AFTER THE FALL
PROLOGUE
Bits and pieces of their dream came
rushing back as she opened the mailer containing the divorce papers she had
asked Mickey Horton to draw up for her. Strangely drawn to their special place,
Marlena Evans-Black stood on the pier and looked out over the murky depths of
the Salem River, thinking of days gone by. Memories of love and friendship
played out over more than a decade. Picnics in the park when the kids were
young, soccer games and ballet recitals, baking cookies at Christmas time,
basking in the warmth of a glowing fire during the thick of winter, making love
under the stars on Smith Island on a perfect Summer's night....
The images presented themselves without
warning, ending with pictures of one magical moment that had taken place almost
two years earlier. Maybe that was all that was meant for them, all there would
ever be....
With an expression of pure blissful
adoration, he gazed into her moist hazel eyes and spoke the words of forever,
as he lightly grasped her hands. "I, John take you, Marlena, to be my
lawfully wedded wife.... to have and to hold from this day forward, for better
for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, until death do us part.... "
She sighed tiredly, glancing at the
papers again. 'Well, in a sense that's what's happening.... our love has
died.... and the man I married is no longer in sight. The aggravating voice in
the back of her head kept pushing for a decision... one she wasn't entirely
sure she had made...'So, go ahead... send
him the papers, Marlena.. just get it overwith! You know it's for the best....
a clean break is the only way to go....'
Oh hush! What if I'm not ready for that? What if... in spite
of everything I still...love him? What am I supposed to do then?
'Okay... then let him stay.... but don't
expect him to change... he went back to Stefano Marlena.... think about that!' Oh,
dear God I'm so confused! What should I do?
A sudden chill came over her, followed
by the sound of a voice that was unmistakable, "Hello Marlena... maybe I
can help you with your decision. I.. "
She labored to hide the cold shivers his
presence created before she turned to face him, yelling at him, "You...
get out of my sight, you evil bastard! You're the one to blame for this! You
were the one who set it all in motion. You used and manipulated them... made
them into other people... you're sick and I want nothing to do with you!"
It made him laugh but he managed to
contain his reaction in order to keep her there, "Ah... ah, ah...
Marlena... John betrayed you, not I... John came to ME! You cannot blame me for
the fact that he would rather confide in me than deal with his problems
honestly. I was not responsible for his misguided choices."
"You're right.... he was
responsible for his actions.... and he came to you of his own free will, but I
know that you twisted things around on him... you made him believe that what
happened was his fault... when it wasn't at all. And you played on his
insecurities... you fed on his fear of abandonment. And because of that, he
lied to me, and now our marriage is in a shambles."
"So... now I'm to blame for the
fact that *you* filed for divorce, am I to understand you correctly,
Marlena?" he said, looking down at the envelope she held at her side.
He was maddening and she wished she
could strike him down on the spot for his part in destroying their dream.
"Yes... and don't you *dare* be coy with me, Stefano... you know the
truth! John believed he had nowhere else to go... he was alone and
vulnerable... and you *used* his desperation to take control over him again....
And then you picked right up where you left off... forcing him to do your
bidding. He never had a chance!" she hissed at him with a fiery contempt
he found oddly attractive.
His power over their lives never ceased
to amaze him....and he smiled for a moment before speaking very deliberately,
reminding her of the scenario as it played out. "Marlena... believe it or not, John came to me
uninvited... and he offered to come back to work for me because you rejected
him... You and the entire Brady family essentially told him you wanted nothing
more to do with him, so he returned to the only other life he'd known. I will
not apologize for taking him back when he asked me to do so, and I will not
take responsibility for his behavior on the night in question."
"Oh, that's just perfect.... You orchestrate the situation and then you stand back and pretend as though it was an act of benevolence, rescuing a stray from life on the streets. We all know that what happened to John is as much your fault as his... but you have an answer for everything, don't you?"
He smiled at the accuracy of her
assessment on that one point, "Yes... I do... now what have you
decided?"
Putting the envelope in her briefcase,
she faced off with him, trying to read his motives, "Oh, I think that I'm
going to hold onto these for awhile, let things settle down a little bit. John
deserves at least that much, if only for old time's sake. "
"Oh... and here I thought you were
quite anxious to finalize the proceedings before the trial began. To cut all
ties, as rumor has it. I have even heard reports that you've been considering
testifying against him. You must be very angry with him if you're willing to
help convict him."
She hesitated to give him any
information about her intentions, but found herself needing to explain it,
maybe for her benefit. "Yes.... I have considered it... but not because of
my anger... If, I testify.. and it's a big if.. I would be doing it in order to
help him, Stefano! In my opinion..... John needs treatment, not a prison
sentence. And about the divorce... I won't be signing any papers just yet, not
if it's what *you* want me to do. But tell me something, Stefano... why does it
matter to you, anyway?"
He smiled benignly, but his eyes
revealed something much darker, "Oh, it doesn't really.... I am merely
curious to see what life holds in store for the two of you."
Shaking her head, she didn't bother to
respond to the lie, "I don't even know why I'm standing here talking to
you. I have much better things to do. Goodbye Stefano!"
He watched her go, thinking about how
little she still understood of his nature and his ways.
She was so far off.....
Sandra H. Bondelier
2001-2004