“James! You need to get out here we have uh…a situation!” Derrick yelled from the front door.
It was late and our friends were finally coming home from their night out. Jamieson jumped off the couch from behind me heading toward the door ending our chat abruptly.
I stayed in place for a minute stunned at what just happened, but I heard shouting outside so I followed after Jamieson.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Jamieson growled at the group of our friends who were standing in the driveway staring at Trinity who had just pulled up in her sleek black BMW.
“I don’t know. She followed behind us through the gates. I couldn’t get them closed quick enough. I’m sorry bro,” Julian apologized.
“Damn it,” Jamieson grumbled as he walked toward Trinity who was emerging from her car.
I followed after Jamieson wanting to hear what Trinity had to say for herself this time.
“What are you doing here, Trinity?” he demanded.
“Well hello to you too honey,” she purred.
“What the fuck do you want?”
Jamieson was so agitated. I came up beside him and laced my hand in his to show my support.
“It’s alright Jamieson; nothing she says can hurt us,” I told him reassuringly.
“Don’t you think it’s time you two gave up this little charade? I mean it must have been exhausting pretending for this entire time,” she spat.
“Jamieson and I aren’t pretending, Trinity. We love each other.” I clutched Jamieson’s hand tighter.
Trinity paused for a moment looking at Jamieson. I watched as something silent passed between them and I froze.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” Trinity asked with a grin.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Trinity,” Jamieson warned.
“She has a right to know, James.”
“What are you talking about? Jamieson?” I turned to him searching for some answer in his face but I found nothing.
“Oh he won’t tell you. He’s too much a coward but I will. You two are not married. There was never a Vegas wedding. He made the whole thing up just to break up your engagement,” she smiled with delight.
My head was spinning. How could this be true? I had a ring it was on my finger and I had a dress, didn’t I?
I ran into the house and past the shouts of my best friends who were trying desperately to catch up to me. I ran up the stairs to his bedroom taking them two at a time. I was in the walk-in closet tearing through it when they finally caught up to me.
“Jenna hon, what are you doing?” Livy asked hesitantly.
“It has to be in here,” I rambled.
“What are you looking for?” Audrey asked.
“The dress. My wedding dress. I know it’s in here someplace.”
Livy approached me in the closet. She put her hand on my shoulder gently. “Hon you’re losing it. Stop for a minute and come out her to talk to us.”
“No! It is in here!” I jerked away from here searching a new section of the closet.
I heard someone else enter the room. “Can we have some privacy?”
I watched as my two friends said nothing to Jamieson and walked out of the bedroom clicking the doors shut behind them.
“Jenna…”
“Don’t Jamieson! Don’t! Just show me my dress. I need to know it’s not a lie,” I screamed at him.
He closed his eyes for a half a second. “There’s no dress, baby.”
My legs gave way underneath me. I fell to the ground crying and pounding my fist on the ground.
“Why Jamieson? Why did you do it this time? Was there just too much left of me the last time? Did you just have to ruin me completely?” I shouted at him.
He crouched down next to me. “No baby, no I swear it was nothing like that.”
“What, do I have some rich uncle that has left me millions that I don’t know about? Is that it? Do you need money again and I am just another one of your fucking schemes?” The anger was swelling inside of me.
“No, just let me explain,” he pleaded.
“Fine, explain now!”
He took a deep breath. “I promised you I would make sure you were happy…”
“Which was a total fucking lie! Could you just get to the part where you tell me why you made me think we were married for three fucking months!” I snapped at him.
“He was cheating on you,” he blurted out.
“Who? Cain?” I was beyond confused now.
“Yes, Cain. I hired a private investigator about a year ago to look into him and discovered what he was truly like. I couldn’t let you marry him Jenna. A life with him would have destroyed you,” he was panicking now.
“You hired a private investigator to follow my boyfriend around?” I asked trying to get his words to sink-in and make sense.
“Yes, I made the decision after that day at the coffee shop. I could tell he wasn’t making you happy and I wanted to find out why.” He hung his head, staring at the carpet between us.
“So you discovered Cain was cheating on me and you what? Decided to get me blacked out wasted to convince me we had a quickie wedding in Vegas? Why? None of this makes sense!” I stood up pacing back and forth out of frustration.
“No, that’s not how it happened. Things just got out of hand and I panicked. I was losing you and I knew it.”
“But the bell boy came to the room after you left and said he had my wedding dress cleaned and shipped here.” I spoke steadily remembering the details of that morning.
Jamieson hung his head lower and I knew this was going to be the real confession of his sins. “I paid the bell boy to do that. There was no wedding dress because there was no wedding.”
I stopped pacing and looked at him with anger.
“But the ring?” I questioned.
“I slipped it on you while you were passed out.”
“Why?” I whispered barely above a whisper.
“Because I couldn’t lose you, not again. It was the only guaranteed way to end your engagement to him. I knew he would finally show his true colors if he thought your reputation was stained.” Holy fucking shit.
I said nothing. I watched him struggle with his truth. I let him squirm under my intense stare. I didn’t shed a single tear. I saw now what was truly before me; a liar, a coward and a master manipulator.
“Well I must thank you then for staining my reputation and saving me yet again from another doomed marriage.” And with that I slipped the rings he had given me off my finger and dropped them on the ground in front of him. I grabbed my already packed bags that were waiting to go on our magical tropical vacation and I left his room of lies.
I tossed my bags into my car and was about to get in when Audrey and Livy came flying out the house.
“Let me drive you,” Livy said grabbing my keys from me and pushing me toward the passenger side.
I didn’t have the energy to fight her so I did what she said. Audrey hopped in the backseat. As soon as Livy pulled out of the giant gates of the mansion I let my forehead lean against the window and I closed my eyes letting the tears flow freely.
Livy reached over and grabbed my hand squeezing it tightly. Audrey also wrapped her arms around me and the seat. Thank God I had them; I would need them now more than ever. I was not just broken this time, no this time I was completely obliterated.
CHAPTER THIRY
I was still unsure how I exactly was talked into going on this adventure but I was now somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on my way to the Dominican Republic with my friends. Last night after I learned that Jamieson was yet again lying to me, I did the only thing I could think of, I ran like hell. Audrey and Livy drove me to my sisters and stayed there with me overnight. Jacks woke up when we got there. She made us tea and grilled cheese sandwiches all while listening to the horrible truth I had just discovered. She of course cried with me while I cried. She claimed it was because she was so pregnant but I knew better, she hurt because I hurt that’s just what sisters do, we feel each other’s pain.