Please Love Me

Chapter 28 - Madison

3 months later...

"So are you going back to Boston in the Fall or are you staying here in Cali for the rest of the year?" Vanessa asks me as we help my mom plant some rose bouquets she recently bought from the local swap meet.

We live in a ginormous house and she still refuses to fill the home with luxury. Which isn't a bad thing considering the guys' housewarming gifts consisted of expensive furniture.

My mom is humble through and through and one of the qualities I love most about her. I vow to always be like her in that regard.

"I'm going back in the Fall. But not to the old house. Maxon has decided to sell the place since neither he nor I want any memories of what transpired the last couple of months."

Vanessa helps me dig the hole and we are both a mess but she makes messy look like the newest trend. Honestly, the girl belongs on the cover of GQ along with the guys.

"That's nice." She wipes at her brow as the hot summer sun shines brightly on society. "I honestly can't blame him. Tragedy should be the name of that place." A pause then, "Will your mom be going with you?"

"I don't know." I dig my foot into the shovel, wisps of my hair falling from my ponytail to frame my face as I pick up the dirt and then toss it to the side. "Maxon offered her to be our housecleaning woman." Vanessa snorts shaking her head, "Is that how he places his future mother-in-law? Wow, Max."

My lips tilt up slightly in a smile, "You know she's lost a few jobs but I'm not sure, it's up to her. And it's kind of a two-way deal since Maxon's really hesitant in allowing new employees into our home."

Vanessa pokes at me. "Your home, huh? Plural."

My cheeks heat up because the words spilled out so naturally I hadn't even realized.

A grin takes over V's face at my reaction. "I'm proud of you, Mad. You both have come very far."

"We've been healing." I drag my gaze away from her and to the dirt we're piling away, "We've both experienced so much loss this year you would think we were book characters in a novel." My head moves from side to side thinking about the old romance stories I used to read. I swear no one would believe this was ours. "But after today, we will finally see how Natasha will pay. Then we can really begin to feel free."

"Praise be to Jesus." Vanessa glances up at the sky. "It's about freakin' time that woman pays for all her wrongs. I wouldn't be surprised if my father fights hard to keep her in prison for a long time. Maybe even to death. She doesn't deserve freedom anymore."

"No, she doesn't." I agree.

After the initial days of Natasha's arrest, Maxon flew back to Boston so police could gather further evidence. I haven't flown back there since and we've both tried to stay low-key.

Though that's proven to be difficult considering Maxon's image is now all over the news and has been since this whole spectacle started. His publicist, Ian, is trying to keep the media from hounding him on a daily considering everyone's tried to interview him. And me for that matter. But Maxon's been great and though protection guards our home no one's dared to ask me about the situation.

I can only imagine what today will look like. Which is why I'm in our backyard. Digging away my anxiousness and anticipation while my siblings watch and wait for the final verdict.
It is being televised publicly so the entire world will know what her condemnation will be.

Which isn't the worst of it.

Natasha has already lost her contract to dance for Beyoncé. The paparazzi even hounded the famous celebrity but she denied even knowing her. That's a whole other story though but it turns out a lot of the political figures she dated are now popping up filing claims of her stealing from them.