4. Maddy
MADDY
“I now pronounce you husband and—”
Crack.
I stumble as the heel of my black shoe crumbles on me.
Fuck.
Looking ahead, I catch a glimpse of the root of all my problems.
The one who’s been making my life a living hell ever since the moment our paths crossed.
Kayden’s ocean-colored eyes are fixed on me, a smirk painted across those voluptuous lips.
He’s swinging something from one hand to the other, as I try to keep my composure.
It’s not that the wedding stopped because of me. No. The show went on. Mom and Lucas are kissing as I glare at my stepbrother instead of clapping like everyone else is.
The hijack, as inconvenient as it was, was small, and no one else noticed my wardrobe malfunction.
Except my mortal enemy, of course. Who I now understand, is waving a tube of instant glue in my face.
Which means he saw me almost tripping to my death at the altar from the comfort of his seat.
Unlike me, Kayden isn’t his father’s best man. While he had the luxury of choosing, I could never say no to Mom when she asked me to be the maid of honor.
Now, Kayden’s actions raise a question. Why did he bring instant glue with him to a wedding?
It’s not something we usually carry with us in our purses. That only means one thing.
My face tightens, and my eyebrows scrunch. Radiant warmth flares up my skin.
He’d known I’d need it. Which means—it was him. He did this.
I don’t know how, but he found a way to break my shoe or cause it to break mid-ceremony, and now he’s waving his genius prank in my face. And the only solution to my problem.
Because I didn’t have enough with him being a pain in the ass any time I tried to interact at school.
I tried not to, not if I could help it. But sometimes, we were required to talk to each other—and that always came with a price. Every single chance he got, he did something to make me regret the second I glanced his way.
Like when he put a paint bomb in my locker after that first discussion we had in the locker room.
And that one rainy day I got tempted and asked him for a ride when I saw him while waiting at a crosswalk.
The second he saw me, he sped up and splashed a big puddle all over my clothes.
I was soaked when I got home, and to my surprise, he hadn’t arrived yet.
Except when I walked by the driveway, he appeared, drove in reverse, and almost ran me over.
As if he were waiting somewhere for me to get home and torment me again.
Until now, it was fine. I thought it was temporary, that our interactions would be minimal. Now, I’m stuck with him for God knows how long.
I sigh.
I can’t believe I’m here. That the nightmare never ended up being over.
Life with Lucas is okay. He’s decent with Mom.
Spoils her, allows her to go on shopping sprees, despite Mom not being a big spender, and she recently quit her job to stay at home.
He still gifts me shit I don’t need—spending money is clearly his way of getting to people. He got Kayden his red Porsche, too.
But Kayden? He’s insufferable. And there’s something going on between him and his dad. They don’t talk much.
As the music starts and people gather to dance around the bride and groom, I squeeze away quietly, trying to go unnoticed, even if I’m holding both shoes in my hands. No way I can walk with one broken heel.
Kayden doesn’t follow me, doesn’t get up to dance. He sits there with a smug expression.
It’s the worst day of my life, so it’s only fitting Kayden would make it even worse.
So effing childish. I swear, when I catch him, I will—I don’t know…kill him?
Worse, I’ll cut his balls in his sleep, I swear. He has no idea who he’s messing with, and now that we’re stuck together permanently, there’s no limit to the lengths I’ll go.
I’m going to have to learn not to take any more bullshit from him.
Once I reach the bathroom, I attempt to refresh myself, tossing the heels on the floor and turning on the tap. I splash some water on my face, ignoring the fact I’m ruining my makeup. That’s the least of my concerns right now.
The water doesn’t solve anything, but there’s something about water—the coolness of it—that soothes me and clears my mind. It’s magical, and I can’t explain it.
When I leave the bathroom, I’ve got the perfect revenge plan.
I snatch the heels from the floor and focus on the one that’s still intact.
Then, I smash it onto the bathroom wall, over and over.
It takes me a few minutes and a sore hand, but the bottom of the heel detaches.
Victory. I can savor it at the tip of my tongue.
I don’t go back to the noise of the party. Don’t bother stuffing myself with appetizers or drowning my sorrows in the alcohol-free punch they got as catering.
I spend my time on something better.
Sweet, sweet revenge of mine.
The fully packed parking lot isn’t a long distance from the bathrooms, and I don’t mind walking a bit now that I can wear my shoes.
Kayden’s car is parked somewhere here. I know it is. He insisted on taking it, while the rest of us came in a limo. Kayden loves that car. He drives it everywhere, parades it in and out of school, and sometimes disappears for hours to wash it.
I gaze around, trying to track the red Porsche he adores.
That doesn’t work. I pace back and forth along rows of vehicles, until five minutes later, the ocean of cars becomes smaller, and I’m standing in front of it, a smile glued to my face. Oh, the horrendous things I plan on doing.
My grip tightens on the detached heel, wrapping my fist around it before walking from one side of Kayden’s car to the other, scraping the metal and making an annoying screech as the red paint turns gray-ish.
The damage’s done, and I’m enjoying it way too much.
So much so that I stride back and forth once more, letting my heel destroy the whole right side of the vehicle.
This is my own version of keying someone’s car for cheating.
A satisfying hum leaves my lips
“What the fuck?”
I’m startled mid-action, the voice sending goose bumps through my whole body.
Caught red-handed.
I don’t want to turn around. I’m not going to. I’m not—
“I said, what the fuck are you doing?”
His hand’s on mine before I can stop him, squeezing tight. My fingers tighten around the heel, aching.
I let it fall to the ground, admitting defeat.
“I-It was a harmless prank.”
I face Kayden.
His face is dark, his jaw tight. He doesn’t find it funny.
One of his eyes twitches as he examines the damage I’ve done. “Fuck. This is going to cost hundreds, if not thousands, to fix.”
“Oops?”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Excuse me?” I tilt my head, bringing my arms to my chest. “You started it.”
“Do you know how much money I need to take out on this?”
“Oh. Do you? Doesn’t your daddy pay for all this? Your luxurious life? I doubt you’ve worked a day in your life to know how hard it is.”
I, on the other hand, have done babysitting countless times to help Mom out.
Though she always insisted on me doing it during school breaks.
“Besides…” I pause for dramatic effect. “It’s kind of your fault.”
Kayden glares at me, his eyes fixed on mine. His ears are fuming.
“You’re the one who handed me the weapon.” I point at the heel on the concrete.
It is true. He sabotaged my heels, so one of them broke.
“I guess you should have thought about it better before doing something with my shoes.”
“Bitch.”
My chest clenches. “What did you say?”
“Bitch.”
“Asshole.” I adjust my arms against my chest tighter. “Now that the tables have turned, you don’t know how to react?”
“Your stupid prank is going to waste a lot of my precious time.”
“Tough luck. Maybe think better next time, before you almost make your sister trip to her death at the altar.”
“You’re not my fucking sister. You’re the spitting image of evil.”
I scoff. “You’re one to talk. You’re the devil. The horns are practically sticking out of your head.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game with the wrong person. I’m warning you, Madelyn.”
The sound of him saying my name electrifies me.
Every single hair stands up.
“You’re going to regret this.”
“Fuck you, Kayden.”
If we’re stuck with each other, I’m not taking any of his shit.
He’d better start understanding that.
I flip him the finger and walk away, heading back to the party.
I’ve finally got one thing to celebrate out of all this misery.
***
The thing with Kayden is that if you strike him, he’ll strike you a hundred times harder, and I had to learn that the hard way. I thought I had the upper hand, but I was wrong. I was so wrong. And I figured it out very quickly.
The next morning, to be precise.
When I went to dress for school and had to casually leave out my panties.
Because every single pair I owned was torn apart. Cut into pieces with scissors. Decorating my drawer as if they were art pieces on display in a gallery.
Thank God I have shorts to wear under my skirts and dresses, but the friction of the fabric in my center made for a rather unpleasant experience all day.
And I’ve learned my lesson. We’re even now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t let my mind travel to dark places, dreaming up a plan to get him back.
In my world, there is no happy ending for someone who does me wrong.
I’ve had enough bad guys in my life. Okay, so I’ve only had one bad guy in my life.
The point is, I don’t want to let anyone step over me ever again. Make me feel as if I’m trash.
An eye for an eye, there’s nothing better than revenge.
I’m sitting in my room now, dreaming up scenarios where I win. I’ll strike again. I just don’t know when, or how.
Unless Kayden calms the fuck down.
“Dinner’s ready, Little Demon.” He almost makes me jump out of my chair as he barks into my room unannounced.
“I’ll be down in a moment.”
“Aren’t you cold?” he asks, an eyebrow raised.
“What?”
He nods toward my pink dress, slightly hiking up my thigh, yet covering all that needs to be covered.
I roll my eyes and spread my legs open, showcasing my black shorts underneath. “No.”
I smile.
Tomorrow, the new underwear I ordered online will be here. It’s okay. I’m fine.
Take that sucker.
A half-smirk makes an appearance on Kayden’s face. “Okay, you win this time.”
He shrugs and leaves. He doesn’t counterattack. It’s suspicious behavior on his part.
He must be secretly planning something.
I wish I could read his mind.
Meanwhile, I have no concrete plans for my next step. Only hopes.
I hope he chokes on his food tonight.