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I frowned, confusion swirling in my mind. "Listen to her about what?"
Jake let out a humorless laugh, the sound harsh and grating. "Money. She needs money, Molly. A lot of it. And she thought the best way to get it was to threaten to take Hailey away from me."
I sat back, stunned. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. All of this pain, all of this fear and uncertainty, had been nothing more than a greedy power play. Natasha had been willing to put her own daughter through hell, just to line her pockets.
And then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. The photos. The blackmail. The timing of it all.
"Jake," I said, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and realization. "The photos, they’re on Patsy’s Page.”
He looked at me, "What?”
I handed my phone to him, watching his face distort in anger and confusion. “Why would she do this?"
I shook my head, the pieces falling into place in my mind. "Think about it. She needed money, right? And what better way to get it than to blackmail you with those photos? But when you didn't give in to her demands, she must have decided to release them anyway as punishment."
“No, because she’s already blackmailing me by suing for custody of Hailey. Besides, why would she make the terms of the blackmail us dating? It doesn’t make any sense. How would she have gotten the photos?
"I'm not sure, Jake, but I'm telling you, it has to be her," I said, my voice rising with each word. "Think about it. The timing of the lawsuit, the sudden release of the photos. It's too much of a coincidence."
Jake leaned back his expression grim. "Molly, if you're right, if she's behind this... I don't know what to do. I can't let her take Hailey, but I can't go to court, either. Not with those photos out there."
I wrapped my arms around him, trying to offer what little comfort I could. "We'll figure it out," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I promise, we'll find a way."
"And that's not the only problem," Jake continued, his brow furrowed with worry. "I'm sure the school has had several parents call in a panic over the leaked photos."
"You're right," I agreed. My stomach churned at the thought of facing the judgment and scrutiny of the entire town.
"So, what do we do?" Jake asked, his eyes searching mine for answers I didn't have.
"I don't know," I sighed, frustration coursing through me. "But we'll think of something. We have to."
Despite the bleak circumstances, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. If Natasha really was the one behind the blackmail, that meant the photos would soon be dealt with. We just needed to hold on a little while longer, and then we could finally be free of this nightmare.
As I gazed into Jake's eyes, I saw a spark of determination return to his expression. I knew then that no matter what happened, we would face it together.
"Come on," I said, standing up and pulling him to his feet. "Let's go over to Amy's. I promised to come over and make dinner so she and Pat could rest. If they don't want to rest, I'm sure they'll love to weigh in on the situation. We'll get to the bottom of this. Just trust me."
When we arrived, Amy welcomed us inside, her face lined with exhaustion and worry.
"Hey, you two," Pat said, a soft smile on his face. "It's good to see you." His voice was stilted, and it was obvious he had seen the pictures.
"It's good to see you, too," Jake said, his voice tight. "I'm sorry about the pictures. I'm not sure who would have done such a thing, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it. I'm just not sure where to start."
"Even mom and dad have seen them," Amy added, though it looked like it pained her. Jake scrubbed his hand over his face, his expression pained. "Has Hailey?"
Amy held up her hands. "Couldn't say."
I felt a wave of nausea wash over me at the thought of Hailey seeing those photos and the confusion and hurt it could cause he. She was just a child, an innocent bystander in this whole mess, and yet she was being dragged into the mud right along with us.
"We have to do something," I said, my voice shaking with a mixture of anger and determination. "We can't let Natasha get away with this. We can't let her destroy our lives, our family."
Jake nodded, his jaw clenched tight. "I know, Molly, but what can we do? She's got us backed into a corner, and I don't see a way out."
We spent the next hour brainstorming with Amy and Pat, trying to piece together a timeline of events and figure out who could have had access to Jake's phone or computer in the months before Natasha's return. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing, but we were determined to make it work.
As the night wore on and the baby started to fuss, we knew it was time to head home. Jake told Amy and Pat to stay where they were, and he went to Amelia.
I stood in the doorway of Amy and Pat's living room, my heart melting into a puddle of goo at the sight before me. There, in the middle of the room, was Jake, cradling little Amelia in his arms like she was the most precious thing in the world.
