The Best Revenge E-Book

Mariam Campbell

• Herausgeber: Mariam Campbell
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

As a teenager Sarah has a crush on her neighbour Chris. He comes home from the university during the summer. Sarah decides to pay him a visit like she usually does and gets raped by her crush. She gets pregnant and her father threatens to kill her if she stays in his house. Chris denies the pregnancy and ever having sex with her. She gives birth to a baby boy but the child dies a few days before his second birthday. Sarah has always believed that the best revenge for any wrong is to work hard and be successful and this is what she does. Twenty years later she is a very successful entrepreneur but finds it hard to give her heart to any man until she meets Eric when she vacations in the Caribbean.
Eric is a self-proclaimed bachelor who has refused to get serious about anyone because of what life has taught him. As the owner of the resort where Sarah is staying for two weeks, mixing business with pleasure is not on the menu. The two of them must overcome past pain and prejudices to give love and relationship a chance.
Can these two overcome their past pains to live a fulfilled life that gives room for another person in their life or will the need for revenge ruin it all?

Leseprobe

The Best Revenge

Pirate Island

Mariam Campbell

Published by Mariam Campbell, 2023.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

THE BEST REVENGE

First edition. August 7, 2023.

Copyright © 2023 Mariam Campbell.

Written by Mariam Campbell.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE

CHAPTER TWO:  NIGHTMARES AND MASTERS

CHAPTER THREE:  REGRETS

CHAPTER FOUR: PAINS OF THE PAST

CHAPTER FIVE:  DEATH AND SKELETONS

CHAPTER SIX:  THE HIDDEN TRUTH

CHAPTER SEVEN:  THE REVELATION

CHAPTER EIGHT:  GHOSTS OF THE PAST

CHAPTER NINE:  DUCKS IN A ROW

CHAPTER TEN:  ROAD TO JUSTICE

CHAPTER ELEVEN: HELLO FUTURE

CHAPTER TWELVE: GOODBYE PAST

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ALL THE WAY

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: HOPE

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A JUST DESSERT

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: FATE

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: TOGETHER

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: A BEND ALONG THE WAY

CHAPTER NINETEEN: WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

CHAPTER TWENTY: NOT THE END

 

To Charles. We started the journey together and even though you aare gone, you are forever remembered.

CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE

Sarah

Twenty Years Ago

“I’m going to kill you!

I run towards the door of the living room trying to get away from the man brandishing the knife with murder in his eyes, I stand by the door staring in fear at the man and the woman trying to calm him. The living room is large even for houses in this part of town which puts a bit of distance between us. While considering if I should open the door and flee, it occurs to me that there is simply nowhere to go and no one to run to. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that telling my parents I was pregnant would result in an attempt at murder, my murder. This would have been a very good part in a movie or book, if not for the fact that, this is real life!

“George, take it easy, let’s allow her to talk”

“I will kill her. Come back here ungrateful child! What the hell where you thinking stupid girl? Getting pregnant at eighteen?”

That’s my dad, Mr. George Cole, the kind loving man who has since turned into a self-made potential murderer since this morning when my mum, Julie Cole told him I was pregnant. You see it took me a while to know I was pregnant and neither of them knew as well until I had gone past my first trimester. Who am I? I'm Sarah Honey Cole the beloved daughter who has fallen off the pedestal of been the ever-good girl of her parents and all-time daddy’s girl. I have always been the beloved of my parents, a girl that would never do wrong especially when it comes to my dad but that road ends here. You see, I did the one thing that no parent wants their teenage child to do, something my parents were sure their level headed, stay at home, no parties or friends, daughter would never be accused of. My dad has not even given me the chance to say one single word.

“Daddy please.....” I try to plead with him, maybe if I am able to tell them what happened or how it happened things would get better.

“Shut up Sarah!” mum says as she looks at my dad with the knife in his hand. “Just put the knife down and let us talk calmly about this”.

“You want to talk calmly about her getting pregnant? She just finished secondary school for God’s sake!” George looks at Sarah and pointed the knife at her. He looks back at Julie and takes a step forward like he was going to chase after Sarah but then shakes his head and puts the knife down on the table beside him. He walks to the chair and sits with his head in his hands.

“Tell me, what did I do wrong? What did you need? Was it money? New clothes? Food?”

“Come here Sarah and tell us who the father of your baby is” my mum pats the seat beside her but I carefully walk towards the chair furthest from my dad and sit. My eyes are down and I try not to fidget as I wait for the interrogation to start.

“So, tell me who did you go whoring with” says George

“I was raped daddy” Sarah replies

George roars loudly and jumps to his feet. “What!?”

Calmly I narrate what happened to them about my friendship with Christian our neighbour from the next compound. He comes home from the university every holiday to visit his brother who is a manager in a food company in Lagos Island and I guess the sponsor for his younger siblings, since their parents died. I told them that sometimes my sibling and I would go to visit with them and they would help us with things like our school assignments, I explained how the rape happened and all.

“Why would you go to a house filled with single guys all by yourself? You were alone with him and expect that a stupid guy like that won’t take advantage of a naïve little girl?” says George

“Why would he take advantage of a girl that trusted him to do the right thing? Did you hear what she said? She was raped by that idiot Christian!” Julie screams at her husband.

“Now what happens? Clearly, he isn’t back from school” George looks at his wife.

“Well, his brother still lives in the next compound” says Julie

I tune out as my parents continue to talk about how to approach the matter and what to do about the baby I am carrying, then think back to the day I realized that I was pregnant.

“What is going on? My period is 3 months late and even though I’m not regular I should have had it this month. I haven’t seen Chris since that day at his place and I can’t go to his brothers.” I keep getting the anxious feeling that something was wrong.

I have always had irregular cycles and mostly gets to see my period once in every 3 months which makes things a bit confusing and difficult to know what to think. The fact that I was a virgin until 3 months ago before being raped by the guy I had a crush on. Someone I really trusted and looked up to, is one reason to be concerned because even considering the quarterly visits of my period by my calculation, it should have happened by now. So, yes I am worried that my continued lateness could be as a result of what happened and I don’t even know what my strict parents would think or how they would react if I was truly pregnant.

I shut my room door knowing anyone coming in would knock first because it is a rule my parents put in place and the only other person at home at this time is my mum who is in her office grading scripts so I have time to myself for what I need to do. I just came back from the pharmacist and had to go to the one a short distance from home so no one would see what I was buying.

I look at the home pregnancy test kit that the lady at the pharmacy sold to me. “The lady said to wait 10 minutes and if there are 2 blue strips it means I am pregnant” After what seemed like ten months instead of minutes I check the colours on the stick and I am still shocked to read what it says. I try the test again twice maybe the first one was faulty but they are all the same and I start to cry quietly in on my bed with my primary thoughts being how to tell my parents or if it would be better to just run away.

The door to my room opens and mum walks in. Seeing me crying she rushes towards the bed with concern written all over her face but stops when she sees the test strips on the bedside table, the shock on her face makes me cry harder.

“Are you listening to us Sarah?” mum asks looking at me angrily and her question refocuses my concentration back to the present and my current predicament. Dad is quiet now and seated like a statue beside her, I can’t even recall when he moved.

I nod and she continues.  “You will be going to stay with my sister in Porto-Novo until you give birth and then we will decide what the next step is” mum looks at my dad as she says this and I just wanted my life to be over. I have never been away from my family; my parents were very particular about family always being  together and dad especially always said he wouldn’t allow any of his children to live outside his house. Now I am being sent away which makes everything worse.

“In the meantime, we will talk to Christian’s brother and ask him to tell his brother to come home so we can talk to him” Dad says as he stands. He looks at me with disappointment and sadness, shakes his head and walks away.

“Go to your room and pack a bag, we will leave tomorrow morning. I will call my sister to let her know we are coming”.

I stand slowly from where I was sitting and walk out of the living room.

Waking each morning is always disorienting because I haven’t been able to get used to the newness of this bedroom or living in my aunt’s house; this bedroom is smaller than my bedroom back at home and cramped, more like a storage room with little windows. I am closer to my time of delivery and hoping I can go home after the baby is born. For now, I have no idea what will happen with the baby because mum hasn’t told me anything and neither has she come to visit. She only calls every weekend to know how I was doing. After my parents found out about the pregnancy I was hurriedly shuttled off to my aunt’s place where I have been living for almost 6 months. The doctor says anytime soon I will be having the baby, it’s a boy and I am secretly happy. Mum would be taking some time off her work as a lecturer to be with me or so she said.

The door of the bedroom opens and in walks mum, she looks tired like she hasn’t been sleeping well and I know that is probably because of me.

“How are you, Sarah? You sister said to give you this” she hands her an envelope. I am the middle child with an older brother Michael (we all call him Mike) and a younger sister (Mary). Dad wanted more children but mum said no and did some sort of family planning thing that prevented her from having more children.

“Thank you. Did you just get here?” I ask her as she hugs me quickly very unlike the tight long hugs I usually get before Chris ruined my life.

“No, I was talking to your aunt. I got here about an hour ago and I will be here till you have the baby then we would be returning home together” mum stands awkwardly away from me as if the pregnancy was contagious or something to stay away from.

“What is going to happen to the baby after he is born?” I ask her in a small voice

“Let’s leave that till then. Read your letter” she says and walks out of the room.

I open the envelop and took out the note, as I read the letter a few words jumps out at me and I stare at the words in shock.

”Chris has denied ever having anything to do with you and his brothers claim that on the day you mentioned he left early to return to the university for the new semester. Ossai insists that he called them from school that evening to let them know he arrived safely. Dad is furious and talking about calling the police but mum says to not cause a scandal. According to her, involving the police will mean everybody knowing you got raped and with a child.” Mary, her sister, says in her letter. 

I couldn’t finish reading the letter. I let it drop to the floor and cried silently into the pillow.

He is the most handsome guy I have ever seen. I think he the youngest of the brothers. I wonder why he isn’t always around. Sarah is outside her home and watering the flowers near the fence of their compound. The guy walks over and leans over the short wall of fence separating the two compounds.

“Hi, my name is Christian. You can call me Chris”

“Hello, I’m Sarah” she replies shyly

“I'm at the University and I just came home for the long vacation. Do you live here? I haven’t seen you since we moved here, although I haven’t been around. I’d like for us to be friends.”

“Huh friends?”

“Sure”

They keep talking and getting to know each other.

I wish I had refused to be his friend that summer two years ago as I think of how much my life has derailed from the wonderful, happy one I had with my family.

...................................

Sarah

“The best thing you can do for yourself now is to move on and make a success of your life. You no longer have anything holding you back so go to the university and excel”

I remember the words of my mother as I walk towards the lecture hall for the first lecture in my first year at the university. It’s been two years after I gave birth and a lot has happened, most of which has been pushed into a box and locked in a corner of my mind... never to be opened again. My father is yet to forgive me, but at least he doesn’t want to kill me anymore. Christian’s brothers moved away and we have a new neighbour now, a couple with little children.

“Everyone, have your seats and welcome to your first year at the university. This is a general course and it is compulsory for you to pass it if you plan to graduate” says the lecturer as he stands before the students in the lecture hall.

“Yeah, this is the beginning of the rest of my life” I say as I take my seat at the back of the class.

.........................

Eric

Eleven Years Ago

I stand at the entrance of the hall inside the hotel staring at my fiancée and best friend. They just got married and there they are having their first dance as a couple. She didn’t even have the kindness to call off our engagement and let me know she wasn’t interested in marrying me anymore. My best friend? Really, who does that to a best friend who took you in and helped you put your life back on track? Well, it seems like this jackass does.

I walk towards the happy couple as they both turn and see me. Both of them look around in fear and that makes me smile wickedly.

“I see that congratulations are in order” I say as I approach them

“Look Eric, it’s not what you think” says the jackass...ex best friend

“Of course, it isn’t but I wonder why I wasn’t invited to my best friend’s wedding or asked to be the best man” was my reply as I reach the happy couple. I do the one thing I came here to do...took a swing at the groom right in the face and broke his nose. People at the wedding reception gasp and the bride screams as we start a fight on the dance floor.

“You didn’t even have the decency to let me know that I was no longer engaged and you were marrying the woman I was sleeping with?” A couple of the groomsmen finally separated us and I storm out. People are screaming and asking questions as I walk out, leaving them to explain to their guests why the groom’s best friend beat him up at the wedding.

At a bar close to the airport, I order another drink while I continue to have a one-way conversation with myself.  “Five fucking years! All for what?”

“You alright man?” the barman says as he passes me the third or is it the fourth shot of whisky I ordered.

I look at him all smiles “Oh, all peachy here, nothing to see or worry about.”

“Whatever it is I’m sure it isn’t as bad as it looks. With time you are going to look back and thank your lucky stars that it happened just the way it did” and he shuffles off to another customer.

I look at the bar man as he walks away and considers his words. I shouldn’t have bothered to come back here after my trip. Once I got that email telling me my best friend was getting married to my fiancé, I should have gone to Pirate Island. Remembering how I acted earlier that day at the wedding reception and the fact that there were a couple of journalists at the wedding makes me grimace.

Then I grin and shake my head. “Who needs a woman anyway? The only thing they are after is money and the guy who can give them that.”

I thinks of all the sacrifices I had to make and how my Ex, Claudia, kept insisting we wait before setting a date for the wedding. I barely have any savings because I kept trying to give that woman everything she asked for. Even though she worked and got paid well, my Ex-fiancé was very demanding and after five years of us being in a relationship, she couldn’t even call off the engagement or tell me she was marrying my best friend.

“This is to the happily married couple; may you live in misery.” I lift the glass of whisky in a toast and slam it down after drinking the content.

......................

Eric

Two Years Later

I am back in Pirate Island and decided to make good on the dream of having a resort on the acres of land my parents helped me buy with some of the money I had been sending to them. After wasting five years of my life and spending a chunk of my income on a woman, I am happy that at least I was able to get one thing right. I never forgot my parents; even though they had a business of their own and didn’t need the money, I still made sure to send them money. Unknown to me, they had saved it over the years apparently, they didn’t like Claudia and figured things wouldn’t work out especially since we were never able to decide on a date for the wedding.

“Look, what I need to begin with are five one-room chalet style buildings with each having its own unique feel. Not something too big, nice sizeable room, with a bath and small kitchen. It’s a vacation resort not a residence”

“Mr. Masters, having individual chalets built would be more expensive compared to building a single building with floors. It will still have the room with bathroom and kitchen” replies one of the men in the meeting.

There are five men seated at the small conference table with me as we discuss my plan for the resort. I am tired of allowing people to always have their say with me being the one to give in. This is my dream and I will have things done my way ...expensive or not. No one is going to reshape my dream into something else, I do not want a hotel damn it!

“No, I want the chalets. Based on the financials you sent me we can start with five and once we open for business, I will add more to the number” I glare at the team leader ensuring that he understands I have no intention of accepting anything else.

They keep working out what needs to be done and how much needs to be spent when my phone rings. “Sorry guys I have to take this” I say as I walk towards the door with a smile. 

CHAPTER TWO:  NIGHTMARES AND MASTERS

Sarah

“No no no! Please stop, I don’t want this. Oh God please help me, somebody help me” I cried and pushed at the wall of flesh above mine, trying to get out from under Chris as he forces himself on me.

“Oh yes, you are so tight, virgin pussy is the best” Chris says forcing his way into me again and again and causing so much pain without a care in the world. The pain is excruciating and the more I fight the harder it is to get away from the pain. I'm gasping for breath and fighting for the light as I begin to see dark spots behind my eyes.

“The more you fight the more I enjoy it” he says

“Don’t do this! Please let me go, I won’t tell anyone” I plead and beg, crying for him to stop.

As I push at his chest again, I wake up. Sitting up on my bed I look around and see that it’s still dark outside, leaning over I check the time on my phone 4.25am, almost time for the alarm to go off.

No point going back to sleep after that dream, I won’t be sleeping anyway. I don’t understand why I keep having this dream or the different variations of it. Sometimes it is like this, other times I’m running but then he catches me and the begging and fighting starts but the end result is the same.

Remembering what the Therapist said about my mind not having gotten past the trauma nor having closure for what happened. I know all that but why specifically around the time of the month when the rape happened? It’s kind of difficult to forget a trauma when you keep getting a reply every anniversary.

“Hello Chris. You are back from school? When did you get back?” I smile as I walk towards him

“Got back yesterday night. I’m just around for a few days to pick up some things and get some money from my brother”

“Oh! Okay”

Chris gives me a hug.

“See you later” I say as I walk away. I am on my way to the tutoring class in preparation for my General Certificate Examination coming up in a few months.

I hope I get to see him before he leaves. The last time he left sooner than I thought. At least I have someone that would help me with the mathematics that has been given me some issues. I wish my parents would allow me study something else aside from sciences. I may be good in it but anything that requires figures and sums is just not something I enjoy. Even my career counsellor back at school understood when she advised my parents to let me change to arts or commercial studies in my senior year in secondary school. Now I flunked two science subjects which I have to pass if I must get admission to the University.

“That girl keeps looking more beautiful anytime I come visit my brother” Chris says as he walks into his brother’s house.

Next morning.

“Good morning, Chris”

“Hello girl, how are you?”

“I’m good. Are you busy? I need you to help me with some math problems. Thank God you are around”

“Not at all. Why don’t you come in?” Chris says as he opens the door for me to walk into the living room.

He sits beside me on the couch as he explains the math sums to me. When we are done I try to leave but he turns to me and gives me a kiss. I push him away and sit up.

“Where are you going? Come on you aren’t a baby anymore. You finished secondary school so now you are a big girl”

“No Chris this is not right besides I have never done this before”

Then e pulls me to him and I’m on my back on the couch.

“No!” I shout “Stop I don’t want this”

“Yes, you do, that’s why you keep coming to see me every time I am around. Just try to enjoy it”

I keep screaming and shouting for him to stop and leave me alone but he is too big and too strong. Once he is done, I run with tears streaming down my eyes not even bothering with the math books.

I wish I had known how to fight back or had someone who could fight for me back then. I wonder what my life would be like now if I had not gone to see him that day. Maybe by now I’d have a family of own like most of my friends. Even my sister has a child and only God knows where my brother is.

I walk into the bathroom to get ready for the day and look at myself in the mirror as I go through my morning ritual.  “Well Sarah, it’s a new day and you have to shine your light. Remember people will only associate with you when you are a success” I say to my reflection in the mirror.

I walk to the closet and try to go through my activities for the day as I consider what to wear. I live in a one-bedroom apartment in the mainland with a living room, kitchen and bathroom. The place is quiet and upscale. My bedroom is the best part of the apartment as it basically just lets you know it is well lived in. I enjoy craft work so I try my hands in a lot of things mainly so I can practice before I have to teach them to my students and I do a lot of cycling. The bed is made from old tyres and wood, the walls have a white background with red and blue flower designs on them and I have handmade curtains, bed sheets, blankets all from African print fabric. There are handmade wall frames hanging on one side of the wall and shelves with flower vases and decors that I made myself. I added a rechargeable lamp I made after my training in making household electronic appliances and a small bedside air cooler.

In my black pants and light blue top, I walk out with bare feet to the kitchen to get my lunch out of the fridge, which I place carefully in my lunch bag. Walking back to the bedroom I check the wall clock which makes me quicken my pace. This is going to be a long day, what with the dream and going down memory lane. I pick up my hand bag and laptop bag as I wear my shoes.

As I walk out the door, I try to shake off the bad memory of my past but like every year I have some rough weeks ahead of me.

“Sarah, remember you have that thing with the Budding Youth Foundation at 3pm today. The President of the foundation already called to confirm” my assistant reminds me as I walk into the hall that leads to my office. My company The Handcraft Place is located on a land I bought after the second year we started operation. Sandra mans the hall and serves as the sentry stopping everyone before they can get to me.

“Okay. Thank you, Sandra,” in my office I look at the awards and frames on the wall, my eyes focus on the last one I received just a year ago. It is an award appreciating my contribution to the empowerment and development of entrepreneurship in teenagers in Lagos State. All these for doing what I love. I wish other areas of my life was this rewarding or fun. I reply an email inviting me to another award event in South Africa.  Sitting in one spot for hours is a major challenge for me.

My company is a social enterprise that organizes trainings on entrepreneurship and craft skills for teenagers and youths across the country and a couple of countries in West Africa. When I started, it was on a quest to work on my area of passion and have some skills to give back since I enjoyed volunteering with the Not for Profits I work with. Now my company has covered half of the country teaching craft and craft business skills to mostly teenagers just finishing from secondary school.

On the wall are awards of honour and appreciations, plaques and framed letters for the different community work and youth-based efforts. We are now expanding to neighbouring countries and maybe I get to fulfil my other passion of traveling and international volunteering.

I’m sure that Sandra and the other instructors would be able to carry on with the projects we have ongoing in the country while I work at expanding to other countries. It’s not easy building a social enterprise since we rely a lot on the goodwill of donors and grants.

That last project almost didn’t happen since funds didn’t come in as expected and it is what has resulted in another award since we have developed a sustainable model for funding our projects going forward so no more complete reliance on donors and grants.

Eric

“How are things at the resort?”

“It’s moving up. I’m adding 5 more chalets before the end of the year”.

I’m at my parents’ home on Pirate Island for the bi-monthly dinner where I get to go through the stress of their worries and field questions I shouldn’t even be answering.

They have a beach front house which is a walking distance from their restaurant. I grew up running around that restaurant before I moved to the United States for a few years of university and work. I would have continued with my work there if not for the events that led to me been a bachelor again. I moved out of my parents’ place into a two-bedroom chalet on the resort. Now I only have to endure my parent’s matchmaking twice in each month. That is a lot of matchmaking and it is becoming worse.

“Hope you guys are doing fine? Dad, what do you think about the idea of having another one of your restaurants located at the resort?”

“Eric, we have told you this the first time you suggested it, we are too old for that. Your mother and I, we are considering retiring from the business.”

I’m surprised with the new development. My parents have had the restaurant since the year after my birth and they have never even talked about taking a break from it. Now they want to retire? Who would run the restaurant?

“You never spoke of this before” I look at both of them wondering what brought on this new desire to retire from a business they built and struggled to maintain.

“Yes, well its time and we spoke to Ibraheem’s sister, Misty. She will be buying the restaurant from us. Maybe she will accept your proposal to have the restaurant located in the resort” my mother informs me as she stands to take the dishes to the kitchen.

I take them from her, place them in the sink for the cleaning lady who would come in the next morning and walk to the living room where my parents have moved to and sat on the couch facing them.

“When did you decide to sell the restaurant?” I ask both of them

Dad laughs and mum just stays quiet with a smile “Come on son, it’s not like you want it for yourself.”

“No dad, but the restaurant is doing well and people keep telling me it would be nice to have a place like THE MASTERY on the resort lands” I don’t want it for myself but it is their legacy. Even though I am not hung up on continuing the family business I never imagined that they would consider selling the restaurant. It wasn’t like it was floundering or facing bad times, in fact things are better now especially with the resort bringing more business to the island.

“Misty was doing a great job and we have been delegating a lot of the responsibilities to her. Besides you have your own thing now and you are doing so well” says Mum as she passes me a cup of tea.

“Maybe you and Misty....” there she goes again.

“No mum. Misty is like a sister to me and I have no intention of starting a relationship” I cut her off before she can start her matchmaking plans with Misty and me.

“Well son we are not getting any younger” dad says and I just look at both of them.

I shake my head at my dad’s comment. As I think of a response, my phone rings and I breathe a sigh of relief. I pick it up from the side stool where I placed it and nod towards the porch. Looking at the caller ID I see its Mike, one of the two best friends I have left, on the phone.

“Saved by the bell, thanks man. What’s up?” I say once I am out of earshot.

Mike chuckles over the phone. “Dinner at your parents’ house?”

“Good guess. Not that I don’t appreciate the save but I’m sure you are not calling to rescue me from my old man.” Leaning against a pillar I change the position of the phone to my right ear.

“Nope. I heard back from the builders and we need to have a meeting” Mike says with a chuckle. We are expanding the resort and adding more chalets, this time we decided to build something bugger to accommodate families vacationing with their children and a park where children can play. We are also adding a wellness unit that would cater to the needs of some of our customers.

“Please let it be now!” anything to excuse myself from my parents’ place.