Scenes From a Soap Opera

Victoria vs Victor

The eldest Newman sibling hadn't been sleeping well since she and Nikki had arrived back in town. A memory was trying to resurface, one that had been deeply buried. The feeling first started when she walked through Chancellor Park, the place where Ashland had died. Victoria stood frozen, staring at the spot where her ex-husband's lifeless body had been found.

She could see Ashland falling backwards; a stunned look on his face. His blood stained the light green grass reminding her oddly of Christmas. The smell of a fired gun burnt Victoria's nostrils and hung in the air. The sound of a gunshot echoed in her head. Her hand felt heavy with the weight of the gun. This was more than a vivid hallucination; this was a memory.

The realization of the memory forced Victoria back to the present. She wanted to scream, cry, and throw up all at the same time. It was her. She was the one to kill Ashland not Billy. "I killed Ashland." Victoria said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Poor Billy, why are you taking the fall for me?" She had never fully believed that her ex-husband had killed Locke, but she couldn't understand why he was willingly taking the fall for her. Unless he wasn't.

Looking back, Billy's arrest did seem rather sudden. At the time she chalked it up to the police getting a huge break, but now... only one thing came to mind. Billy was being framed, but by who? The answer hit her like a bolt of lightning. Victor. Victoria raced to the ranch; it was time for her father to come clean.

The Newman Ranch

Victor Newman was sitting in his favorite chair answering some work emails when his eldest child barged into his living room. He was about to greet her when she started shouting at him. "Why Dad?" The mustache looked up to see an extremely angry Victoria glaring at him.

"Why what?" Victor asked in genuine confusion. He had no idea what his daughter was so angry about.

"Billy, Dad, Billy."

"What about Billy boy Abbott?" Victor huffed. That loser was about to go to prison, out of his daughter's life for good.

"I know what you did, Dad. You framed him for Ashland's murder." Victoria angrily spat.

Victor froze, his nightmare was coming true, Victoria remembered. He scrambled to come up with some excuse to gaslight his daughter into accepting his version of the truth. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Billy killed Ashland Locke. I know it's hard for..."

"Cut the bullshit Dad! I know you're lying!" Victoria shouted over him.

"You dare shout at me?!" Victor bellowed back. "What's wrong with you?"

"It was me! I killed Ashland!" Both Newmans froze at Victoria's declaration. It was out there now, no taking it back. "I killed him." She spoke in a hushed tone.

"No!" Victor shouted, trying anything to force Victoria to believe his narrative. He was desperate to keep his daughter out of prison. "It was Billy. Billy Boy Abbott pulled that trigger."

"Dad, stop! It was me. I fired that gun! I shot two bullets into Ashland for everything he did to me, to Johnny, to you, everyone." Victoria looked her father in the eyes. "It was me and I don't feel sorry. I regret nothing, but I won't let Billy pay for something I did.

Turning to leave, Victoria was about to go confess when Victor grabbed her arm. She whipped back around, shocked at her father's sudden burst of speed. "I can't let you do that."

Victoria scoffed, "Dad I'm not a child. You can't boss me around anymore."

"I can and I will. You're not throwing your life away over that worthless scum." Victor had started shouting again. A dull pain was forming in his head. "I forbid it."

"Forbid?" Victoria barked in disbelief. "What gives you the right to play God? Choosing to sacrifice Billy like it's no big deal. Like my children wouldn't be affected by their father going to prison? Why? I want to know why you did this!"

"You want to know why?" Victor screamed, that dull pain growing sharper and sharper. "I'll tell you why. Someone had to go to jail for killing that douchebag, it wasn't going to be you. Billy had the same motive, who cares about him?"

"I care!" Victoria yelled in desperation. "I care and so do my kids; your grandchildren. I can't look at you. I'm so ashamed and disgusted." She spat at her father, turning to continue her journey to the court house. This time Victor didn't try to stop her. Victor didn't do anything actually. His daughter refused to look back. She was focused on her mission to free Billy.

The Great Victor Newman stumbled around his living room feeling extremely numb. He believed it was shock from the fight he'd just had with Victoria. Hoping that sitting would help settle him, he went to go sit in his chair but he missed. The mustache crashed onto the floor, his headache was crippling him now, his vision blurred. Upon trying to sit himself up, he bumped his head on the coffee table passing out before he hit the ground.

The powerful businessman laid on the floor for an undisclosed amount of time before someone found him. "Victor?" Nikki called out, returning from a charity event planning session. "Victor, are you in here?" She was startled to find her husband unconscious on the ground. "Victor!" The ex-stripper whipped out her phone to call the paramedics. Thankfully, they arrived in five minutes and the Newmans were off to the hospital praying for a miracle.