Chapter 003

Sarah’s eyes gradually opened and the first thing she glimpsed made her eyes swing open. “Hun!” She exclaimed as she quickly lifted her head from the pillow.

She sat up on the majestic four-poster bed, adorned with intricate gold accents and draped in lavish silk linens, dominating the space.

“Where am I?” She wondered, her brow furrowed, turning her neck to look around the room.

The room was a serene oasis of luxury, with plush cream-colored carpets, rich mahogany furnishings, and floor-to-ceiling windows that framed breathtaking views of the city skyline, leaving Sarah in bewilderment, coupled with admiration.

“How did I get here?”

She half-closed her eyes and tapped her forehead, trying to remember what happened last night that ended her in such a room, but she couldn’t remember past the cars’ honk.

“Anyone around?” She asked, facing the door. Her voice was low, and knowing no one would hear her, she spoke louder. “Who’s there?”

A lady in a knee-length skirt and a blue shirt rushed. “I’m here,” she responded. She stood closer to the bed in Sarah’s front and slightly bowed her head. “Good morning, ma. How’s your night?”

“I don’t know what my night was like because I don’t know how I ended up here,” Sarah let out. “Please, who are you? Where am I? How did I get here? And what am I doing here?”

The lady filled her lips with a smile. “I’m Katie,” she introduced. “And we’re in one of the enormous bedrooms in a luxurious mansion; Harrison Villa VI, Iderade city,”

She paused for a second and brightened her smile before furthering. “I don’t know either. I received a command from my boss, ordering me to rush here to look after someone,” she narrated. “And getting here, I met you lying on the bed. He only added I shouldn’t disturb you and satisfy you.”

Sarah frowned her forehead, confused. “Your boss?” She asked, and Katie nodded to confirm before she threw another question. “Who is your boss?”

Sarah furrowed her face, confused. “Who is your boss?”

Katie exhaled softly. “Be patient. You’ll figure it out soon. He’s on his way back already.” She spoke with a cool tone, avoiding sounding rude so Sarah wouldn’t get angry since she didn’t want to reveal her boss’s identity yet so she wouldn’t get on her boss’s wrong side as well since she wasn’t sure of what he would want.

Sarah took the duvet off her body. “I can’t wait for him to return. When he returns, tell him I’m grateful.” She disagreed.

Katie whiffled her head in opposition. “You can’t leave without his permission.”

Sarah halted. She stared at Katie’s face and scoffed. “Is this an abduction?” She questioned. “You can’t reveal his identity and don’t want me to leave. Let me go or I’ll call the police.”

She touched her body in search of her phone and looked around the room, but didn’t see it, so she looked back at Katie’s face. “Where’s my phone?”

“I don’t know,” Katie spoke persuasively. “I don’t have your phone. Allowing you to leave isn’t a problem, but I may get into trouble if I permit you without my boss’s permission. Please. I can assure you he means no harm,”

“Please, just wait for him to return.” She pleaded.

Sarah breathed out softly. Katie sounded promising, so she believed her words. “Okay,” she agreed. “Please, inform him I’ve woken up so he can come quickly. I’ve got a lot to attend to. I can’t wait for a long time.”

Katie joggled her head. “Sure,” she uttered with a brightened smile. “I don’t know what you’ll want to eat, so I haven’t prepared a meal. Should I get you a coffee or do you prefer tea for relaxation?”

“Tea.” Sarah made her choice.

“Okay.” Katie accepted the order. She bent her neck a little and walked out of the room.

*Minutes later*

Katie entered the room with a cup of tea in her hands. She walked to the bed's edge and stretched it out to Sarah. “This is the tea, ma.”

“Thanks,” Sarah uttered with a smile. She lifted her head from the bed header and as she stretched out her hand to collect the tea, the door banged open, and her gaze shifted to it.

Seeing the guy standing at the entrance, she closed her eyes and shook her head, and opening it to see she was still seeing the same person, she closed it again and wiped her face. She couldn’t believe her eyes, thinking she was dreaming or hallucinating, but opening her eyes to still see the same person, her brow furrowed.

“Harold?!” she called in disbelief.

Harold joggled his head and inserted his hands in his pocket, taking his steps slowly. “Yes, it’s me,” he confirmed. He ceased walking and looked into her eyes. “Long time, no see, Sarah. How’ve you been?”

Sarah snickered. “How do you expect I should be?” She queried and without waiting for his response, she faced Katie, asking, “Is he your boss?”

“Yes.” Katie confirmed.

Sarah stared downward. “From frying pan to fire? What exactly is going on in my life presently?” She said in a whisper, but loud enough for Harold to hear.

“Okay. It’s my fate,” she accepted.

Harold’s appearance already pinched her wounded heart, and despite having a lot to say to him, she wasn’t interested in trading words with him at the moment, so she wanted to get out there already.

She took the duvet off her body and rushed down from the bed. “I remembered everything that happened now. Thanks for your help. I wish we never crossed paths again.” She uttered. Knowing he would have something to say, she hurried him, heading towards the door.

Harold watched her walk to the door and as he laid her hand on its handle, he flung a question. “We haven’t met in four years. Do you really don’t want to talk to me?”

Sarah clenched the handle and ground her teeth for a second before turning back. “What do you expect I should say?” She asked, her eyes fixed on his. “Am I supposed to jump into the arms of the man who abandoned me and cry about how much I’ve missed him?”

Harold nodded and sighed. He understood Sarah’s pain and only asked such a question because he didn’t know the perfect line to open a discussion with her.

What would he expect from a broken lady who loved him deeply, yet he left her without an explanation? He never expected she would accept him. He had his reason but felt Sarah would see it as lame to convince her and wouldn’t have an interest in it.

“Sarah,” he called in a low voice and discharged a soft breath, summoning his gut to speak boldly. “If you’ve nothing to say to me, I’ve got a lot to say to you. Please, hear me out.”

Tears rose in Sarah’s eyes, but she caged the tears beneath her eyelids and looked into his eyes. “Harold, I regret ever crossing paths with you. I hate you, myself, and everything happening in my life,” she lamented, her voice raised because of the pain roasting her mind at the moment.

She licked her upper lips and blew a heavy air through her mouth, proceeding with a lower voice. “Please, Harold, stay away from me. I mean, far away from me.”

“I’m sorry, Sarah, but I can’t stay away. I can only watch from afar. And if I see you sad again, I won’t hesitate to come closer because my life goal now is to make you happy for the rest of your life,” He said, his voice low yet assertive. “I don’t care about what it will cost me.”

“I would rather die in pain than share it with you,” she expressed, her pain reflecting in her voice as her eyes turned red in anger. “You helped me won’t make me welcome you back into my life. I don’t need you.”

Harold tightened his lip and nodded. “Okay,” he uttered. He expected her reactions, so he didn’t want to trigger her more. He took out her phone from his pocket and walked closer to her to give it to her.

She gave him a deadly stare and snatched the phone from her.

“The doctor said you should get an adequate rest and avoid stress so you won’t hurt your baby.” He relayed the doctor’s message.

She withered her face, confused. “My baby?!” She asked. “What are you talking about?”

Harold stared at her in the same manner, surprised she didn’t know what he was talking about. “You’re pregnant,” he proclaimed. “Didn’t you know that?”

Sarah’s eyes widened and her lips quivered, but a statement forced its way out. “I’m pregnant?!”

Harold nodded, still staring at her in confusion coupled with bewilderment. “Yes,” he confirmed. “I invited a doctor to check on you last night. He took your blood to run a test and called me to confirm it this morning,”

“Maybe that’s the reason you lost consciousness last night.”

Sarah slowly shook her head and then faster. “No! I can’t be pregnant!”