Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 135517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
“You can’t be serious. Leave it to me.”
“What? What’re you gonna do, you nut?”
“You’ll see. Be ready at eight.” This girl! What is she up to now?
Chapter 16
*Janie*
“It didn’t work; nothing is working. Now all anyone can talk about is how brave she is, and that fucking documentary made it look as if Ryder and I were in the wrong.” I wiped my runny nose with the back of my hand and looked around the kitchen island through puffy eyes.
“I don’t remember her mentioning you.”
“Isn’t it obvious, Nicole? If she’s mentioning her breakup with Ryder, then, of course, she’s talking about me. Don’t you think so, Noel?” Of course, she was talking about me, you bitch. I’m his wife; I’m the one who took him away; I won.
Why is my life going to shit? And why are these two bitches just standing here acting like the same old same old? I bet they’re happy about all this. I bet this was part of their plan. I know that fucking Noel wants to screw my husband, or is it, Nicole? Or maybe both.
I looked back and forth between the two of them as my pulse started racing, and my head felt as if it was about to explode. I’ve tried everything to get Elena Gianni out of the way, and even though she was no longer in our lives, somehow, it still felt like I was living under her shadow.
No matter where I go in this town or anywhere around the world where my husband is known, which means basically everywhere in the free world, I have to endure her name being called. I’m tired of people acting as if I’d committed some grave sin by marrying the love of my life. I’m tired of everyone looking down on me, scorning me, all for that bitch that never deserved my Ryder.
Why am I not good enough? Why won’t they accept me? Other people in this town have broken relationships, so why is everyone acting as if Ryder marrying me and not her is a crime? I’m sick of it, sick of the looks, the heckles, and the damn paparazzi never getting my name right.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be loved and accepted because I was more suitable than she ever was. I’m blonde and beautiful, and I come from a well-known family who’s been in this town for decades, while she’s a nobody who just got lucky.
Why wouldn’t my own people accept me? Why are they always siding with her and her angel act? And why does everyone still compare us? Almost five years later and she’s still on everyone’s lips, and no matter how hard I try to bring her down, it never works.
Some of the best people in the business have orchestrated smear campaigns that would’ve brought down greater people than her, so why was she still standing? Why can’t I beat her? If something doesn’t give way soon, I’m going to lose my mind. And, of course, Ryder’s not here, not that he would’ve been of any help if he was.
I have to calm down and get my mind together, but it’s getting harder to do because nothing I try seems to come out right. We’ve hounded her for all these years, and nothing came of it. I only found out a lot later after that first year that she was no longer reading anything on social media, and since she was no longer leaving her house, there was no other way to get to her and believe me, I tried.
There was no one going in and out of her home except family and very few friends, and after a while, even that had slowed down. When she got sick soon after, I was hoping she’d die, that would’ve been the end to all my problems, but instead, I got to see my husband grieving for her. Even as drugged up as he was, the man that never seemed to be aware of his surroundings somehow knew that she was in danger.
I’ll never forget having to explain to everyone why he was acting so strange, but only I know that he cried out for her in the night, almost every night, and still does. I’m the one who has to deal with his outbursts when the drugs are wearing off, and I can’t get another dose in him fast enough.
Those are the times I see death in his eyes, the times when I know if he was in his right mind, he’d kill us all. And it’s all for that bitch. She must’ve put some kind of spell on him to make him want her and only her. But no, that can’t be right because if all it took was a spell, then mine would’ve worked.