ZaraAs Marcello pulls up in the posh driveway, the nerves in my stomach multiply tenfold. I have been dreading this meeting for the past one week, since he informed me. It’s one thing to meet your fiance’s family for the first time but meeting your fake fiance’s family? That’s on a whole different level. The door to the main building opens and a petite, dark haired woman steps out and skips down the stairs. Judging by the strong resemblance she shares with the man in the driver’s seat, who is grinning from ear to ear, she is Marcello’s mother.Marcello opens the door and steps out and I follow suit. To my surprise, his mother walks in my direction and pulls me into a hug. Her arms around me remind me so much of my mother that I find myself tearing up. She smells homely; like rich spices. Marcello whines beside me and she detaches from me and goes to hug him. Shortly after, she’s back by my side, grabbing my hands and giving me a once over. Then, she concludes that I have in fact,
Zara“Hi babe, I’ve missed you”“Yes babe, I’ve missed you too” he repliesI turn my head towards him so fast, I almost get whiplash. Babe? Who’s this woman anyway?My shock slowly morphs into fear. Does this mean I have been lured here to be made fun of? Did Marcello’s parents already know about our fake relationship? Does this…“ You must be Zara”I turn my attention to the new addition in the room. “ That would be me”Something about her seems familiar though, but I can’t seem to place my finger on it. I take a proper look at her and my belly churns with something unpleasant. Judging by her dress sense, she is a classy woman. She has on a green dress that does wonders for her figure. Long legs, a designer bag hanging delicately on her hand, long dark hair. A brunette, I see.“Zara?”Wait a minute…I knew she looked familiar for a reason. I raise my eyes to her face . She has quite sharp features and a smile on her face. Why is she smiling?“Zara. Mi’ja”Has she figured it all ou
ZaraA week has passed after the incident that night but Marcello has not called even once. No surprise there.Within the last week, the girls and I met once for dinner and I had informed them about my decision to get married to Marcello. I left out the fact that it is a contract marriage; I just didn’t know how they would take the information. Their reactions were priceless and even now, it is clear as day in my head.Valerie had stood comically, mouth agape and Emily, still in shock reached out to pinch her mouth closed. Laughter bubbles in my throat at the reminder. Then I told them about the events that went down after the dinner. That didn’t go down as well as the previous information. Although she did not overreact, I could see the silent storm brewing in Emily’s eyes. One thing about Em is that she is ever the calm girl but when she gets upset about something, she is capable of setting a forest on fire.She had calmly held my hand and looked into my eyes with all seriousness
Zara Within the next hour, I walk into the premises of Paradise Group. I figured a phone call would not adequately portray the range of emotions I am currently feeling, so a physical confrontation is the best bet; for someone as thickheaded as Marcello , that is. I do not bother going to the reception, I move straight to the elevators and step in. The entire ride to the last floor, I picture different scenarios that would be most befitting to channel my anger. Maybe I should knee him in the balls…Nah, he would probably dodge that without much stress. Stupid ,annoying, athletic body. Or…Maybe I should act out a scene from a movie like those crazy protagonists; Push my way through his office, step on his work desk and give him a piece of my mind while wagging my finger in his face. The middle finger preferably… I catch myself from envisioning further torture tactics. He definitely brings out the worst in me. ... Makes me question how on earth I am going to survive four yea
“ You did what?”My head buzzes with the new information. I move forward on the edge of my seat, more anxious than anything else. “ What did you tell them?”“ I still have your resumé remember? You’ve met my family, I thought it’s only fair that I meet yours as well.”“ Yeah, after you told me that they weren’t my family and not to bother getting friendly with them. What the hell is wrong with you?”He merely shrugs. Shrugs, I tell you!I can’t seem to find my bearings at the moment. A lot is going through my mind. Did he tell them about the pregnancy? I turn to him in alarm“ You didn’t tell them about the pregnancy…right?”His silence confirms my fear. Blood rushes like torrents inside my head, muting the sounds around me. I stand up on shaky legs. “ This whole thing....the contract …let’s call it off. I can’t deal with this. Clearly, you have no idea what a partner is; fake or real.”I move with guarded steps towards the entrance and he makes no move to follow me; not that I want
ZaraThe doctor said I could go home today. Since I regained consciousness, I have spent an extra day here and this hospital room is beginning to suffocate me. I haven’t seen Marcello since I woke up, although my mom swears by him. A good man, my foot.I could tell my dad was not excited about the whole thing but he managed to keep things civil for me and mom’s sake. The girls also came by yesterday. I called to inform them and they were here within the hour. I hit the jackpot with those ones.Marcello’s family came by a few times. Maria came beating all kinds of food; I struggled to even eat some of them. Morning sickness is the devil. His father was especially worried, since he was there when the whole thing went down. He even promised to knock Marcello down a peg, which in my opinion, was the best thing I heard during my stay here.My bag is packed and ready to go, courtesy of my mom and Maria. Both women have been fussing over me like mother hens. Fortunately, they hit it off righ
ZaraAfter my discharge from the hospital, wedding preparations began in earnest. Dad and mum stayed back in New York on the insistence of Maria and Mr. Hernandez. For the past two weeks, I have been home, thanks to the leave my boss graciously offered me. At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to spend all those weeks but now, I’m thankful that he was thoughtful enough to bring it up.My days are spent going through wedding catalogues after the other, with both mothers breathing down my neck for wanting a small wedding. I thought I could try convincing them once again to see from my perspective — I am already showing and I do not want to attract even more attention by inviting a crowd.Of course, it fell on deaf ears. The only person who seemed to see through my lens was dad. Mr. Hernandez also assured me that he understood my concern but the Andres family was a big family in the business world; a small wedding was simply unacceptable.It is one week to the dreaded event, after whic
Zara I woke up at five today. Last night’s sleep was fitful; I was too anxious to sleep. I tossed and turned before I managed to get some shut eye at about 2:00am. Two hours of sleep. I tried to force myself to go back to bed but all efforts proved abortive. So, I came down to the kitchen to get a glass of warm milk. I haven’t had caffeine in awhile and the sight of the coffee machine almost has me drooling. No, Zara ,think of your baby. I take a seat on one of the stools around the kitchen island. The last time I was here at Marcello’s parents, I didn’t have a good look at other places except the dinning and living rooms. The kitchen is made with neutral colors of black, white and grey. The most fascinating part of it all is the sink. It’s not your conventional sink, which comes in basin form. This one is made of black granite and bears the same structure with the entire island, save for the drainage at the corner. Money sure can do a lot. Someday, I would love to have a ki
Zara’s POV Mama doesn’t let us leave immediately, insisting that we stay for dinner. Hence, me hiding out in Carlotta’s room. Left for me, I would take a cab home , so I don’t have to face my ugly impulsive decisions . I know I have said this before but let me reiterate; Marcello is cancerous. One minute I was bawling my eyes out in Maria’s arms and the next, I let go of my morals in Marcello’s. This stupid, stupid pregnancy hormones. Carlotta is downstairs helping out with dinner and Marcello is well…being Marcello somewhere around the house. I hope he stays busy until we have to leave . If I face him now, I might simply die of mortification . I offered to help out also but Mama chased me out with a spatula. At a few minutes past 6 pm , Carlotta pops in to let me know that dinner’s ready. When I get to the dinning room, I see Mr. Hernandez already seated, reading a newspaper with his glasses perched atop his nose. He puts down the paper when he sights me and beams “ Mi Queri
Marcello's POV True to her words , Zara stormed out of the house with a duffel bag. I could only watch, stunned, as she walked past me with every determination in her. It was only after a few minutes, that I came to terms with what just happened. Thankfully, she had Uncle Phillip drive her. One less thing to worry about…I immediately thought of calling Mama to inform her that a very angry, pregnant woman was headed her way. Mama laughed when I explained the entire ordeal to her and then proceeded to scold me for letting my pregnant and very emotional wife out of my sight, without running after her to pacify her. She promised to take care of her and threatened that if I didn’t drag my behind home within the next hour, she would personally make sure that Zara die snot return home. I really cannot understand women . Hence, I am en route the family home and I didn’t forget to buy a lot of gifts to pacify Her Royal Majesty. I have heard men say things like ‘ happy wife, happy home’ b
Zara’s POV One thing I didn’t expect that accompanied my recent bouts of morning sickness ,is the heightened appetite. Not just the appetite to eat good food, I have the most insane cravings these days; especially spicy food. Desi, Thai, Korean, Chinese , Japanese, you name them. And Marcello, bless his heart, has been a sweetheart, offering to buy me whatever I crave. Pretty sure the man has visited all the indigenous food places in New York in the span of one week but I am eating for three, so…This past week, I have gotten used to his tendency to call me random endearing names. At first, thinking about it gave me a major migraine but I’ve decided to just go along with the flow. Just as long as he keeps buying me spicy buffalo wings…I woke up this morning craving egg tarts and Julio has been MIA for a while now, only coming in one day out of five. Not gonna lie, I’m a bit worried about his absence but I’m not one to pry.It's Saturday and I know that Celine will be ordering a tot
ZaraDr. Meyers beams immediately she sees me and offers me a seat. “ Zara! I wasn’t expecting you today but it’s so good to see you” She looks at the Stony- gazed man beside me , “ you came with your husband too. This is great.”Marcello offers her a handshake in his usual professional manner and she accepts it. “ Marcello Andres” “ Sharon Meyers. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Andres.”“ Likewise”“ So, what brings you here today?”“ I woke up today with a really bad case of morning sickness. I’m worried because I no longer had that but I woke up today feeling like my stomach was twisting itself from the inside. Dr. Meyers hums in contemplation. “ Most women go through morning sickness until the end of the third trimester, so I wouldn’t be worried about that. However, what worries me is the pain you’re feeling . That’s not normal, especially at this stage. You’re nearing the end of the your second trimester and this is a critical time.”My heart thrums rapidly at her w
ZaraSomething smells awful. It’s a familiar smell but it something smells repulsive today. I rollover on to my right to ward off the smell but it seems to be me everywhere. My belly folds over life a turbulent tide on a beach, recoiling and rumbling in disagreement to the smell assaulting my senses. I feel the wave within trying to force itself out of my throat but I force it down, taking deep breaths. Only, that was a big mistake on my part. I jump out of the bed with a sense of urgency, almost tripping on the sheets wrapped around my ankles. The moment I kneel before the toilet, a torrent of vomit comes hurling out of my throat. Remnants of the rice Marcello made for dinner last night. My stomach twists uncomfortably with each bout of retching and it actually feels like my intestines are eating me from the inside out. I may have experienced bad morning sickness the first few weeks but they had ceased for a while. I guess I was wrong to be relaxed. I flush the toilet and rinse
Marcello’s POV The dinner ended on a good note and I’m just relieved to have gotten it out of the way. The only problem now is, I’ve been sporting a very painful boner all night. As I conversed with guests, I had to place both hands over the front of my pants, so as to not draw unwanted attention to myself. Zara Parkinson is a minx . After she whispered “ Dream on , babe”, my boner went from hard to raging. I did all I could to distract myself from thinking about her ass in the pants she wore tonight. The clothes weren’t tight or anything but I simply couldn’t take my eyes off the way she strutted away from the table. Immediately the last guest left, I bolted upstairs and ripped off all the clothes I had on and stepped into the shower. I stood under the cold spray for minutes but my mind didn’t seem to get the memo that we were trying not to go feral. Images of Zara sprawled out on my bed, her salacious moans, the way she moved and fuck! That bump. Never knew a pregnant belly coul
ZaraThe dress arrived at exactly an hour to the dinner but not exactly the way I expected it to. True to Viv’s words, I was totally blown away. Valerie was just making some finishing touches on my makeup when Emily, our housekeeper, walked in with a box. The inscription on the box read ‘ HN’ which is Viv’s brand name. I ripped through the ribbon holding the package together, barely able to contain my excitement. Only as I lifted the lid on the box, my excitement dropped several notches. A dead bird lay on the clothes, in a splatter of blood and gore. My name is written inside the box, in bright red. The bird is devoid of it's head, it's wings broken and entrails hanging out. . Whoever did this must have snapped it's neck and proceeded to slice it's gut open.I stand transfixed, cold sweat dripping down the back of my neck. . A realization hits me; it's a baby bird. My hands move instinctively to cradle my stomach. Fear of anyone ever harming my innocent child makes my stomach chu
ZaraThe day of the celebratory dinner arrives a few days later. Marcello said he wanted the event to be a small and intimate one, where he gets to share his win with his family and close associates. He even invited Valerie and Emily. All the excitement I have been feeling all day is due to the fact that I will be seeing the girls after a long while. Working at the firm and with Marcello has left me no time to socialize and have fun. Fun seems like an alien word at this point.I have been going round , inspecting the arrangements , since the dinner will be held here at the house. I pass by a stack of muffins and quickly snatch one off the table. Celine gives me the stink eye and I pretend not to notice her. Soon after, Maria arrives with Carlotta , each carrying heavy boxes and containers of food. I give them each a hug and pout at Maria. “ I told you not to bring anything, Mama. Look around, there’s enough to feed the whole of New York tonight”She waves me off. “ Nonsense, child.
Third person pov: A figure lurks within the shadows; watching, waiting and observing. The figure has been on a constant stake out , in a house, a few metres away from Marcello Andres’ building. On a table to it’s far left, multiple pictures are scattered around. Pictures of Marcello at work, in his private gym, in his study , and a more recent one of him entangled in the sheets with Zara Parkinson. The figure had watched all these time, long before the first scandal broke out, through the times Paradise group took a nosedive and when Marcello got married. Of course, the figure thought the marriage was a huge foil in his plans. But, the patient dog does eat the fattest bone, right? So, the darkness became a friend while the entity observed. The goal was to make Marcello meet his end. But simply watching his life end wasn’t going to cut it, he had to lose everything he held dear, including, it thought with a sneer, his precious little wife. Marcello deserved every misfortune in li