Jake stormed angrily into the spacious and massive master bedroom and threw his suitcase on the giant king-sized bed.
He loosened his black tie, took it off his neck, and flung it aside before sitting on the three-seater couch beside the bed. He bent down and took off his shoes and sat back with his face wrinkled with anger and a mask of fury to fit.
The door opened to reveal a sad-looking Mandy walking into the room.
She stood in front of the door watching her so-called husband as he glared back angrily at her.
“Jake...?”
He stared up sharply at her, cutting her short with the hostility in his eyes.
“I never asked you to follow me up here. Tell me, Mandy, why are you bent on annoying me every passing second?” he asked her in fury.
Mandy stared at him confused. “I do not know what you are talking about, Jake. I only asked you to come to the dining room for Pete's sake, that’s all!”
“Away and to hell with the dining room and the meal you prepared; can't you read the handwriting on the wall? I want to be left alone! Now!!” Jake baked back at her.
Mandy shook her head in utmost disappointment and walked out of the room more sad than when she had come in.
Jake frowned deeply at the door as it jammed to a close. He would never understand the girl. Why wouldn't she just mind her f*king business?
He stood up and walked into the bathroom to take a chilly shower before going to bed to rest his head from the day’s activities.
*****
Mandy got back downstairs and sat at the dining table, staring hopelessly at the empty chairs and all the delicious delicacies she had put in so much effort to prepare for her dearly beloved husband.
A tear rolled off her eyes and she quickly wiped it off and sniffed. The hurt and pain of being turned down and rejected by a loved one like a husband is far worse than the pain of a hot iron burn.
This wasn't the life she envisaged for herself at all. It wasn't something she even predicted was going to happen to her; not now in her current marriage, not ever at all. Slowly, her hands slid down to her stomach and another tear rolled down her cheek.
She was almost always heartbroken and weeping, making tears to become her regular companion every passing day.
How did she end up getting pregnant for the ruthless and cold-hearted billionaire?
“…but I never threw myself at him at any point in time. I did not like him enough to want to hurt my friend by taking away the man she loved and who equally loved her in return,” she thought to herself. It became a norm that she basked in thoughts in thoughts like this every passing moment of the day.
What happened that night? Why did life present such a situation to her? Where did she ever go wrong? Was she paying for sins she committed at some point in her life or the other?
Mandy sighed as she continued staring at the table, with tears rolling down her cheek.
Slowly, her mind crawled back to the past... how she ended up mysteriously pregnant for a beast like Jake.
Yes, it had been at a party; party that would forever be regretted in her life.
****FLASHBACK****
{Four months back}
“That old wrinkled hag of a woman!” Tiffany grumbled as she walked into the room angrily.
Mandy looked up from her iPad and giggled as she stared at her friend.
“I don't have to ask you whom you are quarreling with, do I? Nah… I know already. Let me guess… It is Mrs. Mallory, Jake's mom, right?”
Tiffany sighed and sat heavily in a corner on the big bed that filled the most part of the room. “Who else would it be if not her?! I just don't know why she has to be a persistent pest in my life! I just wished she just dies and be gone out of my face forever. I hate her!!”
“You should…,” Mandy laughed and turned back to what she was doing.
Tiffany looked at her and shrugged. “Well, well, well… that won't stop me from going on with the party,” she said in amusement. “Oh my gosh! It is going to be so much fun with lots of people in attendance! I had a lot of cards printed out and distributed for this, bestie.” Tiffany said with a smile.
“Happy twenty-third birthday my darling; I hope mine turns out to be this grand too,” Mandy mumbled in uncertainty.
“That's for later! For now, I got to go see how my dress is coming up at Choices. See you!” Tiffany winked at her dear friend and left while Mandy only shook her head and continued with what she was doing.
She suddenly looked up with a smile, thinking about her best friend who just left.
Tiffany Hayden... They've been friends for as long as she could remember. Such a lively and fun-filled girl, who would do anything to have her way; she is crazy, but undeniably sweet. She can be a loving angel in time of need, and a daring devil if she needs to.
Mandy had always loved and cherished their friendship, always placing great value on it. In fact, it was the one thing that mattered a lot to her at this point of her life.
Tiffany was an only daughter, with a younger brother and a single mom.
Mandy smiled again as she cut short the thoughts running in her head and continued with the gadget in her hand.
******
**Three days later**
Loud music blared out from almost all the corners of the big party hall as people danced to their delight and drank to their full.
Mandy was on the dance floor with her boyfriend, Matt, while Tiffany was right beside them with Jake.
The party had even gotten hotter and more boisterous than they had expected.
Lots of people came flooding in. Friends of friends and friends of friends of friends, along with so many important people graced the occasion.
The party continued into very late hours of the night with more music and drinks.
“Don't you think we all should stop drinking already?” Jake asked his friends and belched loudly.
“What did you just say? No way! It's my birthday, Jake! Don't tell me you are leaving already,” Tiffany mumbled, obviously tipsy.
“We've been having lots of fun since this afternoon. Let's give it a rest already,” Jake argued.
Mandy rolled her eyes at what he just said and replied, “Don't waste your time trying to convince her. She would never listen,” she said and laughed out loud.
Soon, something strange began to happen to everyone at the party. Everyone at the party began to fall into any available chairs and sofas involuntarily. It was almost as if everyone at the party got hypnotized all at the same time.
Everyone became tipsy... so tipsy, they could not control themselves anymore.
Tiffany who was the only one strong enough to go into a room fell right into a bed and dozed off into very deep slumber.
*****
It was at the early hours of the next morning when Jake woke up with a startled expression on his face and slowly looked around.
How the hell did he get there?
He felt someone beside him in bed and drowsily turned to take a look at who it was. As expected, of course, he was hoping it was his lady, Tiffany. But no, it was not.
“What?! Oh no, no, no, no, no...! What the... what's happening here?! How did you… what’s going on?” He yelled, sitting up and moving backward as he stared at Mandy, his girlfriend's best friend who was obviously naked!
*****BACK TO REALITY*****
“No...” Mandy mumbled and sniffed as she snapped out of her thoughts.
She didn't want to remember that morning... that ever so dreaded morning that everything became shattered.
How she ended up totally naked in bed beside her best friend's boyfriend still remained a mystery to be unveiled for her.
Mandy didn't want to start describing how she felt that particular day when she woke up to see Jake beside her.
She didn't want to start explaining how she felt when someone walked into the room at that same moment... seeing them together on that bed.
Mandy buried her head in her palms, sobbing softly, and wishing that day never came to be.
******
Loud music blared out from the apartment located a couple of blocks away.
It was 8:00 a.m. that morning and the occupant was still in bed, snoring away.
The room was all pink and beautiful with the nicest of views outside the large-screened window.
The girl snoring in her bed threw her hands up in the air and suddenly she was awake with an unusual smile on her face.
“Oh no, Jeez... not again. Don't tell me you are seriously dreaming about that jerk!” She mumbled with her eyes still closed.
Tiffany swung her feet down on the floor and put on her robe over her small transparent gown.
She searched for her flip-flops and found them beside her drawer and slid them onto her feet.
She wore them and walked into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came back into the room and sat back on the bed feeling and looking very much refreshed and awakened.
She reached out and grabbed a remote control from her drawer and turned off the music player that was loudly booming very romantic songs from the early 80’s collection that she had.
She placed back the remote on the drawer and as she moved her hand, something fell off the drawer.
Tiffany stared at the ground.
A photo it was.
She tucked her long Chestnut hair behind her right ear as she bent forward to pick up the photo.
She turned it over and stared at the content.
Her hands shook when she saw the content of the photo. Her face crumpled into a big frown.
In the photo was a picture of herself and another girl. They were both in swimming suits at a beach.
“You b*tch...!” She breathed out the words softly and sniffed.
“It's been four months already but seems like yesterday when you decided to ruin the beautiful friendship we had.”
“Good for you baby girl, I'm doing just fine without you. I'm not really as affected by your stupidity as you may be thinking, because my Jake still loves me, b*tch!” Tiffany said again.
She continued staring at the picture, wondering why she's refused to dispose of the picture all this while.
She put it back in the drawer and placed her make-up kit on it to avoid it getting blown away by air again, then stood up and walked out of the room to get a cup of hot coffee for herself.
