Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Danielle's POV:

“I’m not apologizing to her.” I yelled.

On the other end of the prison phone, Barry didn’t even sound surprised. “You will,

Danielle. You’ll call Victoria, confess, and beg her to forgive you.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Forgive me? For what? For walking into a hotel room

and finding her screwing my husband?”

“This is the only way to fix it.” He said finally. “You apologize to Victoria, she drops

the charges, you come home.”The line went dead. He’d hung up. Again.

I stood there for a second, breathing hard, before the guard barked. “Time’s up.”

I pleaded for another phone call, but I was rudely reminded that I had made another

call to Rue, my best friend and assistant to get me the best lawyer in California (The

only one person who knew I was Madam Elle).

I was rudely taken back to a private cell where I was once again locked up. I sat

myself on the floor and wondered how I had gotten to this point. One minute I was

handcuffed to the hospital bed wondering why Barry turned his back on me, the next

minute I was being moved in a black van from the hospital to a prison cell.

Hours passed and I found myself sitting on the narrow bed when the sound of heels

clicked against the concrete floor. I looked up to see a female guard, she held out a

bunch of keys and informed me that someone had come to see me.

Barry?

‘Has he finally realized his mistake?’ I asked myself, as I shot up to my feet and ran

forward.

She called me out of the cell, put a handcuff on me and led me to a room where

several other prisoners sat before a transparent division that separated them from

the people that came to visit them.

From where I stood, I could hear the low whispers of the prisoners in the phone they

used in communicating with their visitors.

“Move.” The guard said, shoving me ahead.

I was pushed all the way to the end of the room and forcefully placed on the bench

there. I glared at the guard for a while before turning to stare at the person sitting

before me.“Victoria?” I called out with widened eyes.

The telephone beside me rang and I was quick to pick it up. “Well, if it isn’t Mrs.

James… or should I say, soon-to-be ex-Mrs. James?” She mocked.

I was too stunned to speak so she continued. “Barry’s such a sweetheart, isn’t he? I

tried to convince him to divorce you months ago, but he kept hesitating because he

didn't want to get caught up in a scandal.”

My fingers curled into fists as she went on about how she had to give him a good

enough reason to either divorce or abandon me. And the only way to do that was to

out me in the middle of a scandal that could affect his image.

She confessed to being anonymous sender that made me go to Suite 17, she also

confessed hiring the masked men to not only show me Barry's choice but to also put

me in a scandalous situation.

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard this because even I thought she couldn't

stop so low, but I was quick to mask my shock. I just looked her dead in the eye and

said. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

She tilted her head, still smiling. “Oh, I will.” Then she stood and walked away.

I spent the entire day after that encounter crying about how much I'd been a fool but

when Rue arrived with a Lawyer the next morning and was able to grant me bail? I

was overly ecstatic.

Although I was informed that I couldn't leave town until the investigation was

concluded, I was still happy. Probably because Rue assured me that the Lawyer she

provided would definitely oversee the case until it's successful.

So as soon as I was set free, I hailed a cab back home to give Barry a piece of my

mind. More like to let him know what his beloved Victoria has been up to.

By the time I arrived, it was already past noon and the sun was scorching hot. After paying the cab driver with the cash I had taken from Rue, I rushed to the house

gate. The security there was hesitant at first, but he reluctantly opened it and

stepped aside.

Walking inside, I felt anxious but I continued walking regardless. By the time I

reached the door, my hands were already clammy and my heart pounded as I typed

in the code, reached out for the door knob and pushed the door open.

Stepping inside, I wasn't exactly stunned to see the living room empty. Well not

exactly empty since the maids were bustling about.

I didn't bother making my presence known, I just quietly made my way upstairs.

Reaching his room, the door was slightly ajar and I could clearly hear his all too

familiar moans.

A part of me wanted to turn around and leave, but a larger part of me felt like I could

still save my marriage by letting Barry know who the real devil was, so I exhaled a

couple of times and stormed into the room.

“What the hell?!” Barry yelled, quickly reaching out for the blanket to wrap Victoria

who was busy sucking his dick on all fours.

After making sure she was fully covered, Barry turned to me but naked and asked.

“What are you doing here, Danielle?”

“Shouldn't you be asking how she's out of prison?” Victoria nudged, and I shot her a

glare.

“Well, I was granted freedom until proven guilty.” I replied, with a wide smile.

“That's good news.” Barry exclaimed. “At least I don't have to visit you in prison to

get this over with.”

“To get what over with?” I asked, confused.

“Us.” He replied, moving to the drawer.

He pulled out a brown envelope and a pen then tossed it at me. Catching it, I asked

with teary eyes. “Is this what I think it is?”

When he remained silent, I immediately knew what he meant.

“Barry, we need to talk,” I said, stepping forward.

“No. We don’t.” He muttered. “And you need to sign those.”

Opening the envelope, my stomach twisted when I saw the heading: Petition for

Divorce.

“Barry…”

“I’m done, Danielle.” He said coldly. “You’ve embarrassed me, dragged my name

through the mud, and for what? Because you couldn’t control yourself?”

I chuckled. “Control myself? You were the one sleeping with her.”

His expression didn’t change. “Sign the papers.”

“She's behind all of these Barry, don't you see?” I asked, already annoyed. “She

made you visit her at the very same resort I planned our anniversary dinner at, then

led me to her suite to see you both making out.”

“Oh please! Next thing you'll say is that she planned the attack at the resort then

blamed you just to push me into getting divorced from you.”

Nodding. “That's exactly what she did, Barry.”

“How pathetic. Please sign these and leave before you get thrown out because of all

the dirty lies that you spewed.”

“I…” My lips parted but no words came out.

He didn't want me anymore so fighting for him would do me no good. I turned to

Victoria who was already seated on the bed before I turned back to him then

uncapped the pen and slowly signed the divorce papers.

When I was done I didn’t say another word, I just threw the already signed papers

on the ground, moved to grab the documents I couldn’t afford to lose, stuffed a few

clothes into a side bag, and left.

Outside, I called for a taxi, heading for the nearest hotel. As we drove, the rain got

heavier so I leaned back, thinking about the hotel room waiting for me, the bottle of

wine I’d planned to buy, and the silence I’d finally have.

Closing my eyes, I decided to accept my quiet life when the sound of blaring horns

rang out causing my eyes to flutter open.

“What's going on?” I asked.

“The car's break is faulty.” He said, panicking.

Before I could speak, he let out a shrill scream. “Arghh!” as an incoming truck

collided with the cab and sent us flying in the air multiple times until we landed on

the ground with a thud.

I tried working my way out of the upside down car but all efforts proved abortive.

Suddenly I heard an explosive sound as the car caught fire and screams poured out

of my lips as my flesh sizzled. “I can't die like this, please.” I pleaded as my vision

blurred.

When I reopened my eyes, I was staring at my bedroom ceiling while my phone was

on the nightstand, buzzing.

When I turned to it, the date on the screen made my blood run cold. “03-08-####”

Three days before the anniversary dinner and incident at the resort?