ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴡᴏ

ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴇꜱᴛ ᴍᴇ

JENNA

I open my eyes slowly and quickly rise up. Pain shoots through my body.

"Fuck!" I yell and and place my hand on my bandage.

Jason stitched me up good, but damn it hurts like hell.

Jason walked into the bedroom and came to my side with pills and water.

"Hey... I went to the hospital and got you some painkillers." He said and handed them to me.

"When did you go?" I ask while taking the pills.

"This morning." He said while staring at me like a love sick puppy.

"Was Xavier there?" I ask him.

"Yeah. Apparently, Sofia had the baby. A boy." Jason explains.

I hold the now empty glass.

"My baby?" I whisper, and my mind rushes to the memory of my first miscarriage.

Struggling to keep my balance, I crumpled onto the cold tile of the bathroom floor. The pain was sharp, a cruel reminder of what I'd lost. I clutched my stomach, tears streaming down my face, and cried out for the life that would never be.

The bathroom mirror reflected a me I could barely recognize. Pale skin, red-rimmed eyes, a body that felt empty. External appearances mirroring the internal reality. I was supposed to be carrying new life, a symbol of my love for Xavier. Our love. Now, all that remained was emptiness.

The harsh fluorescent light above glared down at me, seeming to highlight every tear, every wrinkle of pain etching my face. I clutched the edge of the sink, pulling myself up with a strength that felt foreign to me. I was a vessel of grief, filled to the brim.

I reached into my medicine cabinet, my hand shaking as I pulled out the orange bottle of pills. Bipolar meds. My lifeline and my curse. The doctor had told me they were safe, that they wouldn't harm the baby. But the baby was gone, and I was left to wonder if the pills were the silent killer.

Tears dripped onto the white porcelain sink as I unscrewed the top. My heart pounded in my chest, echoing my guilt, my shame, my fear. I upended the bottle, watching as the small, innocuous tablets swirled down the drain. Away. Gone. Just like my baby.

A new plan began to take shape in my mind, one driven by desperation and despair. I needed Xavier to love me, to stay with me. I needed to give him a child. And if I couldn't... well, I had to find another way.

There was Xavier's brother. Jason. He had the same genes, the same blood. If I could convince him, if I could make him believe that we shared the same desperation... He could give me a child. A child that would pass for Xavier's. A child that would save my marriage.

My heart ached at the thought, at the betrayal it would mean. But the alternative was losing Xavier, and that was a reality I couldn't face. I stared at my reflection, a stranger staring back at me. But this stranger had a plan. This stranger was willing to do whatever it took.

"Whatever it takes," I whispered to my reflection, my voice echoing off the bathroom tiles. Then I turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. Into the unknown. But I was ready. I had to be.

"Jenna?" Jason says and touches my arm.

"The baby.. Xavier and I.." I stare at the empty glass with the anger rising inside me. My baby died. I lost my husband, and now he wants to live happily ever after with his new family.

"Jenna, I think it's time to call your doctor to recalibrate your meds." Jason says to me, which only pissed me off. "I think it will make you feel better."

"I'm not crazy!" I yell at him.

"Jen, I never said that. I'm just worried about you." He says, cupping my face.

"I'm fine. I failed once, but I'm not going to fail again." I say to him.

"Jenna, I think -"

"No. I know what I want, jason!" I yell.

Jason looks at me with his eyes filled with hurt.

I place my hand in his place, slowly tracing it up to his groin.

I bring my lips to his ear, and I can feel his body tense up. "Help me, Jason. Just like you always do." I whisper.

"Jenna..."

"Remember when I asked you me to get me pregnant..." I whisper to him while rubbing growing erection.

"Yes.." He says softly in shame.

"And remember when I asked you to shoot Xavier just enough to keep him home for a while." I say to him while trailing kisses down his neck.

"Yes.."

"You would do anything for me, wouldn't you, Jason?"

He hesitates, but then he nods. Jason is in love with me. From the very first moment he saw me, he fell for me.

"Then help me destroy their relationship, Jason." I say 5o him, and he stares at me like he's conflicted. "I've seen the way they treat you... don't you want revenge?"

Jason looks away. "I'm not exactly perfect either, Jenna."

"You don't have to be. You just have to help me." I say to him, brushing my lips against his.

I can feel Jason's hot breath on my lips.

"Just promise me no harm will come to Xavier, Zoe, or the baby." Jason says.

"I pormise." I lie.

He nods and kisses me passionately, placing his hand on the back of my neck, pressing me closer.

"Why not move on?" Jason asks.

"Because I'm not going to let another woman steal my husband." I answer.

He looks at me with a look of worry.

"Don't worry, by the time I'm finished, Xavier will come back to me." I say to him, and he looks hurt again.

__________

I'll be waiting to read the comments on this one.