THE REVENGE

Chapter 2

Brent eyes me up and down.

"You're wearing make-up."

"I am."

"You look different. Beautiful."

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes.

"Thanks."

He steps aside to let me pass, and he closes the door behind us. We walk down the stairs together, not exchanging a word, and when we get to the car, I'm surprised when he holds the door open for me.

I get in without a fuss, noting that he waits patiently until I'm done wearing my seatbelt before he closes the door.

He's being such a gentleman.

"What music do you like?" He asks me once he pulls into the street.

I eye him from the corner of my eye. It hits me then, just how little Brent knows about me. I can't even remember the last time we rode in the same car, leave alone listening to music together.

I was such a clown when I thought that the marriage was going to work amidst all the red flags.

"Anything will suffice." I reply eventually.

He reaches to play music on the stereo, and I feel tears burning in the back of my eyes when Clay's favourite song fills the car. It's my favourite song too, but that's not the point.

"You love that song?" I ask Brent who is just nodding away to the beat.

"Hardly. I can't even catch half the lyrics."

"Then why do you have it?"

He glances at me, ready to lie.

"Krystal probably put in my playlist."

"I see."

I rest back on the seat, my palm splayed across my tummy. I have another bout of nausea coming up, and I'm desperately hoping that I'll be able to quell it. Being around Brent makes me want to puke.

Why does he heap all the blame on Krystal, though? I mean, I already know about him and Clay, so there's no point lying about that anymore. It's like telling lies is a basic part of his anatomy.

But I don't push it.

I just close my eyes and hum along to the song.

Clay and I have jammed to that song ever since we were in high school. I fell in love with it because the artist behind it is damn cute, and I imagined that one day he'd marry me. Now that I come to think about it, Clay probably loved it for the very same reason.

"You know," Brent's quiet voice makes me open my eyes. "I have no idea what you're up to."

"What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"Camille, you found me with Clay. You unearthed my biggest secret in life, and you know that I've been lying to you. You should be mad at me. You should be throwing a tantrum and demanding explanations. You should be crying like you always did whenever you found proof that I was having an affair, and you should be demanding for a divorce right about now. It's like your character took a three hundred and sixty degree turn in an hour, and I have no idea who you are anymore. I don't think I like this version of you."

"You liked me better when I cried and begged you to stay with me, didn't you? You felt better about yourself when you were the centre of my world. It sucks to see me giving zero shits about your extramaritals, doesn't it, Brent? You liked the breakable side of me, and you were more than willing to tear me apart with a smile on your face. You just love to feel like you're in charge."

"You're so calm and controlled and it's freaking me out."

"I've been freaking out everyday since I got married to you. Welcome to the club."

He shakes his head.

"What's the deal with you?"

"There's no deal. I've been obsessed with only one goal for the last two months; making my marriage work. That's what I'm doing right now."

"Why? You don't even like me anymore. You know for sure that I can never be the husband you want, and this marriage is a sham."

"That's exactly why it's fun. It's like watering a dead plant. I have all the time in the world to water this dead plant."

"To what end?"

"To frustrate you. To make you feel like s**t for using me."

"I didn't use you. You were forced on me by my parents."

"You didn't resist. You took me home, pretended that you liked me back, hurt me in all possible ways, then you made a fool out of me by cheating on me with my closest friend. That's not your parent's fault. It's yours."

"What would have done in my shoes?"

"Told them to shove it? Forcing girls on you won't make you straight. Buying brides for you won't turn you into the golden son that they crave. It's not their fault that they have a fantasy of a perfect son. It's your fault for letting them believe you can live up to their expectations. They know you're gay, so ask them to deal with it. The s**t you do to make them happy will ruin you in the end."

"You know nothing about my relationship with my parents."

"I know enough. You're scared of them, and you'd do anything to keep money coming in, including getting married to a girl when you clearly want nothing to do with this gender. I was there when they were demanding for kids, knowing very well that you were not attracted to me. What did you do about it? You tried to live up to their expectations. You tried every means possible; including using Viagra to try and please them. You didn't care who got hurt as long as they were happy."

"You're making me sound like I can't stand up for myself."

"Can you? If yes, then why are you not travelling the world with Clay right now? Why are you going to some absurd dinner, knowing very well that it might turn out to be messy?"

"Because I don't have a choice."

"We always have a choice."

He sighs heavily.

"What do you want from me?"

"Right now? A new phone. I flushed mine down the toilet."

"That's all?"

"For now."

"You know, Cami, I can give you a lot of money if you want. I can even give you fat monthly allowances for the rest of your life. You only have to do one thing for me."

"And that is?"

"You just have to divorce me, and keep whatever you saw at Clay's office a secret. I'll find something to tell my parents. Hell, I'll even buy an island for you, just to make sure that they'll never find you."

"So I got married to you for money, and you want me to divorce you for money? What do you take me for?"

"Just think of all the awful things I've done to you. I lied to you, manipulated you, controlled you, even slapped you; not adding the fact that I was cheating on you with your best friend. Isn't that a good enough reason to divorce me?"

"Why are you so desperate for a divorce? No, don't answer. It's because I found out the truth, and you're scared I'll tell everyone. You want me to leave so you can marry another innocent girl who will never figure out the truth. That, Brent, is never going to happen. I won't let another girl go through what you put me through. I'll only leave you once you have your s**t together."

"I'll never have my s**t together. If I dared tell anyone that I'm gay, my parents will kill me for embarrassing them, and once they find out that you know the truth, they'll probably kill you too. You need to leave me."

I turn to smile at him.

"You're stuck with me."

**

"Why did you invite my parents?" Brent asks me as he pulls up outside my parent's place.

"I like them."

"Sure you do. Are you planning on telling everyone about me and Clay?"

"What? No!"

"Then why are they here?"

"Because you took my parents for fools this whole time. It's your parents turn now."

"You can't just-" he trails away mid sentence.

I follow his gaze when he looks outside, and we both squint at the side mirror when another car pulls up in the driveway. The back door opens and Ryder steps out.

I feel my heart beat rising as I watch him.

He looks so f*****g good. I always knew that he did, but my commitment to Brent wouldn't allow me to admit it to myself.

"Max is hot." I mumble dryly.

"I know, right?"

I give Brent an amused look before I turn back to Ryder.

He absently does the single button on his dinner jacket, then he glances at his wrist watch just as Victoria gets out of the shotgun.

She steps aside to fix her hair while Ryder walks to the window and peers in; to talk to the driver I guess.

A little while later, the car is reversed and the driver leaves in a rush.

I keep watching Ryder as he walks beside Tori to the front door, and he rings the doorbell while she gazes at him like a starstruck teenager.

Does she like him?

The mere thought makes my heart tighten in my chest.

Why did she bring him?

Why did he say yes when she asked him to accompany her?

"What are they doing here?" Brent demands once the door has been opened and they've disappear inside.

"You're about to find out." I tell him with a small, forced smile. I can't wait for him to find out that his biggest enemy is my sister.

"Did you tell Max about me and Clay?"

"Not yet."

"Please don't tell him."

"Why not? Doesn't he know already?"

"I lied that I stopped seeing Clay years ago."

"Why did you lie?"

"When I told you that my ex slept with Max's father-"

I clamp my hands over my ears.

"Don't. Please stop. I don't want to hear it. What the hell is wrong with all of you?"

"See, that's why you can't tell Max. If he finds out that I'm still with Clay, he'll know that I lied, and he'll be pissed."

"What? Okay...whatever. I won't tell him, but you have to do something for me in return."

"Anything."

"Break up with Clay."

"What? Right now?"

"Yes. Right now."

"Cami, I-"

"Either that, or I'll tell everyone at the dinner table nothing but the truth."

"I promised Clay that I won't leave him. He's so devastated after what happened this evening, and-"

I cut him off.

"Why are you saying that like I'm supposed to care? I caught you two pants down, and you had the time and the audacity to tell him that you'll still be together?"

"When will you let me go back to him?"

"Go back to him? If you think that you two have a happy ending then you clearly haven't been listening to me."

"You have a problem with Clay being gay?"

"No, Brent. I have a problem with him not telling me after twenty four f*****g years of friendship. I have a problem with him letting me get married to you and not saying a word about your sexuality just to save his own back. I have a problem with him lying to my face and trying to get me out of town for his selfish needs, and I have a problem with him sleeping with my husband. We shared a man, and he knew it. That's the most f****d up thing anyone has ever done to me. So call him, and dump his ass."

"What am I supposed to tell him? To just go to hell?"

"You're a big boy. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Cami, why are you doing this to me?"

"You did it to me first. You better sound convincing on the phone."

He swallows dryly before he dejectedly reaches for his phone.