Page 9 of Twisted Fate

Felix stood up when it was his turn to question Keily and Logan wanted to demand he ask her if that baby was his, but Felix ignored Logan’s tug at his arm. Keily looked at Felix, at the judge, behind him at Rosa, but never quite at Logan or he’d have asked her with a facial expression, by mouthing the words if he had to.

“Ms. Matthews-Miller, I hate to be impolite, but I have one further question. You’re divorced from Mr. Miller now, but just to clarify, is that his child you’re carrying?”

“No, sir, it’s not. I’ve not had anything to do with Joe since we divorced, except for that night he showed up at my place and assaulted Logan. This pregnancy had nothing to do with that, at all.” Keily’s response was prim, but not snotty. It also didn’t reveal a lot to Logan. Felix had tried at least.

Damn. He’d have to corner her before she left the courthouse.

5

Keily

Logan could just fuck right off, Keily thought as she practically waddled back to her row and took a seat. She knew he’d seen her, knew he was agitated, but she didn’t want to talk to him. The only reason she was there was because she had to be, she didn’t want to go to jail for not showing up as directed to.

This was a nightmare for her, one she’d tried to get out of by asking to be removed from the case. The prosecuting attorney’s office said she was a direct witness so she’d have to appear at the courthouse on the date given, pregnant or not. That hadn’t pleased her at all.

She sat there, her ex-husband on one side, her ex-lover on the other, and relived the humiliation and heartache both had caused her over the years. Well, to be fair, Joe had caused more than his fair share for far longer than Logan had. But Logan had broken her heart more than Joe ever could because she’d actually loved him when he walked out on her.

And the babies.

Although, he hadn’t known about them, so she couldn’t blame him for that.

Well, he knew now, if the way he stared at her was anything to go by. She could feel his eyes on her, almost burning a hole through her, as she testified against her ex-husband on his behalf.

Not that she was angry with him, she couldn’t blame him for leaving her. It was the why, why he’d called her in for a job interview in the first place that really…hurt.

Yes, she decided as Rosa stroked her left hand reassuringly, it was the fact that he’d played her, and she’d never suspected a thing that really tore a hole through her very being. She knew she deserved it though. She’d been so mean to him when they were in high school together, always saying snotty things to him just because he was there, and different, and Joe hated him for some reason. So she’d been a bitch to him, as she had been to so many other people in her life.

There was also the fact that she’d been there that night, she’d left him, and worst of all, she’d never told a soul. She stayed home for a few days after that night, afraid of Joe and his friends, but in the end, the boy that made her heart melt one day and beat with fear the next, had sweet-talked her into a night in the back of his car. She forgot that Eugene even existed, until the night he’d left her, as a man now named Logan.

Then there was Joe. He hadn’t been physically abusive often, usually it was verbal and emotional pain he caused her. But there’d been times, bruises she’d become expert at hiding, and she hated seeing him again. He was also a reminder of what she used to be, who she used to be.

She wasn’t that hateful, greedy person anymore, and even Violet was giving her another chance at being a sister and an aunt to Alice.

“You alright?” Rosa whispered to her, her warm brown eyes straight ahead.

“Yeah, mostly. The babies are kicking the shit out of me and I hate being here with these two, but I’ll get through it. Thanks for coming.” Keily leaned into her friend for support and clasped at her hand. It really was nice to have someone to lean on, emotionally and physically. Even with the bump support and the support hose she had on, her back was killing her. She knew it was only going to get worse as the babies grew, but she didn’t mind too much.

“I wouldn’t have let you come by yourself, you know that. I took a vacation day when you told me you had to appear despite the triplets, so I’m getting paid to be here with you. That’s a good thing to me. I’ll ask if you can go when they take a break.” Rosa leaned her head against Keily’s and they both sat quietly while the trial went on.

It was a simple enough case and should be done by the afternoon. But she wanted to go home, crawl into her bed, and watch Netflix until her eyes closed and the world faded away. Especially since she knew Logan would be on her as soon as he got the chance, to ask her about the babies.

She didn’t want to talk to him about them, she decided, as she rubbed at her belly with her free hand. She wanted to ignore him for the rest of her life. He’d left her, for good reason, and she lived with the shame and humiliation of it all. Talking to him now would just add to her misery.

He would accuse her of getting pregnant on purpose, of tying herself to him in the most underhanded way a woman could. She hated that thought and didn’t want him to feel obliged to come anywhere near her, or even remember that she existed. She hadn’t told him for that very reason. Logan had moved on with his life, hadn’t contacted her or spoken to her at all since he’d left that night.

Rosa told her he was busy in California and she hadn’t doubted that he was. The earthquake had destroyed his building, so it was hardly surprising that he stayed out there. But Keily suspected that it was also because of her that he stayed away. He hadn’t wanted to see her, be near her, and she couldn’t blame him for that.

Guilt ate at her as the minutes passed, guilt that she hadn’t taken better precautions, guilt that she’d been who she was for so long, guilt that she hadn’t recognized him when she first met him. Oh yeah, there was also the guilt over the fact that when she’d first ‘met’ him, she’d wanted to use him for sex and whatever she could get out of him.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” She whispered to Rosa suddenly, her voice tight and full of emotion.

“Want me to come with you?” Rosa turned, her eyebrows knitted with concern.

“No, stay here, I’ll be fine.” Keily slid to the edge of her seat and used the back of the bench in front of her to pull herself up. It wasn’t easy, but she managed with the help of Rosa’s hand at the small of her back.

When she finally made it to the bathroom, she inspected her image in the mirror above the sinks. The pastel yellow dress wasn’t a typical winter color, but that was one of the reasons she’d liked it so much when she found it in the consignment shop. It was a bright color that had made her smile. It suited her blonde hair and light eyes and made her look less washed out.

The pregnancy was taking a toll on her body and her health. How she’d managed to get pregnant with triplets she would never know. Multiples didn’t run in her family, as far as she knew. Fate must have decided she’d have all of her babies at once because she knew one thing for sure, after this pregnancy, she doubted she’d ever want to do it again. Even if Lisa told her that she would, as time passed. Lisa had never been pregnant with triplets, so what did she know?