Cheers To Comeuppance
Chapter 23

Annika

The situation at the Galloway residence devolved rather quickly as the guests tried to figure out what had just happened. The familiar sound effect of a vinyl record reverse was a symbol of impending disaster, and if the guests weren’t paying attention before, they sure as hell were now. The day of reckoning was upon us, and it would be a shame if anyone missed out on the main event. If you plutocrats are losing your minds over this, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The sounds of Jeff “working late at the office” with the birthday girl made many of the guests cringe; others seemed to lose control of their cervical muscles as their heads rolled in every direction to replace the source of the audio. People were speculating and whispering amongst themselves, but I couldn’t be bothered by the crowd’s reactions because I knew I had to keep my eyes on the prize. The still of Jeff and Sadie glued together in an animalistic embrace appeared on the projector screen before a voiceover, who I recognized as Leon right away, read the caption beneath the compromising image.

“Sadie Galloway is a homewrecking whore.”

As one might expect, the entire room gasped as they tried to recover from the unpleasant shock inflicted upon them. But the only reactions that held my undivided attention were those of the two subjects featured on the projector screen. The ramifications of their actions finally sank in and seeing both of their eyes grow to the size of planets and Jeff’s spirit leave his body was poetic justice.

A few minutes passed while everyone attempted to piece together this bizarre situation unfolding. Before anyone could react, the video played again, only it was the full-length version this time. Their voices, oozing with pleasure and desire, coupled with their m***s and g****s, were an assault on the senses, but I knew exactly what came next. The heartache and resentment that had afflicted me were a distant memory now that vengeance was knocking on Jeff’s and Sadie’s doors. It was time for the pièce de résistance of the video, and right on cue, the screen showed Sadie urging Jeff to leave me, his wife, as Jeff agreed to it. After the footage refreshed his memory, it jolted Jeff into finally speaking.

“Annika, no, this isn’t what it looks like. I didn’t mean any of those things I said to her. It was impulsive. It was only one time. I swear, honey!” he rambled on like a madman and grabbed hold of my hands, pleading with me to believe him. But alas, Jeff would soon replace out that opening his mouth was an exercise in futility because I was well past the point of falling for his lies. I smirked at him, and this seemed to have the intended effect because a panic-stricken face gradually replaced his earnest expression.

“Jeffrey Hollands, do you take me for some kind of fool? Oh wait, that’s right, you do. That’s why you’ve been lying to me for months, well, I should say for almost two years at this point. This video,” I said while pointing at the screen, “was taken by me.” His eyes dilated, and witnessing the exact moment I had managed to strike fear into Jeff’s heart was incredibly satisfying, but I wasn’t finished with him yet. “That’s right, dear husband,” I spat with so much disdain, drawing another sharp intake of breath from the other guests. “I shot that video with my very own phone the moment I found out you were cheating on me with that deceitful, blonde-haired skank you call a f*****g mistress! Don’t you remember this little scene? You should. It was the same night I kicked you out of the master bedroom and into the guest room.” Jeff blinked at me owlishly as reality came crashing down on him. “Yes, what you’re thinking is correct. I’ve known ever since that night, and I’ve been having you and your b***h followed ever since. As the D.A. of our fine city, I half expected you to catch on, but you were so wrapped up in your little sexcapades with Sadie Galloway that neither one of you realized it. So, don’t try and downplay everything now, Jeffrey. You’ve been caught with your pants down,” I taunted him as he squirmed and broke into a cold sweat.

It was time to claim my next victim, so I immediately turned my hateful gaze toward the homewrecker and advanced on her. The crowd parted like the Red Sea and provided me with a direct path to confront Sadie. Along the way, I grabbed a wine glass from one of the servers and emptied its contents all over her the second she was within reach.

“That’s for causing a scene at my clinic and the mall the other week,” I tore into her as she huffed with resentment and looked down at her designer dress, now stained with the burgundy liquid still dripping from her hair. I wound up my arm as I prepared to collect my dues, and after sensing movement, Sadie looked up at the last second. The head-turning bitch-slap I handed down was a stunning blow to her face that reverberated throughout the room, and as if taking on the role of a studio audience, everyone let out a dramatic gasp. “And that is for sleeping with my husband, you shameless bitch.”

Sadie glowered at me with intense hatred that came off her in waves. Just as she was about to lunge at me, Kenzie stopped her by firmly grabbing onto her wrist. “Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Ms. Galloway. After all, you wouldn’t want to cause harm to your unborn baby, would you?” Sadie snatched her hand back and held her wrist with her other hand as her expression took a nosedive.

“Baby?” Jeff interjected from behind. I turned to face him and smiled knowingly. “What baby?” he asked again.

“Oh, didn’t your little girlfriend tell you? She’s pregnant with your baby and already past her first trimester. So, don’t worry. It’s safe to share the good news since she’s past the high-risk stage of her pregnancy. But still, we wouldn’t want anything to happen to your little angel in the womb now, would we? After all, even if this poor child has pathetic excuses for human beings like yourselves as parents, the baby is innocent of this. Your offspring never asked to have a w***e as a mother and a cheating bastard as a father,” Kenzie explained in her signature cutthroat style. I wanted to say something to her since we hadn’t discussed her getting involved in the confrontation, but she wasn’t finished with her explanation. “And before you throw a fit about me being your OB/GYN, our office sent you an official dismissal letter the same week as the mall incident. You should have gotten it by now. So, you’re no longer protected by doctor-patient confidentiality.” Her words prompted me to keep my mouth shut; I hadn’t even known she dismissed Sadie as a patient that long ago.

“Sadie, what is the meaning of all of this!?” her father roared as he marched over to us. Whatever Sadie had to say before must have been forced back down her throat because she had yet to utter a single word. Shocked and blindsided by the turn of events, on her birthday no less, I had never seen her look so dejected, and there was no remorse for the schadenfreude I felt while looking down on her.

“Mr. Galloway, thank you so much for inviting me to your daughter’s birthday dinner,” I greeted him with a 24-carat smile.

“YOU INVITED HER!?” Sadie shrieked, regaining her ability to scream like a banshee.

“I … I … I didn’t …”

“I’m his primary care physician. Of course, he did. Though, I highly doubt that he would have, had he known that his daughter had been sleeping with my husband for over the past year and a half. Right, Mr. Galloway?” He blinked rapidly, robbed of the ability to speak as he digested my words. It was crystal clear that he had no idea about his daughter’s misdeeds aside from dutifully cleaning up her mess.

“YOU’RE LYING! THEY’RE ALL LYING!” Sadie screamed and addressed the room. The look on everyone’s faces was pure astonishment at her stupidity.

“Who is she kidding right now?” someone spewed.

“I know, right? The video clearly shows her and that man having an affair. She even admits that she knew he was married the whole time,” someone else responded.

“I knew she was a spoiled and entitled brat, but I would never have considered her a homewrecker,” a different voice added.

“I’m not surprised. Rumor has it she cheated on her ex-husband. I wonder if it was with this jagoff in the video?” another person said from within the crowd.

“It’s not a rumor.” I heard a familiar gravelly voice, and everyone turned to face the direction it came from. Seeing Leon strut towards us hit me like I was launched directly into the sun. The moment people saw him, their mouths collectively dropped, and so did mine. Not only was I surprised to see him, but he looked incredibly delectable in a black and white tailored suit with a royal blue tie that matched the exact color of my dress.

“Girl,” Kenzie whispered in my ear. All I could do was nod. Leon Von Doren was a fine specimen indeed; I could never deny that. As he approached us, he never once made eye contact with me, but I couldn’t stop following him with my eyes. And once Leon was by my side, my eyes traveled upwards as I subconsciously swallowed. That’s when he looked down at me, and his dashing smile melted my insides. I could have sworn my heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second at that moment, and I bit down hard on my bottom l*p to clear my head.

“What the f**k are you doing here!?” Sadie exclaimed in anger.

“Me? Oh, I came here to prove that you cheated on me during our entire one-year marriage with District Attorney Jeffrey Hollands,” Leon replied without hesitation.

“I already proved my innocence in court!”

“Yeah, you did but with fabricated evidence. You see, Sadie, I don’t like being lied to, nor do I enjoy being cheated out of millions of dollars. You see that video on the screen there?” He pointed to the projector screen before going on, “that video is date stamped. And the date shows that you and I had not had our divorce hearing yet. Which means you were, in fact, cheating on me during our marriage. Ergo, you lied in a court of law.”

“That’s fake! You’re with this conniving b***h, aren’t you!? You’re both trying to frame us!” Sadie screeched and pointed at us.

“Ms. Galloway, even if you claim the digital date stamp on the video is faked, you can’t refute the digital clock in D.A. Holland’s office that shows the date and time of your … porn scene,” Hunter intervened, thereby squashing her accusations. Both she and Jeff snapped their heads toward the video that had now been paused, and sure enough, Jeff’s digital clock on the bookshelf behind them clearly showed the date and time this video was taken.

“Annika, please, honey, don’t do this. I promise you; it meant nothing. She means nothing. I love you! You’re my wife! I was only saying empty words to her!” Jeff started to defend himself.

“JEFF!!!” Sadie erupted like a volcano, and I could have sworn I saw steam coming out of her ears.

“Shut up, Sadie! Can’t you take a f*****g hint already! I’ve been trying to tell you I wanted to end things for weeks now! I don’t want a divorce! I love my wife!”

“BUT I’M PREGNANT WITH YOUR BABY!”

“Get rid of it, for all I care!” Jeff had completely lost his cool, and the entire room gasped for the hundredth time that evening.

“Wow,” was all I could say to his outburst. “Just … Wow.” I looked at him and shook my head, disappointment blazing in my eyes that must have left him feeling scorched. “You’re a piece of work, Jeffrey Hollands, do you know that? That video clearly shows you wanted to get her pregnant, considering you finished inside of her without hesitation. Now, all of a sudden, you’re telling her to get rid of the baby? Your baby?”

“Annika, please, I don’t … She’s not. You. You’re the only one I want to have children with. I swear, I don’t want anyone else but you!” Jeff continued with his charade.

“You’re just trying to show face because you were caught playing doctor, a*****e. Or I should say with your d**k inside of the cunt of a w***e,” Kenzie spat with utter disdain.

“Jeff, just shut up already about how much you love Anni. If that were true, you wouldn’t have conspired with your mistress to divorce her and take the penthouse and her office. Which, by the way, will no longer be possible,” Hunter told him as he shoved a file at Jeff’s chest, delivering the next blow.

“What is this?” Jeff demanded as he opened the file to see for himself.

“Those are the divorce papers, including a court order signed by a judge stating that you don’t get shit—the penthouse, my practice, my money, nothing. You get absolutely nothing,” I enunciated each word, and as though his brain had pushed the panic button once more, he began to scrutinize every single piece of paper. I watched as his eyes darted back and forth, and he soon crumpled everything in his hands. “What?” I snickered at his feeble attempt to maintain his sense of denial. “Did you honestly think that I would come here without being prepared? You should have been more careful, Jeffrey. But then again, being careful was never your strong suit.” I mocked him. “We’re officially done, just like you wanted. But, unlike you, I have actual friends and family who support me,” I concluded and made my way towards the door. “Oh, and by the way, I’ve sent everything to your parents as well.” Jeff twisted his head to stare at my now receding figure and turned as white as a sheet. Even though Jeff’s parents were against our marriage, it wasn’t a matter of disliking me. It was because we were young and fresh out of high school. Jeff had spent far too long thinking with his other head and forgot that I bonded with his parents, especially with his mom, over our eleven years together.

“Annika, how could you!?” he exclaimed as I moved further away. I paused and whirled around to face him with absolutely zero remorse as the slit of my dress flew open.

“That’s rich coming from you, you lying, cheating son-of-a-bitch,” I seethed. “Did you really think you could get away with making me look like a fool? You and your b***h there? No, Jeffrey Hollands, I’m not one to be trifled with. And soon, you’ll learn exactly who I am.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked. There was no opportunity to answer him because a swarm of police officers entered the Galloway residence.

“Where is Sadie Galloway!?” a man in plain clothes with a badge around his neck asked with absolute authority. No one said a word and pointed their fingers at Sadie in one swift motion. When the officer spotted her, he closed in on her with two uniforms behind him. “Sadie Galloway?” he questioned, and she confirmed her identity. “I’m Detective Corey, and you’re hereby under arrest!”

“On what charges!?” her father yelled, and her mother grabbed onto her for dear life.

“Perjury, fraud, evidence tampering, and conspiracy to commit murder!”

“WHAT?!” Jeff, along with her parents, shouted in disbelief.

“Murder!? My daughter could never hurt a fly!” her mother wailed.

“That’s for the courts to decide. Please step away, ma’am!” the detective informed her as he not-so-subtly pushed Mrs. Galloway out of the way. But, as obstinate as her daughter, she refused to budge and held onto Sadie tighter. “Ma’am! Please step aside, or I’ll have you detained for obstruction of justice!” he threatened her. This was something I didn’t see coming.

“No! No! My daughter is innocent!”

“Ma’am! This is your final warning!”

“NO!”

“Fine! Cuff the mother too!” The detective showed no mercy.

“What?!” Mrs. Galloway yelped as she was being detained by one of the uniformed officers.

“Mom! No! Let go of me! Jeff! Do something!” Sadie cried out for help as she resisted and fought against the officers.

“Ms. Galloway, do I need to add resisting arrest to your list of charges!?” Detective Corey lambasted her without a trace of warmth in his voice.

“JEFF! DON’T JUST STAND THERE!” she cried out again. The detective then circled back to face Jeffrey, cutting off further communication.

“D.A. Hollands?” he confirmed, and Jeff nodded. “Great! I might as well arrest you since you’re here too!” Jeff was taken aback, and everyone else shared the same sentiment. I knew this was coming eventually, but I really didn’t expect it to happen tonight, of all nights. It must have been a rare combination of effort and serendipity that made this all possible.

“Damn, Uncle Matt moves fast,” Kenzie mentioned and nudged me on the shoulder as she showed up beside me. Hunter and I nodded at her.

“It wasn’t just Judge Malloy,” Leon disclosed after replaceing his way back to me. “Once we received the signed arrest warrants, I took them straight to One-P-P. I’m friends with the Police Commissioner, so he expedited their arrests.”

“Nice!” Kenzie whisper-shouted and gave him a high-five.

“ON WHAT GROUNDS!? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?” Jeffrey could be heard shouting at the top of his lungs.

“No, jackass, I just referred to you by your title for the hell of it!” Detective Corey sarcastically replied and rolled his eyes. “D.A. Hollands, you’re under arrest for fraud and evidence tampering. If you don’t want to cooperate, feel free to resist arrest like your girlfriend here. I’d love to add more to your list of charges as well.” I felt borderline intoxicated as I watched Jeffrey, Sadie, and her mother being dragged away by the officers. Then, just as Leon predicted, the distress from tonight’s events caused Mr. Galloway to keel over. Even though he still viewed me as his doctor, Sadie’s father was no longer my concern. After his physical appointment, I decided to prepare a dismissal letter and arranged for it to be delivered here this morning, and it was probably still sitting in their mailbox right now. Besides, I really had no legal obligation under the Good Sam laws since the police brought paramedics on the scene. As the criminals proceeded with their walk of shame past us, Jeff stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me as he found the nerve to grovel again.

“Annika, please …”

“See you in court, District Douchebag.”