Covet (15 page)

T
hat night Scarlet
had to be sedated by Nancy in order to sleep.

“Here, take one of my Xanax,” Nancy offered, handing Scarlet a blue pill. “It’ll help.”

Scarlet didn’t argue. She popped one in her mouth and chased it with a bottle of water.

“I’m sorry,” Scarlet said. “I don’t want to talk about anything. I just want to cry and sleep. Somehow.”

“Of course,” Nancy said. She wasn’t sure what to say to Scarlet. It was the first time she had no idea what to do. Usually she was the advice giver, the consigliere if you will. But she was still in shock over Patricia’s revelation. And if she’d known what would be revealed, she never would have agreed to bring her to San Diego. Even if it meant her job.

Scarlet took a long, hot shower, weeping with each drop. The pain in her heart manifested as physical pain to her whole body, leaving her with flu-like aches. Being apart from him was torture, the worst punishment he could have handed down to her, even though she knew she deserved it.

She’d thought of going back to him, but she didn’t want to jeopardize her chance of explaining what had happened all those years ago. She was at his mercy now and even despite the low probability of them being together again, she still held out hope.

The combination of the shower and the pill made her drowsy and around midnight she finally fell into a dreamless sleep, her last waking thoughts were how much she missed falling asleep in Barrett’s arms.

* * *

T
he next morning
Scarlet woke up to a text from Barrett:

G
ood morning
. Want to join me for a late breakfast? Say 1030?

S
he texted back
:

Y
es
. I would love that. See you soon.

S
he realized
afterwards that she hadn’t brought her suitcase with her, so she had no clothes to change into. She’d worn a set of Nancy’s pajamas last night but Nancy was a couple sizes bigger than Scarlet.

Nancy ran her to Target to get some jeans and an off the shoulder blouse with some flats. She pulled her hair up into a bun with shorter pieces framing her face. He loved when he could see her face and she wanted to be very pleasing for him today.

“I’ll be at the hotel if you need me,” Nancy said. “I’ve got some work to catch up on.”

“Thanks,” Scarlet said as she climbed out of Nancy’s rental. “I’ll text you in a little while.

“Scarlet,” Nancy said. “I want you to know, you’ll always come first. I love Barrett very much, but you’re my niece. My blood. And I don’t want you to make any decisions based on a potential outcome of my job or your mom’s. None of it would mean anything to us compared to your well-being. Okay? Jobs are just jobs. But we only have one of you.”

Scarlet’s eyes filled with tears and she grabbed her aunt, hugging her tight, “I love you, Aunt Nancy.”

“Me too, kiddo,” she said, trying to hold back her own tears. “Now go in there and fix this. Be honest. Lay your cards on the table.”

Scarlet nodded and slowly closed the passenger side door. She faced the front entrance of Barrett’s mansion and took a breath. She’d never been so nervous in her life.

But it was time.

“
M
iss Bloom
, your test results came back. And you’re definitely pregnant. We’ll need to do an ultrasound to confirm but with the dates you gave us for your last cycle, it’s still too early to hear a heartbeat. We’ll have you come back at ten weeks,” Dr. Hill said, as Scarlet sat on the exam table in a paper gown and ankle socks.

Her jaw was on the floor.

“How is this possible?” Scarlet asked. “I’m on birth control.”

Dr. Hill gave a thin smile, “Do you take it every day? At the same time?”

Scarlet shook her head, “There have been times I’ve forgotten, I’ll admit. But I always double dose the next day.”

“Well, that makes it less likely to prevent pregnancy,” Dr. Hill replied. “Which sounds like is what happened in your case. I take it this is a shock?”

“The biggest,” she whispered, but part of her was… happy. Insanely happy, and immediately cognizant of every little thing that was happening with her body. She clutched her abdomen, a smile creeping over her face. “It wasn’t planned but sometimes I guess the best things never are. Do we know the due date?”

Dr. Hill glanced at her chart, “It’s hard to say without an ultrasound. But if I was guessing by your last cycle, I would put it at either mid to late April.”

Scarlet couldn’t believe it. A spring baby. Barrett’s baby. Their love had created a human being. She knew she should be terrified. It changed so many things but she knew they could handle it. As long as they stuck together, they could do anything.

She glanced down at her phone.

“I hate to be so abrupt but I have a lunch date with my future mother-in-law,” Scarlet said.

Dr. Hill smiled, “I was going to ask. I noticed the ring. It’s gorgeous. It sounds like you have an exciting year ahead. Congratulations, Scarlet.”

Scarlet smiled, “Thank you. I’ll make a follow up appointment with the front desk?”

Dr. Hill nodded, “Yep. See you in a month!”

Scarlet’s grin couldn’t be hidden as she made the appointment with the apathetic receptionist at the front of the office. How would she tell Barrett? Part of her wanted to call him right now but she also wanted to make it memorable, just like he’d made their engagement memorable.

Either way, she could have floated away on a cloud. Her life was so beautiful that she could barely stand it.

* * *

P
atricia Evers had requested
Scarlet meet her for lunch at the Evers estate in Roswell. She took this as a good sign, that Patricia would invite her to her own home. Maybe Barrett was wrong about his mother. He claimed she was controlling, manipulative, uncaring, and aggressively ambitious. But maybe there was more to the story. Scarlet had decided to go to the lunch with an open mind and an open heart; everyone deserved a blank slate.

Tabula rasa
, she thought.

Patricia and Rhett’s Georgia mansion was exquisite. It lay on rolling green hills on acres of land. The house was at the end of a mile long driveway with an iron gate through which Scarlet had to be buzzed by a security guard who looked like he worked for the Secret Service.

Scarlet had dressed her best in a busy print Lily Pulitzer dress and conservative kitten heels, her hair in a low pony tail. She knew Patricia had been a debutante and could probably appreciate a nice Lily ensemble.

She was led to the front entrance by another member of what she imagined must be an enormous staff for such a palatial estate. No one smiled or spoke to her. Her stomach rumbled. She was hungry and she couldn’t help but smile thinking about how her and Barrett’s baby was probably hungry too.

A very abrupt looking woman with a slicked back bun and a maid’s uniform led her from the front door through at least six rooms to the back dining area. Patricia sat at a glass table sipping wine. On the table were sandwiches, fruit, and salad. The room was a sunroom and the beautiful day seeped into everything. Patricia looked absolutely radiant, her raven hair was blown out and she had on a pink polo dress, as if after this lunch she was off to play tennis with a friend. Scarlet could hardly believe this woman was old enough to be Barrett’s mother. She looked like she could have been in her late 30s at most.

“Hello, Scarlet,” Patricia Evers smiled. “Please, do sit. Are you hungry?”

“Actually yes,” Scarlet said sheepishly. “Starving. I didn’t eat much for breakfast.”

“Well, do dig in,” Patricia responded. “Half are cream cheese and cucumber and the other half are pimento cheese.”

“Thank you,” Scarlet said grabbing one of each, along with some strawberries and cut up melon. “I was so happy to get your email last night. I’ve been dying to meet you and I’m embarrassed about our first run in. That wasn’t how I wanted it to go at all.”

Patricia gave a thin smile, “Oh, I’m sure not. It was a bit awkward, yes?”

Scarlet nodded as she bit into her sandwich.

“Well, thank you for appearing at such short notice,” Patricia said. “And I won’t keep you very long, but we really do need to talk. Does Barrett know you’re here?”

Scarlet shook her head, “No, I wanted to respect your wishes, Mrs. Evers.”

“Please, call me Patricia,” she smiled. “And I appreciate that, Scarlet. I know it probably made you a little uncomfortable to keep something from him. You’re very close, yes?”

Scarlet placed her sandwich on her plate, “Yes. Barrett is everything to me.”

“Oh?” Patricia asked. She leaned forward a bit, “It’s very serious then? You see, Barrett hasn’t said anything about you to me or his father or even Durham. So I didn’t really think it was all that serious. Until last week when one of my staff told me he had chartered his father’s plane to take his girlfriend to Easter Island.”

Scarlet felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. The way Patricia had explained that Barrett hadn’t told her anything, as if it meant Scarlet must not mean very much to him. Scarlet knew Barrett told his mother almost nothing about his life. He held a lot of resentment towards her for being absent, yet intrusive at the same time. She knew him not telling Patricia about her didn’t mean anything. She wouldn’t have expected him to.

“Yes, we went to Easter Island,” Scarlet slowly said. “We just got back yesterday.”

“I’m well aware,” Patricia said, ominously. “Trust me, nothing gets past me. I always know what my son is up to. And I’ve been told he asked you to marry him.”

Scarlet gulped. How could she know? They hadn’t told anyone yet. Her own parents didn’t even know. They’d planned on having a small surprise engagement party in a couple weeks before she started school again to break the good news.

“You’re surprised I know,” Patricia laughed, but it wasn’t a kind laugh. “Scarlet, I have eyes everywhere. But, sadly, I can’t control who my son mistakenly falls in love with.”

“Mistakenly?” Scarlet finally said. “Excuse me?”

“That’s right. You’re a mistake. Something that needs to be corrected. Men are sometimes blinded by short skirts and tight tops and make mistakes. When something goes off course, it needs to be turned back onto the right path. You are the dark woods Barrett never should have wandered into. I need to get him back on the paved road.” Patricia took a sip of her wine. “So to speak.”

Scarlet was furious, “Barrett and I chose one another because we bring out the best side of each other. That could never be a mistake. We are deeply in love, getting married, and as of this morning we’re also having a child together. So, Patricia, I’m sorry to have messed up your plans and the path you paved for him without his consent, but he’s found a new road now. And you can either be on it with us or not on any of his roads at all. Paved or not.”

Patricia’s eyes widened.

“Oh, you’re surprised?” Scarlet mocked. “I thought you knew everything? Yes, I’m pregnant. I just found out this morning. And it wasn’t planned, but I’m very happy about it. And I know Barrett will be too when I tell him later today.”

Patricia said nothing for a moment. Her narrow gaze went through Scarlet like a hot laser. She was focused, as if she was willing it all to not be true.

“You’re so wrong,” Patricia said. “It’s very sad. This complicates things… for you. But not for me. For you.”

Scarlet was confused, “I’m not catching what you mean.”

“You are not,” Patricia’s voice was raised now, “having any baby. And let me tell you why. Because if you decide to go through with this pregnancy, I will do everything in my power to put you and your unborn child in harm’s way. You will be stalked. You will be harassed. You will be kicked out of Emory, for one thing. I’m very good friends with the president. You will then be blackballed from any position you could possibly hope to get in Atlanta. And that’s just for starters. If you choose not to get rid of this child, I will make sure it meets its demise. Which means you will surely meet yours. And it would be a shame if your aunt and mother also lost their careers and livelihoods. And even Barrett himself. If hurting your own family doesn’t make a difference, I am not above making sure Barrett never finds a single ounce of contentment. Because as terrible as you may think it is, a future with you is worse than no future at all. Barrett has a destiny. His part in it is bigger than himself and it’s been in the works for a very long time. Many powerful people behind the scenes have been working to build the narrative of Barrett Evers and to make sure he fulfills his fate. That’s something you could never understand because your glass ceiling stops somewhere around the first level, while Barrett’s potential and this family’s potential can reach the sun and beyond.”

Scarlet sat in complete shock, shaking from both anger and fear.

“There is no way,” Patricia continued, “that I’m going to let some nothing girl who couldn’t keep her legs closed tear this empire apart. Do you understand? So you need to be smart, for once. Think about what everyone would lose if you decide to go on with this pregnancy. Much more than you’d be able to take. You should not underestimate how far I will go to make what I want to happen, happen.”

Scarlet didn’t know whether to cry or scream. She’d never been so shocked by the actions and words of anyone in her entire life. And looking at Patricia’s cold eyes she didn’t doubt everything she said was true.

“But this baby would be your grand-“

Patricia interrupted, her tone calm and measured. “You have a week to get rid of it. I can make you an appointment with one of my doctors, it can be very discreet. I’m assuming it’s early enough that you can take a pill or something. But either way, it needs to be done. And don’t look so sad. I’m sure you can sucker some other man into falling for you and putting a mediocre child into your mediocre uterus. But you cannot have our genes. Our pool can’t be sullied by water that isn’t from a certain kind of source, if you catch my drift.”

“Even if I did this,” Scarlet quietly said. “What about Barrett? He’s going to ask me why this is happening. What am I supposed to tell him?”

Patricia shrugged, “I don’t care. My best advice would be to do it cold and fast so he can’t ask questions. Questions would be very bad for you, Scarlet. But it’s not all bad news. I’ve got something coming to you for your troubles.”

“You disgust me,” Scarlet spat out. “I want nothing from you.”

“I think you’ll change your mind once you hear what I have in store,” Patricia grinned. Scarlet had once thought she was beautiful but now she could only see her ugly soul. “I’m willing to offer you two million dollars to leave my son, take care of this fetus, and stay away from any and all of my family members. Forever.”

Scarlet shook her head, “You can’t buy me off. I would never do it. And this is all insane. You’re like a villain out of a Disney movie. Or worse.”

Patricia laughed again, “Ridiculous. The definition of a villain depends all on the angle you’re looking at the story from. History is written by the victors. And in no reality are you the victor here. From my angle, you are very much the villain, Scarlet Bloom. You’re toxic and you need to be cut off from my family. We have greater plans than you could ever be able to understand. Besides, it would be a shame if I had to do something drastic to prove my point.” She looked at Scarlet, her eyes cold again. “I could have one of my men in and out of your parents’ house easily. Replace their medications with things that are lethal and untraceable. That’s the kind of thing you’re dealing with here, Scarlet. This is way above your pay grade, my dear.”

Scarlet was crying now, “Please don’t hurt my parents. They have nothing to do with this. My mother has spent her entire life serving your family, doesn’t that mean anything to you? Oh my God.”

Patricia rolled her eyes, “We pay her for her efforts. And I don’t want to hurt your parents. But it’s really up to you. Do what you’ve been told to do. Break it off with Barrett. Take care of the pregnancy. And make yourself scarce. You’ll have plenty of money to do whatever you like. Move away for all I care.”

Scarlet was trembling and her nausea sprung up. She stood up and walked away, not knowing what was left to be said.

As soon as she hit the air outside the front door, she threw up in the manicured bushes that lined the front of the house. Tears streamed down her face and her sobs were so unrelenting that she couldn’t catch her breath.