The heart rate monitor beeped a steady rhythm, the only sound in the private room. Bernardet West knew she was dying. At forty-three, after years of fighting her illness, she could feel the end approaching. The expensive hospital suite, the constant attention from nurses, the careful visits from her large family—none of it mattered anymore.
She had one last thing to do: clear her conscience before she left this world. She had been beautiful once, a blonde bombshell who used her looks to get whatever she wanted. That was how she had gotten Thomas West, the handsome, wealthy man she had married nearly two decades ago. She had wooed him in college with promises of pleasure, even offering her beautiful best friends as part of the deal.
It had worked. She married into his rich family and built the life she had always wanted. But there was a dark secret she had carried for years, and it threatened to tarnish everything she had built. The door opened, and her two best friends walked in.
Annabelle Worthington, the girl-next-door with light brown hair, and Vivien Maxim, the geeky brunette with designer glasses. They had grown up together, called themselves sisters, and been through everything together. Now they were here to say goodbye. “Thank you for coming,” Bernardet said weakly.
“Of course,” Annabelle replied warmly. “I need to say some things. ” Bernardet paused, gathering her strength. “You two are closer to me than any blood relative.
We’re sisters forever. ”
“Yes, we are,” Vivien said, taking Annabelle’s hand. Bernardet had rehearsed this moment in her head a dozen times. She needed to confess, to apologize, to make everything right before it was too late.
“Belle,” Bernardet said, turning to Annabelle. “I’m sorry my stupidity got you pregnant all those years ago. I wasn’t thinking—”
“It’s okay,” Annabelle said, forcing a smile. “I have a wonderful son, and that’s what I focus on.
”
Bernardet knew the truth. She had tampered with Annabelle’s birth control as a joke, never expecting it to lead to pregnancy. The birth had nearly killed Annabelle, leaving her unable to have more children. At twenty-three, she had been devastated.
Vivien had been her pillar of support, and Thomas had vowed to always look after her and their child. “Thank you,” Bernardet whispered. “I’m still sorry. But it’s been an honor to see Samuel grow up into the wonderful man he is today.
”
Annabelle nodded, thinking of her son. “Can I ask for a favor? ” Bernardet asked, reaching for Annabelle’s hand. “Of course.
”
“Look after Thomas for me. Both of you, please. ”
“Of course. We love him.
You know that,” Vivien replied. “He’s given me so much. So much that I don’t deserve. ”
Bernardet had loved Thomas deeply at first.
But after five years, something changed. When she wasn’t pregnant, her urges returned. She had kept it hidden, but now she needed to unburden herself. “Okay, please don’t hate me for this, but I have to tell someone,” Bernardet said, closing her eyes.
“You have to promise me not to tell anyone, please? ”
“Of course,” they both replied. “You remember how I had a thing for black men when we were younger? ” Bernardet asked.
The two women laughed. “Yeah, you were in heat. You’d always say QoS, whatever that stood for. ”
Bernardet smiled briefly, remembering those days.
“You have to know Thomas saved me from that life for a while. ”
“What about it? ” Annabelle asked. “About ten years ago, I met a man while out working.
At a conference. He was black. There was just something about him, and I slipped. ”
The room fell silent.
“I had an entanglement, just one night. But I was hooked badly. I started sleeping with black men again. ”
“How did we not know?
” Annabelle asked, shocked. “It was in between my pregnancies. Pregnancy leveled me out. But afterward, something came over me and I just had to have them.
I’d set it all up while I was away for work. I made sure it was all safe—we all got tested. I needed it. Things had changed between Thomas and me, and I was feeling frumpy as a mother.
”
“Bernie, how could you? ” Vivien asked. “Does Thomas know? ”
“No, he doesn’t, and I’d like to keep it that way.
” Bernardet sighed. “We were always promiscuous. We had lots of parties, all of us. So I figured, what’s a little something on the side for me?
”
“Then why tell us? ” Annabelle asked, raising her eyebrows. “You could have taken this secret to the grave. ”
“I kept records.
There are photos. I received gifts. ” Bernardet looked down at the bed, unable to meet their eyes. “I don’t want Thomas to think ill of me.
I need someone to destroy all the evidence. ”
Vivien moved to the window, looking out before turning back. “We’re best friends, and we do anything for you. But this is going to be tough.
”
“Please. I wouldn’t ask unless I was desperate. ”
Vivien looked at Annabelle, who nodded. Then she looked at Bernardet.
“Okay, consider it done. Where do we find it? ”
Relief flooded Bernardet. “I have a lock box in a hidden compartment in the dressing room, north wall, behind the dresses.
You’ll have to slide the wall to the left. ”
“Thank you, Viv. It means a lot. ”
“Don’t mention it.
We should probably go and let you get some rest. We’ll take care of the problem and let you know as soon as we’re done. ”
Bernardet rested back happily, knowing her friends had her back. She could pass in peace.
Overnight, Bernardet took a turn for the worse. She was given an oxygen mask and could no longer speak. The doctors were doing everything to keep her comfortable, knowing the end was near. That morning, Thomas, his elderly parents, Brad, Annabelle, and Vivien all visited.
Thomas and Brad took his parents out briefly, leaving the two women alone with Bernardet. Once the coast was clear, they filled her in. “We found it where you said it was. Obviously, we saw some photos and your diary, but we didn’t watch the DVDs or anything and bagged it all up,” Annabelle said.
“You must have really gone wild. What’s with the temporary spade tattoos? ”
Bernardet smiled and nodded. “I wish I hadn’t looked at your diary, but a page fell out and you were at something like 2,000 men,” Vivien said.
Bernardet nodded, a smile still on her face. She seemed pleased with herself, happy her friends were okay with it all. But they weren’t. “Well, we destroyed the evidence, but it didn’t matter really.
You see, Thomas has known all this time about your affairs. We all have,” Vivien said bluntly. The smile vanished from Bernardet’s face. “We should have known what you were like when you got Annabelle pregnant, but we were young and stupid back then.
Well, not that stupid. It was the orgy you tried to set up with those eighteen-year-old college students that made us aware of your manipulative games. We thought things had changed, but there you were trying it on again. ”
Bernardet’s eyes went wide, her hands gripping the sheets.
She tried to speak but could only make noises. “So, we came up with a plan. Or I did. I wasn’t going to let you get away with what you did to Belle.
So, how do you combat a manipulative sociopathic narcissist? Easy. I took a play out of your book and used your own game against you. ”
“Do you remember that big two-week trip Thomas and I took to the West Coast to seal that big deal for our business?
” Vivien asked. “We were just starting out and wanted to land a big fish. ”
Bernardet nodded weakly, wanting to hear it all. “Remember, I flew out for a couple of days as well,” Annabelle said, anger in her voice.
“He knew back then, and so I planned the trip to get him away. He was beside himself, worried you had given him some disease. Thank God you hadn’t. But just so you know, I spent a week calming him down and had to call Annabelle for help.
We were able to soothe him, but I made him a promise. It was simple, really. I devoted myself to him. I gave him everything.
All of me—because I love him with every fiber of my being. Why do you think I never got married? Why do you think I agreed to live in the servant quarters? You stole him away from me, and once he told me about your treachery, I vowed to do anything for him.
”
“I did too,” Annabelle said firmly. “Why do you think Thomas was so willing to help us buy the house next door? I would be your nanny, look after the kids while you all worked, let you hang yourself with your cheating rope. Then I could be close to all of them and provide our children with the best, most loving environment possible.
You were never there. He would never have to be alone with you. Lord knows Thomas is a wonderful man. But that wasn’t enough for you, was it?
”
Vivien continued, “I told him everything. Our past, what you did to Belle, what I had done to you, everything. And he was adamant he was going to divorce you, but we convinced him otherwise. ” Vivien smirked.
“Didn’t you ever wonder why you two have never had intimacy in the last ten plus years? ”
Bernardet’s eyes went wide before she moaned loudly. She looked at Annabelle, who continued. “What I didn’t know at the time was that your first two children were actually Vivien’s,” Annabelle said bluntly.
Bernardet looked suddenly at her friend. “She never told me that she was getting back at you for what you did to me. I will always love her for that. She played with your birth control and, if you remember, told you to go to the clinic.
Remember what my family does? ” Vivien asked with a smile. “They own and operate a successful fertility clinic in the area. ”
Bernardet was distraught now, her heart rate monitor beeping louder.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “It’s your own fault. You manipulated everyone and everything. They all thought you were Miss Goody Two Shoes, but we knew different,” Annabelle said coldly.
“While you were out getting involved with all those men and participating in group activities, we were focusing on our family and waiting for the right moment. ”
“We convinced Thomas to stay married to you and use you as an incubator. No alimony, no child support, no half of the business. But the upside was huge.
Belle could have more children, and we could have the big family we always wanted,” Vivien said. “Anyway, I digress. Where was I? Oh, yes.
I could also have children without being unavailable to him. The plus side was also not damaging my body. The body that Thomas gets to have whenever he wants. The body I keep in top form for him, that I have enhanced and improved for him.
”
Vivien pushed out her chest before pulling out her phone. “God, I do love it when he holds me down. ”
“It took a little bit to convince Brad, but once I told him everything and he told me about you throwing yourself at him, it was a no-brainer,” Annabelle said. “You know, I can’t imagine why you would cheat on Tom.
We all know how good he is in bed. How good a provider and father he is. ”
“We should probably be thanking you, actually. You weren’t the only one to keep records,” Vivien said, hitting play on a video of her and Thomas making passionate love and showing it to Bernardet.
“I recorded that,” Annabelle said happily. “While being with Brad, it was hard to keep the camera still for so long. ”
There was a small giggle from both women. “Do you know I have Tom’s name tattooed right here?
” Vivien said, rubbing the spot through her clothes just above her womanhood. “I belong to him, and I’ll never cheat on him. I’ll do whatever he wants forever. Happily.
”
“Air,” Bernardet gasped, reaching for Vivien, who pulled back. The heart rate monitor showed a larger increase, and her blood pressure spiked. Suddenly, a nurse barged into the room and went to Bernardet. She quickly hit the red call button behind the bed as Bernardet had a strange turn.
“It might be best if you two leave. She hasn’t got long,” the nurse said as another nurse and doctor charged into the room. “Okay, thank you,” Vivien said as the two women clutched one another and headed out to find their men waiting for them. They hugged their respective partners and held tight.
“It won’t be long now,” Annabelle said softly. “Okay, thank you,” Thomas said, holding Vivien tight. “You saved me. You know that, don’t you?
”
Vivien pulled back slightly and looked up at the man she adored. “No, sir, you saved me. ”
Now, finally, they could be one big, happy family.
