Brad’s Cold Secret

“Why don't you go up to the cabin this weekend and get some decent rest. Just you alone. Your mother and I can take care of the kids. What do you think? I should have said no to my dad at that moment but here I am, forced into isolation. Although, I can’t deny that I’m rather enchanted by the silence. No phone, no internet, no electricity, just me and nature. Thankfully dad stored enough firewood two weeks ago for just in case otherwise I would be forced to chop wood in this unbearable cold and to be honest all I want to do is curl up with mom’s woven knee blanket in front of the fireplace and read a good book. I don’t miss the office at all but I do miss my precious children, my double bundle twins, Ava and Lexi, only two years old. I love them more than anything in this world. I searched for a good book among mom’s collection in the bookshelf next to the fireplace. She had all sorts of genres, even journals and memoirs, Self- help books and interestingly enough a book on How to deal with a cheating spouse. That‘s so random, actually no, come to think of it, Mom must have planted it there two weeks ago when they came to fix the fence. No wonder Dad was so insisting. The last thing I wanted was to think about Roberts’s infidelity, thank goodness he showed his true self before the wedding.How about a nice historical fiction or a - hold that thought. A knock on the door? I hope it’s not my parents checking up on me, or worse, Robert, because I would just strangle him. I peaked through the window and recognized the Range Rover parked in front of the cabin. It was Brad, the office narcissist. What on earth was he doing here and how did he find me? I opened the door and saw his annoying face. ‘Jade, your old man told me where to find you. You need to sign these documents’. He said plunging a bunch of disorganized papers in my face. Classic dad I thought to myself. “ Nice place you got here”. I don’t like this guy and I wish he would just stop talking. “ Thanks”. I replied promptly as I scanned through the documents . These were just shipment authorization papers which could have waited until Monday, bastard. “Why would you bring me papers to sign for a shipment that‘s only leaving on Thursday?” He laughed, loud, like it was a joke. “You got me. I just... I wanted to see if you’re ok.” He sat on the sofa and stretched out his long legs, crossed his arms behind his head and rested it on the neck of the sofa, completely comfortable like he owned the place. ‘Brad, for the last time I‘m fine, I just need time on my own. If I wanted company I would have brought my kids”. He just shrugged his broad shoulder. Funny enough, he was so handsome but all I could think of was tough it would be to fight him off if he suddenly found the urge to attack me. It’s simply not a good idea for a women to be alone with a man that does not take no for answer. He was talking but I was not listening. All I was thinking about was that Dad’s pistol better be in the drawer of the bedside table and the shotgun under the bed. Mom always keeps it there incase something happened while they were sleeping. “Listen, I’m so sorry about Robert. He should have known better but hey, if I was him I would never have cheated on you’. Again, his face annoyed me. Not only did I have to work with this prick but he was Robert’s best friend and is lying through his teeth. He had no expression of any level of sorry on his face. In fact, he had this disturbing smirk. “Don’t flatter yourself Brad. I was your best friend‘s fiancé for five years, he is the father of my daughters and I am your boss”.

He got up and paced casually up down the narrow living room. “Oh Jade, you’re saying it like it’s a bad thing. Have you never thought about us, you know, as more than just friends?” The nerve of this man. “No Brad. To me you have always been like a younger gay brother.” He broke down in laughter, his face was slowly turning red and was gasping for air. He finally calmed down, snorting through his nose, applauding himself, or me, who knows whats going in that brainless shell of his. “Gay? Brother? Oh Jade, you’re hillarious. That’s a good one, I give you that. Oh, I haven’t laugh so hard in a long time.” I could care less about his personal happiness. It was getting darker outside and I needed Brad to leave as soon as possible. I simply ignored him and went to the kitchen. I remembered mom saying all the lamps and candles were in the cupboard next to the sink and the matches in the top drawer of the wooden island. I lit the candles and the lamps and placed all around the cabin. Brad helped. He was smiling the entire time, murmuring ‘ gay brother‘ under his breath. I felt anxious for him to leave but knowing Brad for five years I knew it was highly unlikely. “Brad, it‘s getting darker and colder so I think it’s time for you to leave. I want, no, need to be alone right now.’ He wasn’t even listening to me because he was staring out the window. ‘No, no I don’t think I want to leave here tonight. If you won’t mind I would rather just sleep here on the couch tonight. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone in the middle of the forest.’ That, those words, scared me. I felt this lump in my throat but I did not want to alarm him. So, I poured us both some coffee from the flask and gave him his. He held my hand for a good ten seconds.It unnerved me while he was ecstatic. ‘Remember my first day on the job? I was.. a.. new and nervous. You.. you were so kind and friendly. I liked you and that was why I asked you out on date’. I got up, I didn’t like the words that was coming out of his mouth. ‘We never went on a date. You offered to buy me a coffee just to say thank you, for what reason I still don’t know’.

‘I liked you, Jade, I asked you out on a date first and then of course, my stupid best friend Robert arrived and you simply forgot I was there.’ It was at that moment when I realized I was dealing with an obsessive psychopath and that what happened next came as no surprise. He threw the coffee mug against the wall with rage and paced up and down like a mad man., screaming at the top of his voice. ‘ I remained calm. I had to get to the truth since he was so eager to talk. ‘Robert never cheated on me, did he? He looked at me strange, then smiled devilishly. He then started hitting himself on the forehead. No, no, no. He couldn’t, not even with drugs in his system. I had to doctor the photos, can you believe it’. I snapped. ‘WHY WOULD YOU TO THAT? Do you have any idea what you put me through, my kids and my family through? You ruined our lives you sick bastard’. He stormed at me and held me down to the couch. I couldn’t move. He was twice the size he was 5 years ago. ‘He stole you from me’. He said calmly. ‘Then he kept talking about you every single day of my life, Jade this, Jade that, then the kids, then the engagement. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY FAMILY’. I could feel his spit fall on my face. I gathered all my strength and pushed him off but I fell to the floor. He sat down on my tummy, and held my hands above my head. If I can’t have you, no one will.’ We struggled for what seemed like hours. He reached for my neck to strangle me. I kept fighting. I thought of my kids and my parents, and poor Robert. The things I said. I stopped yelling and whispered. I could feel that I was about to pass out. ‘You’re right, I was yours first’. He stopped strangling me. ‘ Now your just lying to me. You just don’t want to hurt my feelings and to stop me from hurting you’. I was out of breath. ‘No, not lying. Check my phone. I have a picture of you. Kept it all this time. He got up, distrustfully. Told me if i was lying that would certainly kill me. As he reached for the phone on the coffee table I got up and ran to the bedroom and grabbed my dad’s shotgun from under the bed. As I slowly walked back to the living area, he stood there in silence, shocked, enraged. ‘You were recording me this whole time?’.

‘Yes, since the moment I saw your car through the window. See, my dad was suspicious of you a long time ago and lured you here to confess. Thats why he left me the gun. The moment I shoot, a team of rangers will be bursting through that door in a matter of seconds. He looked hurt and disappointed. I began to feel sorry for him. I was no killer and had to think of my kids. Besides, he has a point. In his mind he was first and it had to hurt seeing me with Robert all the time. So the moment he came at me I shot him, in his thigh. He fell to ground, incapacitated. And just as dad has promised, a group of Rangers and police burst through the door. Now, I was looking forward to go back home, to my family, to my kids and to Robert.