Seated upon the sofa with my legs folded in front of me, I was hunched over and massaging my aching forehead with a hand. I found the things that Pamela - my ex-wife who left me seven months ago, but was now back in my life and perched in a chair across from me - too overwhelming to comprehend.
What did I ever do in life to deserve the horrible things which have happened to me over the years?
“You HAVE to believe me, Jeremy!” Pamela cried, her face absolutely racked with tears. “It was all Cassidy’s fault! Cassidy wanted revenge on you for kicking her off the island last year! She blackmailed me and Trish!” Pamela’s cries heightened as she went on, “Cassidy said she was going to destroy our entire life if we didn’t do what she wanted!”
Trish, who was seated upon the floor, looked up at me through a sheet of tears and shook her head. “We had to, Jeremy. Cassidy got to us during our Christmas break last year. She said she was going to tell the media that you were running a prostitution ring off the coast of Peru. We all know that isn’t true, but the media would have had a field day with it. They... they’d call you a reclusive billionaire who runs an illegal sex ring. All of us girls could be in the news, our families would hear everything...”
Still crying, Pamela went on, “Cassidy said once the criminal element in Peru and beyond heard about this island, they would come here and ransack it. They would even... go through us girls, if need be. Y-You’ve always been able to keep this place a secret, Jeremy. Th-This is your paradise. Cassidy would have destroyed it if we didn’t give into her demands. God knows what could have happened to the other girls. I... we... we couldn’t risk that.”
“Cassidy got ahold of me over the telephone when I was visiting my family in Canada over Christmas break,” Trish said. “She told me if I didn’t leave the island, Jeremy, she was going to tell the media all about this place. She said that the place would be crawling with first reporters, then criminal bandits. Your name and all of your outside business interests would have been destroyed.”
“Cassidy actually came back to the island around that same time, last year,” Pamela offered. “She caught me by myself - when it is just me and you on the island, Jeremy. Remember? Everyone else was away on Christmas break. She told me that if I didn’t leave you and make it seem like I hated you, she would destroy everything.”
“One way or another, Cassidy wanted your life to be destroyed,” Trish said to me. “Either by Pamela leaving you, or by telling the media a whole pack of lies. They would have had a field day about this place, Jeremy.”
Pamela began crying once more as she added, “I had to, Jeremy. I... I didn’t want to. But I had to give into her. I... I thought about what would be worse for you. Whether it was me leaving you, or your island and good name being shredded in the media. On top of that, the safety of the all the other girls. There are plenty of poor people in Lima. The bad ones... would have... over-run this place.”
Sitting off to the side, Devon shook her head and looked at both ladies with blank eyes. She focused her attention upon Trish and asked, “If all of what you say is true, why did she want you off the island? Jeremy didn’t love you.”
“Cassidy said Lindsay was a driving force in getting her off the island,” Trish replied. “She knew that Lindsay and I were crazy about each other. She wanted Lindsay to be hurt, too... just as much as Jeremy and Pamela.”
“Lindsay had nothing to do with getting Cassidy off the island,” Devon countered, her eyes narrow. “That decision was all Jeremy’s and Pamela’s.”
“Lindsay did have a say in it,” Trish corrected her. “I think that Cassidy was under the impression, though, that Lindsay was a driving force behind her exile. A major part of it, if you will. She was just wrong about that.”
“Jeremy...” Pamela sobbed, dropping to her knees and then moving toward me. She placed both hands upon my legs and said, “It’s over. Cassidy was in an automobile accident two days ago. She... she didn’t make it. Once we confirmed the news, Trish and I packed up everything and came right back to the island. She... she can’t control our lives from the grave. The threats... they’re over. We can be together...”
“HEY... wait a minute!” Devon protested, her gaze locked upon Pamela. “Jeremy is going to marry Lindsay and me! We’re all going to get married to each other - all three of us. It’s terrible what Cassidy made you do, Pamela, but times have changed. Jeremy has devoted his life to us now. You can’t come back after all these months and expect him to drop us in favor of you.”
“Pamela never stopped loving Jeremy!” Trish exclaimed, a bit upset because of Devon’s words. “They should have never been split apart in the first place! If not for that scheming BITCH, Cassidy, Pamela and Jeremy would still be married! And... I’d still be with Lindsay.”
“NO!” Devon exclaimed, shaking her head. “Lindsay is MY girl now. You’re not going to steal her from me, either!”
“Lindsay was my girl long before you ever even stepped foot on this island!” Trish said, now on the defensive.
“NO!” Devon argued. “Times have changed!”
“Jeremy, I love you!” Pamela cried, looking up at me. “I
never stopped loving you! I... I had to do all those bad things! Say all those bad things! If not, Cassidy would have destroyed everything! She was serious about it!”
“You told Jeremy that your marriage with him was just a mistake!” Devon exploded, now focused upon Pamela. “You said you did nothing more than tolerate him!”
“I HAD TO!” Pamela roared. “I had to say those things! Cassidy said she wanted Jeremy and Lindsay to hate me and Trish so much, they would never come looking for us! We had to be mean and nasty! That way, they’d hate us and would never want us back! I... It’s... oh God...”
“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?”
I looked up, mortified at the sound of Lindsay’s very nasty, spiteful tone of voice. I had never heard her shoot such venom before. It was scary.
Standing at the entrance to the front room, Lindsay’s eyes were about to explode as she stared a hole through both Pamela and Trish. Amy was beside her - her face full of shock. She looked like a bomb had just hit the place.
“Lindsay, honey...” Trish said, getting up and making a move toward the teen-ager.
“NO!” Devon screamed, rising to her feet and grabbing Trish by the arm - holding her back. “Stay away from her!”
“Sweetheart, it... it was all a big set-up,” Trish said, trying to break free from Devon’s grasp. “I, oh dear God... it’s so good to see you again...”
“I HATE YOU!” Lindsay roared, extreme torment raging upon her face as she glared at Trish. “LEAVE! LEAVE, NOW!”
“No, you don’t understand...” Trish sobbed, shaking her head. “Cassidy... she blackmailed me and Pamela. She...”
Lindsay stepped forward and forcefully shoved Trish, causing her to fall backward and land hard upon the floor. “GET OUT OF HERE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT BEING HERE! I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID TO ME!”
“Just let me explain!” Trish pleaded, as Lindsay turned and ran away like a thoroughbred. Trish quickly rose to her feet and went after her. Devon then joined the chase. It was obvious that she was not going to let Trish anywhere close to Lindsay. Or, at least she would try.
Meanwhile, Amy simply looked dumbfounded. She was frozen in her spot while eyeing Pamela, who was still nestled upon her knees in front of me while clutching at my legs.
“I love you, Jeremy...” Pamela reiterated, her voice cracking. “I... I always have. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. You... you don’t know how awful my life has been the past seven months. I... I know what I said to you. I remember all of it. I... I know I probably destroyed you and your psyche. But it was either that, or the alternative. I... I had no choice.”
She paused and added, “Cassidy was even making threats about my family, Jeremy. My family! Candice... my little sister. Cassidy said bad things would happen to her if I didn’t go along and do what she told me.”
“I just... I want us to be together,” Pamela shrieked, her eyes totally bloodshot. “I belong to you Jeremy. You belong to me. Isn’t that what we always used to say to each other? Oh God... I wish we never brought Cassidy here in the first place! How can someone be so EVIL?”
“You’re my h-husband,” she went on. “Or... at least you u-u-u-u-used to be. I love you, Jeremy! I’d do anything for you! You’re the best thing that ever happened to me! I... I want you back. I... need you back.”
For the past ten minutes, I hadn’t given a sign - one way or another - as to whether or not I felt sympathetic for my ex-wife. Basically, I had just sat there and did my best to hold back my own tears. I was even silent when Devon went running after Trish. I would not be surprised if at this very moment in time, they were fighting over Lindsay.
As I look back on it, I now realize that I should have got up and went after Lindsay, Devon and Trish. What if, indeed, there was a big fight happening right now? What if one (or more) of them were seriously injured?
But at that point in time, I couldn’t move. All I could do was sit there and let Pamela’s continuing words sink in. Quite simply, I could not believe this had happened to not only me, but also US. Cassidy was a vicious person.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way!” Pamela went on. “We were gonna have kids and grow old together, Jeremy! We would always be married, and in love together! Please, Jeremy... please! You have to believe me! Please! PLEASE!”
Slowly but surely, I extended my right hand and grasped the back of Pamela’s head with it. With my first show of support for her, Pamela totally broke down and began crying uncontrollably. Now, my own tears were flowing, too.

* * *

Imagine my shock a short time ago - I was having a close, intimate discussion with Devon and all of sudden, Pamela and Trish busted through the front door of the mansion. I did not know what to think at first. Neither did Devon, for that matter. Should I have screamed at them to go away, which was Lindsay’s initial reaction when she saw Trish?
When Pamela saw me and started crying, I could not bring myself to raise my voice at her. Those positive emotions I once held for her - caring, trust, undying love - they all hit me at once like a tidal wave. At one time, Pamela was my wife. She had been the absolute center of my universe.
I could not yell or scream at her when we were together.
Now that we were divorced, I learned that I still couldn’t.
I allowed Pamela to say whatever it was she had to say.
DAMN THAT CASSIDY! That was the exact thought which went through my mind as I now held Pamela’s head with both of my hands. She continued crying as a mixture of memories, pain, relief and hatred swirled evenly throughout me.
The first words out of Pamela’s mouth after she barged into the mansion was that everything had been Cassidy’s fault. Cassidy had blackmailed her and Trish into leaving the island, as a way to inflict “revenge” upon both Lindsay and yours truly, as well as Pamela herself.
Last December, I expelled Cassidy from the island when it was clear that she was spreading false rumors about Devon. I cannot stand it when people lie to me. I surely would not tolerate it on my island. Thus, I sent Cassidy packing.
Now with her chance at $3 million out the window - which would have been her compensation for spending the winter here, Cassidy sent me a very threatening e-mail after she returned home to San Francisco. She vowed revenge, saying I had not heard the last from her.
All along, I simply thought that was Cassidy’s way of blowing off some excess steam. I never thought that she would follow through on her promise of vengeance. Surely, I never dreamed that she would destroy my marriage.
Pamela insisted that despite leaving me last year, she loved me more than anything. She always had. Now, with Cassidy’s ultimate demise in the auto accident, we could pick up the pieces of our relationship and start over.
On the flip-side of the equation, Lindsay had both hinted and said many times in the recent past that she absolutely hated Trish. Lindsay was not me, of course, and as such, she reacted to soul-wrenching problems in a different way.
I was not one bit surprised when Lindsay told Trish that she hated her, and wanted her off the island. It did not even surprise me when Lindsay shoved Trish to the floor. She was not a confrontational person, of course, but I felt as though her actions were justified. That was seven months of hurt, anger and frustration... all boiling out at once.
Devon? Devon was guarding her territory. I felt as though her actions were justified, too. She obviously felt that Pamela had no right to come back after all this time away and declare that her and I should get back together. Times have changed, Devon told her.
It was also good to see Devon stand up for Lindsay in the way that she did. Lindsay was HER girl now, Devon said to Trish. She did not want her to be near Lindsay, and was even grabbing her arm and trying to hold Trish from her.
And my feelings?
Honestly, I did not know what to think. I was much too confused to even think straight. Everything was a blur to me now. Why did Pamela leave me without even a hint of warning last year? Why didn’t she tell me about the threats that Cassidy made toward her and Trish? Why did I have to spend several weeks in a mental purgatory because of a compulsive liar? This was Cassidy’s idea of revenge?
Why now - with everything between Lindsay, Devon and myself seemingly perfect - did Pamela have to come barging back into my life? I did not want her here!
I was having a good discussion with Devon just before Pamela and Trish made their return. Devon said that she would welcome Amy with open arms into our inner circle. Devon knew how much Amy meant to Lindsay, and thought it would be best if indeed, she did stay with us permanently.
In a way, I felt like crying. In fact, that was what I was doing at this current moment. All this shocking news about threats and blackmail... I just couldn’t handle it.
But in another way, I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs and going on an absolute rampage. I needed to punch something. I had to drive my fist into the wall. I had to take a lamp and throw it through a window.
Those would be outlets for my extreme anger, but I knew it would do me no good. Cassidy was dead. She had been killed in an automobile accident. My sole reason for all of this anger no longer existed.
Still, destroying things seemed like an excellent idea. I would have ample reason to go on a rampage, too. But, I was not that type of person. I had always prided myself in the art of self-composure and restraint.
Plus, going on a rampage would not change anything for the better. It would just make things worse.

* * *

“Hey!” Amy exclaimed, drawing my attention toward her, as Devon bristled past her and back into the front room. My eyes went wide as I noticed a trickle of blood coming from within Devon’s nose. What was happening to my paradise?
“You’re not going to ruin everything!” Devon roared, running across the room and lunging at Pamela. Fortunately, I was able to catch Devon before she got to Pamela, and pin her shoulders to the sofa.
“Settle down!” I exclaimed, every muscle within my body tight, and clenched.
“This isn’t right!” Devon screamed, suddenly crying. “It isn’t fair! I’ve built a life with you and Lindsay! Until now, everything about it was perfect! We were going to get married! Now, Pamela comes back and ruins everything!”
“What happened to you?” I asked, thumbing the stream of blood from her nose.
“Trish punched me!” Devon whined. “About knocked me out!
I-I don’t know where Lindsay is now! I couldn’t find them!”
Devon continued crying as Amy grabbed a box of Kleenex tissues from the nearby end table and offered them to her. Devon grabbed several of the tissues and held them under her nose, trying to ease the excess blood flow.
“I... I don’t want to ruin anything,” Pamela sobbed, shaking her head as she looked at Devon. “I just want my life back. I want my HUSBAND back.”
“NO!” Devon exclaimed, struggling to break free as I did my best to keep her pinned to the sofa. “Jeremy is not yours to claim anymore! He belongs to me and Lindsay! Even... even Amy has more of a right to him than you do!”
“You should have told me that Cassidy made these threats long ago,” I said to Pamela, taking a deep breath.
“You don’t get to be as rich and powerful as Jeremy is, without friends in high places,” Devon growled, still very upset at Pamela. “He could have had Cassidy taken care of before she was able to inhale her next breath!”
“No!” I countered, shaking my head at Devon. “Don’t say things like that. I’m not that type of person.” I turned toward Pamela and said, “You should have told me long ago. We would have figured out a way to keep her quiet.”
“I couldn’t take that chance!” Pamela whined. “When she brought my sister into it - made threats against Candice - I sort of snapped. I don’t even know how she knew about my family. How did she find them? How did she find Trish in Toronto? Those are things we never figured out.”
“Cassidy was a NOBODY,” I told her. “And besides, Pamela, I would have rather had my life turned upside down but still been with you. You were my wife, and I loved you.”
Unfortunately, those were words which Devon obviously did not care to hear. She turned her face to the side and began crying harder. Did Devon think she was losing me?
“I’m sorry, Jeremy,” Pamela screeched. “Maybe I should have told you. Trish has told me several times that Cassidy would have been pretty stupid to make threats like that against my sister. If anything bad happened to her, Cassidy would have been the prime suspect.”
“You should have trusted in me more, Pamela,” I offered.
“As it was, you ripped my heart out and stomped on it.”
“I know...” she cried. “But it’s all over now! I just want us to be together again! I love you so much, Jeremy. I didn’t even realize how much until you were no longer in my life. Maybe... maybe Cassidy destroying everything would have been better than the Hell I’ve put myself through.”
“I can’t believe this,” Devon sobbed, as I released my grip upon her shoulders. Finally, Devon seemed to have settled down. “You’re going back with her. I can’t believe it, Jeremy. I thought you loved us! I would never let some little, conniving bitch like Cassidy stand inbetween you and me, or Lindsay and me. I don’t care what threats she made!”
“We’re all different!” Pamela countered. “Obviously, I took her threats to heart. Perhaps I shouldn’t have, but I did! Not only that, but Cassidy also took all of that money you gave me in our divorce settlement, Jeremy.”
“You just let her take fifty million dollars from you?”
Devon asked, shocked.
“I was too scared to do anything else!” Pamela responded. “Me and Trish... we didn’t move to Toronto. We were living in San Francisco - close to where Cassidy was. She wanted to keep an eye on us. I... I’ve been working the past five months as a stripper. Trish has been a waitress at some dive. We... it was all we could do to survive. The perverts I dealt with every night; Trish being sexually harrassed at her job by her boss. It’s been absolute Hell!”
How could I say this without hurting Pamela’s feelings? Obviously, she had been through enough pain already. Even more than I have, it seemed. Pamela didn’t deserve anymore hurt. However, I had to be truthful with her.
“I’m sorry, Pamela. My life is with uhhh... Lindsay and Devon now.” Her eyes went wide as I continued, “We’ve even let Amy into our circle. I’m sorry, Pamela. I can’t get back with you. Times have changed - just as Devon said.”
“What?” Pamela asked in a shrill tone, as Devon literally breathed a sigh of relief. “Without you, Jeremy - these past seven months - the Hell, none of it is worth it. I need you, Jeremy. I... I’ve lived all these months so I could one day meet up with you, and get back together. Today is that day!” She paused and shook her head, then concluded, “But without you... I might as well just kill myself.”
“No!” I told her, shaking my head. At the same time, Devon reached out and touched Pamela’s shoulder in a very sympathetic manner. “You’re better than that,” I added. “I don’t want you to think that way.”
“Why can’t we be together?” Pamela asked me in a whisper.
“My life is different now,” was my answer.
“I love you, Jeremy. You were ripped away from me. We
should have never been apart. If not for Cassidy, we’d still be married... and happy.”
“I’m sorry,” I told her, shaking my head once more. “My life is with Lindsay, Devon and Amy now.”
“Oh God...” Pamela shrieked, covering her face with both hands while losing control of her emotions. “This... this isn’t right. This isn’t what I envisioned happening... I mean, Trish and I talked about what if your life had taken a different direction. But still, I never thought...”
“You should have trusted me!” I told her, suddenly allowing some of my own emotions - my hurt - to come out. “You should have told me, Pamela. I would have done something... ANYTHING, to keep all of you girls safe! You think I would have just let any old one come to my island?”
“I don’t know...” she cried, shaking her head. “Please don’t get mad at me, Jeremy. I just did what I thought was best. I... I was so scared!”
“I would have trusted you if the roles were reversed, Pamela!” were my ominous words. “Basically, you LIED to me.”
“We all react differently!” she sobbed. “My God, Jeremy! I’m not perfect... never claimed to be perfect!” She shook her head and added, “My life isn’t worth living anymore...”
“Don’t say that, Pamela,” I told her. “Don’t say that. I almost went that route after you and Trish left. It’s not a good thing. It may seem like the best option now, because you are upset and not thinking straight. But trust me... you have a full life ahead of you - with, or without me.”
“You almost killed yourself?” Pamela asked, in shock.
“He was about to jump off the cliff,” Devon answered in a
quiet tone. “Lindsay steered him away at the last second.”
“Lindsay!” I exclaimed, suddenly realizing that somewhere within this mansion, perhaps my little princess was being chased by Trish - the person she had convinced herself to hate over these past several months. My mind was clear enough now that I was well aware that I had to find her. What if Lindsay and Trish were the ones fighting now?
“_JEREMY_!” Pamela screamed, as I rose up from the sofa and made a frantic dash toward the adjoining corridor.

* * *

It took a few seconds, but I was able to hear a series of screams and cries, and pinpointed them as being in close proximity to my personal suite. When I got there, I found Trish splayed out upon the carpet, leaning against the door. Apparently, she was pleading her case to Lindsay - just as Pamela had done to me. My best guess was that Lindsay had barricaded herself into our suite.
“I love you, Lindsay!” Trish bawled, pounding on the door with an open hand. “I gave up my entire life for you!”
I tried opening the door, but it was locked. “Stay back,” I told Trish in a strict tone, pointing a finger at her, as I reached into my pocket and fished out a pair of keys. I used them to unlock the door, then slipped inside and closed it just as quickly. Trish slapped the door as I then locked it.
“MAKE ‘EM GO AWAY!” Lindsay cried, sprawled out upon her side on the bed, clutching at her stomach. “I don’t want them here! Make ‘em go away, Jeremy! Make ‘em go away...”
I was still incredibly upset and angry, but knew that I had to be a pillar of strength for Lindsay. I joined her on the bed and took her into my arms, offering her a warm embrace. “I really don’t want them here either, honey.”
“How am I supposed to trust what Trish says?” Lindsay whined. “Last year, Trish said she loved me and would do anything for me! Then, when she left, Trish said I was nothing more than a good f-fuck to her. She said she did not care about me one bit! Now... Trish is back to saying that she loves and wants me. I just can’t trust her...”
“It’s okay,” I said, offering Lindsay an even tighter embrace. “I understand exactly how you feel. I am going through many of the same things right now with Pamela.”
Lindsay pulled away from me and with tears running down her face, she looked into my eyes. “Is Pamela trying to get you back, too?”
I nodded but quickly told her, “I don’t want Pamela, though. I want you and Devon. We can throw Amy in there, too. But I want you and Devon the most. My life is with the two of you now... not Pamela, or even Trish.”
“I love you, Jeremy!” the 19-year-old shrieked, throwing her arms around me and squeezing tightly.
“JEREMY!” I heard Pamela scream from outside the door.
“ARE YOU IN THERE, JEREMY?”
“Make ‘em go away!” Lindsay pleaded once again. “Oh God, not this! Not now! I don’t want them here!”
Next, it sounded like there was a scuffle taking place. Someone first hit the door, then the floor, with a loud and resounding thump. The sound caused Lindsay to suddenly get up from the bed and run over to the door.
When she opened it, Devon was laying upon the floor with even more blood coming from her nose. Amy was leaning down beside her, offering Trish a spiteful look as she stood above them, her fist clenched. Pamela was standing back, with a mortified expression upon her face. Obviously, Trish had just punched Devon in the nose - again.
Lindsay took one glance at Devon and simply snapped.
“GET OUT OF HERE!” she screamed, throwing an elbow and connecting with Trish’s face. The Canadian went down in a heap, then stared at Lindsay with a mixture of mental shock and physical pain etched upon her face. “WE DON’T WANT YOU IN OUR LIVES ANYMORE! GO! LEAVE!”
“But Lindsay...” Trish pleaded, as the little blonde knelt down to tend to her fallen girlfriend. Both of them said something to each other, then Lindsay helped Devon up and guided her into our suite.
“LINDSAY!” Trish bawled.
“I don’t care!” the teen-ager suddenly growled, turning
her head to look back at Trish. “I don’t care what Cassidy made you do! I would have NEVER said those things to you, Trish. NEVER! I don’t care what someone threatened me with! I would have NEVER called you a... whore, and said that I did not care about you anymore! True or false, you destroyed my life! I almost killed myself over you!”
“I just wanted everyone to be safe!” Trish cried. “She was making threats of criminals over-taking the island...” I then realized that Trish was bleeding from the nose as well. I didn’t know until now that Lindsay was capable of actually decking another person like that.
“Stay away from Devon!” she hissed, her eyes focused upon Trish. “Lay a finger on her again, and you’ll regret it!”
“But Lindsay!” Trish protested, as the door was slammed shut (and locked) in front of her. Trish pounded on the door once again, but it was no use. Now, Lindsay was not even going to acknowledge her presence.
“We should have never come back...” Pamela sobbed, falling to her knees as she stared blankly at me.

<<<- End of Part 20 ->>>