The Wicked Truth

by Pru Schuyler

  “That’s awesome, Stels. Are we just dropping Zeus off at Lizzie’s house, or is she picking him up?” Cade asks.

  “I figured we could just drop him off since it’s on our way out.” I open the door, and paws take off on the hardwood floor, heading our way.

  I squat down, so I can give my big baby a hug. He slams into me, nearly knocking me over.

  “Hi. How was your day? I missed you.”

  Cade smirks, resisting to laugh. “Wow, so you on your knees for him, and all I get is one little kiss.”

  “Oh, shut up.” I slap his leg. Leave it to him to be jealous of our dog.

  He helps me up and grabs Zeus’s leash. We get the rest of our things loaded up and head off for Lizzie’s house. Zeus jumps out right away, greeting his friend with giant, wet kisses. We say our good-byes and get back on the road. If we make good time, we’ll be there a little before nine tonight.

  Cade slides his fingers onto my thigh and gives a light squeeze. “Are you excited?”

  “For the wedding?” My brain still gets fuzzy from his touch.

  “Yes, duh, the wedding.” He side-eyes me, humor dancing on his lips.

  “Yeah, I’m happy for them. James is really good for her, and I’m glad she has someone now that I’m not there anymore.” I place my hand on top of his.

  “I’m excited to have you back in my old bedroom. Maybe we can reenact prom night.” He winks at me.

  My body flushes as I reminisce.

  Prom night was … well, it was heated and intense. We might have gotten a little intoxicated from his parents’ liquor cabinet, and surprise to myself, I took control in bed that night, and Cade was eating it up.

  “Oh yeah, we’re definitely reenacting that. Although maybe I’ll take over this time around.” He smirks.

  I laugh and bite my lip, still shaking off the sparks that are dancing over my thigh from his fingers.

  We sing and laugh, and I talk about how much I am already missing our baby boy.

  It is about nine thirty when we pull into Cade’s parents’ house. Brooke’s Audi is in the driveway. My heart speeds up in anticipation to see my best friend again. The time away from her has been tough. Of course, we FaceTime and talk as much as we can. But it’s just not the same as getting to hug her.

  The front door flies open, and Brooke skips down the steps. I rush out of the car, slamming the door a little too hard behind me. My feet stomp down the driveway, heading straight for her. We crash into each other, wrapping our arms around one another and squeezing as hard as we can.

  “Oh my God, I missed you!” I shout in her ear, tears stinging my eyes.

  She somehow tightens her grip on me. “I missed you too!”

  After minutes or maybe seconds, we pull apart, both of our eyes wet.

  “How’s USC?” I ask her as we walk up to the house.

  Cade already has our bags unloaded.

  “It’s really good actually. My classes are great, and I’ve already made a ton of connections for when I’m done with school.” She fills me in on her upcoming internship and how much she is loving the West Coast right now.

  “So, have you met anyone?” I smile at her.

  “I mean, yeah, I’ve met people I could see something with, but I’m not ready to really pursue anything yet. I’m just focusing on me and my career right now, leaving love for later.” She beams with confidence, and I couldn’t be happier for my best friend.

  “Oh, Stella, so great to see you, dear.” Mrs. Carver pulls me into a hug.

  “You too. How have you guys been?” I pull out of her embrace.

  “Really good, thank you for asking. Well, I’ll let you kids get settled in.” She joins her husband in the living room.

  I head upstairs to meet up with Cade, who already has our bags in his room. When I open the door, he is lying on the bed, shirtless, with a hand tucked behind his head.

  How the hell did he have time to get half-naked?

  His gray sweatpants are hanging low on his hips, exposing the band of his black boxers.

  No matter how many times I see my man, I will never get used to it. I don’t know how he keeps the tone that he has, as he eats like a dump truck. But his body looks like he could fit in with Greek gods.

  “You like the show? It’s not free though. You’ll have to pay up if you want to keep staring.” Cade’s deep voice cuts me from my daze.

  I shake my head, laughing as I walk toward the bed. “You’re ridiculous, and I’m not paying you a dime. I will stare as much as I like.”

  I lie down beside him, and he slips his free arm under my waist, tugging me against him. He kisses my forehead, and I close my eyes, ready for sleep. In his arms is my favorite place. It’s my safe space, my haven.

  The next morning is hectic. Everyone is rushing around, finishing getting the decorations put up. The ceremony is being held near the giant water fountain in the Carvers’ backyard. Hair and makeup arrive at four, and the chaos continues.

  I’m the maid of honor for my mom, so I try to keep her calm through all of it. She’s a bit of a control freak, and she doesn’t really handle other people doing things for her real well.

  I’m sitting in a chair next to her, and a hairstylist comes over behind me.

  He runs his hands under my jawline, pulling all of my hair back. “What are we thinking about for the style, love?”

  I haven’t put any thought into my hair for today, so I decide to give him all the control. “Whatever you want to do, just make me look pretty.”

  He smiles, loving the creative freedom. “You got it!”

  He spins the chair around, so I can’t see the mirror. While he is doing my hair, a makeup artist comes and does my makeup.

  After what feels like two hours of him curling and pinning my hair, he finally unclasps the cape on me and pulls it off. “Voilà.”

  He spins me around in the chair, and I’m a little shocked. I haven’t gotten dolled up in so long that I forgot what I looked like with a full face of makeup and my hair really done.

  He curled my auburn hair, pinning it up into a beautiful bun. Two small strands hang in front, framing my face. I’m caught off guard at how similar it looks to my hairstyle that I had that first night I stepped foot in the Carver’s house. And it’s much better than my attempt at it.

  “It’s perfect,” I reply, still in my stupor.

  He beams back to me in the mirror, clearly proud of his work, as he should be. “All right, Ms. Bride, you’re next!” He claps his hands and then steps over to my mom’s chair.

  She is the last one in hair and makeup, and then it’s time for the wedding. After she’s finished, she heads upstairs to get dressed. When she comes back downstairs, hair and makeup done, in her gown, I’m speechless. A lump rises in my throat.

  She reaches me, and I take both her hands in mine.

  “You look beautiful, Mom.” My voice cracks.

  “Oh, Stels, thank you, honey. I love you.” She pulls me into a hug, keeping enough distance so as not to ruin the hours we just spent in hair and makeup.

  “You ready?” I ask her as we head to the back doors to meet the rest of the wedding party.

  She nods her head, tears in her eyes. “Very.”

  “I’m happy for you, Mom. You deserve the best.” I squeeze her hand.

  “Thank you. Before you know it, we’ll be doing this for you and Cade.” She smiles.

  My heart flutters in response as I imagine my and Cade’s future wedding. Thinking about him getting down on one knee to propose practically brings me to tears.

  “Here we go,” she announces as we step into view of the aisle.

  I get the honor of walking Mom because, unfortunately, my grandparents died before I was born. I look up to James, and his eyes are red, his cheeks stained with tears. He can’t take his eyes off my mom. She is equally locked in on him.

  When we get to the end of the aisle, I give him a hug. “Take care of her. I love you, James,” I whisper in h
is ear.

  Over their relationship, he has really become a father figure to me, and I never knew how much I was missing until he came into our lives.

  He smiles down at me. “I love you too, Stella.”

  I hand my mom off to him and take my place next to them, scanning the small crowd. When my eyes find who I’m looking for, my heart and soul are home.

  Cade smiles at me, and slowly, his mouth outlines the words, I love you.

  My heart rises in my throat, and I mouth it back to him.

  I can’t believe it was over a year ago that I ran into this very backyard to get away from him, to breathe and calm myself down. This very backyard is where I met my best friend. She was the start to my healing and finding myself. She was my rock and my safety net. She was by my side the first day of school and the last. She will forever be my best friend and a huge part of my future. She pushed me to try with Cade, setting up little moments for us. Without her, I might never have had the courage.

  Then, I think about Cade. That first night we met, I was scared and closed off to everyone. But he never gave up on me. Even when I ran away from him, when he bared his soul to me and I walked away. He was there through everything, even when it would have been easier to just surrender. He is my future and my home, and nothing will ever change that. He is strong and honest and caring, and I’m never letting him go again.

  Austin is forevermore a ghost in my past. He taught me to be careful with whom I trust and who I surround myself with. He taught me that people aren’t always what they seem. I might never have gotten justice for what happened to me. But I have my peace, and he will have to live with himself every day for the rest of his life. I can’t think of a worse punishment than that.

  I found myself through all of this. Through discovering it was Brady who had hurt Brooke. Through helping her learn to cope with her own pain. Through learning how to love again with Cade. Through learning the strength in sharing your own story with those around you, in the strength of sharing it with yourself.

  My name is Stella Sullivan, and I was raped by my ex-boyfriend. But now, I am with the love of my life with a house and a dog and a future written in the stars. No one can take my power from me ever again.

  My name is Stella Sullivan, and I am a survivor.

  The End

  Continue the Wicked series with Becca Chambers in The Wicked Love, coming 2022.

  RAINN

  RAPE, ABUSE, AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK

  You are not alone!

  National Sexual Assault Hotline

  Free.

  Confidential.

  24/7

  Call 800-656-HOPE

  AUTHOR’S NOTES

  For my debut novel, this story came straight from my heart and soul. As a sexual assault survivor, this was my outlet, my therapy, and my admission to myself. If you remember the girl, Piper, speaking out in the sexual assault group, then you have read my own account of assault. I debated for quite some time about putting this in these notes, revealing the truth behind Piper’s story. But I refuse to be ashamed for something that was done to me, for something I had no choice in.

  After I wrote the scene where Stella walked to her bathroom and admitted to herself in the mirror what had happened, I did the same thing. It was truly empowering and something I had been avoiding for many years.

  When I began writing The Wicked Truth, I knew I wanted to show two distinctly different accounts of sexual assault—one where Stella clearly said no and one where Brooke wasn’t given the chance—but regardless, each was very obviously a case of rape. I also wanted to touch on the topic of rape with a partner. And the fact that at any given point during any sexual encounter, saying no or wanting to stop is your choice and your right. Whether or not you are a victim of sexual assault, I hope this book gave you an insight to the demons victims face every day.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you for reading The Wicked Truth, and thank you for going on this journey with me. Without you, the reader, this story would never live; it would just simply be words on a page.

  I want to thank my parents, my family, Lizzy, and my amazing boyfriend, Dante, for being nothing but supportive and encouraging. I couldn’t have done this without you guys.

  To Alyssa, for being the first person to listen to my idea of The Wicked Truth and bingeing it all in one sitting after I finally got it in your hands.

  My sister-in-law, Savanna, thank you for being the first person to read and believe in this story and Stella.

  To Nicole, for being my incredible best friend, my writing buddy, and for giving me amazing feedback. Without you, I probably would have gone insane throughout this process.

  And a HUGE thank you to Jovana at Unforeseen Editing for taking my blood, sweat, and tears and turning it into something magical.

  The Wicked Truth means the world to me. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. This has been an incredible journey of self-healing and pain and love. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Pru Schuyler lives in North Dakota with her boyfriend and rescue dogs, Peaches and Pumpkin. She is a homebody with a book obsession. When she’s not writing, she is cozied up with Peaches, Pumpkin, and her boyfriend, watching a comedy or action movie and trying to sneak as much romance as she can past him. Or she’s lying in bed with her laptop open next to her, pretending she’s working while she’s actually distracted with a book or her phone.

  Pru’s dreams of becoming an author started in science class in high school, where she ignored what she should’ve been doing to write.

  The Wicked Truth is her debut novel. She loves to hear from and communicate with her readers. Follow her at pruschuylerauthor on Instagram.