6- The treators
1732 Words
Ethan
“I haven't seen my brother this happy in ages,” I tell Sawyer as we both stand in the garden, watching Trevor, Stella, and Happy play together.
“I bet it has been exactly six years” Sawyer snaps back.
I clear my throat and attempt to justify this crazy situation we are in.
“Sawyer, we did not come to this decision easily.”
“Oh Save it, Ethan! You knew she was your niece.” She retorts.
“Not at first.”
“But, eventually, you found out. And yet, you still decided to abandon her.”
“This is not fair, Sawyer. We had damning evidence that Chloe was after our money.”
“Ah yes … And that's why she sold her story to every media outlet in the country. And also sued your ass for child support.” Sawyer replies, mocking me.
I am tired of being judged and criticized.
“Stop this act, Sawyer. My uncle stopped her from going to the press!” I raise my voice.
“Your uncle? What are you talking about? We never went to the press in the first place! And we never saw… Oh… Please do not tell me that Trevor is the one who sent him to our place that horrible day!”
“What day? We never sent our uncle anywhere.” I reply, confused by her comment.
It seems like there are still missing pieces to this puzzle that I'm not aware of. Pieces that I was not even aware were missing!
What happened when they met with my uncle? Why is she referring to this meeting as horrible?
Sawyer glares at me, her hands on her hips, apparently waiting for my reply. But I genuinely do not know what she's referring to.
Before I can say anything, Stella comes running towards us, grabbing both Sawyer's hand and mine.
“Come on, Sawy, Come on, Uncle E. Happy wants to play with you too.” She exclaims excitedly.
We spend the next thirty minutes playing with Stella, Trevor, and Happy. My niece is so adorable. I want to spoil her every day! She is already extremely attached to my brother, sticking to him like his shadow. Who would not understand her insecurities, especially because she has never met her father until now?
We have to stop playing and running when Chloe calls for Stella. It was time for her bath. Just as we're heading back to the house, Sawyer grabs my hand and stops me in my tracks.
“We didn't finish our discussion,” she says, a serious tone in her voice.
Trevor looks at both of us, confused.
“What discussion?”
“Nothing, Trev. Go ahead with Stella. We will follow you in a few minutes.”
Once my brother is out of earshot, Sawyer continues, “You mentioned damning evidence against Chloe. What evidence are you talking about?”
“We had eyewitnesses, Sawyer. They told us about your plans to trap Trevor and force his hand to marry Chloe. They told us about Chloe’s affair with Richard and other men as well… What would you have done if you got such information about Trevor?”
“I would have beaten him up. But Chloe, she would have questioned the credibility of those eyewitnesses. She would have sat down with him and told him everything she heard. She would have believed he was innocent until proven otherwise.”
“The credibility of the eyewitnesses was undeniable.”
“Seriously Ethan. Anyone can lie. Many girls were jealous of Chloe and Trevor’s relationship. They could have easily lied! How could you believe them and doubt Chloe so easily?”
“Damn it, Sawyer! The eyewitnesses were your friends! Your closest inner circle of friends!” I reply, frustrated by her persistence.
“What? Are you telling me that some of our closest friends told you that Chloe was sleeping around? And that she told them she wanted to trap Trevor? Are you seriously telling me that”?
I nod silently, to let this information sink in. We had proof. Indisputable proof. Maybe she will drop the act now and finally admit it.
I was waiting for a mea culpa but I got loud laughter instead. She cannot stop laughing. This woman knows how to irritate me, but I must admit she looks cute, laughing loudly and wiping her tears.
“Ethan. C’mon on. Chloe and I have a tight-net group of friends. Twelve, fifteen close friends. We'd die for each other. There is no way any one of them would have lied like that.”
“Yes, I know there is no way they would lie.” I add, challenging her.
She narrows her eyes and tilts her head, looking at me intently.
“Ethan, are you suggesting that one of our closest friends told you those lies?”
She averts her gaze from me and shakes her head in disbelief. “Oh, my God. This cannot be true… Who could betray us like that?” she mutters, as if talking to herself.
“Ethan, who told you that? I demand names! I swear that they lied to you! And I'll beat the truth out of them! Just give me their names.”
It is my turn to stare at her. She seems genuinely surprised. Can I trust her? Shall I tell her who denounced them? Or is that an act? Is she such a good actress?
“I cannot give you any names, Sawyer.”
“I was joking when I said I will beat the truth out of them... Oh, you won't give me the names because you don't trust me! You believe all this is an act, don’t you?”
She glares at me, visibly distressed, but I hold her gaze. Yes, I do not trust her, and I have good reasons for that.
After a few minutes of a tense staring match, she sighs and pleads with me:
“Okay, fair enough. Can you please investigate them? I suppose six years ago, you took their word at face value. You didn't double-check, because why would you when they are one of our closest friends? But now, I am asking you to question what you were told.”
“Sawyer, there is no use in opening up the past.”
“Please, Ethan” She beseeches with pleading eyes. She puts her hand on my forearm, softly squeezing it.
“It is important to understand why they lied… And who lied… especially now that Trevor is back in Stella’s life. Those people lied brazenly six years ago, knowing they would destroy Chloe’s life… I am afraid they won't hesitate to do it again if they find out that Trevor is back in Stella’s & Chloe’s life.”
She looks worried, and her arguments are valid. She is right. If they lied to us years ago, they could do it again. But this is a BIG “IF”. I am not sure why they would lie. I need to see if they are still in their circle of friends. Who would like to remain friends with gold-diggers and duplicitous people? This could be a first sign of whether they lied or not.
“Alright, Sawyer. I will look into it.”
She sighs and exhales in relief.
“Thank you, Ethan… For finally giving us the benefit of the doubt.” She smiles coyly.
She looks cute when smiling… Wait, where did this thought come from!? I should avoid such one-on-one conversations with her.
“Let’s go inside. They must be waiting for us.” I propose, trying to dispel this strange and dangerous rising tension between us.
When we enter the living room, we find Stella sitting between my parents and going through photo albums. They will be great grandparents; I am sure of it.
“Stella, honey, why are you holding a frying pan in your hands in the living room?” my father asks her, pointing to a picture in the photo album. He had an amused expression, and this warms my heart.
“Oh, Grandpa, this is during our movie nights.”
“Movie Night?”
“Yes, Grandpa. Every Friday, we have a movie night. We make homemade pizza and watch a movie and we dance, we sing, and we act like the heroes in the movies. Here, I was helping Rapunzel fight against the villains.” Stella explains, full of enthusiasm.
She looks at Trevor with pleading eyes.
“Daddy, maybe when you come back from your trip, we can have a movie night together?” she suggests, her voice laced with a hint of vulnerability.
Trevor stiffens. Stella thinks that he will be leaving her again… for his “trips”. I sense a burden of guilt weighing down on me. Stella has just reunited with her dad for the first time, and she is already plagued with the apprehension of losing him.
Without hesitation, Trevor takes his daughter in a tight embrace.
“I will not be traveling anymore, Stella. I will not leave you again…” he murmurs soothingly, comforting her.
“Really? Oh, you promise, Daddy? You'll stay here with us forever?” Stella asks, her eyes wide open.
Oops. This is going to be tricky to navigate.
“Umm… I will not stay with you in this house, baby. Instead, I will stay with your grandparents. They have a big house with a big garden. I am sure you and Happy will enjoy playing there. We also have a pool!”
“Whattttt. A pool! Mommy, they have a pool!" Stella's excitement knows no bounds. "Is it big? Can I swim and splash in the pool? Can I Grandpa, Grandma?”
My parents nod their heads, beaming with pleasure.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so happy. I will also get to see you more Daddy!”
“No, not just more, honey. You will see me every day. And tomorrow, I will spend movie night with you!” Trevor clarifies, hugging her.
He looks at Chloe, flashing a smile so broad that it makes her blush.
I do not like that one bit. I must find a solution to prevent Trevor from spending a lot of time alone with Chloe!
- Writer
