Chapter Nineteen
‘We’ve been thinking,’ Megan said as we all sat in her kitchen on a grey and soggy afternoon. ‘You need to get in touch with that teacher guy – you’ve been really mopey, and I think it’s because you miss him.’
I hadn’t told them about the cottage yet. I wanted the solicitors to make some progress first, just in case the vendors changed their minds. ‘Megan, I have a lot on, I’ve left my husband, and I’m pregnant – of course I’ve been mopey,’ I said.
‘Especially mopey,’ Kate kindly corrected.
I rolled my eyes. ‘I just need to focus on moving forward. Besides that, I’m pregnant and in no position to start dating anyone. Especially someone who quite rightly hates my guts. I think it’s fair to leave Andrew alone so he can meet someone else. He deserves to be happy.’ I felt a huge desire to speak to him again, but I knew it wasn’t right.
Megan cocked her head, seemingly unconvinced, and Kate said, helpfully, ‘You’ll definitely need to work on your pelvic floor as soon as the baby comes if you do go anywhere near another man.’
I glared at her and then sighed. ‘Look, if you want the brutal and honest truth, I’m mopey because James sent me a note asking, no telling, me to come home. Practically ordering me, like my dad would’ve done when I was fifteen and in breach of my curfew.’
‘I hope you told him to suck his finger and stick it in a plug socket!’ Kate said.
I shot her a sideways glance. ‘Not quite. However, I did call him to give him a piece of my mind, and guess who answered?’
Kate and Megan stared at me blankly.
‘Samantha!’ I said. ‘She was in our, James’s, house.’ I shook my head, still unable to believe the audacity.
Megan let out a shriek of horror. ‘What did he have to say for himself?’
‘Basically, what did I expect, I’d left him alone, he has needs, blah, blah, blah.’
Kate’s nostrils flared. ‘What an arse.’
‘I bet you’d do anything for a drink right now,’ Megan said.
‘I could murder a hot chocolate.’ I looked at Megan with my best doe eyes.
She sighed but went rummaging in the cupboards and while she gathered the hot chocolate powder, the milk, and a pan, Kate produced a piece of paper with some scrawled notes on.
‘So, it’s time, isn’t it?’ She smoothed out the paper, enabling me to see what it was.
‘The list,’ I said.
‘The list,’ she repeated.
‘I’m not sure about this. Megan?’ I shouted, and she turned around from the stove. ‘How did you feel after getting revenge on Mike?’
She put the spoon to her chin. ‘It felt good to pay him back a little. Just seeing his face when his pride and joy was no longer brag-worthy gave me a little drop of satisfaction. But I when he came around shouting the odds and threatening solicitors and things, I was petrified.’
‘Ahh, but he didn’t have a leg to stand on,’ Kate butted in.
‘I know that now; from what I’ve heard on the grapevine, he did actually speak to a solicitor who told him straight that I could do what I liked with my car! Okay, so yes, it felt good and I’m glad I hit back at that bastard.’ She poured the milk into the pan and lit the stove.
I was so cross with James; finding out that he was the complete opposite of what I’d thought he was had been too much to bear. I’d given him half my life and he’d just devastated and humiliated me by way of thanks. He’d left me and our child alone. The fact he’d given the baby no regard infuriated me the most, and his blasé attitude was the final straw.
‘Okay, Kate, but I don’t want revenge – it’s not who I am. I want to teach him a lesson!’
Kate rested her head in her hands. ‘That’s my girl. What do you have in mind?’
‘Well, James is stupidly materialistic,’ I started.
Megan raised an accusatory brow at me. ‘Yes, okay, we all are a little.’
I looked pointedly at Kate.
‘But I’m still delightful,’ she replied, smirking.
‘Anyway, his image is everything – he put work before me, wanted the house, the car, the suits, and the slut. So what better way to seek revenge than to strip all that away from him?’
Megan furrowed her brow, confused. ‘Weren’t we just planning a car unicorn or something?’
‘Megan, James could just buy a new car. This is the problem; he has everything and values nothing. To really hurt him and teach him a lesson, we need to rip out his lifeline: his money. But we need to bide our time.’
Megan placed a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of me and I thanked her.
‘I’m intrigued,’ Kate admitted. ‘But don’t forget you’ve got a divorce to go through and believe me, you need it to be amicable at least.’
‘I know. I’m just thinking James should be knocked down a peg or two. Perhaps he shouldn’t take all the nice things he has for granted.’
Megan still looked confused. ‘I’m not sure I follow.’
‘She said, rip out his lifeline. We’re going to get him fired,’ Kate said.
‘That’s right.’ Kate was always on my wavelength when it mattered. ‘We mess with his career, his image, and leave him with nothing.’
‘But, if James were to lose everything, your financial support would be lost too and you’re pregnant,’ Megan said.
‘I know and I’ve already thought about it. I can manage with what I have and I can always go back to work. The last thing I want is James’s money that he made rolling around naked with Samantha. My life might not be quite as lavish and I may no longer be able to afford Lauren’s high-society balls but who cares? I’ll have my baby, my health, and hopefully still a great arse.’
‘I don’t know about the arse, Charlotte; it’s already losing its perk but not having to go to any of Lauren’s balls
