Her Perfect Revenge

by Anna Mara

  All these thoughts swirled in Christina's brain.

  * * *

  When Jenny returned, Christina took the pregnancy test and it came up positive. She was indeed pregnant—and she was elated. She was carrying Bill's baby!

  Jenny insisted on taking Christina to the doctor to make sure. The doctor confirmed what both women already knew. Christina was indeed pregnant—seven weeks along. When they got back to the apartment, Christina took her friend aside.

  "Jenny, you have to promise me that you won't tell Bill," Christina implored.

  "Of course, but Chrissy, he's the baby's father. He has a right to know. You have to tell him."

  "I haven't decided yet. I don't want him back in my life out of pity or some sense of duty."

  "Chrissy, you have to think about the baby first, now. And a child needs their father in their life. Look at Taylor. My ex-husband is a creep but he is a good father and she needs him. We make it work for her sake."

  "Jenny, I'm so confused and I don't know what to do," Christina wailed.

  "Okay, don't get excited. You don't have to make any decisions today, do you? Just go over all the pros and cons. The baby does have a right to have their father in their life and you're going to need child support."

  "No way do I want his money. No!" Christina burst out.

  "Think about it before you make a final decision. A child is very expensive and you want the best for your baby, don't you? And you can barely afford to live off of your salary, let alone you and a baby."

  "Jenny, no!"

  "All I'm saying is, think about everything first and then decide."

  * * *

  In the end, Christina decided to tell Bill about the baby after all. But she couldn't face him, person-to-person, and tell him.

  What if he told her he didn't care? What if he accused her of planning the pregnancy to trap him? What if he didn't believe it was even his baby? He could hurl a thousand accusations at her and she didn't think she was strong enough to handle it.

  No—what she would do was write him a letter, telling him about the pregnancy and send it to the GME office. He would certainly get it there.

  It took a whole day for Christina to compose the letter. She wanted it to be just right. In it, she was brief and to the point, telling him point blank about her pregnancy. She stated she'd leave it up to him to contact her if he wanted to be part of this baby's life—or not. Whatever decision he made, she told him, she would abide. She then mailed it out and waited for his reply.

  She didn't have to wait long. By the end of the week, the letter had been returned—unopened. She recognized his writing on the front of the envelope where he'd written 'Return To Sender'.

  There—that was her answer.

  Even though he hadn't opened the letter and obviously didn't know about the baby, he'd made it perfectly clear he still hated her and didn't want anything to do with her. And Christina had too much pride to try a second time. No—now she knew what she had to do. She'd have this baby on her own and she'd never tell him.

  It was truly and irrevocably over between them. The love they had shared was gone—and she was on her own.

  Chapter 66

  Over the next few weeks, Christina's spirits picked up and she started taking better care of herself. After all, she had a little person to think about now. She still hadn't told her parents or anyone else about her pregnancy. Only Jenny knew. She'd tell everyone when she'd start to show more.

  During this time, Jenny was still very worried about her friend. And she couldn't let go of the idea that things really weren't over yet between Christina and Bill, especially now with a baby on the way. If only those two could talk, if they could see each other again—maybe, just maybe—there was hope? Love like that didn't just die and go away.

  The idea kept rambling on in Jenny's brain and she did something she shouldn't have. She made a cold call to Bill's friend, Jake Monroe at the GME office, without Christina's knowledge.

  "Jake Monroe here," the voice on the other end said.

  Jenny took a deep breath and rushed on. "Hi… Jake. My name's Jenny Lewis… well, actually it used to be Jenny Street back at Cloverdale High. You probably don't remember me but we went out once and…"

  "I remember you. We went out and then you moved away right after that. Was it something I said?" he joked.

  Jenny nervously laughed. "No… I… my father got transferred. I… ummm… the reason I'm calling is… I'd like to meet with you and discuss my good friend, Christina Matteo."

  There was a long pause before Jake replied. "I don't know what you'd have to talk to me about her for."

  "Please, I just want to talk to you. Can we meet somewhere… maybe for coffee or something?"

  There was another long pause. "Sorry, Jenny but I don't know Christina. I only ever met her in high school."

  "Please, just a cup of coffee and if you think I'm out of line, then you can leave." There was another pause. "Please?"

  Jake sighed. His best friend had been hurt terribly by that woman but the way Jenny was asking him and the fact that he was curious to see her again after all these years, he reluctantly agreed to meet her.

  * * *

  Jake Monroe was already waiting for Jenny at the coffee shop when she arrived. He had parked himself and his wheelchair at one of the tables in the back and Jenny thought he was even more handsome than he'd been in high school.

  "You'll excuse me if I don't stand up when a lady arrives," he joked.

  "Thanks for meeting me, Jake," Jenny laughed, as she sat down opposite him.

  "So, what do you think of my new wheels? Not as cool as the ones I used to have in high school," he joked again. Jake was nervous. He didn't know whether Jenny had known he was in a wheelchair or not, and he was trying to ease the awkwardness if she hadn't.

  "Oh, I don't know; they look pretty cool to me," she smiled at him.

  Jake was taken aback at her beauty. "Wow, you're even prettier than you were in high school!" he quipped.

  "Thank you." Jenny was slightly embarrassed. She was such a mom these days, focusing all her energy on Taylor that she'd forgotten what it was like to get a compliment from a man—especially one as gorgeous as Jake Monroe.

  They ordered their coffees next and then Jenny got down to business.

  "Jake, I'm a very good friend of Christina's and I know everything that happened between her and Bill."

  Jake's eyes narrowed. "Bill's my good friend so I know it all too, and Christina is not one of my favorite topics of conversation right now. In fact, you could say, I don't really like the woman at all."

  "She's a good person, really. She's not like what you imagine at all. She's…"

  Jake interrupted her. "Jenny, all I know about her is what she's done to my friend and I'm not impressed."

  "Maybe, since you're Bill's friend, maybe you could ask him to see her again… to talk to her, maybe give her a chance to explain?"

  "That's not a good idea."

  "But if they just saw each other one last time, maybe…"

  "Did she put you up to this? To come here and ask me?"

  "No! She doesn't even know I'm talking to you. She'll have my head if she finds out."

  "Then maybe it's best if the two of us stay out of it. She's not good for Bill and he doesn't want to see her ever again."

  "Look, I just know that if they talked, maybe they could work things out and then…"

  "No, Jenny!" Jake was so forceful that Jenny was taken aback. He looked at her then and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout but you don't understand." He paused as if deciding whether to tell her something or not. "Bill's in rehab."

  "What?" Jenny gasped out her surprise.

  "He started drinking and partying hard again. He's been on a booze binge 24/7 since the spilt with Christina, a really bad one. Some of us… his friends… we had to do an intervention this week and we got him into rehab a few days ago."

  Jenny was shocked. "He's drinking again
?"

  Jake nodded. "Your friend really did a number on him. I've never seen him this devastated. He didn't even give a crap about his father throwing him out of the Havenwood money. It was all her. He went back to drinking because of her. So you see why it's imperative that she stay away from him, especially now?"

  Still flabbergasted, Jenny nodded. "How long is he in rehab for?"

  "At least twenty-eight days, more if necessary. And when he comes out, he's going to have to pick up the pieces of his life and move on… without the alcohol. He'll still be destroyed over her but he's got to deal with it sober and that's going to be hard to do. I don't even know if he'll make it. He was that hurt. So tell your friend, if she really cares for him to please leave him alone. That's the best thing she could do for him."

  Jenny was still so shocked she could only nod her head again. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

  Jake suddenly felt bad for being so harsh with her. "Hey, I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to come down hard on you."

  "It's okay. I understand." She stood up then. "Thanks anyway for meeting me."

  "Hey? Where are you going? We still have to drink our coffees."

  "Well… I…"

  "Please, Jenny, sit back down. Let's at least do that."

  Slowly, Jenny sat down. "So tell me all about what you've been up to since our big date in high school." He smiled at her, clearly interested.

  * * *

  The next day after work, Jenny went to see Christina at her apartment. She was going to come clean about what she'd done in meeting Jake Monroe.

  They were sitting on Christina's couch and Christina had just walked in with the coffee. Jenny put a restraining hand on her friend's arm as she sat down.

  "Chrissy, I have to confess something and I think you're going to be mad at me but I only had your best interests at heart and…"

  "Oh God, Jenny! You didn't tell Bill about the baby, did you?" Christina gushed out.

  "No! I promised you I wouldn't and I meant it. No, what I did was… I called Jake Monroe and asked him to meet with me."

  "Oh no, Jenny, why'd you do that?" an exasperated Christina sighed.

  "Because you're so unhappy and I hate to see you like this and I thought maybe he could talk to Bill and…" Jenny paused.

  "He refused?"

  Jenny nodded. "Yes. He also told me some things that I don't want to tell you but I think you should know."

  Suddenly, Christina was very worried. "Is it Bill? Has something happened to him? Jenny, you have to tell me what you know."

  Jenny paused again. "Chrissy, Jake said that Bill's in a rehab center. He started drinking again after your split."

  "Oh my God!" Christina's hands started to shake and her face paled.

  Jenny continued. "He apparently was so hurt by what happened between the two of you that Jake said Bill has been drunk for the past couple of months and they only got him help this week. He said…" She paused again, reluctant to go on.

  "He said what, Jenny? You have to tell me, please!"

  "Jake said that if you really care about Bill, you'll leave him alone. He needs to get on with his life, sober, when he gets out and you're too dangerous for him to deal with. I'm sorry."

  Christina's heart sank. Deep, deep down, she'd harbored a fantasy that somehow, in the not too distant future, this baby would somehow bring them back together, and he would forgive her, and they could be a real family.

  But it was all a pipe dream. It wasn't going to happen for her—ever. She was bad news for him. He would always remember what she'd done to him and she couldn't ever take the chance that somehow it would be her fault that he would go back to drinking again—as it had been her fault this time.

  No—she and Bill were never meant to be and it was best for his sobriety if she stayed away from him—forever.

  A thought popped into Christina's mind. "Jenny, you didn't say anything to Jake about the baby, did you?"

  "No! Never!"

  Christina breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for that."

  Jenny was nervously biting her lip. "Chrissy, you're not mad at me for going to see Jake, are you? Please say you're not."

  Christina smiled at her friend. "No, I'm not mad. If you hadn't gone, we would never have found out about this."

  Jenny kept biting her lip. "There's something else. Jake… well, he kind of asked me out… but I won't go out with him if it's awkward for you. Our friendship means more."

  Christina smiled for her friend's sake. "Oh Jenny, you're such a good friend. No, you go out with him and have fun. Just because I screwed up my chance with one of the rat bastards from high school doesn't mean you can't have your chance with the other one." She was trying to lighten up the situation and not show Jenny how worried she really was about Bill.

  Jenny hugged Christina. "Thank you. And I promise, I won't say anything about the baby."

  * * *

  Christina didn't have to worry about Jenny mentioning the baby because of what happened later that week. She was so worried and stressed about Bill drinking again that a few days later she started spotting. Jenny quickly took her to the hospital emergency and Christina lost the baby. She miscarried just short of her third month.

  And she was devastated all over again.

  The baby had been her last link to Bill and now she didn't even have that anymore. The doctor at the hospital told her it was perfectly normal for a woman to miscarry her first pregnancy especially during her first three months—that it wasn't anything that she'd done wrong or should blame herself for. But Christina knew differently. This was all karma coming back at her for what she'd done to him.

  And the tears came down again…

  Chapter 67

  It was the beginning of December and Christmas was in the air in New York City. Lights were up, stores were decorated, snow was falling and the mood was joyful. A year and a half had passed since that fateful night when Bill had thrown Christina out of his life. It had felt more like a lifetime to Christina.

  But Christina was made of stronger stuff than even she would have believed. After she had lost the baby and knew there was no hope for reconciliation with Bill, she had picked herself up and moved on. Her survival instincts had kicked in as she had faced herself in the mirror and realized that she had to put this chapter of her life behind her and forge ahead.

  So, she had buried all of her feelings for him, put the past behind her and started her life over again. What else could she do? She had cried enough tears to fill a swimming pool.

  She'd spent too many days moping around her apartment; and too many sleepless nights thinking about him and what might have been.

  No more.

  The baby was gone.

  He was gone.

  And if she didn't start her life over again, she would spiral downwards into a hopeless pit of depression that she'd never be able to climb out of. And she wouldn't do that to herself.

  What was done… was done.

  It was over.

  No more pity, no more regrets, no more sorrow. It was time to get on with the business of life.

  Christina decided to focus on her career instead. That had always made her happy in the past. Photojournalism had been her passion and she would rekindle that passion and it would help her out of her sadness.

  And it had.

  Over the past year and a half, Christina had begun to take more and more assignments for Streetwise Magazine and had even begun to freelance for other magazines as well. Her job started to take her around the country as she'd begun to concentrate on the political scene in different states. Several of her photos had even been published in some of the more respected political magazines and she'd begun to make some decent money for a change. Her career was definitely on the upswing.

  Because she'd been traveling so much for her job, she'd not been able to see Jenny as often as she would have liked.

  But they still lived in the same apartment building and they still were the best of friends. If they
couldn't see each other as often as they had before, they still constantly telephoned each other and were always up on the latest gossip in each other's lives.

  Jenny still worked as the receptionist at Streetwise, and she and Jake Monroe had been dating for the entire year and a half. She'd fallen in love with him and he was in love with her. Little Taylor adored Jake and all three were now considering becoming a family and making it official.

  The subject of Christina was still a bone of contention between Jenny and Jake, though. Even though Jenny had explained things to Jake about her friends' motives for her revenge plan against Bill and how she had been deeply scarred by their high school prank, Jake was still mad at Christina. He had seen the devastation she had caused in his friend's life and he couldn't forgive her.

  Jake had met Christina a couple of times now—accidentally—when she'd dropped by Jenny's apartment and he'd been there too. Jenny had introduced them to each other and Jake had been very cool towards her.

  After Christina had left, Jenny and Jake had had a huge fight. Chrissy was her best friend, she had told Jake and he'd better learn to accept that because she would never give up that friendship for a man. She had put her foot down and Jake had begrudgingly agreed to, at least, be civil to Christina from now on whenever they met.

  Jenny had then privately apologized to Christina for Jake's rude behavior but Christina had told her not to worry. She understood the situation perfectly and didn't blame Jake at all. He was simply being a good friend to Bill and she, Christina, deserved his censure for what she'd done to his friend.

  Still—Jenny had insisted that Jake's behavior was unacceptable and that he'd better learn to accept Christina if he wanted to continue to be in Jenny's life. Jenny could be just as tough as Christina when it came to what she expected from a man.

  Christina encouraged Jenny to give Jake some time and after this first meeting between them, maybe the animosity would lessen? And it had—a little. The other times they'd met, Jake was more civil to Christina and that was fine by her. At least they managed to have a conversation together, even if it was only about the weather.