Chapter 24: Just As Free, Free as We'll Ever Be

*REAL HADLEY'S POV*

...Over time...

Ugh...I have never been a big fan of all these rags, but now I can't stomach them at all.

Mason has really taken the majority of the heat for the "Madley Split" as the paparazzi has dubbed it.  He has been called a cheater, philanderer, a liar, a bad father, a bad person, an asshole, pretty much every name in the book.  I have been called a home-wrecker, a tramp, a slut, pretty much any derogatory name you can think of as well, but I didn't have as much notoriety, so I have been able to avoid the paparazzi - at least a little bit.

"Hadley" on the other hand has been all over the media - giving interviews, articles, television shows, she has become the jilted divorcee' turned Phoenix rising from the ashes and overcoming adversity.  After everyone got over the initial shock, of course they wanted to hear what happened, and she was so kind to oblige.  

Huh, best of luck to her is all I can say.

We might not have much, but this is what we have to look at every evening - and that's what we do.  We sit out on our back porch in the quiet, calm, serenity of nature and be together.  After all that has happened, that's really all we want.

Aunt Z found us a great little plot of land that overlooks the river and we are more than content to live in a little one bedroom, one bath house.

We have become boring over time, Mason still goes to work, thank goodness all the bad publicity has done wonders for fans in the stadium, even though they all hate him, they all want to see him and when the wives are booing, the husbands are realizing what a kick-ass football player Mason is and are secretly cheering - which is enough for me.

Even though it was shaky at first, our sex life has returned with renewed life and fire.  I'll admit it was weird for Mason being with me because I'm not in my old body anymore, but he got over it after awhile.  I would say he got over it a little too quickly, but what at least I'm the one benefiting.

I guess it's safe to say we're pretty happy in our life and we have been content to just keep going as is.

Until one day, we have a visitor...

We normally never have anyone visiting and certainly no one rings the doorbell.  Our family has a strict "walk right in" policy - even our threats of walking around the house naked haven't deterred them, so it was startling, after not hearing the doorbell in months, suddenly hearing it one afternoon.

"Who on the planet could that be?" Mason asks as he heads to the door.

I just shrug.

"Mason, it's so good to see you," I hear a familiar voice ringing like a pleasant song.

"Oh, uh, hey," he replies.

I peak out the window and see that it's Melody Sky - a challenge mother friend of mine, or of the old me.

I brace myself because we have had a couple friends of mine that didn't realize what was going on show up and clock Mason good, but nothing like that happens.

"Melody, how have you been?" He asks, obviously surprised at how not piping hot angry at him she is.

"Well, I was wonderful until I came into town, Mason," 

Her we go...

"Who is that wretched woman in Hadley's body?"