Ex Husband's Best Friend Is Mine Now

"Get the fuck out of my house!"

An awful thud sounded and a woman fell to the ground outside the Clinton villa, a place she considered her own home, it was her home after all, the man who owned this house was her husband.

Christina looked up at the handsome man she's loved for most of her life, the rain falling from the sky washed away the tears that streaked down her once beautiful face.

"James, you can't do this to me. I'm your wife."

"Wife?" He bellowed, eyes bulging in rage. "You no longer have any right to call yourself that after what you did, you have crossed every line, you worthless woman!" He pointed at her fiercely making Christina flinch.

Everytime this level of rage showed in James' eyes, Christina knew something painful would come next. Sometimes he would hit her, smack across the face, other times he would pull her hair and grab her chin roughly leaving a scar.

Such torments were things Christina had endured in this marriage for two years, but not once had she ever thought of leaving. She couldn't bear to...

"James please...I love you...I don't want to lose you." A searing pain twisted itself in her heart that it burned so bad.

Christina and James were childhood friends, she had loved him for as long as she could remember. When they came of age and he asked her to marry him, Christina was over the moon with joy, it had been the best time of her life, but everything started to go downhill a few months ago when she accidentally saw that text on James' phone.

-I didn't want to tell you this but I can't keep it from you any longer... I'm pregnant Mr Clinton. I know you're a married man and I don't want to destroy your home, your wife is a very kind woman. I won't keep this pregnancy, I'm going to have it aborted. -

This text had shattered her heart and wrenched out her soul. The person who'd sent the text was Layla Jensen, her husband's secretary. Not once had she expected he was having an affair with his secretary not to mention getting her pregnant.

Christina had cried miserably that night, but when she heard James coming back into the room, she had swiftly deleted the text and kept his phone aside.

She loved James with all her heart, how could she let him go.

Since Layla had volunteered to abort the pregnancy, she wouldn't stop her... That thought had lingered in her heart for merely a few moments before she wove it off as guilt seared her internally, how could she bear to let a woman kill an innocent little child who wasn't born yet?

Though his betrayal hurt more than anything else she'd ever felt, Christina decided to give her husband a chance, men get swayed all the time and working with a beautiful woman must have made him lose his way, she wouldn't let this one mistake ruin her marriage.

James hadn't known that Layla texted him, the next day Christina met with the young woman and gave her a sum of money.

"I know you're carrying my husband's child, I'm not a heartless person, I won't let you abort this child." Christina pulled out a cheque with a hefty sum written on it. "Take this and go as far away as you can, if you promise never to show yourself to my husband again, I will forgive you for sleeping with him."

It was said that love rendered a person stupid, Christina only realized now that she had been immensely stupid for what she'd done. She'd been immensely stupid for letting James treat her like trash and still deciding to forgive him for it.

Layla had taken the money without a word. When Christina had gotten home that night she had taken it upon herself to fix her marriage. She'd dressed up to look beautiful for her husband, something she'd stopped doing because James told her that whenever she made herself up other men would look at her and it made him jealous. She cooked for him that night, but when he returned, what she'd gotten was a slap to the face.

"We grew up together Tina, I never knew you were such an evil woman. How could you ask Layla to abort my child? You even gave her that much money just for her to kill an innocent infant, you're disgusting."

He never gave her a chance to defend herself when he started to hit her, that night, he'd left her bruised laying on the cold floor.

She dreamed about their childhood, the times he would make her smile, the times he would protect her like a shield, the times he loved her more than anyone else.

Love always goes through challenges, only the strong can triumph in love, only the strong who choose to fight for it.

Christina was determined never to give up on her love. She would fight for it.

She no longer said a word about his pregnant mistress, but she would continue to be a good wife to him. Cook for him, clean for him, wait on him, until one special evening he hugged her and kissed her.

"I'm sorry for everything, I can't make Layla abort our child, but I don't want to lose you too." He'd told her with deep emotions in his voice.

"You won't lose me." She'd held him back as they both cried in each other's arms.

For the first time in months, Christina felt like she'd achieved success in saving her marriage.

Until a fateful day when Layla showed up at her doorstep.

The pitiful looking meek girl with large beautiful eyes and an innocent smile transformed into a vixen.

"Did you actually think James would still be yours?" Layla's beautiful face held a sneer as she looked around the grand villa, having been born into a very poor family she had never tasted this type of luxury before. Why should she continue to suffer when she carried the child of a rich man, why shouldn't she be the one in Christina's place?

"This house, the title as James Clinton's wife, and James himself will all be mine." Layla had told Christina with a provocative glint in her eyes.

Christina looked at the small bump on Layla's stomach and held back her fury.

"I used to pity you, thinking you merely fell victim to a momentary temptation and slept with my husband, now I know you're just a gold digger. James will never leave me, he has loved me for all his life, your plans will never work out, so get out of my house."

Layla's face twisted before she suddenly threw her head back and laughed hysterically then clicked her tongue.

"Poor little Tina, you really don't even know your husband. Let me tell you a little secret..." Layla leaned forward and whispered into Christina's ear, "Haven't you ever wondered why James married you in such a hurry, that too at the exact time his business was beginning to go under?" She smirked,

"The Blakewood family are one of the wealthiest in swan city, who else could be the only ticket to saving a dying business?"

Christina felt her heart plunge, it was a sinking feeling that came with dread and a light ache, the ache coming from the realization of the truth but she continued to deny it.

"That's right Christina Blakewood, James only married you to save his business. Even before your marriage, I was the one he truly loved." Layla added enjoying the sinking look of realization on Christina's face.

"Lies! You're lying to me." Christina pushed Layla away from her but she had no idea it was the very provocation Layla had hoped to achieve.

She deliberately threw herself against a table making sure it hit her right in the stomach.

Christina watched with widened eyes knowing she hadn't used that much force but it was already too late.

Layla's once innocent looking eyes were now twisted with something devious, she smirked triumphantly when she noticed blood trailing down her legs before suddenly screaming in pain.

"Ahhhh! My baby!!!"

Christina did everything, called the ambulance swiftly, followed them to the hospital hoping an innocent child wouldn't be lost, but the doctors eventually came out with a sinking bad news.

"She lost the child."

Christina suddenly felt herself being grabbed from behind, James looked furious as he dragged her out of the hospital then back home. Without giving her a chance to explain he beat her mercilessly.

All the servants had told him what happened, his wife had been talking to Layla for a while but she suddenly pushed her until Layla hit her stomach against the coffee table. Christina had killed his child.

She'd cried until her throat felt dry, begged him to stop until he dragged her out and threw her out in the rain along with her luggage.

"I'm warning you Christina, don't you ever come back here again."

Christina felt something twist in her heart and she picked herself up from the floor.

This man whose image had forever been etched in her heart suddenly began to slip away, all the love, all the hope she'd held onto became an empty shell sitting in her heart.

Without another word she began to turn to leave, each step heavily filled with disappointment. At this point she was tired of crying, she was tired of pleading or fighting for the unwavering love she'd felt for her husband, at this point... she'd finally given up.

When trouble and misfortune descended, only family would stay by our side. Christina longed to go back home..even though home was a place she'd never felt loved, that was why she had desperately held on to James' love.

She thought reaching home she would at least find warmth, a caring embrace and a shoulder to cry on, but when she entered her home it was no longer home anymore.

"We have something to tell you..." Her mother, Beatrice Blakewood had spoken with a grim tone.

"We've finally found our long lost daughter."

Christina felt like she was being sucked into a dark hole, into never ending misery that would continue to eat at her soul as she watched the scene unfolding before her.

Sitting in the living room within the Blakewood family mansion was Layla, the very woman who'd ruined her marriage, she looked weak and helpless but she was crowded around by the whole Blakewood family.

The words her mother just said kept repeating in her head.

'We found our long lost daughter.'

No one looked at Christina, no one paid her any attention, Justin shoved past her and headed towards Layla hugging her tightly.

"We should have found you sooner. From now on I'll do everything to take care of you, I'm your big brother."

Christina could still remember how much she longed for this exact attention from her brother, how much she'd wanted him to call her his little sister, but everytime he reminded her that she wasn't his sister, she was adopted as a replacement for his biological sister who was lost.

George Blakewood was always a strict man, he had never smiled at Christina but she had done everything in the past to impress him. From changing her major in college from design to business, to living her life innocently sheltered.

She had been adopted as a replacement to a long lost child and she had wished and prayed they'd find their child if it made them happy.

Layla raised her head to look at Christina with tear filled eyes.

"You hurt me and killed my unborn child, but I forgive you. You have kept my family happy all these years when I wasn't with them, for that I forgive you." Layla's voice was soft and warm like the soothing and forgiving spring breeze. Anyone who heard her would feel their hearts ache for her, she looked pained yet magnanimous enough to forgive someone who'd wronged her for the sake of her family.

George Blakewood's face became even colder and more stern. When Christina walked in he'd been sitting next to Layla holding her hand with a doting look in his eyes, the kind of look he'd never given Christina, this time he stood like a father who was ready to fight for justice for his daughter.

"I am disappointed in you." He faced Christina with a controlled fury, "I never raised you to be a vengeful and heartless woman, this family raised you to be a respectable woman but you proved that you are not my blood, you do not belong to this family. If it weren't for this incident and if Justin hadn't donated blood to Layla out of kindness, we would never have known that she was our daughter. Leave now!"

His every word cut and shattered her heart. Christina wanted to cry to him and hug him, she wanted to call him Dad and remind him of the twenty three years she'd lived as his daughter, the twenty three years she'd served and never disobeyed him, the twenty three years she'd upheld his family name, and those three years she'd worked in the company and managed to secure deals worth millions all just to make him proud.

Did those years mean nothing to him?

Christina's tear filled eyes shifted to Beatrice who looked away guiltily not meeting her eyes. George had never showed her affection but Beatrice had been at least warm to her.

"Mom..." She called, but Beatrice further turned away.

"You almost killed my daughter, the girl I gave birth to. I've always had one daughter, and now that I've found her there's no need for you to come back here again."

Christina could barely catch her breath, it felt as if it had been sucked right out of her.

"Why are you all talking to her so gently? This girl has always been a nuisance to this household." Justin suddenly snapped as if he could no longer continue to hold in his annoyance, he turned to Christina with blazing eyes, "You...get out of here! We've had enough of your hypocrisy, if Layla didn't beg me to let go, I would have sent you to fucking prison for what you did. You managed to kill an innocent unborn child because of your jealousy. Get out!"

Christina stared at the people she's called family all her life with pure hurt.

For over twenty years she was a formal family member, and in a day she had become a stranger.

Christina hadn't even gotten to say a word to them, she hadn't gotten to share her pain with the people she thought would understand her but she was sent away so heartlessly.

Perhaps she'd lingered too long, hoping they would realize that she had loved them all her life, she had loved them as family, hoping they would embrace her... Justin cursed viciously and rushed towards her. He grabbed her arm and began to pull her out with him, he didn't stop roughly pulling her until he shoved her out of the Blakewood mansion gates till she fell into the small puddle of mud from the rain.

"From this day on, never say your name with the Blakewood's." The steel gates shut to her face and she crumbled, broken, utterly shattered and destroyed.

The heavens were cruel, fate was incredibly cruel, it should have taken her life first before taking everything away from her. Her husband, her family and everything she was...was completely gone.

***

A heavy knock pounded against the doors of a private apartment on the fourth highest floor in the apartment complex. No matter how much the beautiful young woman standing outside the door knocked, no one answered from the inside.

Her brows furrowed in concern, "Why isn't she answering?" She wondered to herself before an idea struck her and she keyed in the password to the apartment and the door clicked open.

When she entered the plain looking living space looked desolate and empty, dark and oozing with heavy loneliness.

"Is she trying to kill herself?" Veronica Scott muttered to herself and hurried into the bedroom, she found the frail looking figure curled in bed vulnerably and felt her heart ache slightly.

"Alright, stop wallowing Chrissy, get up." Vera called for her friend but there was no answer. If it weren't for the small movement from the woman on the bed as she curled deeper into her sheets, one would think only a helpless heap of cloth laid there.

Vera walked into the room and yanked open the curtains letting bright sunlight spill into the room, the woman on the bed winced.

"Vera please pull the curtains back." She spoke for the first time in a long time since she's holed herself into this apartment.

What was the point in life when all was lost, what was the point in life when one had become completely useless and disregarded?

"I will not watch you do this to yourself Chrissy, this isn't you."

Christina finally sat up in bed, her wavy brown hair looked messy and disheveled, her once beautiful grey eyes were hollow, despite the fact that she'd been laying in bed, she hadn't slept at all.

"Oh dear." Vera rushed to hug her friend who looked completely different from who she actually was. The once beautiful woman looked completely worn.

Christina couldn't lock in her emotions any longer, she broke down and cried in her friend's arms.

"That bastard! How could he do this to you? You aren't even fully divorced yet but he's fooling around after kicking you out of a house you helped him buy?" Vera could feel her friend's pain as if it were her own.

Vera had been out of the country on a modelling contract and only returned a few days ago only to hear that two months ago Christina had been kicked out of the Blakewood family because they found their real daughter. The Blakewoods blacklisted her from high society as a punishment. When Vera had ran to her friend's house, she was shocked to find out James had actually kicked her out.

It was true that people would never appreciate something when they had it. Vera was witness to everything Christina had done for James. The ones he knew about and the ones he didn't.

Christina cried brokenly making Vera feel painfully miserable as well.

"He should pay for what he did to you, screw the Blakewood family and screw James. They all don't deserve you. Where is the Chrissy I've always known? Why are you letting that scumbag husband of yours get away with treating you like trash?"

Christina pulled away from the hug looking weary, "I'm just so tired... I'm tired of this pain and I'm tired of everything."

"Then do what the old Chrissy would have done. The one you locked away just to fit into the little box that blasted Blakewood family carved for you, the box James carved for you. Fight back!" Vera said with fervor and determination in her eyes.

"I don't know how to be that girl anymore. I already let her go, I let her go to submit to my family and my husband."

"I know just how you can find her again." Vera said with a smirk.

"How?"

"By planning the perfect revenge that will make James realize he is the biggest idiot to walk this earth. Do to him exactly what he did to you."

A little bit of light returned to Christina's eyes.

Vera was right.

It was pointless making sacrifices for people who never saw your worth, when they push you to the floor do not let them win, throw it back at the them and watch them crumble too, only then can she be happy again.

"You're right Vera, James broke me, I will do the exact same thing to him."

"Awesome, but...how are you going to do that?"

Christina thought for a while without replying, when Vera moved on the bed she accidentally sat on the remote which turned on the television in the room.

A handsome man was shown walking through the airport, he wore dark glasses and black clothes that made him look like a dangerous male model.

"CEO of X groups, Lorian Axton has returned to Swan city after five years of absence he is finally back. Everyone believes that his return is the start of an incoming revolution."

"Him." Christina suddenly said, "He is the ticket to my revenge."

When Vera looked at the TV screen her mouth parted in shock.

"Lorian Axton? Your husband's best friend?"

Krystal hall, uptown Swan city.

Luxury cars pulled into the elegant building, the welcoming party hosted by X groups was in full swing.

"I heard Lorian Axton returned this time to pick a wife from his hometown." Some of the elite young women of swan city, all dressed to the nines were clustered together whispering to each other. Everyone was eagerly awaiting Lorian's arrival to the party.

"Where did you hear that news?"

"Don't worry, it came from a very reliable source. Why do you think most of the guests invited to this welcoming party are women? That too the women from elite high society."

This piece of news began to spread throughout the whole party hall making every woman In attendance alert and eager to catch the eyes of this elusive billionaire.

"On this evening, we celebrate to welcome the CEO of our reputable company. In five years, X groups has grown to the top of the business ranks, please welcome the man behind it all, Lorian Axton."

The tall golden double entrance doors swung open and the long shadow of a man strode through it's entrance.

Unfiltered gasps could be heard. Their awe was because they were seeing the man, the legend right before their eyes. A face most would only see on televisions, social media interviews or magazines, was live in front of them.

"He looks even more handsome in person." A low squeal sounded.

When Lorian stood on the stage, absolute silence was maintained. Who could speak when their eyes were trained on the beautiful specimen of a man.

Thick dark brows, a perfectly tall nose on a sculpted face with sharp jawlines that could cut through glass. His eyes, rich and inky black like a bottomless pool scanned through the crowd as if he were looking for someone he hadn't found yet. His gaze landed on a familiar person in the crowd, the man smiled and waved at Lorian from below the stage.

James Clinton, Lorian's very good friend whom he'd known for some years now.

"Please enjoy the party." Were the only words Lorian said before descending the stage to head towards his friend.

If James was here, then that person would be here too.

"Hey man, you've been gone for so long, I've missed you." James was all wide grins as he greeted Lorian, but his dark eyes kept searching around James yet he didn't see that person.

Lorian politely greeted his friend who introduced him to a woman standing next to him.

"I'd like you to meet Layla Blakewood."

Lorian's brows drew together, "Blakewood? If I remember correctly, the Blakewood family only has one daughter, your wife."

James sighed, "It's a long story. Anyway Layla is the real heiress of the Blakewoods now."

Lorian didn't seem interested in whatever James was explaining to him, he continued to look around the hall and when he didn't find who he was searching for, he excused himself to the balcony to get some air.

Someone heading away from the terrace collided against his chest abruptly.

"I'm so sorry...I wasn't looking at my..." The voice was very familiar, when she raised her head, he saw her face.

Lorian's deeply furrowed brows relaxed like someone who'd found the very thing they were looking for.

Christina had arrived at the party a while back, she had gotten sick of watching Layla standing with James. Even though they were trying to hide their relationship to the world since James was still legally married to Christina, they still couldn't hide their affection for each other.

Christina had controlled her heart ache, she had kept it all in. Her goal here was to meet Lorian, the man who stood as the best man at her wedding whom she hadn't seen again after that time. She didn't expect to suddenly run into him when she'd decided to go back to the party after spending some time on the balcony.

"You're... here!" Christina exclaimed.

"Were you waiting for me?" She was shocked to hear his voice this close to her. It was a grating rumble of masculinity. Like the low rumble out of a predatory animal's throat.

She quickly came back to her senses and pulled away from him. "No..no I wasn't."

Christina didn't know why she had suddenly come up with a silly revenge plan to use Lorian against James, they were good friends. Perhaps he was the type of person who would never betray friendship.

She shook that plan out of her head and made to leave but suddenly stopped when she heard a familiar voice gasp and moan.

"Oh James, you know how to make me wet for you."

Layla.

The voice was coming from a dark secluded corner nearby, with a few steps Christina could see them standing close to the walls concealed by darkness, Layla's legs wrapped around James' body tightly.

What felt like an arrow wrapped in burning coal shot right through her heart, the feeling was tight and it made her forget to breathe for a few seconds, it hurt so much her face reddened in mixed rage and pain as tears welled in her eyes.

That corner might be a bit secluded, but it was still an open space, anyone could walk in on them but they didn't seem to be able to control themselves, both James and Layla were like feral beasts in heat, they devoured each other unabashedly even at a public event yet James claimed he would keep his relationship with Layla a secret till their divorce.

The pain and humiliation gathered inside Christina's chest she could only clench her fist.

"You don't look surprised, did you know?" She had almost forgotten about the man standing behind her. She jolted when he spoke.

"At our wedding, he swore to me that he'll only love me till we grow old together, he swore his heart would always be mine."

Lorian watched her tears fall and a complicated expression appeared on his face momentarily, he seemed to be holding himself back from something, like an internal struggle with himself, in the end he seemed to relent, without another word he turned to leave but suddenly stopped when a hand grabbed his arm.

Christina didn't even realize she had grabbed his arm when he was about to leave, it was a subconscious action to prevent herself from standing here in the darkness alone watching the two people who shattered her heart and ruined her life.

Deep in her heart she was still a child, that young child that had begged for her adopted parent's love, that child that would cling so tightly onto anyone who showed her the smallest affection, just like how she'd clung to James even with how badly he abused her, how much he used to beat her, she had held on telling herself she wouldn't let go as long as he still loved her, because all her life, whether from her family or outsiders, she had never had a taste of what love felt like, but here she was watching him give that love to another woman.

The ache grew rapidly till it became something bitter in her heart, something vengeful.

"I'll let him feel it, this very pain... I'll make sure he feels it a thousand times more." Her tears merged with the determination that shone in her light grey eyes.

She turned to look at the man next to her, he was quiet. He didn't try to comfort her nor say anything soothing, his black eyes were cold unfeeling as if he was incapable of feeling or understanding any emotions.

"I will get my revenge on him."

Lorian cocked his head to the side.

"You plan to cheat on my best friend like he did to you. Are you asking me for help right now Mrs Clinton?" Lorian had read the look in her eyes.

It was feminine fury, unbridled and purely determined.

This kind of look was something he'd never seen on the face of his best friend's wife. It fascinated him.

"If going down low and dirty is what it takes to get back at James then yes, that Is what I plan to do."

Lorian's obsidian eyes glinted with amusement, as if what she was proposing was something potentially fun to him. He leaned towards her slightly, "And what role do I play in this little plan of yours?"

Christina had rarely interacted with Lorian in the past, for no other reason except for the fact that she was afraid of him. There had been rumors about him going around that he was involved in the dark underworld, that he had blood on his hands and that he was a very dangerous man.

He never proved those rumors wrong, instead he seemed to prove them right as he usually carried around a dark aura, one that frightened anyone he looks at.

And with the swirls of dark ink that always peeked out of his neck through whatever clothes he wears, and more wrapped around his arms as well, along with his love for wearing black clothes that further added to the dangerous allure he carried, it was almost impossible for one not to be afraid and wary around him.

But right now Christina was no longer afraid of him, she had been bathed in the pain of heartbreak, the pain of being tossed out by a family who raised her for over twenty years and the physical pain of assault from a man she loved, the darkness of a man who potentially had killed people before no longer scared her.

"You'll be the other man."

Instead of being offended by being asked to play the role of the other man to his best friend's wife, Lorian's face seemed to light up and his lips raised in a smirk.

"I warn you Mrs Clinton, there's a heavy price to pay for using me."

"Then consider me indebted to you, whenever you want, I'll be willing to pay you back."

His eyes flashed with something evil, it was supposed to scare Christina into backing out, but when she didn't he put his hand forward for a hand shake.

"We have a deal."