The Pampered Princess Chronicles

"Listen Elizabeth, you played fair with me I think, we don't have to be part of all of this, we can do our bit quietly; but I really want to support Rob and Marcus, your friends did a real number on them, they deserve better."

Elizabeth nodded, "I think you are right, maybe I need some new friends. I take it Rob and Marcus have been holed up in your studio, living from your part of the trust fund."

"Yeah pretty much, how come you didn't tell the girls or the lawyers?"

"I agree with you, the guys didn't deserve what happened and had earned some peace, although I heard a rumour Rob got some pretty dramatic revenge."

Steve smiled knowing about Rob's liaison with Gayle.

"Do you think you will still be ok accessing your trust fund; we did what you originally wanted after all?"

"There is no trust fund Rob, I inherited the money when I was 21."

"What the ... How can that be...?"

"I made it all up."

"But... why?"

"Isn't it obvious, it's pretty simple... I wanted to marry you. Always have done since that first day we met at school, but you wouldn't even consider it, you couldn't trust me and I couldn't blame you for that. And it worked, we've been really good together; these have been the best three years of my life."

"But what about all the different guys?"

"What guys? I'll admit I was popular before we married but I stopped all of that. I went out a lot, but only a few times with guys to keep the pretence up and I didn't sleep with a single one of them. I have list of names and contact numbers if you would like to check, but I have been faithful to you since the day we agreed to marry."

Steve was staggered, that surely couldn't be true.

"When was the last time you seen me out with a guy."

Steve thought about the last online image he had seen, it must have been nearly a year ago.

"It was John Marshall, August 18th last year, he escorted me to an awards ceremony, we danced had a good time and he kissed my cheek as he dropped me off. Phone and ask him if you don't believe me, he said to tell you that you are a very lucky guy. The time before that was in April, James Campbell, he's a gorgeous model and a lovely man, he is also gay and has a secret boyfriend called Ryan."

"So, the whole thing is a set-up, that's..."

"Weird, stalking, creepy, humiliating... I know, don't remind me. Once I started I just kept digging myself in, lie upon lie, but then again it shows just how much I love you. I'll understand if you can't forgive the deception, at worst I thought you would get the original deal out of it. And you succeeded with your art, so something good has come out of it. But I meant it every time I told you I loved you and I have been faithful to you, I needed to prove that to myself as well as you.

"Right, well... fuck," was all the hyper intelligent words Steve could string together.

"I need some time."

Elizabeth nodded and left quickly before the tears began to flow.

***

"Is it a boy or an episode of star trek?

"It's a boy you idiot... our boy."

Steve smiled at Beth, looking at the monitor projecting the scan, "Guess the fun really starts now then."

"A nice quiet life would be better, but this isn't a bad present for a 5th anniversary."

"True, although by my reckoning you owe me £400,000 for the 2 years since our original contract."

"Deal, but I'll only pay it if I can have another contract extension, 50 years should cover it."

"Seems like a fair offer to me, where do I sign."

Rob and Marcus were some of the first to offer Steve congratulations; they remained great friends and met at the micro-pub regularly.

Their divorces had progressed easily with very generous settlements. Stephanie's father also insisted Rob was re-employed at his firm. They speculated if Gayle had anything to do with that decision or if her husband had any knowledge about their liaison, but it was better to leave that stone unturned.

Stephanie was leading the life of a singleton but appeared on the edge and spiralling out of control, there were rumours of drugs and an endless search for the next thrill. She repeatedly offered to be Rob's 'bit on the side'. She even made an attempt to seduce his new fiancée Jacqueline, both offers were rejected.

Victoria had also been through baby scanning herself and was now the single mother of a toddler Sophie. She was not Marcus's child; her lover Daniel had done a runner denying any relationship with Victoria, but her parents tracked him down and he was 'persuaded' to admit parentage and pay child support. They also made sure to inform his wife about her husband's new offspring, a decision which ended his marriage and made him significantly poorer.

Victoria was now having to put someone else's needs before her own and much to everyone's surprise she was coping surprisingly well. They could only hope Sophie didn't grow up to be yet another pampered princess.