Clara's face exhibiting shock lifted her head and stared at Marcellus. "Pregnant?" she uttered in astonishment, completely taken aback by his unexpected question.
Marcellus gazed intently at Clara and said, "Yes, are you pregnant? The way you ran out of the dining room made me think so."
Chuckling, Clara wiped the water off her lips and shook her head. "No, Marcellus," she answered, sighing deeply. "I just finished my monthly flow days ago. How could I possibly be pregnant if I've seen my period for this month?" Clara asked, shrugging her shoulders.
Marcellus's heart sank as he stared at Clara. "Why has the word 'pregnancy' been so disappointing for me lately?" he asked himself, taking a deep breath. "I thought you were pregnant," he said.
Shaking her head, Clara replied, "No, Marcellus, I'm not - I've just been feeling a bit under the weather these days, that's all." She ran her hand through her hair as she spoke.
Marcellus nodded, putting on a fake smile like he always did. "Will you be able to eat now?" He questioned, pushing Clara's hair away from her face. "Or should we just close up the food?" he asked as they both headed to the dining table.
Grinning, Clara said, "I can eat now - thankfully, it only made me feel better," touching her stomach as she spoke.
Arriving at the dining table, they began to eat, occasionally glancing at each other.
****
Rising from the king-sized bed as the morning sun shone in, Larisa felt weary and nauseated. She stayed in bed until she had enough strength to stand up again. "I'm pregnant," Larisa thought to herself, placing her hands on her stomach. "These are the symptoms I heard early pregnancy brings. I need to get a checkup to be sure," she said, standing up from the bed.
After eating her breakfast, Larisa took a warm shower, then got dressed.
Mrs. Mary smiled as she saw Larisa walking down the stairs to the courtyard. "Will you be back soon?" she asked. "Should I prepare lunch?" she added, glancing at Larisa.
Larisa turned and smiled, revealing her white teeth. "I won't be coming back for lunch, Mrs. Mary, so don't worry yourself. Have some rest," she said as she started to leave. When She arrived at the courtyard, her driver opened the car door for her.
Turning to her driver, James, Larisa said, "I'll be taking a taxi. You're free for the day." With that, she headed towards the gate.
James nervously dropped his head for a moment but quickly hurried to catch up with Larisa as she walked towards the gate. "But, ma'am," he said, stopping Larisa as she turned to listen to him. "Mr. Huxley warned me before he left, that if I shouldn't let you take a taxi or leave the house alone, I might get fired," he said nervously.
Larisa pointed her finger at James and said sternly, "He won't know if you don't tell him. I said you're free for the day, so don't you dare stop me again."
James nodded, remaining stationary as he watched Larisa leave through the gate.
Knowing her driver would tell Marcellus where she was going, Larisa refused to let him take her to the hospital. Her unborn baby's life, if she was indeed pregnant as she suspected, was more important than Marcellus and the divorce.
Upon arriving at the hospital, a pregnancy test was run on Larisa. "Congratulations, Mrs. Huxley," the female doctor said with a smile, handing Larisa the test results in her office. "You are seven weeks pregnant."
Taking the test results paper from the doctor, Larisa read it carefully. "I knew it," she said, her eyes welling up with tears. "My gut told me. I still can't believe there's a life inside of me," she said, patting her stomach gently - in tears of joy.
After speaking with the doctor, Larisa walked to the lobby of the hospital and called her best friend, Ashley. She and Ashley had met in college and had been best friends ever since - both of them studied Business Administration.
A cheerful "Hello, bitch" was Ashley's answer to the call.
Larisa chuckled and responded, "Not today, Ashley. I'm tired of you calling me 'bitch.' I really can't get used to that name, so please stop using it." She smiled as she said it.
At the other end of the phone, Ashley replied, "I can't, 'bitch,' get used to it!"
Sighing deeply and rolling her eyes, Larisa knew she did not have the energy to argue with Ashley over the phone. "I'm on my way to your apartment now," she asked, biting her lower lip. "I hope you're home?."
Ashley answered, "Yes, baby 'bitch,' I'm home, so hurry up and get here!"
Shaking her head and smiling, Larisa responded, "I'll be there soon, you big 'bitch,' so get ready." She pushed back her neck and let out a giggle before ending the call.
Arriving at Ashley's apartment, Larisa rang the doorbell. Ashley answered, welcoming her in.
Walking into the apartment, Larisa sat on the couch and took a deep breath, gazing up at Ashley.
Lowering her head and looking down at Larisa, Ashley asked, "What's wrong? Why did you take such a deep breath?"
Thinking for a moment, Larisa finally responded, "Marcellus wants a divorce?"
Half-yelling, Ashley asked, "What? Why? He hasn't been giving you any attention since you two got married, and now he wants a divorce?"
Larisa said softly, "He said he would the day we got married. I've been expecting this for a while, but not so soon. It's only been two years, Ashley - two years!" She sighed. "He wants to start a new life with Clara now; he's the CEO now, so he can do whatever he wants. His dad can't stop him."
Ashley exclaimed loudly, "What?!"
Larisa sobbed, "Marcellus has given me the divorce papers and told me to sign them in three days! Ashley, I love Marcellus - I don't want to sign those divorce papers."
Ashley placed a comforting hand on Larisa's back and inquired, "What do you plan to do now?"
Larisa exclaimed, "I don't know what to do now, as Clara is the one he loves."
"The last time I saw her at the Shopping mall she….."
Larisa was still in the middle of conversing when her phone started ringing, prompting her to retrieve it from her handbag and inspect the Caller ID, only to find that the number on display was not one she had saved in her contacts.
Larisa turned her attention to Ashley as she placed her phone on her ear and inquired, "Hello, who is this?".
The caller responded, "It's me, Clara."
Larisa was taken aback and exclaimed,
"Clara?!"
Larisa stared in disbelief at the phone in her hand, double-checking the caller ID to make sure it was indeed Clara calling her.Ashley silently mouthed the words, "What does she want?", her expression full of surprise.Larisa shrugged her shoulders, silently mouthing the words, "I don't know.""Yes, it's me, Clara...Marcellus's one true love," Clara said.Larisa half-heartedly chuckled as she asked, "True love?"Clara had been unpleasantly arrogant and rude as of late, even going so far as to get into a heated argument with Larisa the day before her wedding, unbeknownst to Marcellus. When Marcellus's father heard of the disparity, he had to step in, ordering his guards to put Clara in confinement until after the wedding."It would be best for all of us if you remove yourself from Marcellus's life. You're an obstruction to his joy and he never truly loved you from the start - you were merely an undesired present given to him by his father," Clara uttered from the other end of the line
Larisa exclaimed in surprise, "Now?!"Doctor Jane ended the call, replying, "Yes Mrs. Huxley, Now."Gently placing the phone down from her ear, Larisa turned to James and said, "Stop the car." She then took her handbag.Still driving, James asked, "What?""I said stop the car!" Larisa yelled.Pulling the car to the side of the road, James turned to face Larisa."I'll be stopping here," Larisa said. "I need to go somewhere important; you can go home.""But Mr. Huxley said...." James was still talking when Larisa opened the door of the car, waved her hands to stop a passing taxi, quickly entered it, and drove past James as the taxi driver drove away.Dumbfounded, James had no choice but to return home alone.Upon arriving at the hospital, Larisa swiftly disembarked from the taxi, paid the driver, and walked into the hospital. She arrived at Doctor Jane's office and gently knocked."Come in," Doctor Jane invited from inside the office.Nervously, Larisa opened the office door and stepped
Larisa screamed in distress and shielded her head with both hands while closing her eyes.Marcellus swiftly moved to hug Larisa, looking towards the two maids at the door in shock and yelling at them with a scowl. "What on earth was that?" he exclaimed, glaring at them with wide eyes. "You scared my wife!" he declared.Larisa was taken aback as she peered up at Marcellus. That was the first time she had heard him refer to her as his wife in front of her, although she was not sure if he had done so previously when she wasn't there. With a beaming smile, Larisa slowly rested her head on Marcellus's chest.The first maid bowed her head apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry, sir, it was a mistake."The second maid also lowered her head, adding remorsefully, "I'm so sorry, sir."The two maids had been covertly listening in on Marcellus and Larisa when they heard Marcellus's initial outcry from the master bedroom, unbeknownst to Mrs. Mary, the head maid. They both remained at the doorway with
Larisa was taken aback when Marcellus uttered those words, unable to comprehend the sudden change in behavior from the man who had professed his love to her a few hours earlier.Larisa was speechless, stammering in disbelief, unsure how to respond. "Ummm....I....I....," she stuttered, at a loss for words.Marcellus yelled in anger, "Why can't you talk? Did a cat suddenly cut out your tongue?"(Earlier).After having a meeting with the Foreign Engineer from the New Huxley Shopping Mall, which was aided by his secretary, Marcellus received a phone call from Clara Scott, his lover. Marcellus promptly rushed out of the hotel and made his way over to her apartment. Upon arriving, Clara welcomed him as per usual, eventually bringing up the discussion of the divorce.Clara fixed her gaze on Marcellus as she queried with a curious expression, "Has she finally signed the divorce papers?"Marcellus responded, "No, she hasn't signed them yet; I'd like to give her some extra time."Astonished tha
Mrs. Mary, in a state of shock, spoke out of her surprise as she stared at Marcellus, saying, "She... might still be in bed."The other maids, also taken aback, watched as he ascended the stairs, their gazes trailing him.Marcellus arrived at the Master bedroom and noticed Larisa lying on the bed. He went up to her and tapped her on her thigh, shouting, "Wake up, Larisa!" When she didn't move, he tapped her again and repeated his command, shaking her until she opened her eyes and turned her face toward him.Shocked to see Marcellus so early, with a displeased expression on his face, Larisa asked him, "What is it, Marcellus?" as she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes.Glaring down at her as she sat on the bed, Marcellus said sternly, "It's time you sign the divorce papers Larisa, it has been days already. I've had my fill, and I want you gone from my life for good."Larisa begged, "Marcellus, please give me more time to think." Marcellus questioned with a chuckle, "More time?" He the
Dear Marcellus,This letter is one of the most difficult I have ever had to write. I have loved you for so long and the memories of the years we've spent together will remain in my heart forever.There are so many moments in our relationship that I will never forget. I remember when I was a young girl and you took me to the restroom. You stood guard outside the door, protecting me from any harm. That wonderful moment when I felt so safe and loved—was something that I will never forget.I also remember the day you embraced me when I was scared. The door had swung open, and that loud sound startled me. I screamed and you came to me with open arms. I was highly emotional at that moment and it felt like a lifeline just to be in your presence.Unfortunately, after much reflection, I have come to the difficult decision that we should go our separate ways. This doesn't mean that I have stopped loving you, it simply means that I have to face the reality that this is best for both of us.You w
Larisa arrived at the Clark restaurant and noticed Zack sitting there, rubbing his hands nervously. She recognized him from the photo that Ashley had shown her before she left. In person, he was even more handsome than in the picture. His symmetrical facial features, strong jawline, and well-groomed hair gave him a masculine appearance, while his confident posture exuded self-assurance. Larisa smiled as she approached him."Hi Zack," Larisa said with a smile as she arrived at the table.Zack gazed up at Larisa and was stunned, admiring her for a moment as she looked gorgeous in her sexy short gown. His mouth hung open slightly in awe."Can I sit down now?" Larisa asked with a smile, looking at Zack.Larisa's words snapped Zack back to reality, and he quickly rose from his chair. "Please, sit," Zack said, gesturing towards the chair across from him. Who wouldn't fall in love with the stunning Larisa Madison?Zack introduced himself to Larisa as the Vice Chairman of Ford Group.Larisa w
Despite Charles's call, Marcellus kept walking as he crossed the road and headed to the restaurant. Upon arriving at the entrance, Marcellus stood and sent deadly stares to Zack while clenching his fists.As Zack laughed and chatted with Larisa, he didn't initially notice Marcellus's intense stares. However, when he lifted his head and caught Marcellus's gaze, he felt goosebumps all over his body. In a low whisper, he asked Larisa, "Do you know him?"" Who," Larisa asked in a low whisper.Zack responded by moving his head in a pointing gesture, without directly pointing at Marcellus, and said, "Him."Larisa quickly turned around and noticed Marcellus staring at them. She then turned her head back to face Zack and said, "I kind of know him, but he's not important. Don't bother." Larisa smiled awkwardly before adding, "Let's continue. Don't let him bother you."As Marcellus walked towards Larisa and Zack's table, Charles quickly grabbed hold of his arms and quietly dragged him out of th