by Calista King
Laila flinched at his words and looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Did you just call me a whore? How dare you speak to me like that!"
Andreas had an ugly sneer on his face watching Laila act innocent and indignant. He wanted to throttle her and kiss her at the same time and it made him furious with himself. Oh she was very good! If he didn't know any better, he'd almost fall for her little act and be on his knees begging for forgiveness. But Laila was like all the rest. There was nothing special about her--just a very good actress, through and through.
"You can't fool me with this little charade. You're just like all the rest of them, maybe just a little more convincing."
"What are you talking about? Where is all this coming from?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I have seen proof of your duplicity."
"Proof?"
"Yes. You can't worm your way out of this one," Andreas said.
He held up the DVD in his hand and waved it in front of Laila. He saw the color drain out of her face as she stared at it, mesmerized.
"Where did you get it?" she whispered.
"Don't worry about that. When were you going to tell me about the video Laila?" he asked. "Was it after we got married? Had kids? Were you trying to humiliate me?"
"No Andreas, I swear. It was a mistake. I never went through with it, you know. I just took my clothes off, nothing else happened!"
"I'll tell you what was a mistake. Meeting you. I wish I could go back in time and just erase the last six months. I mean could you imagine if this video was released after we got married? The scandal it would cause?"
"You're saying you wish you never met me?" Laila asked.
She looked so sad and brittle, like she was ready to crumble at any moment. Andreas knew his words were cruel and harsh, but he couldn't help himself. He was so hurt himself that he wanted to lash out and make Laila feel his pain.
"I wish you weren't the girl in the video. I wish you told me about this sooner. I wish I hadn't fallen in love with you."
"If you feel that way then maybe we shouldn't get married," Laila said.
"Maybe that's for the best."
"I see."
Andreas couldn't look at her any longer and walked towards the windows, his back turned in her direction. He heard a small sob escape her lips as she fled from the room.
***
Laila walked to their bedroom and started to pack, throwing her things into a duffel bag she'd gotten from the closet. She decided to leave all the clothes Andreas had bought for her for the Castonia trip and the jewelry he gave her. She didn't want anything from him. Her anger and hurt propelled her forward. She knew the tears would come later, but right now, she needed to focus.
When he had walked in earlier, Laila had been so happy to see him. She had felt bad all day after their little argument. Laila knew she was being unreasonable putting off any talk about their wedding or their future. It was selfish of her and she realized it as soon as he left for work that day. Their wedding should have been a happy and joyous topic, not something to be avoided like the plague and she felt guilty that she was robbing him of the joy he should have felt in planning their future together.
Laila had decided to make it up to him when he got home and apologize. She had jumped up from the couch as soon as she heard the door open. The smile died on her lips when she took in his appearance. He looked like he'd been through the ringer. When he spoke she could smell the alcohol on his breath and it frightened her. In all their time together, he'd never so much as taken a sip of alcohol and now he was reeking of it.
As soon as he took out the DVD from this briefcase, Laila's heart dropped. She knew exactly what it was at first sight. It had been the moment she had been dreading for months. Now here Andreas was with the damned video in his hands. Laila expected him to be angry and even feel betrayed, but what took her by surprise were the cruel words he had said. He had called her a liar and a whore, accused her of using him for his money and fame.
It angered her that he had the gall to speak to her like that. He had no idea what her life had been like or the circumstance that drove her to do what she did. And it wasn't like she had hurt anyone or done something illegal. When she had finally finished packing, she walked back out into the living room in a huff.
"I'm leaving now," she said.
Andreas sat on the couch with a drink in his hand. He didn't look up at her or acknowledge her in any way. It was the last straw for Laila. She'd had enough of his accusations and attitude, and she wasn't going to go slinking out the door with her tail between her legs. She needed to get a few things off her chest before she said goodbye to Andreas for good.
"You think you're so much better than me? Let me tell you something Andreas, not everyone can be born into royalty and have everything they ever wanted with a snap of their finger. Sometimes shitty things happen to good people and they're forced to do things they normally wouldn't to survive.
Was I the girl in the video? Yes, but don't think for a second you have a right to judge me or call me a whore for something I did to try to keep a roof over my head. And little good it did me too, since I couldn't even go through with it," Laila snapped.
Andreas looked up at her as she spoke, but he was otherwise unresponsive. She wanted to walk over to him and shake him--anything to get a reaction out of him, but knew it was useless. He had written her off, just like that.
"I get that you're upset I never told you about the video and I regret that but it's not easy for me to admit something like that to you or anyone. I'm not saying it was right, but that was just how I felt."
There was still no response from Andreas. Laila slumped her shoulders, all the fight and anger leaving her. She walked to the door and turned the handle. Before she walked out, she turned for one last glimpse of Andreas. He was in the same position, staring straight ahead.
"I never judged you for your past, but I guess it was stupid of me to think you would do the same for me," she said and walked out the door for the last time.
CHAPTER 28
Laila exited the apartment building and walked up the block. She had no idea where she was going or what she was doing. All she knew was that she had to keep moving, because if she stopped then she'd have a breakdown in the street. At the moment, walking felt good. It kept her mind and body numb.
Eventually she became aware of someone following her. For a second, she had the fleeting hope that Andreas had come after her, but that was dashed when she turned around to see the lens of a camera in her face. It took a moment for understanding to settle in.
Her confusion turned to annoyance as the paparazzi continued to snap their cameras in her face. Laila spun around and jogged up the street trying to avoid the intrusive photographers. They followed her on foot, peppering her with questions she was in no mood to answer.
"Where are you going? Why have you packed a bag? Did you get in an argument with the prince? What have you been crying about?"
Laila knew she had to get away from the prying eyes and ran across the street to a parked taxi. She got in the cab and shut the door.
"Hey I'm on break, lady!" the cab driver shouted.
"Please sir I have to get out of here. I'll pay you extra," Laila pleaded.
The driver looked out the window to the small group of paparazzi heading their way and turned on his ignition. He put the car in gear and pulled out into traffic leaving the paparazzi throwing their hands up in frustration.
"Thank you so much!" Laila said.
"No problem. Where you headed to?" he asked.
Laila had no idea where to go. She couldn't go back to her apartment with Andreas and most of her friends were out of the question. Finally she decided to go back to her old apartment. She gave the driver the address and sat back trying to catch her breath. When the cab pulled up to the building, Laila thanked him graciously before paying him. She walked up to the door and pressed the buzzer, hoping Corinne was home.
"Yes? Who
is this?" Corinne's staticky voice rang out from the intercom.
"It's me Laila. Can you let me in?"
"Laila? Is that you? Come on up!"
Corinne buzzed open the front door for her and Laila walked into the building. She walked towards the elevator and punched her floor number. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had lived here, but everything felt so familiar and safe. Here she knew who she was. She got out of the elevator and saw Corinne peeking her head out of her apartment waiting for her.
Laila smiled at the eager expression on Corinne's face. It felt so good to see a kind and familiar face again, and she felt momentarily bad for not having stayed in contact with her since returning to Castonia. If Corinne was feeling slighted by her neglect, she didn't show it. She greeted Laila with a happy smile and hug.
"It's so good to see you again!" she said, ushering her into the apartment.
"I know! It's been too long," Laila replied.
Corinne invited Laila to sit on the couch while she got her a drink. When she came back from the kitchen with her iced tea, she sat on the coffee table opposite Laila and looked her over. Laila felt vulnerable and uncomfortable under Corinne's watchful stare, but she didn't turn away.
"You look good, but I can tell something's wrong," Corinne finally said. "What happened?"
"You really just get right into it, don't you?" Laila said.
She tried to keep her voice light and carefree but Corinne wasn't about to be put off.
"There's no reason to beat around the bush. Something major happened, otherwise you wouldn't have shown up at my door with a huge bag, red eyes and a tear stained face, so just tell me already and get it off your chest."
Laila gave up the pretense and let go of all her defenses. She hung her head down as the tears came pouring out.
"It's over between me and Andreas," she sobbed. "We just broke up."
Corinne moved to sit next to Laila on the couch and wrapped her arms around her.
"Shh, it's all right," she soothed.
Corinne held her for a while, just rocking her gently in her arms and whispering soothing words in her ears. Eventually, the sobs that wracked Laila's body subsided and she was able to give Corinne a shaky smile.
"Thanks for that," she said, wiping her eye with the tissue Corinne had given her. "I guess I needed a good cry."
"We all do sometimes. Now are you ready to tell me what happened?" Corinne asked.
"I messed up," Laila said. "I kept something from him, something about my past, and he found out and he was angry. I'd never seen him so upset before, Corinne. He was drunk and calling me names and...it was bad."
"Damn. That's horrible. What was so bad that he flew off the handle like that?"
Laila decided to get everything off her chest and confess it all. There was no reason for her to keep the secret anymore. The worst had already happened, and now she just needed a sympathetic ear.
"You remember that audition I told you about a few months ago? The one my agent sent me on and I said how it was going to be my big break?"
"Yeah."
"Well, it was actually an audition for an adult film. I didn't know it until I got to the audition," Laila added hastily. "I was going to leave and write the whole thing off, you know? But the director had offered me a lot of money and I was in a desperate situation."
Heat flooded Laila's cheeks at the look of utter shock on Corinne's face. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came out and Laila rushed on, trying to justify what she did.
"He told me all I had to do was strip for the cameras, nothing else, so that's what I did. And then he told me to start touching myself...down there...and that's when I got up and left. I couldn't go through with it and I just stormed out. I felt so stupid for even agreeing to it in the first place. I was so ashamed of what I had done. I never mentioned it to anyone. Well, actually I told Gary, but I didn't tell him the whole story."
"Oh my God, Laila! I can't believe this," Corinne said.
"I know. I sometimes wonder what I was thinking, but to tell you the truth, I wasn't thinking at the time. All I saw were dollar signs and the threat of being homeless. I was two months behind on my rent and you know my mother's hospital bills were eating up my paycheck. Not to mention the acting thing wasn't exactly taking off. What was I supposed to do when someone offered me almost five grand just to take off my clothes?"
"Shit. You don't have to make excuses to me. I understand where you were coming from. But how did Andreas find out about the audition?"
"I'm not sure. He came home from work with the DVD of the audition in his hands. He was so angry, calling me a whore and a gold digger and saying I had been lying to him."
Tears started to fill Laila's eyes again as she recounted Andreas' cruel words. She remembered the cold empty look in his eyes as he looked at her, and it broke her heart. He was shutting her out of his life, had written her off in his mind as no better than the women who had tried to use him in his past.
Laila wondered if she were as bad as Caroline. Was keeping this secret from him worse than what she'd done? Laila didn't want to think so, but she imagined the scandal that would break out if the video had surfaced after they got married. Andreas and his family would be humiliated. She would be a pariah and a laughingstock in Castonia.
"I just don't know what to say Laila. I'm so sorry this happened. Maybe once everything settles and you've both had a chance to calm down, you guys could talk and try to work things out?"
Laila shook her head sadly as a reluctant smile crossed her lips. Corinne was always such an optimist, she'd try to see the good in any situation. It was too bad her optimism here was misplaced. There was no hope for her and Andreas.
She didn't want to burst her bubble, so instead of outright denying any chance of a reconciliation, all she said was, "Maybe. We'll see how things go, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I saw another side of Andreas that I can't unsee. The fact he could judge me so harshly and--well, it wasn't like what I did was easy for me either."
"Maybe he was just in shock. Give it some time and you'll both see things clearer when you've had time to think about it. And before you even need to ask, yes you can stay here for as long as you need to," Corinne said.
"Thanks Corinne. You're the best. I mean it," Laila said sincerely. She threw her arms around her and gave her a hug, grateful for such a kind and understanding friend. It was what she needed most at this time as she tried to pick up the pieces of her life and move on from Andreas.
***
"Damn it Andreas! What is wrong with you? This is the third time I've had to repeat myself," his uncle shouted from his desk.
"I'm sorry Uncle. I was temporarily distracted," Andreas said .
His uncle narrowed his eyes at him and stared at him long and hard. "You've been wearing that sad look on your face for the past two weeks. Now obviously something has happened to you and now it's affecting your work. So, are you going to tell me what it is?"
"It's nothing, truly."
"Don't lie to me, boy. Is it you and Laila? Have you two had a fight?"
Andreas clenched his jaw and remained silent. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss Laila with his uncle. The pain was still too raw and he did not want to admit that he had been a fool again.
"Ah ha! So you two have had a little spat? Is that it?" his uncle asked. "Well, just apologize to her and send her some flowers. There's no use getting up on your high horse when women are involved. Just admit that she was right and you were wrong. That's a lesson you'd better learn now before you two get married."
"It's not like that at all," Andreas bit out.
"Is it Henriks then? Has your investigation hit a dead end?" his uncle asked.
He was finding it harder and harder to hold his tongue. If his uncle kept up this line of conversation, Andreas felt like he had no other choice than to tell him everything. He realized it might not be such a bad thing after all, since he needed advice and someone to conf
ide in.
Despite all his feelings of anger and hurt, he still loved Laila. He couldn't deny that, and now he didn't know what to do. Andreas thought he could try to forget her and get over her like he did Caroline, but he knew that would be impossible. Laila felt like a part of him and forgetting about her would be like asking him to forget how to breathe.
Andreas ran his hands through his hair in frustration and stood up abruptly from his desk. He paced back and forth before sitting back down a moment later. He leaned forward with his elbows rested on his knees and stared at his uncle. Andreas opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, wondering how he was even going to broach this subject. A discreet cough brought him back to the present, and he opened his eyes to see his uncle staring at him curiously.
"You seem agitated," his uncle noted, dryly.
"A little," Andreas confessed. He gave his uncle a small smile and stood up again and began to pace. "The thing is, there is something I want to discuss with you."
"I'm listening."
"It's got to do with Henriks...and Laila," Andreas said.
His uncle's brow's shot up his face, and he waited for Andreas to continue.
"Laila and I have broken up," he began. "It happened two weeks ago."
"I can see now why you've been acting so strangely. I'm sorry to hear it Andreas. She seemed like such a nice girl. What happened and where does Henriks fit into this?"
"Do you remember me telling you that Henriks was involved in a company that produces adult films?" Andreas asked.
"Yes."
"It seems that a while back, Laila had uh--participated--in one of these films for his company. Henriks got his hands on the video and he threatened to release it if I did not meet his demands," Andreas said.
He released a heavy sigh, feeling somewhat more at ease after confessing the burden that had been weighing on his chest. His uncle on the other hand looked apoplectic.
"What?!" he exploded. "How long have you known about this?"
"I assure you uncle, I had no idea about Laila's past before Henriks came to me with the video. She kept me in the dark about it. Had I known, I would never..." Andreas never finished his sentence. Had he known about the video he still didn't know if could have stayed away from Laila. Even now, after she had lied to him and kept it from him, he still loved her. It was eating him up inside.