Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

Ragnar seemed genuinely shocked by Jenna’s questions.

But more than that, I was shocked.

They had evidence against my brother, evidence I should’ve known about and been allowed to see.

I mean, they had literally accused him, gathered proof, and yet no one had told me anything or shown me any of it.

I didn’t know how to feel about that.

"I’ll be in my room, Jenna, but I’ll come back and speak with you, okay? Hopefully, you’ll use this time to understand that the victim isn’t the one at fault."

Ragnar got up from the couch as he spoke.

But before he could take even a single step away, someone stormed inside in a rush.

I lifted my head and saw Gigi in a white dress with a sweater over it.

Her mascara was smeared across her cheeks, which made me wonder if she’d woken up, done all her makeup to come here.

I mean, it was already pretty late in the day, so why hadn’t she come earlier?

That felt strange.

She rushed straight toward Jenna, so abruptly that even Jenna flinched and pulled her feet away from the edge of the bed when Gigi immediately dropped down at her feet.

"What are you doing?" Jenna asked.

Gigi was quick to get back to her feet, almost as if dropping down before Jenna had only been an act.

"I’m really sorry, Jenna. I’m so sorry you went through all of that."

She started crying.

I mean, to anyone else, it might’ve seemed like a kind gesture for the sister of an abuser to fall at a victim’s feet and apologize.

But Jenna and I both knew Gigi was the one who had introduced Jenna to all these problems in the first place.

"I just don’t understand why my brother did that to you. You’re such a dear friend to me."

Gigi buried her face in her hands, hiccuping as she cried.

I glanced over and saw Ragnar staring at her before shifting his attention back to Jenna.

"Please, can you forgive me for being the sister of that scum?" Gigi’s voice broke as she gestured helplessly around her.

I called bullshit.

She knew exactly how her brother used to treat me. She had never cared about it.

All of this was an act.

Maybe everyone else could swallow those tears and believe them, but I couldn’t. Not that anyone would believe me.

"Please forgive me and my family."

Gigi reached for Jenna’s hand while Jenna remained seated on the bed, staring up at her in confusion.

"I’ll help you get better, I promise. I’ll stay beside you."

As Gigi spoke, Jenna slipped her hand out of hers, making Gigi fall silent for a moment.

"There’s no need for you to stay with me, Gigi."

Jenna’s voice was harsh enough to make Gigi step back and cover her mouth in shock.

The nerve of her.

"I understand you’re angry because of my brother, and I completely understand," Gigi continued, almost as though she were somehow a victim in all of this too.

Jenna got to her feet and faced her.

"No, Gigi. I’m not angry because of your brother. I tried to speak to you, remember?"

The way Jenna snapped at her made it obvious that Gigi had realized she couldn’t fool her anymore.

I even noticed Gigi’s eyes shift ever so slightly toward Ragnar, checking his reaction.

"I came to you. I told you there had been a stranger in the woods who came..."

Jenna paused.

"You started telling me that if it was true, then you would distance yourself from someone like me. I stayed quiet because of the way you treated me. Remember? You called me a whore on my own birthday."

Jenna’s voice cracked as Gigi slowly stumbled backward.

She didn’t blink. She simply stared at Jenna, seemingly numb.

"Enough!"

Ragnar stepped in, and Gigi turned toward him, her expression softening.

And here came the devil, ready to defend his beloved Gigi.

"Baby, it’s okay. She’s hurt."

Gigi was quick to defend Jenna, at least for show.

"No. No, no." Ragnar’s attention shifted sharply to Gigi. "What did Jenna mean when she said she asked you for help? Is that true? Did she come to you? Did she really try to tell you what she’d been dealing with, and you dismissed her?"

I watched Gigi’s expression change. Even she suddenly seemed uneasy.

The fact that Ragnar hadn’t immediately defended her and had instead focused on something far more important was the first.

"No, she didn’t come and ask me like that." Gigi immediately shook her head.

"I did. In fact, you were the one who took me to the masquerade party. You were supposed to be there for me, but instead, you just let me drunkenly leave with that stranger."

Jenna wasn’t holding anything back, and I wasn’t stopping her either.

She had every right to speak her mind.

I watched Gigi’s face turn pale as she looked between Jenna and Ragnar.

"I swear that isn’t the truth," Gigi snapped. "Ragnar, she insisted that we go there. And should I tell him why?"

Gigi actually had the nerve to turn back to Jenna and ask her that.

It sounded like a threat, and I knew exactly what she was threatening her with.

Jenna’s mouth went dry. I could see it.

"But I came to you. I tried to speak with you," Jenna said, changing the subject.

Of course she did.

She would never want the entire household to know that everything had happened because of Theodore.

It would leave a very sour taste in her mouth, and I understood that.

She didn’t want to disclose it, but she’d done all of that because of Theodore and she did not want anyone finding out.

Maybe she knew it would make everything painfully awkward for her.

People who were trying to understand her might start judging her instead, calling her stupid or worse.

She had told me about her fears of getting judged.

"Yeah, but I didn’t know what you were talking about. Jenna, when you told me, you only said you met someone in the woods but you were sneaking out on your will? I told you I didn’t think that was the right thing to do."

Gigi tried to explain herself, but there was still a hidden threat beneath her words.

"That’s not what I said," Jenna protested.