Untamed (REWRITING)

42

True to her word, Renee's lawyer reached out. In two days the processes were sorted out and Heather was finally- single, unmarried, alone.

Her mother was still around, switching between staying in the kitchen, giggling like a school girl in her room when her husband called and giving Heather the stink eye each time she passed. Melissa either joined her mother in her moments or avoided her altogether. Yes! she fucked up, having it constantly thrown in her face wasn't helping.

After Renee ran away from their marriage, her work was her only escape, the only thing that pushed her forward, gave her life meaning.

Getting anything she wanted just because she could was an evil power she harnessed, destroying anyone who stood in her path with blackmail, sheer pressure or money. People break easily, the tougher they were the harder she hit until Shelby.

Thinking about her replayed every single thing she did wrong, her feelings were solid but her intentions were as rotten as the real truth. If Shelby was going to give her a chance, she needed to come clean about the background check, about her father, about a will George supposedly left behind.

Building their relationship on lies and half-truths drove them off their sensual high faster than she had anticipated. Regardless of her mother's advice, she itched to get on a plane, grovel at Shelby's feet and beg for forgiveness. The documents had been clear, it was investigated and ruled as a mistake yet the lifeless body of the child threw her off balance, clouding her already messed up thought.

It was a perfect excuse for her to displace her feelings, lock it up in a jar and never think of it again. It was the perfect bait and she fell hook, line and sinker. Renee was smart, annoyingly so. She acknowledged to herself that Renee got her good.

Hating her would be a natural instinct, cultivating the fruits from it stored for years was easy, they were now rotten and vile. Hating her was pleasing and at the same time fleeting, blaming Renee for her awful decisions wouldn't make them right.

"You look lost."

Heather rested her head on the kitchen table with a long sigh. "Leave me alone."

"You're doing fine all by yourself sweetheart."

Propping her chin in the palm of her right hand, she watched her mother glide through the kitchen humming a nameless tune, Danica looked as beautiful as when she turned twenty, not a grey hair in sight. The younger woman knew most of her good looks came from her mother, they were two peas in a pod, only difference was the now noticeable frown lines on her mother's forehead.

"You look happy."

"It's a great feeling, you should try it."

"You had phone sex didn't you?" Heather gasped in realization. "Oh my God, mother! That's disgusting."

Danica flushed from head to toe, "Shut it brat. Don't act like you didn't have a woman's tongue down your throat, such a bold display in front of your mother."

"I didn't even ask for the kiss, it was forced upon my person."

"Uh-huh, I'm sure that was what it was. I asked for every goddamn thing that happened to me tonight."

Heather gagged willing the disturbing images of her mom doing anything sexy out of sight and her fucking mind. "You're scarring your only daughter."

"My happiness can send you to an early grave for all I care."

Danica ambled out of the kitchen with a bottle of wine, popcorn and other things Heather didn't get to see. Alone again, her thoughts drifted in troubled waters, the answers buried far out in an island she couldn't see.

Trudging her way upstairs, closing her eyes and ears when she walked past her mother's door, adding nightmares to her current predicament would land her in a psychiatrist office.

The doors to her room clicked shut driving an insane sense of loneliness into Heather's very being, being alone had never been a problem for her, she loved her space- loved it until a certain woman made it theirs.

Lying in her bed, glaring at the ceiling, listening to her mother laugh at a most likely not funny joke. Cursing loudly when she heard her mother's sultry voice. The walls were paper thin and her she-devil of a mother knew that. She was dealing out this torture on purpose, other mother's sat in their children's bed cooing at their children. Danica shoved life in your face, watched from the sidelines only stepping in when absolutely necessary.

The email for her next job pricked her mind once in a while. The big urge to get on the next flight to the next job, away from all the traitorous feelings she didn't understand.

"Hello."

Huh. Heather blinked.

"Heather? You there?"

Jumping off the bed like it suddenly caught fire, she scanned her room with her hands raised defensively. Did she add hallucinations to her list? Was there a ghost in the house?

"Heather? Pick up your goddamn phone."

Blushing profusely, she moved the duvet around till she found her phone.

"Uh hi"

"You were off practicing some ninja stances weren't you?"

"Nuh-uh" Heather denied.

"You're such a weirdo. Why're you calling me so late?"

"Oh!" screaming silently at the caller id. "It was a mistake, I butt dialed you."

"I thought you had an issue with some of the documents"

"No I didn't, I already sent them to my lawyer, you should be receiving them soon."

"Perfect. I don't want to have any other reason to see your beautiful face."

"Ouch"

"If that's a-"

"Why did you keep communicating with my dad, he didn't even like you." Heather rushed out.

"Trust me, the feeling is very much in existence. He needs a leverage over you, always have. He needed someone who would bring you back in line if you started to get sentimental."

"He picked the best." Heather muttered.

"I heard that. Your father is well- he's complicated in a very bad way. Having done some agreements for him, being his errand girl for a couple of yea-"

"It was also about the money."

Renee paused. "Yes it was, leaving you left me handicapped. He offered me something I couldn't resist."

"Our marria-"

"That's not the point." Renee said tiredly. "Our marriage is over, I'm very sure he'll find a new way to get you to keep doing his bidding."

"My father is a good man, I have had him checked out trust me. There's nothing there."

Renee let out a soft laugh. "Oh Heather! So naive and sweet. Who do you think pays Gibb to stay with you."

"How do you-"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about daddy dearest, I won't be the one to tell you those things." The line went dead for a minute then Renee said. "Ask him about George MacLean."

"But thats-"

The line went dead.

"-Shelby father"

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