0029

In the sterile environment of the hospital waiting room, surrounded by hushed murmur and the faint scent of disinfectant, Andy sat beside Lisa, fearfully comforting his Cousin and fondling her palm as he awaits the doctor's assessment.

A million question plagued his mind, each one darker and more troubling than the last. Has she suddenly developed a food allergy? Was it something more sinister? Those were his unsettled thoughts as he held Lisa's trembling hand, during his best to ease her worry while his head pounded with dread.

Soon enough, a doctor emerged from an examination room, a small professional smile on his face —wide enough to ease the cousins at the moment. "It's nothing serious but just a simple case of pregnancy, Mr. Andy." He announced, relieving much of the anxiety that had gripped Andy.

Well, his relieved anxiety only lasted few seconds as he rethinks the doctor's simple words. "What pregnancy...?" His eyes widened at the thought of his Cousin being pregnant. Why would she be pregnant?

Andy smirked momentarily before a look of exasperation clouded his normal jovial feature. The doctor's words rumbled around his mind causing a twisting of sensation to grip deep within the each of his stomach.

“Pregnant...!” The word wouldn't stop replaying in his head.

The doctor has said that his cousin Lisa , was pregnant. Andy could scarcely believe his ear, feeling certain that some cruel joke was being played on him. If there is one thing he should doubt about Lisa , it was that she should find herself in a midst of unplanned pregnancy.

Consequently, news of her impending motherhood sent him a mixture of anger and disbelief bubbling the surface, leaving Andy no choice than to confront his cousin immediately.

"I told you say that piece of trash had never considered you as a lady, not even for once, Lisa. But you are pregnant, miraculously? That's such a news, you know." He told her, sarcasm laced in his voice. "I never knew that you had it in you."

Lisa looked at her cousin, her eyes widened in embarrassment, then at the floor —Andy might be the playful type but his anger is far from friendly. The silence was deafening, the tension becoming unbearable before Lisa finally speak.

"I'm sorry, Coz..." She uttered, her voice laced with remorse and she finds it hard to look him in the eyes. "I never knew it would lead to this, it was only a mistake on..." She swallowed, not knowing the right words to say.

To his surprise and dismay, Lisa confirmed that the news is accurate. He had thought she would deny the fact, he desperately want her to but was disappointed by her reply —finding it hard to digest the truth.

Overwhelmed with rage, his face crumpled down in a deep frown, he opened his mouth to speak. "Lisa , how could yo..."

She was afraid of his criticism, he has never for once criticise her —at least, he needed to learn the truth before deciding if it's really the best thing to criticise her at the moment, if at all what she did was the right thing.

She quickly cut him off abruptly before he got the chance to complete his words. "I have a confession to make, Andy." She muttered, her lips quivering lightly but it was obvious, her cousin noticed it. "I did not tell you everything..."

"What's there to confess about Lisa , huh?" He asked her, though he was really pissed off at the moment but his voice said otherwise. "You already admitted the fact that you are pregnant. Don't try to make silly excuses, thinking it would soften my annoyance —did you hear me?"

Lisa breath in sharply. It was that moment or never —she's been trying to hide the whole truth away from him but luck ran out on her too soon. She know how much disappointed Andy would be but still, she has no other choice.

"I'm sorry, cousin..." She cited as she avoided his gaze, her eyes fixated on the marbled floor. "—but I'm afraid I have the same silly excuse you wish no to hear. Still, I really want you to hear me out."

Andy know how much fear was in his cousin by just staring at her, that whatever she have to say must be important if he learn about it. With out second thought, he nodded his head curtly. "What is it?" He requested in a sharp yet blunt tone, staring away from here.

"True, Alex has always been a mean jerk, I admit that but I omitted the part that he always forced himself on me whenever he's wasted. I'm sorry, Andy but I lied to you." She muttered, fondling her fingers nervously. "I find it embarrassing to share such with anyone."

"Wh —what do you mean?" He questioned demandingly, his eyes weren't glinting and the glaciers that suddenly build up in it weren't melting down anytime soon either. "You find it so embarrassing to share with anyone, Huh?"

Hesitatingly, Lisa replied, still not having enough courage to look him in the eyes. "Yes..."

"Yes?" Andy countered, flaring up in anger. "I'm not just anyone to you, Lisa. I'm Andy, your only cousin who had managed to earn your trust and would do anything to keep you safe. Does hiding such disgusting act of that pervert from me really good to you?"

Short of words, she breathed out heavily. "I'm sorry, Coz', I really am..." Her voice was laced with remorse, so is her facial expression and her eyes too.

Not only was she expecting a child soon, but she had constantly being abused by that jerky-pervert? While the news of her pregnancy was still shocking enough as these cousins stood facing one another amongst the sterile surrounding of the doctor's surgery, the fact that Alex always force his way on her was even more bewildering to Andy.

His thought drift back to the dark days when Lisa had confined her reason for staying with Alex. With hot, angry tears steaming down his check as he heard her cousin divulge the truth —a contract marriage all in the name of finding clue about these horrifying moment and being tied down because she was blindly in love –he couldn't help but felt his heart break all over again.

Even knowing how heartbreaking and hard the journey was for Lisa, Alex's mother had insisted on making her stay with her son a little longer, causing more pains for Lisa which were unbearable for her.

Retelling thus story to Andy, Lisa eyes filled with tears even as she tried to maintain a semblance of stoicism. But now, with a child on the way and a maelstrom of emotion swirling within her, she begin to wonder if she had made the mist terrible mistake of life.

Andy could not be more disappointed in his cousin. He had worried over her for countless months, praying for her save returns and trying to quell his ever gnawing fear of her well being.

All these countless hours of agonising hours had just been in vain; unbeknownst to him, she had been secretly entangled in a sham marriage, all because of some vague promise of uncovering the truth about her parents death; which had lead to pregnancy she never planned.

Despite his feeling of confusion and pains, however, Andy was not without love for his errant cousin and as they stood there amidst unspoken questions and emotional turmoil, he found it within himself to offer her continued support.

For they were all that remained in a once happy family, and the hope of redemption was not entirely been snuffed out. With his father and the rest of the family being up against her aggressively, it wouldn't be nice to desert at such crucial moment of her life.

The path ahead the undeniably ambiguous, fraught with unanswered questions and untold drama, but they would walk together as cousin, willing to bear the wounds and scars to find the truth about their latent tragic death. Underneath it all, they was still a love of connection that could never be wholly extinguished, and it would serve to guide them through the coming tempest of both doubt and chaos.

"What do I do with you, Lisa ?" He questioned rhetorically, his voice was unstable. "Where did it all go wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Andy, I swear —I am really sorry." She sobbed, her voice filled with regrets and remorse.

"I did not know how you managed to change this much but I know you are sorry, little cousin." He told her, his lips curling up in to a smile. "You matter what you do or drastic decision you take, you are still the same little Lisa I've grown to love."

"I'm no longer little, I'll be a mother soon." She remarked, returning the same warm smile as his.

"Come here..." He cooed, his soft smile widening. And so, as Andy reached out his hand towards Lisa , the room seems to soften and their heart begin to heal just a tiny fraction and soon draw her into a reassuring embrace, camping her under his scrutiny.

Lisa felt her racing heart stopped at the moment. Andy hasn't change —not even a bit. He is still the same as she know him as, no matter how hard he is on her, he still have his soft side in him.