren,” he said as he took my hands in his. “Do you believe me?”
I looked at Isaac. I studied his eyes and searched deep into his soul for the truth. I couldn’t understand how this man could break my heart twice, but somehow he did. I also couldn’t understand how after everything he had done, I somehow believed he was telling me the truth.
I was not some dumb girl who believed everything a man told her. I was hot as hell and had an education, loving family and friends, and a great job. I didn’t need a man to validate my life or make me feel better about myself. That just wasn’t who I was or what I was about.
But, in that moment I knew in my heart and soul and everything I believed in that Isaac was telling me the truth. His voice was full of hurt. This girl, this Tiffany, was blackmailing Isaac. Only, we needed to find out why.
“Isaac, I do believe you,” I said as I looked deep into his eyes. “But, we are going to get to the bottom of this together.”
Allowing his head to fall into my lap, Isaac began to sigh. “You have no reason to believe me, but you do. I love you, Lauren,” he said.
“If you think she is blackmailing you or lying about this, then maybe you should call her and ask her what she wants,” Melanie stated.
The three of us all turned our attention toward Melanie who now stood with her hands on her hips. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that Melanie didn’t believe Isaac. I guess I couldn’t blame her really. It hadn’t been too long ago when Melanie had discovered her fiancé Brody was cheating on her. His unfaithfulness devastated her and almost forbid her from loving again. If anyone wouldn’t believe Isaac, it would be Melanie.
“Maybe that’s not a bad idea,” I chimed in.
Even though I believed Isaac, it wouldn’t hurt to hear him call Tiffany.
Nodding his head, Isaac agreed. “Ok. I will call her back. You all can listen. I will put the phone on speaker. I swear to you all, I have nothing to hide.”
Isaac pulled out his phone and hit redial. After a few rings, a woman’s voice answered and I wanted to vomit from the sound.
“Hello,” Tiffany answered.
“It’s Isaac,” he replied.
“Oh. What do you want?” Tiffany snapped.
Damn, for someone who is pregnant, she sure sounds unhappy to hear from the baby daddy. I mean, alleged baby daddy.
“Look, I don’t know what game you are trying to play with me, but I refuse to let you use me,” Isaac said calmly.
A shrill laughter floated through the phone and all four of us jumped at the sound. “Don’t you dare threaten me, Isaac. You knocked me up.”
“I didn’t sleep with you!” Isaac screamed as he now held the phone in the air like a weapon.
There was silence for a moment and I watched everyone around me as though I was having an out of body experience. This couldn’t be real life.
“And how do we prove you didn’t?” Tiffany shot back. “You were so hammered you couldn’t even walk to my car. Everyone at the bar saw you hanging all over me as I helped you to my car. When we got back to my house, you crawled into bed with me. I guess you just couldn’t resist me,” she finished with a snap. I could only imagine her smirking on the other side of the phone.
Suddenly, it all became too much for me to handle. I began to gag as vomit raced its way up my throat. I rushed toward the bathroom with Melanie close behind me.
“Lauren, are you ok?” she asked as I heaved myself in front of the toilet and began vomiting the contents of my stomach.
Grabbing a washcloth, she quickly dampened it with cool water and then brought it to my forehead. When I was done puking, she wiped my face clean and helped me up off the cool, tile floor of the bathroom.
Cole and Isaac were standing just outside the bathroom door, the phone still in Isaac’s hand. As he stared at me with sorrow filling his eyes, Isaac pulled the phone up to his mouth and began to carefully construct his words.
“You are a liar. I doubt you are even pregnant and besides if you are, I know it is not mine. I will find a way to prove that I never even touched you. What I want to know is, what do you want from me? Why are you doing this?” Isaac had so much venom in his voice, I swear if he were to bite you, he could kill you on the spot.
“Well, I will need some money for doctor’s appointments, buying things for the baby, and I guess to keep my mouth shut. I mean, you don’t want me to go around town telling people I am carrying your child. Especially not since you are getting married to that little princess,” Tiffany said with a laugh.
“I’m not giving you anything without a DNA test and a lie detector test,” Isaac spit back into the phone.
Cole and Melanie traded glances and I couldn’t help but sense the worry between them. I hoped they believed Isaac.
“We will see about that. You have two weeks to get me one thousand dollars or I start telling everyone that you cheated on your girlfriend and are refusing to take care of your baby.”
And with that, Tiffany hung up and ended the call. We all stood dumbfounded by what we had just heard.
“She’s not even denying what you said. All she wants is money,” Cole stated as he wrapped an arm around Melanie. She was visibly upset by all of this.
Thoughts began swirling through my mind. Something wasn’t right here. Her threat was too calculated. Her victim, Isaac, was just too convenient.
“I think Tiffany knows what you did,” I said in a calm voice.
Everyone turned and stared at me like I had just grown three heads. “What are you talking about?” Melanie asked.
I pushed past all of them and left the bathroom. “Isaac, only a few months ago you were into a dangerous money-making scheme. Now, this girl has selected you to target to give her money. She has to know that you have money, or at least know how to get money fast,” I said as I walked around the living room.
For some reason, these puzzle pieces of insanity were putting themselves together in my mind and I knew I looked like a crazed woman as I spit out my findings.
“Even if that were true, I am done with that lifestyle. I told you, Lauren, I got Marco arrested. I am on probation, I can’t and won’t do anything to hurt you or get myself into trouble again. The risk is too great. Especially now that I have you back,” Isaac paused. “I still have you don’t I?”
Rushing to him, I wrapped my arms around Isaac’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Yes, you still have me. We will fight this. We just need to find out a way to prove she is lying and is somehow blackmailing you,” I finished.
I had more strength in my words than I could have imagined. This girl would not destroy my life. I was going to fight back.