Ruined (completed) ✔️

54

After doing the test I head back to my office and sit behind the desk. I go through the witness account and find somethings that don't add up to me, which will be fun to twist while in the courtroom.

The officers didn't do a good enough job with the eyewitnesses and I'll be able to untangle the web of lies they incorporated into this case.

Looking up from the paperwork I see that I'm late for Casey's appointment.

Buzz, buzz.

Picking up the phone I see it's Casey calling. I swipe my finger across the screen and say. "I'm nearly there."

Casey: Bullshit, Austin. I know you're still at the office. Someone you work closely with told me that you haven't looked up from that case file since you got back from the drug test.

Me: I'm sorry I missed the appointment. I'll be at the next one. I promise.

Casey: You can't fucking promise me something like that. Austin, this needs to be taken seriously. If you don't I'll start pulling your life apart. Layer by layer. Got that, sweetie?

She hangs up before I can reply.

Fuck it. I might as well play with fire. That girl has gotten my parents and Eliza to hate me.

They were the most important people in my life and now I'm slowly getting the poisonous ones out of mine.

When this is all over I hope I can win back my parents. Eliza, well she deserves better and I hope she finds what she wants in a man.

Going back to the case I keep reading and the next time I look up it's 10 pm.

I better get home to the woman that's not going to be happy with me.

***

When I walk through the door at 11 pm, I see Casey wrapped up in a blanket watching TV. She looks over at me and a scowl appears on her face. "What time do you call this, Austin? When you came home I thought you'd spend more time with me. It's starting to appear that you don't want to be around me."

I don't want to be around her.

Moving over to the couch I sit next to her and pull her into my arms. "Babe, I have a lot on my plate right now. You know I'm still trying to get a promotion and this case could be the one that will help me get it."

She looks into my eyes and says. "The promotion shouldn't be important now. Raising a family and being a United front is what we need right now. I need you with me more, Austin."

"Are you going to stop modelling and travelling around the world?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "You know I can't stop doing that. It's my career and I'm making money from it. Besides, now I'm pregnant there's a maternity line that's going to need me."

That's why she got herself pregnant. She wanted to be seen by a lot more people.

Bang, bang, bang.

Someone is banging on the door. "Are you expecting anyone?"

She sits up and looks at the door. "No, I'm not."

Standing up I move over to the door and look through the peephole. I see Ronnie on the other end. "I know you're here, Austin. Open the fucking door. Before I wake up your neighbours."

Bang, bang, bang.

Pulling the door open I look at the man that I've been avoiding since I returned home. "What the fuck is your problem, Ronnie? Showing up in the middle of the night and waking up my neighbours."

He shoves me against the wall and I hit my head. "My fucking problem? It's you. You've blocked my emails getting sent and I can't reach you on your cell. There are things that we need to talk about."

Casey stands up from the couch as looks over at us. "I'll be in our room. Don't be too long with him." She walks out of the room without turning back.

Does she even know what's going on between us? If Ronnie is as close to her as I think he'd be telling her things.

The door to the bedroom closes and I walk over to the couch and sit on it. "What kind of things do we need to talk about?"

He takes a seat next to me. "We need to talk about what happened at the vineyard?"

"Which part? The one where I avoided you. Or the one where I was drugged?"

"The drugged part."

"Why did you drug me with heroin and who the fuck paid you to do it?"

Ronnie's eyes travel down the hall, but he doesn't say a word. As there's a camera sitting above the TV and Casey could be listening to everything that we're saying.

I wouldn't put it past her to do that. Listen to what we're saying.

"Ronnie, let's go outside." Standing up I lead the way to the front door and we walk out of the condo. I close the door and turn towards him. "I know there are things that you want to talk about, but I don't care about it. Please, leave me alone."

"I can't." He looks at the door. "She won't allow you to just stay away from me."

Stepping towards him I say. "When I was at my parent's place I came across an article about Casey and you."

"Really?" He asks his tone not happy about it. "What was it about?"

"Casey's twin sister is the one that Eliza tried to save when we were seventeen. You know Eliza did everything she could to try and save that girl. It was too late and even the paramedics continued CPR after they relieved Eliza from that job. Which girl were you in love with?"

His face pales at learning this piece of information. "I was in love with Bianca. She was the only girl I loved. Being with Nina is just different and I'm not sure I feel about her yet."

Shaking my head, I say. "You don't deserve to be with a girl, Nina. Just like I don't deserve to be with her sister. Let her go and live her life. She has sisters that will help her through the break-up and everything."

Ronnie shoves me against the wall. "I'm not going to break up with Nina. I like what I'm doing to her. She's part of the plan to bring the Donoghue family to its knees because of what Eliza didn't do to save Bianca."

Pulling a gun from behind my back I aim it at Ronnie. "If you come around here or my fiancé I will use this on you. For a while now I've let you do and say whatever you want to me. It's bounced off the walls and slide because I was hoping that you would change. That's not happening and now I'm going to take things into my hands, starting with this. Stay away from me and I won't have to use the gun. Now, get out of my fucking sight."

Ronnie starts leaving and before he gets to the elevator he turns towards me and says. "Are you sure this is the way you want things to be?"

"Yes,"