Her Perfect Revenge (37 page)

For the next month and a half, Christina went through life as if in a fog. After convincing her parents that she was going to be fine, they'd finally gone back to Florida.

Needing money to live on, Christina had reluctantly picked up the pieces of her life and started to take some out-of-town assignments for the magazine. Her work was the only thing keeping her sane. It allowed her to focus on something else besides her sadness, otherwise she was certain she'd just curl up in a ball on her bed and die. She'd not gotten over her feelings for Bill—or her guilt at what she'd done.

Jenny had helped her immensely throughout this time.

She'd listened to Christina pour out her heart and had been there for her when she'd needed a shoulder to cry on. But Jenny was worried for her friend. She hated to see her like this—depressed and heartbroken—and didn't know what to do.

Christina also hadn't been eating very much and she'd started losing weight. She didn't have much of an appetite anymore and whatever she seemed to put in her mouth, came out just as fast. She was throwing up—repeatedly. Every morning, she'd open her eyes and remember that she'd never see Bill again—and she'd feel sick to her stomach. It was all she could do to run to the bathroom in time before she threw up again.

One morning, Jenny stopped by Christina's apartment before leaving for work. A pale, green-to-the-gills Christina answered the door. When Jenny asked her what was wrong, Christina was about to answer when another wave of nausea hit her. Leaving her friend standing at the open doorway, Christina ran to her bathroom again… and threw up.

Concerned, Jenny rushed in after her and helped her through it. When it was over, Jenny helped Christina back to her bed and put a wet washcloth on her forehead.

"Chrissy, you're making yourself sick over this mess," Jenny admonished.

"It's nothing. Just something I ate," Christina squeaked, as she shut her eyes trying to stop the next wave of nausea.

Jenny frowned as a thought popped into her head. "Is this the first time you've been sick like this?"

Christina shook her head slowly, "No, I have these dreams…and then I wake up… and I don't feel so good."

"So, this has been happening in the mornings?" Christina weakly nodded 'yes' and Jenny shook her head. "Chrissy, are you pregnant?"

Christina's eyes popped open. "What?" she gasped.

"You heard me. This could be morning sickness. I went through it myself when I was pregnant with Taylor."

"No, you're wrong. It's just a flu bug."

"Chrissy, I think you should take a pregnancy test."

"Jenny, I can't be pregnant, that's not possible…" She stopped in mid-sentence and gasped in shock, "Oh my God." She turned worried eyes to her friend. "The first time Bill and I made love… we… didn't use anything. Oh my God… could I be…?" Her eyes turned downward to her stomach. Could she be pregnant with Bill's baby?

"When did you have your last period?" Jenny quizzed.

Christina closed her eyes and tried to remember. She was usually good at keeping track of these things but lately she'd been such a walking zombie and hadn't thought about it at all.

"Oh no, Jenny, it was back at the Havenwood house! I haven't had one since."

Jenny nodded. "I thought so. Okay, I'm calling in sick today at work and you are resting in bed while I go to the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy kit and then we're finding out for sure."

Determined, Jenny left the apartment. Taking a deep breath, Christina felt the lines of her stomach. Could she be pregnant with his baby? Was his child forming inside of her right this second? A thrill shot through her. And should she tell Bill? Or should she keep the information to herself? She didn't want him coming back to her just because of the baby…

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.

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…