Painful Deception

Mark felt more satiated than he had felt in a long time, he didn’t care that Jacky had been so dramatic about things. It’s not like he was rough, he was just making her perform her wifely duties. As he stared up at the ceiling of their bedroom, he lazily started to think about Selene. The woman was obviously a bit of touch, he offered her money to never come near him again and she responded by refusing the money and started to ramble about what a wonderful life they would have. He had arranged for her to be taken care of, just a little push down the stairs by one of his colleagues. It was unfortunate that she was the woman pregnant with his son, but like he said, Jacky and he were going to try again obviously. Then he turned his mind to his impending business trip to The Netherlands and proceeded to plan out his ventures' presentations.

Harry put his arms behind his head as he lay on the couch and thought about the way things had been lately. He was teaching at University again; he was tired of being a private tutor, and in addition to his degree in French he also had a PhD in history. His evenings were filled up with him creating lesson plans, grading papers and sometimes writing back to Jacqueline as well as reading her letters over and over again. He had made a few calls to Scotland to have his house cleaned and a nursery cleared out. He left the room bare, to let Jacqueline decide what she wanted to do.

He cringed as he thought about the other stuff that happened; his neighbor had invited him over for drinks one night and after quite a few bottles of wine and her breaking into tears because she said no one wanted her, and they slept together. Twice. He felt awful afterwards, because it was a bit of a pity-shag and he felt as if he was cheating on Jacqueline. She had sex with Mark, but not because she wanted to, but because she had to. And look at him; he was already becoming a horrible partner. He avoided Sarah ever since and every single time he got a letter from Jacky about how much she loved him and how she couldn’t wait to run away with him and enjoy a different life with a nice man, he felt sick with guilt. But it wouldn’t happen again and Jacqueline would never ever know about it. Looking at the stack of papers on the coffee table he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he thought about a scene like the one he was in now, he would be grading papers and Jacky would be working on her school work with the baby in a little bassinet off to the side. They would be safe and happy in their cottage in the Scottish countryside and he felt genuinely at peace about it.

Jacky woke up in the bed, so grateful that she was alone. Mark left on Sunday night and the knowledge that no one would force themselves on her in the dead of the night was a welcome one. She smiled when she remembered that today was the day that she was to see Harry. She hadn’t had the satisfaction of being in his arms in so long, she had a panicked flashing body image question, but she quickly brushed it out of her mind. Getting up slowly she stretched for a bit and than went into the bathroom for a shower and to brush her teeth. As Jacky massaged lotion into her skin, she looked down at her belly and smiled. She didn’t have any stretch marks, she was quite happy and she silently thanked her mom for having such great genes. As she rubbed the lotion over her belly, she was rewarded with an answering burst of energetic kicks to her side. She rubbed her belly for a while, than walked over to her closet. Her expanded collection of maternity clothes gave some choice in how her much bigger body looked. Deciding on a teal sundress and bronze colored wrap-around sweater, she put them on and moved as quickly as she could towards the garage of the manor so she could leave to go to Harry’s flat.

Harry started the omelet he was making, whisking the cheese and bacon into the egg, and poured it onto the pan. Right when he was about to flip it, his doorbell rang, wiping of his hands on a towel, he hurried to the front door. Opening the door, he looked down at the Jacqueline. “Hello there,” her soft voice was a welcome sound. He bent down and kissed her, her soft lips were something he missed.

“Come on in,” he said standing to the side so she could come in. As she passed he took in the changes in her body, her belly was definitely bigger, her hips wider and her breasts fuller. Her hair had grown till it almost reached her backside and her skin really did glow. “You look beautiful Jacqueline,” he said closing the door and smiling at her.

She smiled back running her hand through her hair, “Thank you, that’s the first time anyone has said that to me the entire time I’ve been pregnant. Is that food I smell?” she asked, a bit embarrassed that was the only thing she’d been thinking about.

Harry chuckled at her, “Yes, I was just making omelets.”

After they ate their omelets, Jacqueline stood up and collected the plates proceeding to the sink to wash them. Harry stood up and barred her entrance to the front of the sink. “You are not doing anything for me; I am taking care of you today,” he said.

Jacqueline placed her hands on what used to be her waist. “I don’t mind helping you, you made me breakfast, and that was enough.”

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. “No, I will take care of you. I do believe you’re not supposed to be on your feet anyways. Just relax, please.” Jacqueline smiled at him and walked over to the table to sit down. “How is the pregnancy going so far?” he asked.

Jacqueline placed a hand on her belly automatically. “It is going well. I haven’t had any complications. The baby is growing well. Though sometimes everything gets a bit overwhelming and I just wish I was due and giving birth. I love her very much I just wish that she was made under different circumstances, happier ones,” she said softly.

“But she’ll be raised in a happy environment, I promise,” Harry said his face showing his seriousness. Jacqueline’s heart warmed at his vow and a smile found its way to her lips, she raised herself from her seat and walked into his living room, she sat down on the couch and glanced down at her hands. “I found a way that I can divorce Mark, but I didn’t want to tell you over a letter,” she said, her eyes shining.

Harry sat down next to her immediately; he felt his heart nearly stop when he heard her. “Yes?” he asked in an unusually quiet voice.

“Well, I was looking over our prenuptial and nuptial agreements and I came across something that I had never seen before. My father I presume wrote into the contract that if either Mark or I had children outside of our marriage that the innocent party could file for divorce, even if one is below the age of rights,” she said as her face glowed with happiness.

Harry sat for a moment and realized what she had just said. “Mark had an affair?”

Jacqueline’s face darkened a bit, “Yes, she showed up at the manor last week, however prior to that she called me and told me. I take it Mark isn’t happy. I also don’t think that he knows about what I’ve found out. That’s good, and when I sign and send him the divorce papers he’ll be so caught off guard”

Harry smiled widely at her, showing her his white teeth. “That’s wonderful news! You’ll finally be safe,” he said hugging her to him. Jacqueline couldn’t help but smile at the thought, but she still had a lingering feeling of fear.




A/N:Thanks to my beta Christine! She's great. Sorry about the long wait! School has been hectic, especially with weeks to make up! Anyways, I hope you like, we're nearing the end. Sorry if things seem a bit strange, I need to add some depth to the story line so we can have a nice finish. Please Review! I love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
Thanks_ Naimahfosho