CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Blair
Several weeks had passed since William’s masquerade ball, and almost each day had brought more chaos. When you clung to power so desperately, the eventual fall was even harder, and my family’s and my reputation had been ruined.
My TikTok LIVE had made news, and everyone knew the lengths my dad would go to achieve what he wanted.
The journalists had hounded me to get the scoop on that night and my past, but I’d refused to give any comments or do interviews, although the media narrative had shifted a bit after they found out I wasn’t completely bad.
The public perception had also shifted. I’d received mixed messages and comments lately, with people either praising me for having the courage to speak out and feeling sorry for me, or saying I deserved it all and should continue to suffer.
Though I still received death threats, and I’d narrowly avoided two more incidents when the crowds had gathered in front of my house last week and the week before.
It felt oppressive, and I didn’t know what to do.
I was trying to stay positive, but it was hard when people reminded me time and again how much they hated me.
Dad didn’t have it easy either, seeing that the police had opened an investigation into his company and his dealings with William.
After the police released him from custody the day after William’s party, several people had come forth with stories like Paula’s, accusing Dad of fraud and illegal demolition, along with some of Dad’s employes, who had testified against him as well.
He was now sitting in jail waiting for trial, which could be what awaited Mom as well.
Her charity organization was also under investigation, as more evidence surfaced that she hadn’t used all the funds for their intended purpose.
When she wasn’t at her charity, working day and night to salvage the situation, she was at home on her phone, either arguing with her advisors or calling our friends for help.
However, it turned out friends in high places didn’t help when you hit rock bottom.
They had closed the door on Mom, refusing to have anything to do with her.
As for William, he’d been fired and kept in jail as more of his shady business deals came to light, but that wasn’t all.
Other girls had started coming out against him, their own horror stories detailing how they had been forced to perform various sexual acts, oftentimes by William’s friends at the same time as well.
A few of them had contacted me, wanting to thank me for exposing William and giving them courage to speak out, and it felt gratifying.
Despite it being a huge risk, exposing William had paid off.
Furthermore, it had sparked a discussion about governmental abuse of power and deep corruption.
Even the mayor came out to say they would ensure that it was rooted out and work toward a better society, free from influence and private interests.
I wasn’t so naive to believe that. It would take a lot more than pretty words and supposed intentions to change something, but I did believe, more now than ever, that I could start with myself and make sure I did all I could to even the scales of our world.
Despite all the backlash, I was enthusiastic about starting anew, thinking about all the stories I could cover as I built a path toward something more.
Once I started college, I’d look into them further.
Speaking of college, my acceptance wasn’t revoked (it helped that the police had dropped their investigation since no victim had come forward to accuse me), and I was almost finished preparing, as there were only a few weeks left until the start of the semester.
Although my college was my parents’ choice because it attracted many students from affluent families, it offered amazing programs with some of the best professors in the state, so I had something to look forward to.
The best of all—because it was near South Gate, Melody and I didn’t have to move far away.
I’d already found an apartment for us a few days after she turned eighteen, and I was buying it today.
But I had to make one stop first.
I stepped out of an Uber into the midday sun, adjusting my hat to shield my face from it.
It was scorching hot, and the wind provided no relief as I made my way to Maggie’s trailer, carrying a bag with a toy for Abby.
Everything was quiet, and there was not a face in sight.
It was as though everyone was hiding from the merciless temperatures.
My gaze went over to Zach’s trailer. A wave of longing washed over me, and I had to take a deep breath as my heart rate quickened.
It had never really stopped. I’d longed for Zach as much as I had the night I left him in that restroom, and no matter how hard I fought it, it was hopeless.
He was always there, in my dreams, in my fantasies, every time I looked at the tattoo, in the moments my guard was at its lowest, when I allowed myself to imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t pushed Zach away in that restroom.
I hadn’t seen him at all since then, and I missed him more than anything.
I took a few steps in the direction of his trailer, taking in every scrape of the old paint and dust patterns on the windows, almost feeling Zach close. He wouldn’t be here, of course, but that didn’t stop the fantasy from unrolling before I could catch myself.
Tightening my hand around the handles of the bag, I went over to Maggie’s door. A drop of sweat slid down my neck, and I wished my hair wasn’t so short that I couldn’t pull it up in a ponytail to keep it from plastering to my skin— Another reminder of Zach’s cruelty.
I knocked on Maggie’s door.
She opened the door after a few seconds, her brows going up. “Blair? Hi.”
I smiled. “Hi. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“No, I was about to do the laundry, but it can wait. Is there something you wanted?” Her gaze went to the bag in my hand.
“Actually, that’s what I want to ask you.”
She angled her head. “What do you mean?”
“Can I come in? I won’t take much of your time.”
Her brows dipped a fraction, but she nodded. “Sure.” She motioned for me to enter, and I stepped inside.
Just like the last time I was here, a cartoon was playing on the TV, and I spotted Abby curled up on the sofa. Her laughter filled the room as one of the characters on the screen slipped on a banana peel, all with a comic sound.
“Hi, Abby,” I said.
She waved at me over her shoulder. “Hi.”
“I have something for you.” I offered her the bag, and Maggie raised her brows.
“You didn’t have to,” she said as Abby jumped off the sofa, excitement written all over her face.
“It’s just a little gift,” I replied to Maggie. “I couldn’t come empty-handed, especially since I dropped by unannounced.”
“Thank you,” Abby said and pulled out a box containing an ice cream factory set. Her eyes widened, her lips parting with a grin. “Ice cream factory! I love ice cream.”
“Really? What’s your favorite?”
“Chocolate.”
I chuckled. “Mine too. Nothing tops chocolate.”
“Mom, can I open it now?”
“Yes.”
Abby squealed and rushed over to the spot on the floor by the sofa, sitting down.
I took a seat at the kitchen table and watched her start opening the box, a sweet smile forming on her face. “She’s an adorable kid.”
Maggie nodded. “She is. Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you.” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry I left so abruptly that day.”
“That’s okay.” She sat down on the opposite side of the table.
“Before you tell me what brought you here, I want to get something out of the way. I saw the news. I’m aware of the video and what happened during your LIVE stream.
While I understand you’ve been through quite a lot, I feel uneasy knowing you did all those things. I’m referring to the bullying.”
I squirmed in my chair, feeling all the intensity of her gaze. “I understand. I . . . I did a lot of things I’m not proud of. But I want to do better. I want to become better and turn my life around. It’s the reason I did that LIVE in the first place.”
She observed me for a prolonged moment as though checking how sincere I was, then nodded. “Yeah, I can get behind that.” We smiled at each other.
“What you did mustn’t have been easy. I’m sorry about your parents.
” Her gaze went over to Abby. “To think that they would treat their child that way . . . I’d rather die than hurt Abby.
Everything I do is for her, and I can’t imagine it being any other way.
But some people are just not fit to be parents. ”
I pursed my lips together, ignoring the slight stab of pain in my chest. I could sit here and dwell on what I didn’t have—on what every child should have—but it wouldn’t do me any good. I just wanted to focus on my future and not complain about what I couldn’t change.
“I really appreciate it, but I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Okay. Then what do you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to offer you help. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t assume you need it, but as I said, I want to do better and help people.
If not monetarily, then by raising awareness about things that matter.
And I was thinking about you and how you raise Abby all on your own, and I felt I could do something about it.
If you or Abby need anything, please let me know.
Toys, clothes, food, money, or anything else, I’m here. ”
She gaped at me, her mouth opening, then closing. “Oh my.”
“I hope this is okay with you,” I quickly added. “I don’t want to come off as presumptuous.”
“No, not at all. It’s just that I didn’t expect that. That’s so nice of you to offer. Especially since you’re dealing with so much currently.”
“No, really, it’s nothing.”