Chapter 31

31 VOICEMAILS

ABBY

“I’ve been waiting for you all these years to grow up into a woman. I’ve been watching you all the time, wherever you go, whatever you do. I scared them away, but you let that motherfucker fuck you.”

He slaps me on my face, and it stings like hell. I can even feel his handmarks on my face. “You shouldn’t have let him touch you. You are mine first, Mackenzie. I have waited for you to grow up enough so that I can fuck you. I can fuck you better than him, you bitch.” His voice is hoarse like he has broken voicebox. He has foul breathing as if he’s been drinking.

I can’t still see his face, even his eyes. It’s dark—pitch black.

I jolt awake when I hear a loud bang on my door.

“Abby, please open the door. Open up.” Sebastian yells from the outside.

I might have fallen asleep. My eyelids are heavy, and my eyes still sting. My head is going to explode. I just have the worst headache I ever had.

“Baby, just let me know that you’re okay. I promise I’ll leave as soon as I hear your voice.” I feel the uneasiness inside me when I hear him say he’ll leave. I don’t want him to go. I’m not ready to let him go. “Baby, just—” He stops. “I love you. I mean it every word I said. I love you, Abbygail. You don’t have to believe me in everything. Just this one.”

I sit on my bed, grab my blanket to cover my knees before I start crying. He’s leaving. Sebastian is leaving me. Now I feel how he felt when I left him.

But I’m still hurt that all the men I trusted most, they all lied and betrayed me.

My dad kept something from me. He let Andrew work with him behind my back. Did mom know it too? Of course, Dad shared everything to her, well except for the will. Why can’t Sebastian do the same thing to me?

Then my best friend for three years is working with my dad. He didn’t even try telling me and being a stupid as I am, I didn’t even have suspected anything.

“Abby, we’re leaving. Can I at least see you before I go?” Trix knocks the door this time.

“I don’t wanna talk. I wanna be alone. Please just leave. Don’t make it hard for me, Trixie.” My voice is raspy. I pull some tissue on my nightstand and blow my nose.

“Abby, I just want to hug you one last time before I leave. I’m gonna miss you, you know. I never had a real girlfriend.” I think of opening the door for her, but if I see Sebastian, I might not let them go.

“Go away. I don’t like having friends with anyone who will betray me again. Just leave, Trixie.” It breaks me because I like her and she has nothing to do with this. She just got in the middle of this chaos.

I get up from my bed and unlock the deadbolt. I take a deep breath before I half-open the door, then Trix peeks her head from the outside. I hide behind the door. When I let her in, she hugs me before I can pull myself together.

“You look like shit. Oops.” She’s combing my hair with her fingers and tucks some hair behind my ear.

“I know. It just, it hurts to know the people I trusted have been lying to me.” I say as I play with my hands on my knees.

“They did it to protect you. If they didn’t do it, then they never cared. You’re very lucky, Abby. Those guys are willing to risk their lives for you. They may have lied, but it’s because they want you to have a normal life.” She wipes my tears from my face.

“Two years ago, I dated a man. He was good and sweet. He never cheated, not that I know of. After a year of dating, we lived together in my apartment. Then he suddenly changed when he was fired from his work. He applied for jobs, but he never got the luck, and he never asked me for a favor. You know this man’s ego. So I asked Seb if he could help Cole. Of course, he helped him because I’m so worried when he came home drunk every night. He stopped drinking when he got the job. Then he found out that I asked Seb to get him his job. When everyone was drunk, Paul blurted out that he should thank Seb for his job. That was the engagement party of our friends. He punched Paul on the face, then he came to me and slapped me in front of girls and said that I’m a bitch and a lousy lay, and he’s been sleeping with other women. He grabbed my hair, yanked me, and threw me to the floor.” I am even shocked to react, and her tears keep streaming from her eyes.

“Seb came rushing when everyone was yelling. Seb was the only one who wasn’t drunk. He never got himself drunk. He grabbed him by his shirt and punched him on his face until he bleeds. Cole was able to grab a shard of broken glass and slit Seb on his eyebrow. Seb punched him again, choked Cole, and said, if you ever fucking touch my girl again, I will fucking kill you. No one ever fucking touch these girls. They are my family, and I will fucking protect them with my life. A lot of fucking, huh?” She smiles.

“Thank you for sharing that with me. You’re a good woman, Trix, and you don’t deserve to be treated like that.” I catch her hand and squeeze it.

“Whatever happened to you in the past, I don’t wanna know, but I’m here if you need anything. You can always call me, and Seb doesn’t have to know. This is our girl’s moment. You don’t deserve this too, but sometimes you have to take risks to keep the one you love most safe.” She kisses my forehead and rises from the bed.

“He loves you so much, and he means it, Abby. He’s devastated, too.” She then closes the door behind her and leaves me alone.

Someone opens the door slowly, and when I look up, my heart crushes inside. Trixie is right, he looks devastated.

“I don’t wanna talk to you right now and never. You can leave now that you know I’m fine. I will ask my lawyer to file the divorce paper. I don’t need anything from you or Mom. Get out, and goodbye, Seb.” I know he doesn’t like me calling him Seb, but he deserves it.

“Abby, we’re hurt with what is going on. I’m leaving and give you sometimes to clear up your head. We can’t talk like this when we’re emotionally unstable. I’ll give you some time.”

I look down at my trembling hands. ”I’m done. Go home.” I stand up and open my closet where I hang all his clothes. I take all of them and put them all in my bed. I open the drawer where I kept his boxers and shirts. Then I get his traveling bag and put all his things inside and zip it closed and place it on the floor.

He just looks at the bag and says nothing while clenching his jaw, his lips are pressing in a thin line. He squeezes his eyes shut, takes a deep breath before he grabs the bag on the floor.

I look away because I can’t take it seeing him leaving me without a guarantee that I’m going to see him again.

He’s going to leave, and he doesn’t even say a word. I think I’m dying because it hurts like hell. I hear footsteps and door closing. I slump down the floor and hug myself as I welcome my agony.

I burst into cry until I can’t breathe. I never cried like this before, even when my mom died. I love my mother so much, but it never hurts like this. I never thought that I’m capable of loving someone so much that destroys me, that it will end me. I never thought that seeing him leaving hurts more than finding out their betrayals. I go back to bed and sleep.

I woke up when my seven o’clock alarm goes off.

Silence.

I can only hear the air conditioning in my room, and it reminds me that I’m alone. I drag my butt out of the bed and walk to the door. I double-lock my apartment. I check everything around—it’s spotless.

They must have cleaned before leaving, and it reminds of Sebastian—my failed marriage.

As paranoid as I am, I check all the windows—they’re locked. I walk to check Andrew’s room. It’s opened and emptied. I feel I want to cry. I lost everyone I loved. I swallow and close the door behind me.

I go to the kitchen, and everything seems to be in the right places. The fridge is full, though. Full of frozen meat, frozen vegetables, ice cream—chocolate mint chip, strawberry cheesecake, and butter and scotch.

They must have gone to buy groceries because they know I’m not capable of doing it by myself. I’ll starve myself to death.

After taking a shower, I comb my tangled hair and look at myself in the mirror. I aged a decade with bulging eye bags, pale skin, red nose, and dry lips. I look like I’ve been on a hunger strike for days.

My stomach growl. I dress in a t-shirt and cotton short shorts before I go back to the kitchen. I toast some brown bread, take some ham, and open a prepared green salad. I make a sandwich out of it. after pouring an OJ into a glass, I drink silently.

I take a huge bite of a sandwich and eat half of it. Then I remember I turned off my phone. Dad must have been worried about me even though Sebastian is keeping him updated.

I start listening to my voicemails.

“Sweetheart, we need to talk. You worried me too much, young lady. I need to know if you’re okay. I need you safe, Abbygail. I just lost your mom, and I don’t wanna lose my only daughter. Please, call your dad, pumpkin.

Beep.

“Sweetheart, it’s your dad. Talk to me, pumpkin. I just had a call from your husband, and he doesn’t sound okay. If you figured out already, forgive your old man from keeping it from you. That’s for your own good. Trust me. It wasn’t easy for me and Tennings, Abbygail.”

Beep.

“Abbygail, I swear if you won’t call me back after this message, I will send the jet with my people to drag you out of your apartment and send you to London. You’re not going to summer classes anymore. You have your last year of college in London. Or I will let Seb get you, and you’re going to stay with him. Choose, young woman.”

Beep.

“Baby, it’s me. Just landed. Just wanna let you know that I came back safe. I miss you. I love you, Abbygail.”

Beep.

“Baby, how’re you doing? Eat something, okay. I fill something for you. Take a rest, and I miss you. Abby, I love you. Believe me.”

Beep.

“Baby, your dad just called, and he’s worried hell. Call him back. Don’t let the old man worried too much. I love you.”

Beep.

“Hey, Abby baby, guess who? It’s Patrick, the handsome of Williams and Hughes. I stole your number from Sebby. Don’t tell him, please? I don’t want another punch. Take care. He’s going to eat each one of us alive here. Bye.”

Beep.

“Hey, Abby. I miss you. I wish we can have mani-pedi together. These guys are so grumpy, and I can’t even mention Mason’s name. He’s hot, isn’t he? I miss you. Can we at least chat or have a video call? I’m so bored right now.”

Jesus, these people. I have another voicemail from another unknown number.

“Hello, Mackenzie. You’re alone right now, aren’t you? At last, it’s our time to spend together, and soon you’re gonna be mine, sweet Mackenzie.”

My phone scatters on the floor. My heart flutters, and I hold my hand over my chest as I try to breathe.

This is just a nightmare.

It can’t be real. This is not real.

How did he know my number?

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Then there’s a knock on the door that has me jumping.