The Perfect Revenge

Skyla's POV

It felt like my whole world was crumbling beneath me, drowning me in a sea of betrayal, lies, and deceit with absolutely no one to hold on to, not even my sanity.

"Please tell me this is not true Tanya" I pleaded, my brown orbs wild with unshed tears, fear palpable in my raging heart.

It couldn't be right? I was imagining things, and it wasn't true.

"I am sorry, Sky, we didn't mean to." Tanya's voice trembled, her words tearing me into pieces, and for a moment, I wished I had remained oblivious to the truth. My child hood best friend sat before me, the guilt coating her warm hazel orbs was enough to drown me in my misery.

"I.. I...I don't understand" I stammered, pulling at my hair in frustration. The rubber band that I had used to hold it in place came undone.

I stared at her, my mouth wide open, praying this was one cruel joke. " I don't understand Tanya. Please tell me this is a joke, please.." I pleaded, my voice hoarse with unshed tears and disbelief. My heart clinging desperately in denial.

But the myriad of emotion that seemed to swirl through her hazel orbs left me dumbfounded. Guilt, shame, and fear were evident in the warm tones of her orbs.

I traced her gaze to him. The man I had loved for six years sat unmoving before me. His composure that I had seemed to love now made me want to despise him. I had trusted him with my all. I had let my guard down with Steve.

A bitter laugh escaped me, and now everything made perfect sense, the deleted call logs, the secret phone calls, and the subtle glances they gave each other while they thought I wasn't looking, the sudden defensiveness whenever I reached for their phones

All made perfect sense now, God, I was so stupid, so stupid.

"How long has this been going on" I whispered slowly, my fingers gripping the roots of my hair aggressively as I tried my best to keep my emotions in check.

"I promise you Sky we didn't mean to...."

"How long" I yelled, angry lone tears escaping through the corners of my eyes as I looked from my best friend to my boyfriend.

My ex-boyfriend.

Steve exhaled sharply. "You do not need to yell, Sky. Tanya has done nothing wrong." His word reeked with indifference, as if the emotions I was feeling was an inconvenience. "Besides you should have seen this coming Sky, with you it has always been about work, you didn't even care for me, you were always writing one novel after another, going on book tours you, never had time for me, for us"

His words hit me like a punch in the gut, the hate in the voice knocking the air out of me.

"So now it my fault?

My lips trembled slightly as I tried to force the right response, the wheels in my head trying to make sense of the absurdity of his excuse. " You can't be serious right now, Steve? So it is my fault that I tried to work hard for the both of us, immersing myself into my novels because I wanted a better future for us Steve, is that what this is about, time? It's my fault that you sat idly doing nothing while I worked my ass out? Those trips? Those fancy dates? All of that was possible because of my books! And now you are blaming me?

I slammed my fist down the fancy table, rattling the silverware and our untouched anniversary cake.

Steve scoffed. "You see, Sky, this is exactly what I mean. You always make everything about you. You're always angry. You don't care about anyone but yourself, you've never cared about me Sky, with you, it has always been like walking on eggshells, I felt trapped" He hissed

His words stung me like a venomous snake, his sea blue eyes dark with emotions. I didn't understand it looked like a raging storm. Disgust, hate, pity, and maybe disapproval.

And then it hit me, the thought sickening

He never even loved me, at least not the way I loved him.

"God, did you ever love me, Steve?"

" I mean, if you've always felt this way, why didn't you ever tell me?" my voice wavered, my insecurities clawing their way out

Was it because I was black, or because I was rather short, or because he didn't see me as someone he could love?

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned towards Tanya, taking her fragile hands in his. That single display of affection made me want to retch.

"Okay so that's it. You cheat on me, and then you expect me to understand?" My voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of my heartbreak was deafening.

Tanya finally spoke, her voice desperate as she avoided my gaze. " I am pregnant Sky"

And I felt my whole world crumble beneath me.

"What?" I asked in disbelief .

"But you watched me plan for this for weeks and you couldn't even tell me, did you two plan this, You watched me make preparations, you watched me book reservations yet you could not tell me"

"No I swear we didn't. I just found out yesterday. I couldn't..... I can't get rid of it. My parents would kill me." She replied, avoiding my gaze at all costs.

I was done with this, done with their lies and betrayal, I didn't deserve this.

I let out a shaky breath, angrily swiping at he tears that wouldn't stop rolling down my face. "You know what... I am done. You two deserve each other." My voice was eerily calm, even though my whole body was trembling.

I turned to Tanya, a slow sad smile spreading across my face. "Don't bother coming for your things, I would have them sent over to his place."

Without waiting for a response. I stormed out of the restaurant, not forgetting to rip the invitation cards into shreds

Damn them.

The cold. Manhattan air hit me across the face with a huge slap, I didn't even care that I looked like a banshee with my mascara rolling down my face, and my hair dishevelled. I just needed to get away from here as fast as possible

It didn't even bother me that I became the spectacle of passers-by, everyone either stopping to stare or taking pictures. I didn't mind. I just wanted to be far away from their betrayal, far away from the pain and heartache.

Welcome to Johnny's" A loud voice boomed over the loud music the moment I stepped inside.

I had no idea how I ended up here, ended up in a run-down bar at the heart of the city, but right now, I didn't care. I needed this

I needed the Distraction.

I stumbled towards the bar, my emotions haywire. "Something strong" I muttered, slumping unceremoniously onto the seat.

The bartender smirked as he grabbed a bottle. "Rough night?" his voice carried a warm teasing lilt, his sea blue eyes twinkling under the dimly lit room.

Sea blue eyes, just like Steve's, I could feel another bout of tears threatening to spill. I hastily squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling an unhealthy amount of breath. I wasn't going to think of him

"Say something?"

"Make it strong" I muttered, plastering a fake smile on my face. The loud thumping of the music made me feel queasy.

He nodded, expertly mixing my drink. The rhythmic clinking of the ice against the glass was oddly soothing, a welcoming distraction from the chaos going on in my mind.

"There you go," he said in his thick Italian accent, a warm smile taking half of his face.

"Thank you" I muttered, greedily downing the drink in one whole gulp. The burning taste of the alcohol only incited my misery.

Damn, was this how heartbreak felt, like this raw unexplainable pain that does nothing but make you want to burrow yourself into the ground and never come out?

"More please?" I asked hoarsely, internally cringing at my own voice.

"Coming right up" He quipped with a small smile.

The sudden increase of the music made me flinch slightly as I looked around the dimly lit bar. Several sweaty bodies tangled against each other as they screamed their lungs out, bouncing and jumping energetically on a spot

"What is going on?" I asked the bartender, confusion evident in my voice as I downed the second drink; the smell of sweaty bodies and a faint smell of a familiar perfume wafted into my nostrils as I had imagined it.

"Oh, the rush hour", the bartender replied in a bored tone, shuddering slightly as he cast a swift glance to the dance floor, several bodies grinding aggressively against each other, I felt bile rise to my throat. Scrunching my nose slightly in disgust, I cast a sudden glance to the VIP section, several expensive bottles lined up in those fancy ice-filled metal buckets.

Rolling my eyes slightly, I felt my whole body start to tingle, flames of anger and desire licking through every crevice and corner of my body as I stared at familiar unwavering deep-sea green eyes

The disgust swirling in his turbulent orbs made my mouth go dry, the severity of my action crashing down on me.

I needed to leave.

With trembling fingers. I hastily paid for my drink, my heart thumping furiously against my rib cage as I tried to flee. Memories from previous years that I had tried to subdue trickled in like a broken cassette.

Beads of sweat had started to form on my temple as I rushed through sweaty bodies, the world blurring out the edges as I fought my way through the sticky floor, the smell of sweaty bodies nauseating.

Heaving a sigh of relief immediately, I got out, the cool Manhattan air slapping against my skin slowly as I embraced it, glad to be out of the bar, far away from him.

"For a moment, I thought it was my vision playing tricks on me" His familiar voice rang out, and the disgust coating his every word made me flinch.

"Xavier I didn't mean...

"No Skyla, you would let me speak" His gruff voice rang through my ears, the hate in his eyes when I turned to look at him saddening.

"God, I can't believe I loved you, Skyla, I honestly did, and what do I get in return lies, heartaches, deceit, then you run along and date my younger brother for six damn years" He spat angrily, his words confusing me more.

"I don't understand Xavier, your brother?

"You know what, Skyla, I finally see you for who you are, and you deserve everything that is coming your way, Sky" " he spat, his deep sea green eyes swirling with so much hurt, it made my heart sink. I turned him into a monster.

If, after all these years, could he have found out, found out what I did, why I left.

"Can we talk, please? I swear you are getting this all wrong, Xavier," I pleaded desperately, my stomach knotting slowly with grief.

"There's nothing to talk about, Skyla; you made your bed now. You have to lie on it" He muttered gravely, the look of defiance that spread across his porcelain face defying.

"If I were you, Skyla, I would run for the hills and never look back", he spat, and with that, he was gone, leaving in his wake misery, anger, and pain.

The soft chimes of my notification that wouldn't stop blowing up made me reach out for my phone, several messages from Tanya and Steve filling half of my screen

"No.. no", I yelled, slapping my hands over my mouth as I stared at all the minus signs on my bank statement and a message that my house was on the lease.

"No.. this... it can't be" I stammered, hot tears clouding my vision as I tried to put a call through to Steve, my heart sinking every single time it went into voice mail.

With a defiant scream, I finally let it all out; the tears that I had been holding in came running down my face in torrents. It felt like my whole world was frozen. Only the soft ring of my phone jolted me from the daze I was in.

"Eddie, I need you", I whispered slowly, my voice tight with several emotions clogging my throat.

I needed it to end, everything.

It's been three hours since my whole life went up in flames, three hours since I became homeless, bankrupt, and helpless

Three hours since my breakup with Steve, three hours since my fallout with my best friend, and three hours since my encounter with him. The past darned hours have been the worst miserable hours of my life.

I sat curled up on Ed's couch, my arms wrapped tightly around my knees. The ticking of the clock is a cruel reminder of how my life had crumbled in the span of a single evening.

"I give you a day off, and in just three hours you've managed to wreck your whole life, career. Heck, you are the most talked about on the Internet. Sky, what the hell happened?" Ed yells, the veins on his forehead popping as he paces the length of his tiny apartment in frustration.

The soft chime of his rickety dishwasher reverberates through the thin walls.

I could hear the frustration in his words, I could even taste the anger at the tip of my tongue, but all I could bring myself to do was to stare at the wooden floor boards, yet the hot steady stream of tears rolling down my face reminded me that this nightmare was real.

"Why do I always get the short end of the Stick Ed?" My voice cracks. "Why am I the only one who ends up hurt?"

Ed exhaled sharply, and dropped onto the couch beside me. " Sky, why the hell did you give Steve access to your accounts." He turns to face me, his ccoffee-brown eyes sharp with disbelief. " Why did you put his name on the house? It is common sense Sky"

I sniffled, letting out a shaky breath as I thought of the words to say. "I thought he loved me, we were always planning our future Ed, and I didn't want him to feel some type of way Ed, I trusted him with my everything, my life.... I am so stupid"

Ed sighed, rubbing his palms down his fac. "You know what, Sky, why don't you shower? Get some rest, and we would figure this out tomorrow, Sky. I promise you we would find a way out of this" he rubbed small circles les across my exposed back, his warmth grounding me for a moment.

But then.....

"He is back Ed" I whisper softly.

I felt his hands still across my spine almost immediately, hot laboured breathes, escaping his nostrils.

"That is not possible, Sky. we vanished off the face of earth like his father wanted, right? Right?"

I swallow hard, already regretting the words i was about to utter, but with what Ed and i had been through, we already promised not to keep secrets.

" I saw him tonight" and he hates me. He thinks I betrayed him Ed, he.... he mentioned something about dating his younger brother for six years, Ed. I am so confused" I whisper quietly, shaking my head frantically. "I don't understand what he meant?"

Ed's face darkened, his palms curled into a tight fist. I was worried he might cut off his blood flow. " Sky.... if Xavier finds out that you are here..... I mean, after all these years" he mumbled, running his hands through his hair aggressively.

"I don't know what to do, Ed," I admitted, my fingers trembling. "I swear he's got it all wrong, and he wouldn't even let me explain."

Ed stood up abruptly. " Like I said shower, sleep we would deal with this tomorrow"

I nodded numbly and turned towards the dimly lit hallway before I could take any step.

"Are you still trying to reach Steve?" He asked, his voice tight with several emotions. He was never really a fan of Steve's

I slowed in my tracks, slowly rubbing my palm against the length of my other hand. "He won't answer." My lips trembled, fresh set of tears cascading down my face. " First, he cheats on me and then blames it on me, expecting me to understand. Then he takes everything.... and now.... I... I have nothing " I mutter, my voice breaking slightly at the end.

"He did what?" Ed screeches in alarm, the intensity of his voice causing me to flinch back a little.

"He and Tanya are having a baby" I say, my bottom lip quivering aggressively as I try to get a wrap of the emotions that seemed to be rushing through me at once

Ed looked livid, like he wanted to throw something. " That bastard." He hissed, a low growl escaping his lips.

"Take a shower Sky, we would sort through everything with a clear head tomorrow I promise" he mutters, my hair muffling half of his words, as he drops a slight kiss in the centre of my head.

"Thank you, Ed... for everything" I whisper, slowly getting up, a queasy sensation crawling through my stomach.

He inhales a sharp intake of breath, the pity swirling through his warm coffee brown eyes startling. "You're welcome, Sky. we would get your stuff from the old house tomorrow.

"Oh no, this can't be happening, right now" he practically yells, his screams stopping me dead on my tracks as I slowly turn around to face, dreading every single moment.

His phone screen illuminated his face, his jaw twitching in anger as he read whatever was on it.

"What?" I ask, my voice is barely above a whisper, and I don't know if he heard me or not.

"You no longer have a contract with any publishing house." He ground out . "All your books have been put on hold. The book tour next week? Cancelled."

"Wait Why?" I ask, faltering in my step as I rush over sitsere he seats, his agitation slowly rubbing off on me.

Ed squeezed his eyes shut. "Apparently, there's a video of Tanya saying you coerced her into taking her books, something about you not being the real owner of the books you published?" He groans.

I let out a bitter laugh, fisting my palms tightly. I clenched my fists so hard I felt my nails digging into my palms.

Now I knew why Xavier asked me to buckle up

That conniving scheming thwart.

Tanya and Steve hadn't just betrayed me. They were joining hands with the devil to destroy me.

" Aargh.....

I let out a slow, shuddering breath. My hands trembled, but this time, it wasn't from sadness, but pure unbridled rage.

"I am screwed Ed" I muttered, angry tears cascading down my face, the emotions that seemed to be raging through me unexplainable.

"Yeah right, we are both screwed" he scoffed