Reborn, No More Scapegoat

There were times I genuinely wondered if Brenda had brainwashed Jake. To him, my words were completely worthless, while Brenda's lies were gospel.

"I told Brenda months ago to cut ties with you," Jake sneered, his eyes flashing with anger. "But she kept defending you. She said you were her best friend and she couldn't bear to watch you ruin your life.

"She begged you to clean up your act and even paid off your debts out of her own pocket. And this is how you repay her? You're a total lost cause.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have locked her in the house before ever letting her near you. Jessica, I'm giving you one last chance. Where is she?"

His words were laughable, and I didn't need anyone to preach at me.

In fact, I'd wasted so much breath trying to talk sense into her, but Brenda never took me seriously. Whenever I pressed too hard, she would just take my hands and burst into tears.

"Jake is never home. He stays out all night. How am I supposed to handle that? You're a woman, too. Can't you understand what I'm going through?

"You have to cover for me this time. If he finds out I'm cheating, he'll divorce me in a heartbeat. We're best friends. You don't want to ruin my life, do you?"

Every time she said that, I'd cave and help cover up her affairs. Yet my sympathy only fueled her recklessness. In my past life, that weakness was what eventually landed me in prison.

When I didn't answer, Jake's rage boiled over. He pulled out his phone, his voice dripping with malice. "Your parents still think you're their sweet, perfect daughter. How do you think they'll react when they find out what a disaster you really are?"

My father, Robert Kemp, has served as the Carter family's housekeeper for decades, handling all their household operations ever since Jake's father was a young man.

Jake dialed his number without hesitation.

A moment later, Robert's tired voice came through the speaker. "Hello, Mr. Carter? Is everything alright?"

Jake shot a smug look at me. "Robert, I'm calling to talk to you about your daughter."

Robert paused. "Jessica? What about her?"

Jake let out a cold laugh. "I suppose you don't know she has been sleeping around and got pregnant."

Robert wasn't convinced. "Pregnant? No, that's impossible. Jessica would never do something like that."

He suffered from severe high blood pressure. Fear shot through me as I caught the panic in his voice.

I lunged forward and tore the phone from Jake's hand. "That's not true, Dad. Don't listen to him..."

Before I could finish, a security guard grabbed me from behind and slammed me hard against the floor. The phone slipped from my grip, skidding across the hardwood right back to Jake's feet.

He picked it up and gestured to the guard to clamp a hand over my mouth. Then, he calmly resumed the call.

"She's been running wild for a long time. Every time she got herself into trouble, Brenda was the one who accompanied her to the clinic.

"A while ago, Brenda went to a bar to pick her up and caught some guy spiking Jessica's drink. To protect your daughter, Brenda snatched the glass and drank it herself. She was assaulted and ended up pregnant because of it.

"Brenda has been so consumed by guilt that she's tried to take her life multiple times. And it's all thanks to your daughter."

Pinned flat against the floor, I couldn't move an inch. All I could hear from the phone speaker was Robert's breathing, growing dangerously heavy and shallow.

I thrashed wildly, desperate to claw my way back to the phone, but the guard only pressed his weight harder into my spine. I could only emit muffled, panicked cries against his palm.

Jake ignored the pure hatred in my eyes and kept talking. "On top of that, Jessica ran up millions in gambling debts with loan sharks. Brenda stole money from me just to bail her out.

"Instead of being grateful, Jessica has been slandering her name. I know you think she's a good kid, but you need to see her true colors.

"She'll stab her best friend in the back today. Who knows who she'll drag down with her tomorrow? You guys should watch your backs."

He hung up, cutting off any chance for me to explain. He looked down at me, pinned to the floor with raw, bloodshot eyes, and grinned with sickening satisfaction.

"Don't blame me for this. I'm just giving your parents friendly heads-up. A girl like you is capable of anything," he continued. "Honestly, I should have banned Brenda from seeing you years ago. She even bought you a house just to make sure you had a roof over your head, and this is how you repay her?"

My eyes widened. "What are you talking about? When did she buy me a house?"

Jake let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "I seriously admire your acting skills. You can lie right to my face without even blinking, even when it's all caught up to you.

"Brenda was terrified you'd gamble everything away and end up on the street, so she used my money to buy a place under your name. She made me promise never to mention it to protect your pathetic pride."

He leaned down. "But a parasite like you doesn't deserve dignity anyway."