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Jared blew her a mocking kiss. “One more thing, sugar pop. Remember the fun video we made when we spent the weekend on the Waterstone’s cabin?”
Sam blinked.
“Our honeymoon video?” Jared reminded her. “I’ll load it up on the internet before I call your momma. That is if you can’t come up with the two hundred K.”
“You can’t do this to me.” She felt numb. What Jared threatened to do was unspeakable. Her mother had a weak heart and was a devout Christian—she would have a heart attack.
“Oh yes, I totally can, Sam. You got three days. Cash only this time. No cheque.”
“Why are you doing this? You got your money!”
“For a measly seventy-five K? Why should I get only seventy-five thousand when you get to live in the big house with a fucking butler and ride in a stinking Mercedes? It ain’t fair, Sam. I think two hundred thousand should cover my expenses nicely. I deserve the money, Sam.”
Sam couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Jared had always been an asshole, but this time he had hit an all-time low. She had to hold on to the hood of the car to steady herself. It was too much.
“Three days, Sam. I’ll call you where to meet me with the money.” Jared bared his cigarette-stained teeth and stalked off. He wandered to the end of the parking lot and climbed into the truck that she had paid off with her salary. He waved at her as he drove off.
Her hand trembled as she settled behind the wheel. The shopping bag lay near her feet.
Why?
Why is he doing this to me?
Tears leaked down her cheeks. Her chest felt constricted. She covered her face with her hands and cried. She wanted to be strong—she had always been strong—but this time, she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t go to Adam or David. That was unimaginable. But she couldn’t bear the thought of Jared going to her mother and telling her what she had been doing.
And that video…
Oh God. They’d made the video when they had been in love. It was their honeymoon, after all. She’d thought it was cute, taping their intimate moments together. It was years ago. She was surprised they still had it. God. How could she have forgotten about the video? When she’d packed Jared’s things and thrown him out of the house, she hadn’t thought about the tape. And now, that jackass was going to use the video against her.
She would send her mother to an early grave for this.
Someone knocked on her window.
Sam startled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
A man who had parked his car next to the Mercedes mouthed, “Are you okay?”
She nodded furiously and mouthed back, “I’m okay, I’m okay.”
Somehow, the man didn’t look convinced.
She put the Walgreens plastic bag on the passenger seat and quickly shoved the key in the ignition. As she drove out of the parking lot, she slowly gathered her wits. She couldn’t let Jared ruin her.
She had to put an end to his bullshit.
Permanently.
* * * *
Sam went back to the mansion before noon and headed straight to her bedroom. She locked the door and jumped into the shower. She turned it on. She needed to think. And fast. She always took a shower whenever she needed refuge. The bathroom had been her sanctuary when she’d still been married to Jared. That bastard rarely bugged her when she was in there. It was a place where she could have some genuine ‘me time’.
The cold water gradually turned hot. Sam pulled her wet hair over her back and inhaled a deep breath between the cascading splatters. She slowly calmed. Her rage was under control. She could think wi
thout being overwhelmed by the urge to bury a knife in Jared’s back, though that jackass totally deserved it.
What should I do?
She could tell them about the blackmail. Besides, Calvin was a lawyer. He would know what to do. Would they believe her? Or would they think this whole thing was nothing but Jared’s and her machinations? Rich people like them must have to deal with con artists who wanted to scam them for their money. If she went to them with this problem, Sam was afraid they would become suspicious and think she wanted to extort them.
