Chapter 21
CHAPTER
THE SHORT WALK to Max’s front door from where I parked gave me a moment to gather my thoughts. I felt like a boxer waiting for her name to be called before charging into the ring.
I didn’t bother knocking—the doorknob turned in my hand. I pushed the door open and entered the living room.
I could hear voices and light music coming from the back of the apartment. I stalked down the hall until I came to the open-concept kitchen-dining room area that led to the balcony. The words “Welcome, Baby Charlie!” filled the room, taunting me.
At first, no one noticed me. The impeccably dressed young women—in their Lilly Pulitzer dresses, Pandora charm bracelets, and stylish ankle booties—stood around, smiling, sipping champagne out of skinny flutes, and making mindless chitchat, oblivious to the explosive fury burning through every inch of my body, just a few feet from them.
And there was Madison herself, beaming with pride, standing next to a chic, middle-aged woman in a Chanel skirt suit, giant pearls dangling from her ears and circling her throat, her short gray-blonde pixie cut bobbing up and down as she laughed at something another woman said. Nora Clark.
“Madison!” I shouted.
One could practically hear the record scratch as the party ground to a halt. All heads in the room snapped in unison in my direction. But I only had eyes for one person: Madison.
At first, her eyes widened with surprise. Then a slick, evil smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
“What the hell is this?” I held my belly protectively with one hand and gestured at the banner with my other.
The woman I recognized as Liz Montrose, who had posted the photo, turned toward Madison and Nora. “Madison, who is this? What’s going on?”
With slow, maddeningly calm movements, Madison set down her glass of champagne and stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her. “This is Savannah Mitchell.” Her face wore a frozen smile, like a Barbie doll’s.
Whispers ping-ponged throughout the room. Max’s ex … their surrogate … heard she’s a total bitch … crazy woman … What is she doing here? … Uh-oh, this can’t be good.
“What do you think you’re doing, Madison? Are you actually having a baby shower for a baby that’s not yours?” I demanded.
Liz stepped forward. “Excuse me, but we’d like you to leave. You were not invited to this baby shower, and you are not welcome in this apartment.”
“Not invited?” I laughed bitterly. “I’m the only one in this room actually having a baby! A baby that will never be hers!”
Madison gave me a pitying look. “Savannah, sweetie, please. I understand you don’t like me—and that’s a shame, since I’ve always tried to be gracious and supportive of you.
But it’s really not nice for you to keep trying to come between Max and me.
It’s time you accepted the fact that he doesn’t love you—he loves me, and we are going to be a family.
He doesn’t want to be with you, Savannah. ”
I tried to breathe through my rage, the very effort making me tremble. “I am not trying to take Max away from you. But I refuse to let you try and replace me as this baby’s mother. That is never going to happen!”
Madison clutched at her throat in exaggerated shock. She exchanged looks with some of the other women in the room; they shook their heads as if to say, This girl—what a sad mess.
She crossed her arms against her chest. “Savannah, my mom and Liz and all my friends have gone to a lot of effort to throw me this very sweet baby shower, so that Max and I can have everything we need to prepare for Baby Charlie. I don’t want to cause a scene.
Why don’t we chat for a minute in the other room? ”
Hearing the name “Baby Charlie” had me seeing red again, but before I could respond, Madison walked past me and down the hall toward the front living room. I threw glares at Nora and Liz before following her, my adrenaline pumping.
“Where is Max?” I demanded as I followed her. “Does he know about this baby shower?”
As we reached the privacy of the front living room, Madison whirled around to face me. “Why are you here, Savannah? Why can’t you leave Max and me alone?” She spoke loudly, clearly wanting everyone down the hall to hear.
“Why am I here? Why are people throwing a baby shower for you, when you’re not having a baby? And what the hell makes you think you get to pick out his name?”
“My husband is having a child. I may be just the stepmom, but that doesn’t diminish my love for this child at all. I plan to give Charlie a happy home, with two parents who give him everything he needs in this world. Which is a lot more than he could ever hope to get from you.”
I would not be deterred. “I know it drives you crazy that Max is having a child with another woman, but you do not get to replace me as this baby’s mother. And you definitely don’t get to name him!”
Madison’s eyes flashed. “Charles is my father’s name, and the name of several generations of firstborn Clark men. And I know Max likes the name too.”
“I don’t care if he does! I will be choosing my baby’s name, not you.” I gestured down the hall toward the party. “Do you want to break it to your guests, or shall I? Sorry they’ll all have to get their silver spoons re-engraved.”
Madison’s eyes narrowed. “Why is it obvious to everyone except you that I am clearly the better mother for this child? You’re a crazy, unstable drunk, completely unfit to be Charlie’s mother. And someone needs to do something about it!”
Suddenly, Madison dropped to her hands and knees.
She turned her head slightly to the left to look at the coffee table that was just inches away from her face, and then looked back up at me briefly with an evil smile as she swung her head, face first, into the sharp corner edge.
She let out a bloodcurdling scream that sent chills down my spine, and then collapsed into a fetal position, clutching her face. “Help! Help! She attacked me!”
I was completely dumbstruck as I stared at her on the floor, writhing around. Oh shit. There was blood—lots of blood—spilling down her cheek and onto the carpet.
“Why would you do this to me, Savannah?” she wailed.
My mind was racing. What is happening?
Behind me, I heard footsteps and another scream. I whirled around—it was Liz, followed by Nora Clark and the rest of the party guests as they shoved their way into the living room. One by one, they caught sight of Madison’s bloody face and gasped.
“Oh my God—Savannah, what have you done?” Liz rushed to her friend’s side. “Someone get towels and ice!”
Madison started sobbing dramatically, patting her face and then staring at the blood on her hands. A deep gash along her cheekbone was pouring out blood, nonstop, and the entire left side of her face was swelling around her left eye.
“You’re so cruel, Savannah! Why would you do this? I was just trying to talk things out with you!” Madison wailed.
It was all too unbelievable. Suddenly a shadow fell across my vision. I looked up to see Nora Clark standing in front of me, her face drawn into a look of pure hatred.
“You are finished, you little whore. You hear me? Finished! I will bury you in court, and once that baby is born, you will never see it again.”
I finally snapped out of my shock. “Wha—I didn’t touch her! I was standing five feet away, and she just threw herself onto the floor and smacked her cheek on the corner of the table!”
A chorus of outraged gasps erupted in the crowded room. Oh my God, how can she say such a thing? … As if Madison would do that to herself! … Her poor, beautiful face! … Geez, that’s a lot of blood … She’s probably going to need stiches—in her face!
“Madison, do you want me to call the police? This is assault!” Liz cried.
I gasped. Call the police?
Suddenly, everyone was yelling at me, throwing curses at me, demanding that I leave. I couldn’t think straight; I couldn’t feel straight. Everything was in chaos. I did the only thing I could think to do: run. Out the front door, which slammed behind me.
A moment later, I was sitting in my car in stunned silence, breathing heavily. What the hell just happened? Madison was completely unhinged. What kind of person would split her own face open like that? Would she really tell the police that I attacked her? Would they believe her?
Max—I had to talk to him. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number; again, voicemail.
As I sat there in my car, adrenaline pumping furiously through my veins, I heard faint sirens in the distance. The sound grew louder until I caught flashes of red lights in the rearview mirror.
As I watched, an ambulance screeched to a halt directly in front of the steps to Max’s apartment. I scrunched down in my seat as best I could and watched the scene unfold.
Liz and Nora were on either side of Madison, helping her down the front steps.
Dried blood coated Madison’s chin and neck, and had soaked into the neckline of her dress.
As the party reached the street, two EMTs surrounded Madison, took the ice pack off her cheek, and examined her wound.
After a moment, they nodded at each other, and led her over to a stretcher.
They strapped her in—they were taking her to the hospital.
My head fell forward into my hands. Would Madison try to press charges?
I finally started the car and sped off, back to Ellie’s place.
I had to figure out my next move.
A few hours later, I sat on Ellie’s bed, anxiously chewing on my fingernails.
I had worn them down so low, I tasted blood.
I kept telling myself to stop, but a few minutes later found myself doing it again.
The sound of every car on the street below sent an electrical current of panic up my spine—was it the police coming for me?
Around ten, my ringing phone jolted me out of my panicked stupor.
“Max,” I said breathlessly. “I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”
“Savannah, for the love of God—what the hell happened today?”
I could hear beeps and muffled voices bellowing over a loudspeaker in the background. “Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m at the hospital. Madison is about to be discharged.” His voice was tense, tight. “She’s with her mother, getting dressed.” He paused. I could hear him taking deep breaths in and out. “Savannah, I told you I would take care of things. How could you do this?”
“No, you don’t understand—”
“Was it an accident? Or did you mean to push her into the corner of the table? Her face … my God. She’s probably going to need a plastic surgeon.”
“Max—it’s not true! I didn’t push her! She did this to herself!”
“Why in the hell would you think it was a good idea to crash the baby shower?”
“How in the hell could you think it was a good idea to let her name our baby?”
“What?”
“The banner. ‘Welcome, Baby Charlie?’ As in, Charles, after her father?”
“Savannah, I never agreed to that. I told her I’d suggest the name to you, but that was it. I’m sorry she jumped to conclusions. But it’s just a banner, for God’s sake! You rushed over there and started a physical fight over a banner?”
“No! I may have yelled at her, but I swear to God, I never touched her, Max!”
“Then how did she get hurt? You expect me to believe she hurt herself?”
“Yes, Max—I do.” My voice trembled. “She got this crazy look in her eye, and she threw herself to the floor in front of me and banged her cheek against the table on purpose. On purpose, Max! Then she screamed, and everyone came running, and she told them all I attacked her. It’s not true.”
Max swore under his breath. “This is crazy. This isn’t some little scratch, Savannah. She’s been getting her face stitched back together for hours. She can barely see out of her left eye.”
That was it. The tears broke loose, running hot down my face.
“I just want our baby to be born in a happy environment, with people who love him—not people who fight like this.” I paused as silent tears gushed out.
“Nora said she would bury me in court, Max. She said once my baby is born, I’d never see him again.
” The weight of it all crashed down on me. I gasped for breath.
“Yeah,” said Max. “Nora seems pretty dead-set on pressing charges, Savannah. I’m doing everything I can to try and persuade her against it.”
My breath caught in my throat. I pressed a hand to my mouth, but I couldn’t hold back any longer. I choked, and sobs racked my body.
“Look—I think we just need a little distance right now. To let Madison heal and calm down a bit,” he said.
“Max—I’m due to give birth in just a few weeks,” I gasped. “We have to figure things out.”
“I know, Savannah, but I need to be with Madison right now.”
I hung up in frustration.
For the next hour, I swung between devastation and primal rage—between believing I’d be alone for the rest of my life, reduced to only seeing my child every other weekend, and fantasizing about strangling Madison, and watching as the life drained out of her, and her eyes went dead.
Or maybe I could just run—leave the state or the country.
I could almost see it: just me and my baby, living together happily, far away from the Clarks and Hunters.
Then the social media messages started rolling in.
“You are such an evil witch … Who raised you? I can’t believe a grown woman would act like that!
… If I didn’t know Madison would be such a great mom to that baby, I’d wish your baby was dead …
You’d better hope I never run into you again …
Once that baby is born, you’d better watch yourself—you’ll be fair game then. ”
I finally powered my phone down. For about the twentieth time in the past month, I desperately wished I could down an entire bottle of wine, all by myself.
I have to get some sleep.