Part 75 (2/2)

”You know something. You either tell me now or deal with my attorneys. Cause I promise you, I will drag your a.s.s in court.”

Stacy laughed. The baby hiccupped awake and began to cry. Stacy cursed, picked up his pacifier and went for her son. Simone tried to understand Keith's connection with this woman. Did they hate each other or not? Why were they conspiring? For what? And more importantly, what would make him take care of Stacy in this manner if it didn't serve his needs?

”Is Michael his son?” Simone repeated.

”I told you no,” Stacy mumbled, shus.h.i.+ng her infant until he rocked back to sleep.

”I don't believe you. I think he is Keith's son and he's paying you to keep quiet about it. What I don't understand is where is your self-respect in this deal? Are you that f.u.c.king money hungry that you'd sell your soul and deny your child his father to do it?”

Stacy shot her a glare. ”You are naive. For your information, I was f.u.c.king Keith before he ever married you. Did you know that?”

Simone doubled back.

Stacy sneered at her. ”Yes, honey, I wasn't the other woman. You were. Daddy and Mommy wouldn't let him hook up with me. Wouldn't let me in the front door. Not because of my lack of breeding. I mean you can clean anyone up. Look at what they did for you.”

Simone held her tongue.

”They hated me because they couldn't control me. It's all about control and appearances with the Livingstons. Right? And with me, they couldn't control Keith either.” Stacy plopped back down. ”Then something happened. Keith freaked out, found you, married you, and ended it. Just gave in to mommy and daddy. There, you have it. That's the truth.”

”No, I don't think so. There is more.”

Stacy shrugged. ”Get out. I don't care what you think.”

”Wait! You think s...o...b..lling me brings you Keith? Is that the load of bull he's feeding you? You don't get it, do you Stacy? He's contesting the annulment. He's going for mediation. He wants reconciliation. He had the proof of his vasectomy covered up. I don't know what bulls.h.i.+t he's filling your head with, but he wants you to be the other woman. And he's doing it with the help of mommy and daddy.”

”That's not true. Keith wants out. He just can't afford an annulment. A divorce puts you out on your a.s.s. An annulment means civil trials that could rip him apart financially. He-he wants out.”

”Call him. Get him on the phone. You have a son to think of. He's Keith's kid, isn't he?”

”No!”

”d.a.m.n it, wake up!”

The baby started crying. Stacy cursed. She rose and got her infant, putting him on her bosom. She sat down with a frown, holding him in the cradle of her arms.

”I don't want him, Stacy. You can have all of it. But Keith won't stand up to his family or set aside his ego for you. If you two are in love, then help me. I swear to G.o.d you can have him.”

Stacy rocked her baby. ”Michael isn't Keith's.”

”So you had a test?”

”No,” she said sadly.

”Then you knew about the vasectomy in college?”

Stacy frowned. ”College? Keith didn't have a vasectomy in college.”

Simone's heart sank. Her phone rang in her purse. She retrieved it and turned it off. ”He didn't?”

”No. We were in love. We were going to get married. He was going to be his own man. Start an investment firm. He said-” Stacy looked down at her son. ”Never mind what he said then. His mother found out about me and tried to pull me in, groom me and make me Livingston worthy. But I wasn't having that s.h.i.+t. Besides, it's kind of creepy how she obsesses over Keith and I told her that to her face. And the b.i.t.c.h threatened me.”

Simone tapped her foot nervously, trying hard to understand the story.

”Keith started dragging his feet on cutting ties, on it just being us, on eloping. So I did what I had to do. I got pregnant.”

Simone's eyes flipped up. ”What? When?”

”Right before he met you. Keith freaked out and said he couldn't be a father. That I was going to mess things up. Took me to the abortion clinic. Swore if I got the abortion he'd marry me in time, after he broke away from his family. I did what he asked.” Stacy s.h.i.+fted the baby in her arms. ”But the next day, the very next day, he called it off. Kicked me out of the condo he bought me and told me it was over. The next thing I read in the papers was that Judge Livingston's son was marrying you.”

Simone closed her eyes to the rest. How could she be so wrong about a man she loved so much?

”Then the night before you two got married, he showed up at my apartment in Brooklyn, drunk. He begged me to let him in. I did. I thought he would call the wedding off. He f.u.c.ked me and gave me a job as his secretary instead, to keep me close.”

”He slept with you the night before we got married?”

”And many nights after,” Stacy smiled.

Simone blinked back her tears and guarded her emotions.

”I confronted him. Threatened to tell you the truth about us. He laughed it off. So I helped you find the truth. I figured once you knew he was cheating, you would dump him. Instead, you let the Livingstons convince you that the problem was yours. Even sent you to counseling. How pathetic.”

Simone winced.

”Keith gave me all the perks of being his mistress. He lived two lives to make us both happy.”

”And you signed on for this? For money?” Simone asked.

”I love him.”

”You two deserve each other,” Simone said.

”You're right, and I'm tired of waiting. When you found out he called it off, fired me, and left town with you, I had to have him back. I did everything. I even got him drunk in his office one night after I forced him to see me and had s.e.x with him. But I didn't get pregnant. A baby is something mother Livingston wanted desperately. I'd bargain with that witch to have him. If I could give him one, he'd get rid of you.”

”So Michael is his son?”

Stacy dropped her head and kissed her son's forehead. ”I wanted him to be, but there were others. Every time Keith hurt me, I hurt myself. I thought Michael was Keith's.”

”You said you didn't have the baby tested.”

”I didn't have to!” she said. ”James Madison came. Keith had a vasectomy right before he married you and right after he made me kill our child. When I got back from Castle Rock, James met with me. He told me that I was to never speak to you again. Keith wouldn't have it. I told him the baby was Keith's and he laughed. He gave me proof that it wasn't. For my silence, Keith offered to take care of me. Money, a place of my own. I just had to go away and stay away. So I agreed.”

Simone sat forward. ”The doc.u.ment, the one that said he had the vasectomy. Do you have it?”

Stacy's eyes welled with tears. ”It's not fair you know? I love him, you don't.”

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