Chapter 4

Jasmine's POV

There seemed to be a glimpse of hope, Asphalt has been treating me better lately. Not that his level of care changed but he was more responsive to my moods and attitudes and he's been careful around me. Even though, I knew that it was all because of my pregnancy, it still felt good whenever he caressed my now bulging belly. I was nearly due and everyday seemed to get tougher by the moment since I wasn't carrying one but two.

I flipped through the baby guide book he had bought for me as I listened to slow, graceful music such that the babies would love but now I had started tovett hungry. My cravings had started again like I was still in my first trimester.

Getting up, I stood in front of the full mirror in the room, analysing the bulge of my stomach. Sometimes I get amazed at how much my stomach has stretched due to pregnancy. As I walked down the stairs, I realized that I had forgotten something very important. I wasn't just nearly due but my due date was today. As it flashed into my memory, I began to panic from fear of how giving birth would be like. I had married Asphalt at twenty and now I was twenty-one pregnant and about to give birth and honestly I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.

 I grabbed a glass of water as I entered into the kitchen, I needed to cool my nerves. I would use the babies as an excuse to get Asphalt to be by my side when I'm giving birth, I tried comforting myself.

  “ Wait, she's back?!” I stopped to listen as I heard Asphalt raise his voice with obvious excitement in it. He never got excited, what could have made him suddenly get the butterflies?

“ Once Janet arrives make sure to let me know,” I spat out the water in my mouth as I heard the name I dreaded most - Janet. This couldn't be, why was she back? With her out of the equation and with my babies on their way, my chances of making Asphalt love me was a lot higher. I clutched on to my belly as I tried hard to suppress the pain of disappointment and anger that flooded me 

“ Madam, are you alright?” Mrs. Margaret rushed towards me in panic. She was the most alert since I got pregnant about my needs and feelings.

“ I'm f...,” my breath ceased for a moment as I felt my water burst. It wasn't supposed to happen now, it was undoubtedly because of this news.

“ Madam,” Mrs. Margaret was yet to understand that my water had burst because of how I tried to contain and conceal my emotions.

“ Argh!!” I groaned in pain as I breathed heavily, holding on to my belly. Mrs. Margaret realized what was happening, I was in labor.

“ Jasmine? Are you okay?” Asphalt came rushing in. It was the sweetest he had ever asked about me but I didn't have the luxury of responding to him.

“ She's in labour, sir. I'll get the necessary things,” Mrs Margaret informed Asphalt before instructing workers to pack my bags.

“ Can you still walk?” He asked his face scribbled all over with concern. I didn't even know if I could walk or not so I chose to say no. With that, he quickly carried me in bridal style as the driver got the car ready.

Lying down on a stretcher, I was wheeled into the hospital with Asphalt running alongside the doctors to make sure I was okay. I had never felt pain more intense than what I was currently feeling.

“ I'm scared,” I muttered in tears to Asphalt. 

“ There's nothing to be scared of, I've gotten the best doctors to assist you okay?” He comforted warmly as he held my hand in his.

“ I know but I still want you to be there,” I had already begun to cry. I knew I was behaving childish and immature right now but I really wanted him to be by side.

“ Don't worry, I'll be there,” he reassured.

 As we entered into the delivery ward, I tried my best to calm down. I had learnt from frequent visits to the hospital that the pain of giving birth most times is in ones mind so now was the perfect time to drop that mentality.

      “ Sir, Janet just landed. What should we do?” His secretary barged in.

       “ Let's go,” and without any further explanation, he dashed out of the ward without thinking twice about staying with me. Why did he always treat me like dirt? All I ever did was to love him but yet he keeps running to where he's not loved. This wasn't Janet's first time of coming to Hillel city, she'd lived here all her life but this was the first time I was tasked with the burden of bringing lives into the world but yet he chose to go to Janet. I could never get his attention once Janet was involved.

          “ Okay, 1.. 2...3... Push!” With my legs wide apart and with all my body muscles and efforts, I pushed as hard as I could, repeating it whenever the head doctor cued.

       In a few minutes, I could hear the cry of my babies as the doctors and nurses gave them to me to hold. They were smaller than I thought they'd be. Squishy in a way that made me want to protect them and cuddle them, looking at their faces, the hope I lost came back again. Maybe I still had a chance to change his mind, probably after seeing he's children.

         As I waited for Asphalt to come, I couldn't take my eyes off my babies. I thought I wasn't fully ready to be a mother but I was wrong, seeing them made me realize how much I was ready to be a mom, their mom. 

After waiting from morning till evening for someone to visit me, the door finally opened but my excitement died off. It was Mrs Margaret.

“ Where is Asphalt?” I couldn't hide my disappointment.

“ He's busy and will come later,” she avoided my eyes as if she was hiding something from me. “ I thought I might just pack some extra things for you because I'm not sure of when Asphalt might come,” she said, carefully unpacking the food she had brought over.

“ Is there something you want to tell me?” I broke the long silence that followed after she fed me the porridge.

“ Not really, I'm just happy that you and the kids are okay,” she smiled but I knew she was hiding something behind her smile.

“ Mrs Margaret whatever it is you want to tell me, please do,” I was itching with curiosity. Maybe deep down I wanted to hear something bad or good especially if it was related to Asphalt.

“ Whatever decision you want to make, make it don't be too hesitant unless you'll lose something you really love. I just want to let you know that I support whatever decision you take and when it's up to you to decide pick what will favour your children,” she said with teary eyes clasping my hands in hers.

Why did she suddenly get emotional? And what was with all the sayings? Did something happen?

“ Alright, I will,” I decided not to pressure her. She most likely didn't want to say it.

Eventually, she left looking at me one last time with a smile before leaving. What did she mean by all these? You know what? I was going to get my mind off those things, instead I would wait patiently for Asphalt to come.

_

           The whispering sound intertwined with the heavy beating of the rain woke me up. Who could it be talking in front of the door? Suspiciously and cautiously, I got up from the hospital bed and went over to the door, paying close attention to the voices that were nearly barred out by the unrelenting rain.

       “ Have you discussed it with her?” It was Janet's voice, it wasn't something I could mistake.

        “ No, I don't need to. She'll do what I say. I'll just pay her off and send her to any country of her choice to stay,” Asphalt said with confidence. Were they talking about me?

        “ But I'm not sure any mother would ever agree to leave her child behind,” his secretary said.

“ Like I said, Jasmine is very easy to manipulate. I'll just use sweet words on her and she'll most likely comply,” he shrugged.

“ I naturally don't like the idea of having to accept children that aren't mine but since they're my sister's, it would be no different from me being their aunt,” Janet said casually.

“ Let's go and sign the hospital papers first,” Asphalt suggested and after a few more minutes they were gone. I fell to the ground in tears, had he always planned to use me and then throw me aside? So I was nothing more than an escape route for Janet so she won't have to bother about her figure and to Asphalt I was really nothing more than the mother of his children. I let my mind drift as I cried on the ground but remembering Mrs Margaret’s words and behaviour, could it be that she knew?

 With that, I mustered the energy to rise from the floor and getting to my bed, I reached for the bag she had brought me. Opening it, I saw some sets of clothes for myself and the babies with blankets and a large leather jacket while underneath were my documents. She had even gone out of her way to book a flight for me.

 If you do decide to leave, I booked a flight for you to Italy, from there you can go to wherever you want. I didn't book a straight flight for you because I don't him to be able to track you down easily. I put enough cash to sustain you during your escape so please when you do run, don't look back.

She had known that they were going to take my kids from me then get rid of me, I was beyond grateful for her help and couldn't let her effort go to waste. I quickly took off my hospital wear and put on some of the clothes she packed for me, strapping my babies to chest and wearing a leather jacket to give them warmth at the same time not suffocate them, I was ready to go.

I was glad that my room was on the down floor so climbing out the window wasn't much stress for me. With my hand clasped tight around the bag and my babies, I ran under the rain not looking back for even a second. I felt like a fool for not knowing my place earlier and I regretted ever meeting him, he was undoubtedly my worst nightmare