She uncrosses her arms, leans her tight black-skirted clad hip against the door. I want to dig my nails into the superior look in her eyes and press hard with the amount of intense disdain I have for her.
Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned. I always loved that quote by William Congreve much better than a woman scorned. And I happen to have cared a great deal about Natalie once upon a time too.
Now all I see is a woman who doesn’t give a shit who she tramples on to get what she wants. To bad for her, I’m not the type to roll over and play dead. Not when it comes to my husband.
“Is that so? Then let’s get to the point, shall we? What is it you want, Natalie? Are you here to ask me to stay away from my husband so you can move right in? We both know you're as good at being a homewrecker as you are at your day job. The two go hand and hand.” I smile, it’s a snarly one with a mean bite behind it.
It’s also a low blow coming from me. I’m not one to throw stones. In Natalie’s case, she deserves a bag of bricks to fall out of the sky and land on her.
I’m proud of myself too for not allowing the wariness or the jealousy Mason trusted her over me to leak out in my tone. Instead, it’s full of venom and despicable vile. I’d love nothing more than to spit in her face and ruin her perfect polished look.
She says nothing as I allow my feet to push me forward and stop a few feet or so away instead of plowing her the hell over.
She does give me the once over, though, her eyes landing on the gyms logo in the middle of my chest.
I won’t play games with her. I’m so far past go in the one we’ve been playing for her to catch up. She wants to go rounds with me; she might want to remove that deceitful smile off her mouth because, as she said, it’s time we had it out. I won’t circle her to feel her out; I’ve been doing that for far too long.
No, I’ll go straight in, fists swinging, and there will be no light punches. The hoity-toity bitch has crossed the centerline giving me the option to attack.
I will pummel her into the ground. The consequences can go fuck themselves right along with her.
Her.
It all boils down to Natalie Kirkpatrick, and whether she’s here to trash talk or to give her best shot in convincing me boxing is what Mason needs. Either one, she’s here for her personal agenda. I’ll guarantee it.
Mason might think he needs boxing, but it will happen over my dead body, and as of last night, when something else hit me, I have too much to live for, too much to fight for, and it does not include having Natalie in our lives.
“I deserved that years ago when I had an affair with a married client. I don’t deserve it now, especially with all that’s going on.”
All that’s going on? She’s baiting me, and I’m not about to go biting on her hook. She can take her sinker and streamline it elsewhere.
“Hmm. You are as much wrong as you are way out of line. I didn’t judge you back then; I was your friend. It wasn’t my business and all that. You bet your ass, whatever you claim is going on is one hundred percent my business now, so yes, Natalie, I’m judging you. I have every right. I’m your judge, jury, and depending on what you say, your executioner.” A forced and fake smile spreads across my face.
A few months after Mason signed with Natalie, she was caught lying flat on her back by the wife of an up and coming golf pro who she’d been having an affair with. The man had one child and another on the way. The kicker? Natalie and the woman were friends.
The press had a field day with it thanks to the now ex-wife who didn’t keep quiet. The woman painted an ugly picture right down to the nitty-gritty details, and through all of it, not once did Natalie confirm or deny it publicly. As short-lived as it was, she never spoke to the press. What she did do, is confide in Mason and me confirming it was true.
And I tried, I tried to console her. I tried with all that I had to remain her friend, but she pulled away without reason. Mason and I knew she let go of our friendship over being ashamed of herself. To this day, Natalie and I have never spoken about it.
And we won’t be today. She can take the past and shove it straight up her ass right along with every word I’m going to say.
I hope it plugs up and doubles her over in pain. Lord knows she doesn’t care whether I’m hurting under the heap of emotions I’m dealing with.
“My God, are you ever bitter. I suppose you have a right, Eden, but please, for the sake of Mason’s peace of mind, judge me for what I did to you, not for what you think Mason and I did. I know how a woman’s brain works. My intentions with your husband are not what you think.”
No, she doesn’t know how a woman’s mind works. If she did, she would have shown respect for my marriage and told my husband how wrong the two of them were for keeping htings from me. This woman is a mistress of mind games. I don’t trust her. Plain and simple.
Not anymore.
“So you’re a mind reader too? Jack of all trades, you must be so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. Don’t come onto my property and undercut me, Natalie; I’ll guarantee my swing is twice as hard as yours. It will hurt when you land on the ground. I’m not invested in you like my husband is. I could give zero fucks about you.” She flings a repulsive glance my way. Her eyes are going wide with shock.
“I’ll let you know my verdict after you’ve given your testimony. Are you here on behalf of your client or yourself? It sure didn’t take you long to want to have this talk after I found out that you and my husband betrayed me. I wonder why that is.” I tilt my head in mockery, jealousy ready to butt heads with my anger.
She smirks. I clench my fists.
“Well, it’s not why you think that’s for damn sure. You have me all wrong, Eden. I know what we did was wrong. I know how it must look to you. I have no one to blame but myself for that. I learned my lesson years ago. Trust me when I say I’m not trying to create a bigger wedge between you and Mason. I’m not here to suddenly make friends either. We care about the same man in different ways.”
I think I might be sick again.
Did Mason go running to her, or did she go running to him?
I guess it doesn’t matter. The two have been joined at the hip anyway.
“A bigger wedge? You wronged me, Natalie. Both of you did. Please tell me why I should believe you aren’t sleeping with my husband?”
My legs shake as the question tumbles out of my mouth. I don’t think my fresh wounds would be able to handle it if she were to confirm the images stampeding through my brain.
The thoughts make me physically and mentally ill.
I gulp down the bile threatening to rise; the fear Mason cheated on me about brings me to tears.
He wouldn’t. Would he?
God, help me if he did.
Over the past few days, I’ve tried convincing myself many times Mason wouldn’t cheat on me, but when you lose trust in someone, those wheels of negativity squeak as they turn.
“Because even if I tried to get Mason into bed, the man you know would never betray you like that.”
Tears burn my throat. I want to believe her. For the sake of my heart, my sanity, and the years I’ve known Mason, I do. It’s so hard to have faith in anything right now.
“You are hurting, and I understand. I get it, alright. In your eyes, I’m a bad person. You think I’ve crept right in and stole your man. I’d likely feel the same if I were you. What we did hurt you, Eden, and I’m sorry. I owe you that. What I won’t apologize for is listening to Mason when he needed a friend, and that is what he is to me. That is the end of it. Never, not once have I ever thought anything beyond that.”