Chapter 29
Isabella
I couldn’t believe it . . . I-I couldn’t believe it! That lying, cheating, perverted piece of inhuman shit. I couldn’t believe it. Everything I had done for him, it was all shit. It was all shit! I was going to kill the both of them! All the years I had suffered, all the heartache, the pain, the bullshit, all of it for nothing. How could he! How could he! My phone rang, and I fumbled in my purse to get it out. Who the hell was calling me at this hour?
“What? Who is this?” I snapped.
“Isabella, it’s Maya. Are you all right? Where are you?”
“I’m on my way home to kill that cheating son of a bitch! You were right, Maya. You were right. That sick fuck has been sleeping with my cousin, your sister, for years. She just called me and told me everything. He’s a dead man. Do you hear me, Maya? A dead man,” I shouted through tears.
“Look, Isabella, I’m on my way to your place right now. Please meet me at the gas station off the highway, close to the theater. I don’t want you to do anything you may regret.”
“The time for repentance is over, Maya. I have to get everything he’s done to me off my chest. Do you remember that pain room I told you he once mentioned to me? Well, that sick bastard built one underneath our house. He’s been abusing women there for years. He doesn’t deserve to live. I should have listened to you, Maya. Why the hell didn’t I listen to you?”
“Please, I’m begging you, Isabella. Just meet me at that gas station.”
“No! I can’t go on with the knowledge of what I’ve been married to for all these years. It hurts so fucking much. I’m going to end it. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to drive off this highway down into the mountains. Fuck everything! I can’t.”
“Isabella! Now you listen to me. You are a successful businesswoman who shattered the glass ceiling as if it weren’t even there. You built a cosmetic empire with your own two hands. You are one of the wealthiest women in the city. Thousands of people depend on you and love you. I love you, Isabella. We’ve been through everything together, thick and thin, better and worse. I promise you we will make it through this too. Don’t let that piece of shit dictate the outcome of your life. Just meet me at the gas station. Please, I’m begging you!”
“But . . . I-I can’t do this anymore.”
“Isabella, wait. I see you driving up near me. That’s you, isn’t it, driving like a maniac? I’m not going to allow you to hurt yourself.”
She pulled out in front of me and blocked my path. I slammed on my brakes and we both stopped abruptly. “Maya, are you nuts? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” My heart was beating out of my chest.
“If that’s what it takes to keep you from hurting yourself. Now get out of the car.” She had me boxed in, and there was no way to get around her. Luckily, it was three o’clock in the morning, and no one else was on the streets. Otherwise, we both would have seriously screwed up traffic, if not caused a huge collision. She approached my car and banged on the window for me to open up. My mind was in a state of flux. On the one hand, I seriously wanted to murder that bastard, and on the other, I wanted my suffering to stop, even if that meant forcing my heart to stop and taking my last breath.
How could my Valentina do that to me? Deep in the back of my mind, I’d known. I’d known it all. I’d only been delaying this moment. If I cried any more, my eyes were going to seep out of my skull.
“Isabella, open up. Let me in,” Maya said, face full of concern. I opened up the passenger-side door and let her in. She sat down and hugged me. I held her tight as well. Thank God for this woman. “It’s all right, Isabella. Everything will be all right. We’ll make it through this, I promise you.”
“Please do me a favor and get Malcolm on the phone. Have him start writing up the divorce paperwork. I don’t care what time it is.” My tears were soaking her shoulder.
“Sure thing, but first scoot over because I’m driving. I need you to calm down before I trust you behind the wheel.”
“I’m sorry, Maya. It’s just my mind. Everything I am is going to shit. I could never have imagined he would do something like this to me.”
“I know. He’s a scumbag. But don’t you ever talk about hurting yourself again. I’m serious. Do you hear me? He’s not worth it.” I gazed into her eyes and wiped my nose with the cloth Dante gave me when we were in South Korea. His scent was still on it, and it soothed my rage a bit. “Do you hear me?” Maya said, shaking me back and forth.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I had a moment of weakness. I just want the pain to stop.”
“How about we go over to your place and confront him right now?”
“Yes. I was on my way there anyway. What about your car? Are you just going to leave it here?”
“I have a friend who’s going to take it back to my house for me. You didn’t think I was the one driving, did you?” Upon further inspection, I could see someone was in the driver’s seat in her car. They turned on their headlights and drove away, leaving Maya and me there alone. Allowing her to take the wheel, I moved over to the passenger seat, and buried my face in my lap. I screamed at myself, internally wondering how I could have been so stupid. I couldn’t even begin to wonder how Maya knew what was going on and how she could have been heading to my house without having been told what happened first.
“Did you know your sister was sleeping with him all these years?” My eyes felt as if they were bloodshot.
“I haven’t spoken to Valentina in three years. Not after she stole that five thousand dollars I was going to use for our mother’s birthday gift.”
I guess I would have to ask her how she knew about this later. Right now, I could only think of the many ways I was going to fuck up Nathan’s life, just as he had fucked up mine. I looked up at Maya, face flushed. She seemed to be smiling as if she had been waiting for this moment to come.
I knew how much she hated Nathan, and this would give her a perfect chance to confront him about all the things she’d told me about him over the years. I supposed this was what happened when self-doubt and denial clouded your judgment. Things tended to blow up in your face. I would never let this happen to me again—ever.
We pulled up to the driveway, and there were three other cars in front of my place. I had better not see what I thought I was going to see when I entered this house. A woman could only take so much heartache in one night.
“Here, take the keys. You open the door,” I said to Maya. I stood behind her to prepare myself. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In my house! My house!
“So, it’s true,” I said. Nathan was lying on the floor, naked with four women. He jumped up, pushed the women off, and ran into the back room like a fucking coward.
“Get the hell out of my house!” I bellowed in a fury.
Maya didn’t allow them to get dressed. She grabbed each one by the hair and threw them out the front door before tossing their clothes out with them.
“What the hell are you doing here, Isabella? You told me you weren’t coming home for a while. You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
The nerve of this fucking clown. “You bastard! You lying, cheating bastard!” I was about to launch at him.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Isabella. Now let’s get one thing straight. A man has needs, and if you’re not going to satisfy those needs, then I’m obliged to get them fulfilled elsewhere.”
“You have some nerve, you little prick. You’ve been cheating on Isabella for years. I’m glad she finally found out about you,” Maya exclaimed.
“How could you ever say that you loved me, Nathan?” I balled my fist.
“All right. Fine. Since everything is out in the open, I guess I can finally tell you the truth. I never loved you, Isabella. Love is an illusion. It’s quite amusing that you thought I ever loved you, you pathetic, naïve little bitch. The only thing that matters in life is pleasure, and yes, I used you to satisfy my desires. I always knew you would be successful, which is why I rode the waves of your success. I only used you for your money. I confess. Are you happy now?
“Oliver and I are on the verge of making millions off you. It turns out we didn’t need you to sell your shares in the company after all. I’m glad you can finally see what I’ve done to you. Such a strong, forceful businesswoman. Ha! I played you like a game. You’re emotionally weak, and that’s what made it so easy. I never loved you. I could never love a prudish bitch like you. Tell me—how do you feel about that, Isabella? How does it feel to be played by someone like me? Your own husband,” he said with such confidence. I wanted to cut his damn tongue out.
“Sorry to bust your bubble, Nathan, but I caught on to Oliver’s little scheme a while ago when Isabella made me COO. I was going to tell Isabella about it tomorrow at our meeting. We knew he had an accomplice, but never in a million years would I have thought it was you. Thanks for the confession, you moron.”
“What? You’re lying!”
“Afraid not. I have it all right here on my iPhone. Your confession and the whores you had in here will do wonders in divorce court,” Maya mocked.
“You bitch!” Nathan bellowed. He lunged at Maya. Before he could get too close, I stepped in front of him and punched him across the face as hard as I could. He fell to the floor, where I kicked him once, then again, and again. I couldn’t stop myself from kicking him. He looked up at me and I kick him in the forehead.
Please, someone stop me!
I stomped him again in the stomach, face, and back. Each time he tried to stand up, I’d strike him back down. Maya grabbed me and pulled me away, but I broke free and ran back, kicking him in the chest. She tackled me, and we both fell to the floor, my eyes full of tears. Nathan crawled over to the couch and sat on the cushions, laughing. His face was covered in blood.
“You can hurt me, divorce me, kick me out, and put me in jail; none of that matters. I have plenty of women who are dying to have me in their lives. I’ll just move in with one of them.”
Given the smug, confident look on his face, my attacks hadn’t affected his ego.
“You mean the reason you lock yourself up in your office every night? Yes, Valentina told me everything. The pain room, the spreadsheet of women you keep on your computer and notebook, all of it.”
“Valentina? Wait, stop!” he shouted. I marched up the stairs and ran to his office. They both followed me, first Nathan, and then Maya. I opened the window closest to his computer.
“Don’t do it, you fucking bitch,” he growled.
“Fuck you, Nathan.” I pushed the damned thing out the window, and it smashed all over the concrete walkway.
“God damn it!” he bellowed. He ran toward me, clenching his fist. Before he got too close, Maya took a Taser from her purse and shot him. He fell to the floor, shaking.
“If you even think of going near her again, I’ll shock you until you shit yourself,” she threatened. He moaned on the floor, crawling on his knees. Hearing anguish in his voice lifted my spirits a bit. With drool on his lip, he sat up and smiled. He truly was sadistic.
“So . . . Valentina told you everything, did she? Did she tell you she’s having my child?” He smirked.
“She told me she lied to you about being pregnant. She told me just how sick and perverted you are. I will wash myself a thousand times to get the stench that is you off me. I can’t stay in this house, but I’ll have it demolished before I allow you to stay in it. You and your fucking pain room. Now get . . . the hell . . . out!” I shouted.
“You fucking—”
“You heard her, asshole. Get out, or you’re going to get another taste,” Maya said.
He picked himself up and sauntered down the stairs. “This isn’t over. Do you hear me? This is far from over!” he threated.
Maya still had the Taser pointed at him. “Leave or I’m pulling this trigger again.” Nathan yanked the Taser barbs from his chest and ran out the front door. Maya slammed it shut as I looked on from the upstairs balcony. She put her Taser back in her purse and sighed in relief.
“Where’d you get that thing?” I asked.
“After what my ex-boyfriend did to me, I carry mace and a Taser in my purse at all times.” We smiled at each other before I collapsed to my knees. Maya stepped back up the stairs and sat next to me, rubbing my back.
“Congratulations, Isabella. You finally did it.” I put my hands over my face and started sobbing. I was an emotional wreck. As much of a bastard as he was, I honestly did love him, and what he said to me hurt me deeply. We had known each other for decades—how could he treat me like that? Was I blind, or was he just that good at hiding who he was? It hurt so much.
“You’ll be all right, Isabella. Just give it time.”
“It hurts, Maya. I’m really hurting,” I said, wiping away my tears on my sleeve.
“I know it hurts now. But trust me. I’ve been where you are. Soon that pain will turn to anger and that anger to antipathy, and that antipathy to acceptance. And hopefully, someday, once you’ve accepted it, your heart will open up to someone who will treat you right.” I smiled through my pain. Her words were comforting. She always told me exactly what I needed to hear. I was so thankful she had been there for me through everything. She’d saved my life both personally and professionally. I was so grateful for her.