The Comeback

Chapter Twenty-Five

Renee

"Why does it look like a war counsel in here?" I said as I walked into the dining room where Jack, Ray and Roman were sitting with cups of coffee. I was still holding reusable bags that contained food for the barbecue for dinner tonight. 

"Here let me take those sweet-pea." Papa Rey stated as he pushed his chair back and took the bags out of my hand. "Where are the twins?" 

"They are took the other bags to the kitchen and said they were going to the Garden afterwards." I explained. 

"Take a seat and I'll bring you a cup of tea." Papa Ray replied and placed a kiss on the top of my head. "The boys will update you."

I shrugged my shoulders and make my way to the seat that Ray occupied. I sit down and stretch out my legs. "What's going on? Why so serious?" I questioned. 

Roman lets out a sigh. I can see that he holding himself back, he always does when he has a bad news. He could never understand how that creates a storm in my stomach, the anxiety starts to build from his silence. Whereas Jack, is the complete opposite. He jumps the gun and doesn't mince his words. He isn't the sympathetic type of person, but his honesty is admirable. Sometimes I wonder how these two men are best friends. 

"Well seeing as Roman is going to pussy out of telling you what's going on, I will do the honours." Jack started to explain. "Renee, things are going to get messy. We know that Liza is essentially the mistress between you and Lewis, but she has given a tell all interview saying that you and Roman have been having an affair for years, with you being the reason for the divorce." 

"But I didn't even know him when they got divorced!" I protested with anger. 

"We all know that, unfortunately tabloids don't care whether it is true or not. That is the only information that Daddy has been able to get in relation to her interview. We do not know what else she has shared, but my bet is she will be blaming you and Roman for the reason of why she does not have access to the twins." Jack continued. He holds his hand up before I even have a chance to interrupt. "We all know the reason she can't see the kids, but again there is a gag order stopping us from revealing the truth in relation to the court proceedings."

I can't help but feel hopeless in this moment of time. It feels like I am being punished for something that wasn't my fault. I couldn't let the boys suffer and hide the evidence of Liza's abuse towards her children. Even if she denied it was her, it still happened under her supervision. She was either defending her boyfriend at the time or protecting herself, either way the boys weren't safe and I wouldn't forgive myself if something had worse had happened to them. 

"What am I going to do?" I questioned as I started to tug at the end of my hair. 

"Simple, we've hired a PR group and they will sort out a campaign against Liza and Lewis. All I can say is that it is going to get messy. The PR company handling your affairs wanted me to ask whether there is anything they need to be aware of? Any secrets that Lewis may use against you?" Jack stated. 

I couldn't help but feel my heart thump at his words. Secrets? There were many private conversations with Lewis. We had spent over ten years together, how could there not be secrets between us. Even if he betrayed my heart, I couldn't deny that he knew me better than anyone else in the world. Although Roman was my best friend, he didn't know about my past. It isn't something that I am ashamed of, it's just something that I don't talk about. A part of me wants to believe that Lewis would keep my secrets, would hide my past but another part of me is scared - because the man I knew and was in love with, wouldn't have cheated on me. I can't help but wipe the tears that are escaping my eyes, I don't know what hurts more. The thought of Lewis betraying me in every way or the past that I keep running from. 

"Renee, what's going on?" Roman asked with compassion laced in his voice. 

I choked down a sob. "You don't think he will betray me like that? After everything he has done so far?" I questioned. 

"Renee." Roman sighed out. "I don't know if Lewis will betray you by outing your past to the media, but we can't doubt that he might have told Liza. If he's told Liza then it is guaranteed that she will share what she knows with the media. She's out for blood." 

Clenching my fist under the table, I can't help but worry for my future. I don't ever talk about that part of my life, it was dark and abysmal. It was something I never wanted to dwell on, Roman knew bits and pieces but he was always the type of person who didn't push for information. Jack on the other hand had the confidence and killer instinct to find out every secret hidden. It wouldn't surprise me if he already knew the answer to his question, it was just how much did he know?

"How much do you know Jack?" I responded in defeat. 

Jack's face with as much sympathy as he can muster. As much as Jack is fun-loving and light to be around, he is equally just as ruthless, a habit I assumed he had inherited from his father. People who didn't know him would always underestimate him, but those who were close to him, knew that was a miscalculation. "I know enough, but the details are limited." Jack replied. 

"What are you both talking about?" Roman exasperated. 

"My past. My childhood." I whispered. "Lewis knows all about it, well as much as someone does because he was present during it, but even what he knows is limited. However, if he wanted more information he would know where to get it and where to find it." I sobbed into my hands. 

"Renee your scaring me, what the fuck happened? You've never been this scared before. You gotta tell us or we can't help you." Roman gets up from his chair and makes his way to my side. He rubbed my back soothingly.

"My childhood was not all sunshine and daisies, a lot happened. I have been running from it for some time. It's not that I'm scared, it's just that it is my past. I have always wanted to leave it where it was."

"Renee, we need to know the full story if we're going to help." Jack empathetically stated. 

I sigh and push myself back into the chair. I can feel that my eyes are red and puffy from crying. I open my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I inhale deeply and try to exhale the large breath in my lungs only for it to feel like it is stuck. My heart is hammering, it's all that I can hear in the mix of the ringing in my ears. I haven't felt like this since I was a teenager. 

It's then that I have the first panic attack in ten years.