Worst Fear 8

Chapter 8 

Victoria 

I had never stepped foot in a prison before. I had no business here anyway, but today, as I entered, the scent of disinfectant and something rotten beneath it attacked my nostrils, making me crinkle my nose in disgust. 

The walls looked dull and lifeless, like the people in orange jumpsuits who walked past me. But none of them mattered. I was here for one person. 

Lydia. 

I walked over to the officer and informed him of my reasons for being there. Being a socialite, he immediately recognized me and rushed to do my bidding. 

I walked into the visitor’s room and sat patiently; after only a couple of minutes, I heard the other door open and watched as she made her way in. 

When she saw me, her whole body stiffened. Good. My smirk widened at her expression, but not for long, as my gaze drifted to her stomach instead. She was pregnant? 

How? 

Why?! 

My expression contorted in disgust as I stared at her. I wondered if Mason knew of this but then concluded that he did not. 

If he did, then he’d push for her hearing so she would get properly taken care of until she birthed the baby. He might even decide to drop all charges, but he didn’t. That meant he had no idea. 

Good. 

She looked away first. Of course, she did. She knew she didn’t belong in my presence. “How are you enjoying your stay in prison?” I asked, my voice smooth despite the growing unease. 

Lydia’s fingers twitched slightly before she clasped them together again. “It’s quite miserable, thank you,” she said, forcing herself to sit up straighter. 

I smiled. “Doesn’t this feel homely for you? You’re finally with your new family, the one you belong to.” 

Her lips parted, then closed again. She took a slow breath. “I’m sorry, what was your purpose of being here again?” 

“I just wanted to soak in the sight. It’s so beautiful I could stare at it all night.” I tilted my head slightly, smirking. “You, our dearest little orphan slave.” 

Her back stiffened. “Enough with the insults, Victoria. Although I have been very lenient with you, you shouldn’t-” 

I scoffed. “Lenient?” I leaned forward slightly, dropping my voice. “You have no class. No history. No name to stand on. Nothing to offer my son.” 

Her fists clenched, but she didn’t speak. I could see it-the battle in her mind. She wanted to fight back, but she knew better. 

I’ve worked so hard to make sure Mason has everything,” I continued, my tone sharpening. “He deserves someone from a good family, with class, someone who can give him a proper child.” 

Her entire body tensed at that. She didn’t look at me. Good. She was feeling it now, the weight of her insignificance. 

1/4 

Chapter 8 

“Not that thing in your womb right now.” 

Her breath hitched, and for a brief second, I saw the tears welling up in her eyes. But she swallowed them down. God, I was enjoying this. 

“You,” I continued, my voice unwavering, “are nothing more than a mistake.” 

Lydia’s lips parted slightly, but she didn’t say anything. She knew I was right. “You don’t belong with my son,” I pressed on. “You think Mason would want to raise a child with you?” 

She swallowed hard, her eyes darting to the side for a moment before finally looking at me again. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. 

I leaned back in my chair, studying her. “Because my son deserves better. He deserves someone with a family that matters. Not some girl who came from nothing. An abandoned nuisance.” Her hands shook slightly, but she tried to keep her face blank. 

“I never had an affair with your husband, neither did I kill him, and you know that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. I laughed lightly. 

“You think I’m stupid?” I tilted my head. “Everyone knows you were sleeping with him. You’re nothing but a liar.” 

“I didn’t,” she said, louder this time. “I was framed. By you.” 

I smirked. “No one cares.” 

Her jaw tightened. “You knew,” she said, her voice suddenly steadier. “You knew the kind of man your husband was. You knew what he’d tried to do to your own daughter, yet you said nothing.” 

I didn’t even blink. I simply tilted my head slightly, amused. “And?” 

“And you still let me take the fall for it?” she asked, her voice shaking now. I chuckled. “Oh, Lydia, don’t act so surprised. You think I didn’t know what kind of man I married? Of course, I knew. I knew every single disgusting thing about him.” 

She sucked in a breath. 

“But do you know the difference between you and me?” I leaned forward, my voice dropping. “I knew how to handle him. I knew how to ignore it. You poke-nosed.” 

Her fists clenched again. “You knew he was an abuser. You knew the things he tried to do to Zoe. And yet, you’re acting like I was the problem.” 

“Because you were the problem,” I snapped. “You were young, foolish, and stupid enough to think you could play in my family. You weren’t meant to be part of this family, and I had to make sure you never would be.” 

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “So, that’s what this is about? You didn’t want me around, so you framed me once you had the perfect opportunity?” 

I shrugged. “I did what I had to do. You were a mistake, Lydia. A mistake my son never should have made.” 

She clenched her jaw so tightly I thought she might break a tooth. “And the baby?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Your own grandchild? You’d want it born… here?” 

I let out a small, amused sigh. “That thing inside you?” I sneered. “It is not my grandchild. It is nothing to me.” 

She inhaled sharply. “You don’t even care about your blood,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t care that your son will be a father. You don’t care about anything except yourself.” 

2/4 

I smiled, pleased. “You finally understand, Lydia. I don’t care. Not about you, not about the filth in your womb, and certainly not about my husband’s death. He was a pathetic man. Weak. Useless. Just like you.” I lied; I only care about Zoe and Mason; everything I do is for them. 

“You’re a monster,” she whispered. 

“And you’re just now realizing that?” 

“My hearing is coming up soon,” she said, meeting my gaze. “I will get out, and I’ll get full custody of my child. The truth about your husband will come out, and Mason will never forgive you.” 

I smiled wider. Oh, she was so naive. “Oh, sweet girl,” I said mockingly. “That’s if you’ll even be brought before the law.” 

“What do you mean?” 

I stood up, smoothing out my dress. “Enjoy your time here, Lydia. You might be staying longer than you think.” 

“You think you can stop me from getting out? I will expose you, Victoria.” 

I turned toward the door but glanced back at her one last time. “You still don’t understand how powerful I am, do you?” 

She glared at me. “You can’t control everything, Victoria. The truth always comes out eventually.” 

I chuckled as I walked away. “We’ll see about that, Lydia.” 

I stepped out of the prison, feeling lighter than I had in weeks. The air outside was fresher today, and the sky was clear. The world always seemed a little brighter when things were going my way. And right now, they were. 

Lydia was exactly where she belonged: trapped, helpless, drowning in her misery. The look on her face when I spit it out to her when I made it clear she would never have a place in my family had been everything I wanted to see. She was breaking, little by little. 

But it wasn’t enough. 

I paused on the last step, adjusting the strap of my purse. Lydia was a problem, yes, but that baby-that was something else entirely. That baby was a threat. If that baby is born, Lydia could use it to crawl back into Mason’s life. 

She could use it as leverage, as a way to get sympathy, or worse, she could give him an ultimatum that’d leave him with no choice but to choose her. And I couldn’t allow that. 

Not now. Not ever. 

And the hearing… Mason would be present at the hearing and find out about the pregnancy. No, no, no. No way. 

I’ll just have to do something about this-and quickly. Mason must not see Lydia. He should never know about the pregnancy. 

I pulled up my phone from my purse and dialed a private number. “Nice to hear from you again, Mrs. Woods.” I heard a deep voice say from the other side. 

“Hello, Jack.”