Pearl's POV.Closing my room door, I turn to move but once I hear “Pearl,” I pause in my tracks the moment I hear my name. It's not just about hearing my name. I know it's my Dad. He strides towards me from a near distance in the hallway while I'm standing at the front of my room door.“Dad, Good morning,” I readjust my bag over my shoulders. “You're not going to work today,” I want to ask what I've done but he puts his hand in his pocket and I just wait for what he's about to say. He brings out a card, “Here, take this,” I stretch my hand and take the card. “I've called HR to let them know you're not coming to work. Go and do some shopping with the card, I have somewhere to take you later this evening,” at first I'm confused, then shocked and overwhelmed. My father has been very strict with me since I came back home. He'd give me work overload and not one approval have I ever gotten from anything I did and all of a sudden he's giving me the day off? That's strange.“Thanks, Dad,”
Pearl's POV.After confronting Stephanie, the bubbling energy I had somewhere in me dissipated. Every other thing that happened from then on around me has just been a blur.I hold tightly on the last string of my self-control, not to give in to the anger and bitterness that I'm feeling and do something I'll regret later. That was why he was distant, he'd been sleeping with his secretary and yet I was the cheating and unfaithful wife. He'd been intimate with her, while I was left alone at home. Wallowing in pain and hurt, longing for him to come home. His side of the bed grew cold, for days, weeks, months. And the last time we got intimate the next thing he said after he came down from his high was ‘Pearl, give me a child’ I'd never forget that.I felt guilty and useless when I saw the pain in his eyes. I so wanted to be pregnant that minute, just to see the smile I'd longed for. For us to be happy again and become the couple we used to be.Not long after, he'd kicked me out after bri
Pearl's POV.“Hi,” I say once I climb onto the stool next to Philip.“Pearl,” His eyes sparkle. “Thank you for joining me,” the sides of his cheek deepens revealing his dimples. He's dressed casually, in a T-shirt and jeans. Just like me.“It's My pleasure,” I say.“So, what would you like to have?” He asks, looking between the ready-at-our-service waiter. He has ordered a drink for himself.“Please, if they have water I'd like to have water for now.” “Okay,” Philip nods, not immensely satisfied with my answer but he signals the waiter to bring it.The waiter goes to the fridge, retrieves a can of water and drops it in front of me.“Thank you,” I say to him but he doesn't wait and goes to the other side of the counter to serve his waiting customers.The bar is filled with people. Neon lights light up the places from corners. Low chattering mixed with low music fills the place.“If you're not okay, sitting here. We could go down to one of the tables,” Philip chirps.“It's okay, I like
Pearl's POV.Ever Since my conversation with Philip, I'd asked myself questions. Deep, important questions that I've never really stopped to ask myself. Questions like, what do I want? What's the next step? After a divorce so devastating and heartbreaking after leaving a man you've learned to love and depend on all your life. I can't have this baby and have Philip, I've already tasted his patience enough. He's been kind to me, so I did something. I called the Doctor and asked her if it would be possible to have this abortion before Saturday. That's my engagement party. He'll lose his mind if he finds out about this baby. He's trusted me. A luxury I shouldn't have from him, given my history with his family. When I just think about him, in all of this, I don't want to hurt him. I don't. He trusts me, I don't want to break that trust. I wish there was a better way out of this situation, I'll take it without blinking twice.If I fail my dad and God forbid he sends me away, Now he's trus
Fabian's POV.After picking my Mom from the cell, I don't need to ask her why she did what she did because she won't give me a reasonable answer. I just drop her off at her house and head back to the office. It's already enough headache I'm dealing with in my life, I can only try to reduce my headaches.I toss my suit jacket on the desk as I walk into the room. I pick up a bottle of water from my mini fridge and drink. It's been so distressing and annoying how much I have to worry about myself and my Mom too. I throw some pills into my mouth and use the water to wash it down.There comes a soft knock on my door, “Come in,” I say. Stopping myself from thinking about whom it may be.Stephanie walks in, her pretty face is in order, but there's an edge of something…concern, Maybe.“What happened?” She asks, ambling close to me.“Nothing I couldn't take care of.” I reply, casually.“Do you have to be like this all the time with me?” By this time she's standing so close behind the desk. I
Fabian's POV.After picking my Mom from the cell, I don't need to ask her why she did what she did because she won't give me a reasonable answer. I just drop her off at her house and head back to the office. It's already enough headache I'm dealing with in my life, I can only try to reduce my headaches.I toss my suit jacket on the desk as I walk into the room. I pick up a bottle of water from my mini fridge and drink. It's been so distressing and annoying how much I have to worry about myself and my Mom too. I throw some pills into my mouth and use the water to wash it down.There comes a soft knock on my door, “Come in,” I say. Stopping myself from thinking about whom it may be.Stephanie walks in, her pretty face is in order, but there's an edge of something…concern, Maybe.“What happened?” She asks, ambling close to me.“Nothing I couldn't take care of.” I reply, casually.“Do you have to be like this all the time with me?” By this time she's standing so close behind the desk. I
Pearl's POV “Give me a child, Pearl,” My husband says breathlessly, facing the ceiling while I lay beside him.After an intense moment of pleasure, where some people don't even remember their names, this is the first thing he says after coming down from his high. His words sting my heart and I let go of the feeling that he may have missed me. That's why he came by last night. No…I was wrong, In the three months we haven't seen each other he doesn't miss me, he is all about having a baby still… which I'm not against, but I'm not pregnant.I berate myself for thinking he missed me, I sit up on the bed, drawing my knees to press my chest, as if to stop the bleeding in my heart.“Give me a baby, Pearl,” He repeats the words, and this time his voice is firmer and devoid of any emotion which is unlike my husband and it really hurts, the only thing that matters these days is giving him a child.I want that too, it's been 7 years, and I wish I had gotten pregnant sooner, maybe my previous fe
Pearl's POV “How do you mean heartless? This is not mine and what is it used for?” My gaze flickers between the bottle content and my husband.“Enough Of the lies Pearl!” My husband barks in a thunderous voice that has me recoiling. “Enough Pearl, stop…stop lying,” he grits, “...to my face, I'm not a child, if you're not the one taking it then who has it? You keep lying to me and I believe every single word you say because I believe that you'll never lie to me. How come there's an abortion pill in your things? You've been aborting all your pregnancies?” He says the last sentence with a hint of disbelief, his eyes flaring with indefinable emotion, I've never seen my husband like this.Right now he looks like a lethal animal that's looking for a slight reason to unalive something.“Fabian, you have to believe me, I have never been pregnant and I've never aborted any of our children,” My chest heaving with uneasiness, my heart throbbing with fear, liquid heat pooling in my lower belly.
Fabian's POV.After picking my Mom from the cell, I don't need to ask her why she did what she did because she won't give me a reasonable answer. I just drop her off at her house and head back to the office. It's already enough headache I'm dealing with in my life, I can only try to reduce my headaches.I toss my suit jacket on the desk as I walk into the room. I pick up a bottle of water from my mini fridge and drink. It's been so distressing and annoying how much I have to worry about myself and my Mom too. I throw some pills into my mouth and use the water to wash it down.There comes a soft knock on my door, “Come in,” I say. Stopping myself from thinking about whom it may be.Stephanie walks in, her pretty face is in order, but there's an edge of something…concern, Maybe.“What happened?” She asks, ambling close to me.“Nothing I couldn't take care of.” I reply, casually.“Do you have to be like this all the time with me?” By this time she's standing so close behind the desk. I
Fabian's POV.After picking my Mom from the cell, I don't need to ask her why she did what she did because she won't give me a reasonable answer. I just drop her off at her house and head back to the office. It's already enough headache I'm dealing with in my life, I can only try to reduce my headaches.I toss my suit jacket on the desk as I walk into the room. I pick up a bottle of water from my mini fridge and drink. It's been so distressing and annoying how much I have to worry about myself and my Mom too. I throw some pills into my mouth and use the water to wash it down.There comes a soft knock on my door, “Come in,” I say. Stopping myself from thinking about whom it may be.Stephanie walks in, her pretty face is in order, but there's an edge of something…concern, Maybe.“What happened?” She asks, ambling close to me.“Nothing I couldn't take care of.” I reply, casually.“Do you have to be like this all the time with me?” By this time she's standing so close behind the desk. I
Pearl's POV.Ever Since my conversation with Philip, I'd asked myself questions. Deep, important questions that I've never really stopped to ask myself. Questions like, what do I want? What's the next step? After a divorce so devastating and heartbreaking after leaving a man you've learned to love and depend on all your life. I can't have this baby and have Philip, I've already tasted his patience enough. He's been kind to me, so I did something. I called the Doctor and asked her if it would be possible to have this abortion before Saturday. That's my engagement party. He'll lose his mind if he finds out about this baby. He's trusted me. A luxury I shouldn't have from him, given my history with his family. When I just think about him, in all of this, I don't want to hurt him. I don't. He trusts me, I don't want to break that trust. I wish there was a better way out of this situation, I'll take it without blinking twice.If I fail my dad and God forbid he sends me away, Now he's trus
Pearl's POV.“Hi,” I say once I climb onto the stool next to Philip.“Pearl,” His eyes sparkle. “Thank you for joining me,” the sides of his cheek deepens revealing his dimples. He's dressed casually, in a T-shirt and jeans. Just like me.“It's My pleasure,” I say.“So, what would you like to have?” He asks, looking between the ready-at-our-service waiter. He has ordered a drink for himself.“Please, if they have water I'd like to have water for now.” “Okay,” Philip nods, not immensely satisfied with my answer but he signals the waiter to bring it.The waiter goes to the fridge, retrieves a can of water and drops it in front of me.“Thank you,” I say to him but he doesn't wait and goes to the other side of the counter to serve his waiting customers.The bar is filled with people. Neon lights light up the places from corners. Low chattering mixed with low music fills the place.“If you're not okay, sitting here. We could go down to one of the tables,” Philip chirps.“It's okay, I like
Pearl's POV.After confronting Stephanie, the bubbling energy I had somewhere in me dissipated. Every other thing that happened from then on around me has just been a blur.I hold tightly on the last string of my self-control, not to give in to the anger and bitterness that I'm feeling and do something I'll regret later. That was why he was distant, he'd been sleeping with his secretary and yet I was the cheating and unfaithful wife. He'd been intimate with her, while I was left alone at home. Wallowing in pain and hurt, longing for him to come home. His side of the bed grew cold, for days, weeks, months. And the last time we got intimate the next thing he said after he came down from his high was ‘Pearl, give me a child’ I'd never forget that.I felt guilty and useless when I saw the pain in his eyes. I so wanted to be pregnant that minute, just to see the smile I'd longed for. For us to be happy again and become the couple we used to be.Not long after, he'd kicked me out after bri
Pearl's POV.Closing my room door, I turn to move but once I hear “Pearl,” I pause in my tracks the moment I hear my name. It's not just about hearing my name. I know it's my Dad. He strides towards me from a near distance in the hallway while I'm standing at the front of my room door.“Dad, Good morning,” I readjust my bag over my shoulders. “You're not going to work today,” I want to ask what I've done but he puts his hand in his pocket and I just wait for what he's about to say. He brings out a card, “Here, take this,” I stretch my hand and take the card. “I've called HR to let them know you're not coming to work. Go and do some shopping with the card, I have somewhere to take you later this evening,” at first I'm confused, then shocked and overwhelmed. My father has been very strict with me since I came back home. He'd give me work overload and not one approval have I ever gotten from anything I did and all of a sudden he's giving me the day off? That's strange.“Thanks, Dad,”
Pearl's POV.Monday.My legs almost wobble when I see my ex-husband and his mother standing in front of Betty's table, but I quickly hide behind the nearest table so they don't see me.I didn't know Betty understood sign language that fast because I didn't know what she told them and poof! They'd disappeared. Betty is my life saver this morning.The first question I asked myself once I saw them was, why are they here? To cause more chaos in my life. Then I remember! They must've seen the news, and Fabian must be looking for me to express his disappointment in person. I don't need to hear whatever he thinks he has to say. I did betray him. When I come out of my hiding place after I'm sure they've gone, I dust my arm and hair that I stuck under the table.“Pearl, what did you do to that man? Because the fire in his eyes when he said ‘Tell her Fabian Barlow was here’ is no joke. It was intense.” I smile tightly, “it's a long story. You'll get bored.” “Na.” She waves me off, “I don't
Fabian's POV.Monday.“Fabian!” My mother walks through the doors of my office when I'm talking to a client.I facepalm, “Mother, I am currently in the middle of something…” “Have you seen the news?!” She asks. Anger and devastation take another color on her face. My mother and I may not agree on a lot of things but the last thing I want is for her to be distressed.“What happened?” I ask, rising from behind the desk.“Pearl is Tucker Hughes's daughter!” I'm stunned immobile, speechless. “How do you know that?”“Philip's family announced their son's engagement and his betrothed fiancee is your ex-wife and she's the only daughter of the Hughes household.” She pauses before saying, “Did you know that all long?” My head is suddenly in an overdrive, “What? That's not possible, Pearl said she doesn't have a family. There's no way she's his daughter.” “Why don't you pick up your phone and see for yourself, I knew that girl was a lying bitch but how could she?” “Mr. Fabian, I see you're
Pearl's POV. Morning sun streams into my face, my eyes flutter open.Waking up on a Sunday morning. I feel so exhausted even when I didn't do anything that should make me this exhausted.Maybe I know why I'm exhausted. I hold my abdomen. “Good morning, Sunshine,” a small smile touches my lips. “Another day to be sneaky,” I toss the sheets off my body, I drop my feet on the floors. Walk into the bathroom to do my business. When I'm done, I take a look at myself. I slept in pink drawstring shorts and a white see-through singlet.I drag the singlet up to have a look at my body. I've longed for this feeling. To wake up in the morning, and know that my baby is growing inside me. What do I do now? I've had a hard time telling Philip the truth. I don't know who to trust with this secret. Who to tell.I let go of my grip on the singlet and walk out of the toilet. I go straight to the kitchen to have some milk. The aroma of different food spices assaults my nose as I enter the kitchen. My