109

109
 Selene:

If life had a spinning wheel, mine would be spinning out of control.  
Chaos. That’s what my world feels like. One disaster after another, piling on top of each other.

First, I got hit by a car. Then, I barely survived being poisoned. Not long after that, my children were kidnapped from school. And now? Now Nelly is stuck in a wheelchair, with no clear answer on when—or if—she’ll ever walk again.  

Whoever ran her over wasn’t just reckless. They were brutal.  

She’s devastated. She barely leaves her room, convinced that her life is over. That she’s useless to me now.  

Nothing I say seems to get through to her. She keeps insisting that I’ll fire her or abandon her just because she can’t take care of Anna and Asher anymore.  

As if she’s just some employee.  

She’s family. My mom adores her. My kids love her. I wish she could see that. I wish she could understand that she’s not alone in this.  

At least the driver was arrested.  

A drunk driver. In the middle of the day. It still baffles me how easily one person’s recklessness can destroy another person’s life.  

His apologies won’t fix this. His prison sentence won’t undo the damage.  

In just a matter of minutes, he turned Nelly’s whole world upside down.

I don’t know when this chaos is going to stop. It’s like I’m a fish caught in a net, struggling to break free, but no matter how hard I fight, I can’t seem to catch a break. As soon as one problem fades, another one swoops in to take its place.  

Even after finding out Maya, my stepmother, was responsible for the kidnap of my children, I’ve been to the police to make reports.

There’s nothing I want than to see her arrested. Jess, even. I’m sure she’s a part of this. 

I just don’t understand why they keep on telling me to exercise patience. Patience? Who knows what the hell she’s planning next?

I’ve been hesitant to tell Maximus, but I know I can’t keep it in anymore.

He can help. He can basically put a call through and have them arrested within minutes. He needs to know exactly who had his children kidnapped.

I guess Avery was right. I blamed Maximus for no reason. I let my anger and frustration cloud my judgment, and he was the easiest target. I owe him an apology. But one thing is certain: I will make sure my kids stay far away from Jess. I don’t trust her, and I know Maximus is smart enough not to let her anywhere near them.

I never knew how evil my step-sister is. How can my innocent children, who have nothing to do with our disagreement, get dragged into this? It’s just low for her. I would never do anything to harm her daughter. 

I wouldn't even think of hurting my little niece, and yet Jess and her evil mother doesn’t think twice about taking my kids away from me, hurting them, and leaving them with bruises all over their bodies. I swear, she’s going to pay for antagonizing me like this. It’s one thing to target me, but hurting my kids is something I can never forgive.

I love my children with everything I have. They’re the ones who make me happy every day without fail. Jess has crossed the line, and I’m going to trap her soon. I’ll beat her at her own game.

I walk toward Nelly’s room. I need to get her out of there, or she’ll sink into depression, and before we even know it, suicidal thoughts will start creeping in. I won’t let her lose herself like that, not on my watch. 

I raise my hand to knock on her door but pause when I overhear Nelly on the phone. She sounds so angry, a tone I’ve never heard from her before. I’m curious, so I wait and listen.

The next words that pierce my ears make my heart skip a beat. 

I can't believe what I'm hearing. "You ruined my life, Jess! After I helped you, you still sent someone to run me over. It wasn't my fault that Selene has been escaping every threat you've been pulling on her, you know. The car was meant for her, not for me. So why the hell am I the one stuck in a wheelchair? Did you really think about that before you sent that bastard to run me over?!"

My mouth claps shut, my breath catching in my chest. I stagger back a step. Nelly..someone my mom trusted, someone I left my children with when I went to work—she’s the cause of all my problems? She’s been teaming up with my step-sister to kill me?

This can't be real. It feels like I'm trapped in a nightmare, shaking from the shock of it all.

The shock hits me hard as Jess’s voice cracks through the phone. I almost stumble, the ground spinning beneath my feet.

"I told you, Nelly, this world is very brutal. I screwed you over, so what?” She lets out a low laugh. “If you had done exactly what I asked you to, the last one would have been a success. You should even be lucky with that car accident now, unlike that idiot. I can't sit and chat with you, Nelly. Maximus divorced me already and I know it’s only a matter of time before he finds out what I did and get me arrested. So, I’m fleeing this city.” She heaves a sigh and then continues, “It was nice actually knowing you all these years and doing business with you. At least with your help, my mum was able to torture that bitch's children. I wish I had killed them before Maximus had taken them away. But who knows, I may get a second chance and finish off my plan. Goodbye, Ne-“

“Wait!” I hear Nelly yell into phone. Jess lets out a low hiss.

“What the hell is it, you bitch?”

“I won’t let you go Scot free, Jess.” Nelly says, her voice trembling. “Find a way to help me or I’ll tell M..maximus about how Mason is the biological father of Kylie and not him.”

There’s a pause.

“Fck you, Nelly!” Jess laughs. “If you think you can blackmail me with that, then sweetie, you’ll fail woefully. I don’t care. Tell him all you want. By the time you do, I’ll be out of this city. For good. And I mean it, don’t fcking call me ever again!”

The phone call ends immediately. And then I hear Nelly’s voice rise in anger, followed by the crash of something breaking.

Oh my God.

I can’t believe this.

Kylie is Mason’s daughter? What the hell??!How? 

And she’s been Jess all this time, planning my death?

Without thinking, I slam her door open, my anger boiling over. How dare she?! After everything, after I took her in, trusted her, and let her live under my roof like family. I feel like a fool. 

How could I not see that something was off about Nelly all this time? She’s been my enemy this whole time, and I didn’t even realize it.

Her head tilts towards the entrance and she blinks once before running her hands through her hair.

"Selene, I’m fine. I’m just frustrated," She says, her voice trembling slightly. "I wanted to go to the bathroom, but then I remembered that I can't walk. I almost hurt myself, but I’m f..fine. Really."

I can’t even look at her. How does she act so innocent, so pretentious, when I know what she's done to me? How does she sit there, pretending like nothing happened?

Every instinct tells me to slap her, to make her feel the weight of what she’s done.

I can't hold it in any longer. The words spill out of me, bitter and furious. "You're shameless, you know that? Working with Jess, trying to kill me. What did she promise you? What could she possibly offer you for betraying me like this?"

Her face goes pale. “W..what? Who.. who’s Jess? I-“

“Shut the hell up, Nelly!” I yell. “Shut the fcking hell up!!”

Her lips tremble and before I know it, I see tears spilling down her face.

But I don’t care. I lunge towards her and grab her by her shirt.
"Do you even realize what she's done to me? All this time, I’ve been venting to you, thinking you were on my side. And you—" My voice cracks as I tighten my grip on her clothes. "How could you look me in the eye every day and still stab me in the back like this? What kind of monster are you??!”

I don't care if the entire neighborhood hears me. My fury is all-consuming, and I feel like I could kill Nelly with my bare hands.

"I’m so sorry, Selene, that I betrayed you," she cries, desperately trying to pull herself free from my grip. "I’ve known J..jess for a long time. She h..helped me when I was in a tight corner, and I couldn’t say no to her. I never meant for her to run you over or send all those threatening messages. Pl..please.” More tears spill over. “P..lease, try to forgive me."

Anger surges through me. I grab her jaw tightly, my restraint hanging by a thread. I want to slap the life out of her.

"Forgive you?" I scoff, my voice dripping with bitterness. "I’d rather die than forgive you. You're going to rot in jail for the rest of your miserable life, and I’ll make sure you never get out. Mark my words, Nelly."

I shove her away, and her eyes go wide with fear, but I don’t care. The tears in her eyes don’t faze me.

And as for her Jess and her pathetic mother, they’re getting arrested today.

They can’t cause me so much pain, and expect to flee the city unscathed. No, that won’t work.

“Selene.. please!” Nelly continues to sob.

I don’t say a word.

My hands tremble slightly as I pull out my phone from my pocket, and then dial Maximus’ number.