Chapter 002

Ava’s POV 

When I got to the doctor's office, I froze at the doorway. The doctor was there but he wasn’t alone.

“Ava, you are here…”, Dr. Smith's face when I walked in wasn’t encouraging, and I immediately panicked.

“Is there something wrong with my baby?” I asked, still at the door, and before he could answer a deep husky voice drew me to the man seated opposite him.

“Mrs. Ava Brown? Do come in” there was something about his voice that helped me calm down but only for a second before the alarms in my head started ringing.

“Who is this?” I asked immediately I took in his appearance. 

Dressed in a white shirt and jeans that did nothing but show his chiseled body structure, my eyes trailed down from his defined jawline down to his toned body.

He smelt like danger.

“Mrs. Brown, please come in and settle down so we can talk” Dr. Smith said, pulling me out of my trance and as he cleared his throat I composed myself, hiding my flushed face with my hair.

Holding his piercing gaze, I asked, my voice sounding a little shakier than I had wanted it to be, “Talk about what, doctor? Is there a problem?”

“Please, sit down,” Dr. Smith finally said, his voice laced with a hint of unease. I didn't know what was going on in here but Dr. Smith's body expression towards the weird stranger was screaming at me to run.

My heart racing, I took a step back, my eyes fixed on the stranger, but he simply smiled, and said, “Relax, princess”.

“What?” I asked, this poke nosing stranger's casual remark caught me off guard, and I felt a flush rise to my cheeks in embarrassment.

“You just sat down, but your fingers have already sunk into the chair, relax, I don't bite,” he replied with a smirk and an amused glint in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes, trying to play it cool, but I could feel my heart racing in my chest.

I turned to face Dr. Smith, who looked like he was about to cry. 

“What's going on?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. “And I’m going to ask you for the last time, who is the man?” I asked, gesturing towards the stranger, who was still smiling at me.

The nerve of this man!

Dr. Smith hesitated as his eyes nervously glanced between me and the stranger. “Ah, Ava, this is… uh… Mr. Beckham,” he stammered. 

“And?” I cut him, “and since when did you start stammering? Is there something going on here that I should know?” I asked hurriedly, standing up.

Dr. Smith then dropped a bombshell. “Thank you for coming on short notice, Ava,” he said, his voice trembling.

“Can you please go straight to the point? You’re making me scared. If something is wrong, say it already, so a solution can be found”.

 “I’m afraid to say, but there’s no solution for this. There was a mistake in the IVF procedure.” He paused, taking a deep breath before delivering the devastating news. “It wasn't Mr. Brown's sperm that was used to fertilize your egg.”

“What?” It almost felt like I was thrown a bucket of cold water, my eyes stayed fixated on Dr. Smith's own searching for signs that this was some sort of prank.

What was he saying? That the baby I was carrying wasn't my husband's and that some stranger's sperm, more specifically the stranger whose eyes hadn't left mine, had been used to create my child?

“I am so sorry, Mrs. Brown, I know how much you really wanted this” he added, and I felt a tear trickle out. My world was spinning out of control in just a day, and It felt like I couldn't catch my breath. 

“Dr. Smith, please stop this, I am finding it hard to understand you,” I stammered, my voice shaking.

“Do you mean I'm pregnant with a… a bastard?” The words tasted bitter in my mouth.

Once again, the stranger cut in, “My foetus is no bastard!” 

“Smith?” I pleaded for him to tell me that this was a joke!

“Ava, I'm sorry, it was a mistake” he apologized. “Meet your baby's father, Mr. Zayn Beckham.” 

I bursted into laughter as the pieces clicked into place. 

Ethan. 

This was all a plot by Ethan to destroy me, to take away even the one thing that was mine just because I didn’t choose our marriage?

Without thinking, I turned and ran out of the office without looking back. 

“Ava!” I heard someone yell after me, and I turned to see a group of menacing men in black suits chasing after me. A cry of fear almost escaped my lips, but I bit it back, fueling my flight.

No one was going to take my child from me. I won’t let them.

Ethan could go to hell.

He wasn’t going to leave me broke and then ruin my life!

Thankfully, Dr. Smith's office was located on the ground floor.

And just when I ran out of thinking I could just blend in, I met another group of men, all dressed in black, standing like they had been waiting for me.

Behind them was a limousine, which I guessed would be used to bundle me up.

I scoffed and couldn’t help but think of how far could Ethan go to make me pay.

Ignoring their shouts for me to stop, I ran and upon arriving at a T-Junction I stopped, I was stuck between the busy road and these men in black.

I looked between them one more time before running onto the road, just as I was about to reach the other side the sole of my sneakers pulled off and at the same time my eyes met the incoming trailer.

‘Shit!’ At that moment, I just stood frozen, right in the middle of the road and in front of the blaring trailer.

My mind went blank. I was going to die!

Just as all hope seems lost, I felt a strong-arm wrap around my waist, pulling me into a solid chest. 

“Breathe!” a familiar, husky voice commanded.

I looked up, startled, into the piercing blue eyes of the stranger, Zayn Beckham. 

His face was inches from mine, and I couldn’t help but think of how juicy his lips looked.

For a moment, I forgot about the chaos and everything except the feeling of his arms around me.

“Playing love in the middle of the road?” I heard the angry trailer driver yell before adding, “You are so crazy!”

“How could you be so careless with my child?” Zayn's angry voice cut through, and the reality of the situation dawned on me.

 

Before I could react, Zayn swept me up in his arms, ignoring my struggles and screams to be let down. He carried me back to Dr. Smith's office.

 

Inside his office, Dr. Smith was empty and as soon as he set me down, his eyes never left mine.

 

“You must be a fool to work alongside my crazy, now ex-husband to take my child!” I yelled at Zayn, my voice. 

 

“What kind of monster are you?” I spat, but Zayn's expression remained calm but amused.

 

I continued to rant, my anger fueling my words. “Let me go now, or I'm calling the cops!” I threatened, trying to sound braver than I felt. 

 

He handed me a few papers. “I didn't come here to negotiate,” he said, his voice low and even. “Neither can your greedy husband afford me.” I scoffed, feeling a surge of resentment, but Zayn wasn't done with me yet.

 

He took a step closer. “This child is mine,” he said, his voice firm. 

 

“My sperm, my DNA. And I had Ethan sign away any future legal claims for a… little token.” He paused, his eyes never leaving mine.

 

What was he talking about? 

 

“I don’t understand, what do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

 

“You aren’t aware of your husband’s dealings? Ten million dollars is no joke for a bankrupt man,” Zayn said, his voice devoid of emotion.

 

“And you think I believe you? You’re a pathetic liar. Ethan wouldn’t do such”.

 

“Our contract is included in what I handed to you. He did mention that you would have no issue.” He responded by handing me a document.

 

Desperately, I rummaged through the papers, my hands shaking as I searched for the contract. And then, I saw it. 

 

The words blurred together as I read, but the meaning was clear. Ethan had indeed signed off claims, my breath knocked out of me and I burst into tears.

 

Today was a nightmare; it was my waking hell. 

 

Ethan, the man I had trusted, the man I had loved did not only divorce me, he had betrayed me in the worst possible way.