A Storm Is Brewing

800 Days Later: Leah's Version

Leah POV

In the hours that followed my departure from our home, I hoped I would find some level of anger that would shield me from the pain. Mum certainly did; within minutes of arriving back at her house, she was already on a rant about the disrespect of Sophie and her lack of thought for our children when she decided to play away.

"She really played a good game, didn't she? Butter wouldn't melt."

I had no desire to engage in a conversation ridiculing Sophie. Maybe someday I would, but in that moment, I felt like I'd left my heart behind when I slammed the door on the way out.

"How could she? How could she do this to you? To my baby?"

It was mum's turn to cry. Usually, when people cry over someone else's hurt, I think it's a little selfish. I understood mum, though, because so many of the tears I was crying were for my own children, who were now going to grow up as collateral damage from a broken home.

"Not a bit of a wonder Rhys hates her."

Mum spat those words out viciously. It wasn't what I needed to hear, but I knew she was just angry.

"Hey! That's not fair. Rhys is a dick. Sophie's not like that. She's made a mistake, mum. She's going to call me and tell me the truth, and -"
"And nothing! Do you hear yourself? Six months! Six bloody months she was doing that behind your back! Well, if you think I'll ever allow you to go back there, you're sorely mistaken!"

Try and stop me. The truth is, if Sophie had called me there and then to tell me that she had just been tired of being a parent or that she regretted the moment she had stepped out, I probably would've gone straight home.

"I have a good mind to ring Jacqueline."
"Oh, shut up! Haven't you ever done something stupid before?"

-- -- -- -- 

The first person to call me who wasn't part of my management team was Alex. She knew how to handle me; she knew not to press for answers that I didn't have or ask for a rundown of the scandal, but she also knew that I needed a friend.

"I'm just checking in."
"You've seen the stories?" I sighed.
"Yeah."

What made Alex a best friend was that I knew she didn't know where I was; she was waiting for me to tell her. If I said I was with Sophie and was choosing to believe her, I know her response would've been exactly the same as the response she gave me when I said the opposite.

"I've left her. I'm at mum's."
"Good for you, mate. I'm proud of you; that must've been really difficult to deal with."
"Alex." I whimpered.
"Yeah?"
"I so hoped it wouldn't be true."
"Oh, Leah. I can't hear you like that. I'm on my way over. I'm bringing food."

Alex showed up with a huge box of pizza and a mixture of chocolates. She refrained from asking too many questions initially, wrapping me me in a hug that was so tight it almost stopped the blood circulation in my sides.

"What exactly did they say?"
"It goes back months."
"How many months are we talking?"
"Six."
"Fuck."
"I didn't even believe it at first. I kept saying this is ridiculous. My manager knows someone who works at the paper; they sent everything over to us, all the evidence that didn't make the papers."
"And?"
"There were things that made sense, like pictures of her leaving hotels, that could be easily explained away because she'd told me where she was. The pictures of her going into restaurants and trying to hide from paps didn't really mean much because she spends her life meeting clients out of the office."
"But why was she trying to hide from paps? Usually she's in the papers for telling them to fuck off on camera." Alex chuckled.
"I guess because she didn't want to get caught, but even when I saw them, I thought she probably just didn't want the client getting papped. I was such a fool, Alex."
"I'm not really following, Leah. You seem to be telling me that you don't believe it, but also that you do believe it?"
"There were Instagram messages, hundreds of them. I didn't believe it until I read those. I couldn't even finish them."
"What kind of messages?"
"I miss you. I can't wait for us to be together. Even messages about how much I was annoying her over the bike we were getting Teddy for Christmas."
"Oh, god. I just, I never would've expected this from her."
"That makes two of us." I sighed.
"So, who is it?"
"This is the thing; they can't reveal the source to us. They won't tell me, and she's denying it."
"Let me get this straight: there are screenshots of her DMs, and she's still denying it?"
"Yep."
"Do you want me to go around there? Tell her that she needs to just own up to it."
"You're not exactly intimidating, mate." I chuckled.