Squeak

Bling Ring

Jezebel

"And then...I was attacked by some maniac," my mother-in-law bawled to the saleswoman at Miu Miu as she shopped their latest collection on my dime.

It's absolutely ridiculous how I have to buy guilt gifts for my mother-in-law. But then again, I fucked her up real bad.

I couldn't control myself. When I saw Helen, my vision went red. One moment, I was dragging her out of the pool by her hair, and the next, my fists were covered in blood, and Helen was blowing bloody snot bubbles out of her nose.

To be fair, I need to take accountability for my actions. Helen has been subjected to years of abuse, and beating on her made me no better than the man I hate—Jacob King. But also, don't fucking abduct my child and leave the country.

I was disappointed in Helen. We'd spent years cultivating a positive relationship with each other for Izabel's sake. Granted, I was forced to play nice in the beginning to keep Erik safe; however, after some time, I'd gone from "playing nice" to having some weird mother-daughter relationship with Helen. That was why I took her abducting Izabel so hard. Whether I cared to admit it or not, Helen was the only mother I ever had, and she betrayed me.

"Oh, my. Did they catch the monster who did this to you?" the saleswoman, Bridgette, implored. Helen shook her head, sending her freshly washed and styled blonde locks slinging back and forth.

This woman is doing the most.

"N-no...they're still on the loose. I don't think I can rest until they're put behind bars," Helen cried.

"Oh...you poor thing," Bridgette cooed as she patted Helen's arm sympathetically. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

Helen sniffed and dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief. "Water if you can spare it. I have a raging headache and need to take some aspirin."

"Absolutely. I'll be right back."

No sooner did Bridgette turn her back did my mother-in-law start stealing like the Pink Panther. My mouth dropped in horror as she clipped the tags and security devices off several pieces of jewelry and tossed them into her purse. I was tempted to walk out of the store when she shoved a pink micro bag with a $1500 price tag into her tote bag.

How much do you want to bet she'll give it to Izabel?

"If we end up in a German prison, then we'll go another round," I warned through clenched teeth. Helen giggled and waved me off.

"Oh, my sweet Jezebel. You're not as scary as you think you are. What you did to me was nothing compared to what Jacob's done."

I sighed.

"Helen...you can't go back to him." She glared at me through her swollen eyes and continued "shopping."

"Jezebel...look at me."

"I am looking at you."

"No...look at me. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you believe I can have a clean break from that man. Look me in my eyes and tell me that three years later, when I'm healthy, happy, and free with another man, he won't materialize and slaughter him in front of me. Look me in my fucking eyes and tell me that he won't use Izabel to get me back," she growled.

Bridgette returned with the water, and Helen allowed the concerned woman to fawn over her for a minute while she had $30k worth of stolen goods in her tote bag. Helen eventually thanked the woman for her assistance and well wishes and stated she was no longer in a shopping mood and needed to rest. We left the store and didn't speak again until we sat at a vibrant café. Helen ordered pastries and espresso for us and hummed cheerfully as she rifled through her loot.

"Izabel will adore this bag, don't you think?" she asked, showing off the little pink bag.

I smiled tightly. "She'll love it."

"Of course, she will. Grandmothers know best, after all."

That's debatable.

"Helen...can we have a serious conversation?"

"I'm listening," she mumbled, trying on a gold bangle.

I sighed. Talking to Helen was like speaking to a teenager; she had the attention span of a packing peanut.

"I don't want you to stay with Jacob for Izabel's sake. Erik and I will protect Izabel from Jacob, and honestly, I think you're using Izabel as a cop-out." Helen's mouth twitched as she continued trying on the stolen goods from her impromptu Bling Ring. "It is me and Erik's responsibility to protect Izabel, not yours."

"What about Adrian?" she asked. "Are you going to stay with that man knowing my son is out of prison?"

There was a little bit of venom in Helen's tone. I knew she couldn't stand Adrian. She said from the moment she met him that there was something off about him—that he was too perfect.

"That's complicated."

Helen snorted. "Give it up, Jezebel. You and I both know that Adrian is my Charles. He's just a placeholder, and there's nothing wrong with that. Ditch Adrian and be with my son so you can give Izabel the loving home she deserves."

"So now you're Team Erik all of a sudden?" I teased. "I thought you wanted him to go back to prison."

"At the time...I said what I said out of anger."

"Of course. I have a question."

I paused to allow our server to set our order on the table and didn't resume speaking until I had my first taste of espresso.

"How come you've never thought about killing Jacob?"

Helen chuckled and shook her head. "If you think I haven't thought of killing that man in the most heinous way, then you are mistaken. Do you want to know why I haven't killed him, given the plentiful opportunities?" I nodded, and she leaned in close. "My sweet daughter, a man as powerful as Jacob, has a failsafe. I don't know what it is or who will come and avenge him, but I'm sure there's another person behind the curtain."

I sat back in my seat and chewed my thumbnail as I considered Helen's words.

Is there a failsafe? Is there an unknown boogeyman out there who is willing to do Jacob's malevolent bidding even after death? 

05/14/2024