Hello Joseph,
I hope this letter reaches you well. What I'm about to tell you bares a real weight on the immediate events in your life from here onward.
I'm going to make some things happen within the next month. I've spent the past year working on making this all happen. And I need your help. I know you're sick of being a certain someone's rebound… It's been a while hasn't it? More than two years if my count is right…
What if I could guarantee a way for that to end? A way for you to be with her, without her fiancée being in the picture. Yes, that's right, a real relationship. Do I have your attention now?
Follow my instructions closely, and I can make it happen.
The next time you meet with her, act normal. Do whatever happens naturally. I will just need you to make sure all curtains are open, and windows unobstructed. And whatever you do, make sure it's well-lit in the room. I suggest candles. It will set the mood, and shouldn't seem too suspicious. That's all. After that, you're off the hook.
How will this help you get what you want? Simple. I take a few damning pictures, blackmail her with them and she'll be so spooked she will do anything I tell her, including coming clean to her husband-to-be. He will leave her, but you will be there for her the same way you always have, except this time she'll be all yours.
If you choose not to follow through with this, I will make sure you get another suspension from that pesky drug policy. Remember, Joseph, three strikes and you're out. Don't think I don't have the power to get it done. I've got eight press releases ready to be sent out, and a dirty sample in an envelope, ready to send to Dr. Amann at a moment's notice. Don't make me use them, I'd hate to see you lose your job over something so small.
And of course, don't speak a word of this to anyone. Especially her.
I'm always watching.
- A Friend.
The white paper dampened from the tight sweaty grip of Fiona's shaking fist. The black sharpie began to bleed across the paper and onto her palms.
She dry heaved in the same patch of grass from before. Her body was empty and fatigued. Too much was happening, and she couldn't take it anymore.
Joe knew the whole time. He knew her stalker and he just let it all happen… so that he could somehow win her back?
She spat and clutched onto her stomach, her painted nails clawed at the lacey material of her dress. The thin fabric gave under the tight grip and began to rip underneath the death grip. Fiona couldn't care less. The despair she had felt from the rejection she encountered only moments before from Joe quickly dissipated after reading the damning note he had thrown at her. She couldn't see straight, her eyes twitched, and jaw clenched until it hurt. She wasn't going to spend another moment with that woman in Miami. She reached into her bra and retrieved her phone, quickly calling for an uber.
She was surrounded by the sounds of her heavy breath and the faint pounding of the club inside. She briefly remembered her sisters in the building, but decided they would be fine without her. Fiona knew she could offer a sorry excuse for her hasty exit from her bachelorette party. The only thing she was concerned about was the next flight out of Miami and back to Stamford. There was no way she could stay down there without losing it.
The warm lights of her hotel room were in heavy contrast to the cold neon lights she passed by in her Uber. Her eyes strained less in the soft yellow glow of her recently-cleaned room. Fiona's gaze darted to her open suitcase, some paranoid part of her anticipated it to be gone. She rushed to it and began ruffling through the clothes inside, looking for the comforting orange pill bottle with her name on it. Her fingers shook violently around the bottle as she spilled two white bars into her palm, and then into her mouth. She swallowed the lump in her throat along with the Xanax.
She anticipated the pills to take their effect soon, and worked fast to gather her things and request an uber to the airport. She had already booked a flight on her way from the club. She would get back into Stamford early that morning. Of course, forgoing her previously scheduled ticket was no issue for the frantic woman. To Fiona, it wasn't time to think. It was time to act.
"Murph- Murphy? I thought I told you and your sisters not to run in and out of the house so early!" The gruff voice of Fiona's fiancé carried through the house and into the kitchen that she just stepped into from the back garden.
The bright white interior made her squint. She had barely been able to lift her lids and the lightness of her kitchen only made her eyes ache. Normally Fiona would take those moments before Paul came into the room to ready her expression and fix her posture or hair. This time, however, Fiona's limbs felt too heavy to brush her messy strands from her face. The double dosage of her pills was making quick work on her body, and she was certainly feeling it.
"Or is it Aurora? Is that you making all that noise?" Paul's voice boomed louder. He was approaching the kitchen fast, Fiona tried her hardest to stand up straighter. The weight of her head titled her spine backwards slightly.
Her feeble attempt did nothing to dissuade Paul of her condition, however. Upon entering the kitchen, the man stopped in his tracks. His shocked gaze fell over the curvy woman, who looked like she had obviously been on something. Her usually rich amber-toned skin shone an ivory pale, her hair fell unkempt around her round face, her hooded eyes supplied a vacant stare. Her hands hung loosely on the luggage behind her. The woman looked like a shell of her former self. Concerned, Paul began to rush to her, but was stopped when the little joyous patter of small feet padded into the kitchen from behind him.
"You called us, dad?" Murphy chimed, Aurora and Vaughn followed closely behind the middle sibling. His three daughters all carried a vibrancy that Fiona was so severely lacking. Their bright, young cheerful faces fell when they set eyes on their step-mother-to-be. Fiona saw Aurora, the oldest, scowl when their eyes met.
The three girls, Aurora 11, Murphy 9, and Vaughn 7, never felt warmly towards Fiona. Fiona tried in vain to foster a friendship with them, but the three girls banded together and collectively cast Fiona away. They preferred spending time with their uncle Shane, and even had a room of their own over there. Paul saw their behavior as only a coping mechanism, it had only been a year and a half since their mother had passed. A new woman coming in to replace her only 6 months later was not helpful in the healing process.
Fiona was usually able to avoid being with the girls for too long, but Aurora always had a look of recognition in her eyes that made her feel uneasy to her core. She held the gaze of a condemnatory woman whenever she was in Fiona's presence. The others only looked at her as scared children. But not Aurora.
Never Aurora.
"Daddy, whats wrong with Fiona?" Vaughn chirped, pointing unabashedly at the woman.
"What isn't wrong with her?" Aurora quipped, Murphy giggled.
"Hey! What did I say about saying mean things like that? Apologize, right now." Paul's gruff voice commanded his eldest child.
"Sorry."
"Get up to your rooms, I'll call you all down when I have breakfast ready."
And with the little patter of their feet, they were gone. An uneasiness fell over the two once again.
"You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow, and you look terrible. What the hell is going on?" He closed the distance between them in the bright kitchen. His large hands engulfed her own, he squeezed her hard, but her mind seemed too cloudy to even register the sensation.
"I wasn't feeling well." She croaked.
"I'll say…"
Her body tilted forward, so much so she fell into his hard chest. A faint whimper came from her lips before her eyes fluttered shut. The euphoric feeling took over, and her body felt too heavy to stand on her own two feet. Paul didn't stagger back, but instead hooked an arm around her waist, and carried her bridal style. He kicked her luggage into the house and made his way to their bedroom, carefully placing the woman on their bed.
His gaze scanned her body, weary of what to do next. She seemed sick, but perhaps it wasn't worth calling an ambulance. He decided to slide into bed with her, and keep an eye on the sleeping woman. He was sure he would get all the answers he needed once she woke.
Fiona's eyes fluttered open, her hazy gaze fell on the concerned face of her fiancée over her. He sat at the edge of the bed, leaning over and brushing her hair away from her face. She managed to pull the corner of her lips into a weak smile.
"Oh, thank God." He sighed heavily "I was about to get you to the hospital. You've been asleep for more than 10 hours."
"Oh wow." Her throat felt dry and patchy. She cleared her throat to no avail. "That long, huh?"
"Yeah, Eve and your sisters have been calling all day, they're worried sick."
She pressed herself up and glanced around her, checking the windows for complete opaqueness. She felt a small comfort in the curtains being completely drawn close.
"I'm sure they're fine." She muttered and reached for her phone on the bedside table.
Paul reached for her face and stroked her soft cheek with his thumb. He noticed her color was back, perhaps all she needed was a good sleep.
Fiona scrolled through the numerous missed calls from her three sisters and Eve. A familiar sense of dread came over her as she scanned the messages she received from an unknown number.
Time's ticking, Fiona. You need to fess up soon, or else I'll tell everyone everything.
Her expression contorted into one of complete disgust.
"You alright babe?" Paul leaned forward, peering over to see the screen.
"All good." She flashed a full smile and clutched the phone to her chest. "Oh, I gotta pee."
She kicked the comforter off her body and sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her swiftly. Almost immediately her attention shifted back to her phone. She typed her response to her assailant.
When? If you were serious about outing me, you would have done so by now.
She patiently waited for the next response, and felt vindicated when her phone came to life only moments later.
Oh. Someone's finally grown a pair? You sure you want to tempt me Fi?
She rolled her eyes and texted back.
Joe outed you last night. It's over. This plan to get me back with him is over cause I'm done with Joe. I don't know what you get out of this, but it's over, so leave me alone.
A few moments passed, Fiona felt her heart thud heavily in her chest. Her palms became slick with sweat as she felt a rush finally being able to speak to her assailant unchecked. A whole minute passed, she reread her text over and over, mouthing the words with conviction. Maybe she finally called the texter's bluff. Suddenly, the ellipsis appeared and danced on the screen.
Oh, sweetie, that letter was just a small piece of this beautiful puzzle. I didn't care if you ended up with Joe or not. My motives will be clear soon enough.
Her stomach dropped once again, the sinister wording put her on edge. She began to text a rebuttal, but the other person followed up with a final text.
You have until your wedding day to fess up, Fiona. And if you don't do it, I will.
Seething, she glared at the number of her assailant, studying the anonymous number. There has to be a way to narrow down who this is.
310 552 2505.
She opened a tab on her phone, searching for the area code and the region which it belonged.
Culver city, L.A.
Where had I heard of that place before?
The name practically screamed at her from the screen.
Culver City. Culver City. Culver City.
The NFL. Their Networks headquarters were located in Culver City. Eve had just quit her job at their headquarters only a month ago…
She quickly searched for Eve's phone number and saw the matching area code.
310.
"That bitch."