"What do you want from me Jessica?" I ask sternly, my voice unwaveringJessica's eyes flicker with a mixture of emotions, her expression revealing a hint of surprise and uncertainty. "Your baby?" she asks, her voice laced with a tinge of disbelief, her eyes darting to my stomachI nod, unable to hide the warmth in my heart when I think about the child Jim and I are expecting. "Yes, our baby," I confirm, a smile forming despite the unease of this unexpected encounter.Jim steps in, his presence a reassuring shield. "We're building a life together, Jessica," he explains, his voice steady. "This is our future, and we're committed to it."Jessica's features darken, her mask of innocence slipping away to reveal something more sinister. "Jim," she begins, her tone laced with a sense of urgency, "you don't understand. You can't just walk away from what we had."I exchange a quick glance with Jim, a sense of discomfort settling over us. Our past with Jessica is a complicated and annoying one,
“Why are you here?” Jim questions, his tone a mixture of surprise and annoyance. As the figure comes into focus, it becomes clear that it’s Jessica, Jim’s estranged wife.A moment of tension fills the room as Jim and Jessica exchange glances. I remain by Jim’s side, offering silent support. Jessica begins to speak, her words carrying the weight of unresolved emotions. “Jim, you left me without a second thought. You knew I still loved you, and yet you walked away.”Jim maintains his composure, but I can sense the internal conflict within him. Jessica’s unexpected appearance dredges up the past, reopening wounds that time has not completely healed.“I had my reasons, Jessica,” Jim responds, his voice steady. “We both know our marriage was strained, and we couldn’t continue like that. It was the best decision for both of us.”Jessica’s eyes well up with tears as she continues to express the pain she endured after Jim’s departure. The air in the room becomes heavy with unresolved history,
“Did you leave because we were not good enough for each other or because I lost our child……” Jessica trails off, her eyes darts to mine, and it feels like a sharp sword that pierced meI free my hands from Jim’s and go ahead to take a seat on the couch.“Jessica, for once, you know I never blamed you for the loss of that child, but even once”“You know you don’t have to say it Jim, oh hell, your actions said a lot of things that day, I remember it, it’s as clear as day to me….. the accident changed my life. And I know you blame me for leaving the house that day. You blame me for not taking good care of my, our unborn child, you’ve always blamed me Jim and that was unfair, it has always been an unfair thing to do to me. So why did you do that to me then? Jim why?” Jessica yells, all her comportment going into the drain“I’m sorry I made you feel that way” Jim’s words come out, and it surprises me, it surprises me how much Jim has changed after a therapy session.“There was no day that
“Jim!” I say again, this time around, I walk up to meet him.“You shouldn’t see me like this Anastasia, please don’t touch me” he says, his voice is stern and somehow, it is still laced with love.“Jim what did you do?” I question again, this time around, demanding an answer to my question.“I promise you that nothing happened,” Jim says, walking into the bathroom to clean up after himself.“Jim don’t lie to me and don’t walk away from me, because I swear to you that I’ll leave this house, walking away from you forever Jim and you can do no shitty thing about it, just watch and see” I say, panic taking the best of me.“Princess……” Jim trails off, his eyes meeting my burning gaze and he quickly looks away“I’ll ask you for the last time Jim, what the fuck happened there and why are you back here with blood in your hands? Are you a murderer?” I state, exasperatingly“She tried to attack me with a knife, and then she was going to come for you, she claimed that……….Jim’s words are interru
“Anastasia, I thought we were over that, that happened months ago, let’s just let it go?”“No, Jim, no! I want to know why you helped him when you saw he was in jail, for crying out loud, you knew he killed my mother” I say, and tears gather in my eyes when the memories come rushing back.“I’m sorry princess, I don’t want you to cry, sincerely I don’t want you crying, please don’t do that” he says“This pregnancy comes with so many emotions, Jim, and I really miss my mother. Being with yours felt like I had my mother back, she is exactly like mine, the way she talks, the way she cooks and even the way she looks Jim…. I wish I could hold my mom one last time and tell her how much I love her” I cry, and Jim pulls me into his hands, and I sob freely.“You did not deserve any of that Anastasia, and my mom is yours too, I’m happy to share her with you” he comforts meI pull away from his embrace, “you see babe, that’s why I’m so furious whenever I see my father. I just want to rip his head
“Anastasia, what do you say about having dinner together?” Jim asks me“Well yea yes yea yes, since you woke me up to tell me how much you love me, I deserve to be treated to a good food” I say“You’re not wrong, let’s get ready princess” Jim smilesMy phone rings, distracting me from this moment, I grab the phone to realize that it’s Kendra, I should have told her about my whereabouts“Hey sissy” I say through the phone“Thank God you’re okay, you had me worried sick after Harry told me you went out with Jim” Kendra says and I could sense the unease leave her voice.“I’m sorry, but I’m good, I’m going for dinner with Jim, you have nothing to worry about” I assure her“Alright, if you say so, and please call me in case of anything, okay?” She says, asking for reassurance“Okay Kens” I assure her“Bye” she says and disconnects the call.I carefully select a knee-length navy-blue dress with delicate lace details that complement the soft curves of her figure. I pair it with a pair of nud
"Jim, what are you doing?" I ask again, unsure of what I'm to say to the words that Jim asks me"Say yes" Jim says, his eyes pleading with me to say yes.But a part of me is unsure, do I really want to spend the rest of my life with him? Together? After all he has put me through? Whatever decision I want to make now, it has to be to the benefit of my baby...I give him a slight nod, not giving him an exact answer, and it's only because I know I have to do something to get him to stand up.I place my left hand in front of Jim and he slides the diamond ring into my finger."I knew you'll say yes" Jim says, smiling and I smile back.I try not to think about what happened, and decide on enjoying my dinner.The restaurant buzzes with activity as Jim and I immerse ourselves in the vibrant atmosphere. Soft jazz music plays in the background, creating a soothing ambiance that complements our intimate dinner setting.Jim and I engage in a lively conversation, keeping ourselves busy.Jim leans
"Jim, don't you think that's it's a bit too early, I mean we just started working on ourselves, I think we should give ourselves a little more time and all of that, don't you think?" I ask Jim, trying to sound as friendly as possible"Is that what you want, princess? Or you think that I'm going to go back to who I was?" Jim asks, his tone is neutral"I'm not saying that Jim, I just think we should be able to understand ourselves better and all of that before we conclude on an engagement" I explain better"If that's what you want princess, then that's fine, but I want you to keep the ring, a gift from me to you.... I'll get you another" he saysJim starts the car and the engine roars to life, as we hear back home, Jim is texting mysteriously on his phone, leaving me to wonder what is actually going on with him."Is everything okay?" I ask Jim, and he puts down his phone"Yes, there's nothing to worry about" he smiles, placing his hands on my thighs and for some reason, it's calming."S