-- Grizelda --
I blinked back confusion and tried to make out the doctor's face. He wasn't joking. The smile on his face was huge.
"Who is your husband? He must be happy to hear the news." I traced his vision to the ring on my finger. I was still wearing my wedding ring so now he must have thought I was still married. "Your first pregnancy?"
"Hold on a bit, doctor. It must be a mistake. I can't be pregnant. I don't remember sleeping with any man since I got married."
"Not even your husband?" The doctor's eyes flew wide open.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. What I'm trying to say is that my husband is impotent. So there's no way I'm pregnant for him. And neither have I slept with another man that wasn't him. Please you have to recheck again."
"I'm sorry, ma'am. But it's the truth. We can't be wrong here. You're pregnant and it's up to four months now." The doctor reaffirmed. "Or do you want to abort it?"
"No, no." I tried to breathe as my head struggled to digest the information.
I looked down at my stomach and held it in my hand as if noticing the slight bulge for the first time. Was it really true? And if it were, was Alexander really responsible for it? Or was it a miracle Jesus in my stomach? Just like it happened to Mary in the Bible?
I felt renewed tears pinching at my eyes and I sniffed as I felt a tickling in my nose, caused by my endless batch of tears. I couldn't believe that a day would come when I would experience pregnancy. I already gave up on it long since. After all these years of endless trials before the news was broken to us that Alexander was impotent.
"Thank you, doctor." I wiped my tears and prepared to leave. "I will keep it."
The doctor simply smiled again as I left his presence and returned to Jax who was waiting for me at the reception.
"Grizzy!" He shouted and ran to me, cupping my cheeks immediately. "Are you okay? Were you treated? How's your stomach now?"
"I'm..." I took in a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
His hands dropped from my face and he became dumbfounded for a few seconds. I watched him take a few steps back and he looked down at my stomach. He looked up at me again and my eyes were the same. I knew what he was thinking. He knew there was no way I was in the mood to be making jokes.
"And you sure there was no mistake anywhere?" He asked the same question that initially ran through my mind.
I shook my head slowly and a smile broke on my lips. This was a dream come true. I'd be a fool not to be happy if it were true. But the biggest problem still remained. I was divorced now and I signed the papers myself. How was I going to reach out to Alexander to tell him about the news? I doubted he would want to pick my calls.
"Call him, Grizzy. He has to know." Jax said as if reading my mind.
"What if he doesn't pick my calls?" I asked the most important question.
"Then I'll drive you down to his place. I'll do whatever it takes to help you get that information to him. He should be happy. It's his child, too and he has waited long for it, hasn't he?"
He was right. We had both waited long for it. And it surely wasn't too late to rethink his decision about divorcing me. After all, his claims of me cheating was only a misunderstanding. It was my job to make things right.
I followed Jax back into his car and before starting the engine, he waited for me to call Alexander. The phone rang and then he picked up. I felt my heart lift up with Joy. I didn't expect him to pick up so fast.
"Alex." I called out to him. "I have something to tell you. Please it's important and..."
"Hello, Grizelda." I was taken aback when I heard Lucy speak on the other end instead of my Alexander.
"Lucy." My voice carried the same amount of shock I felt. "Where's Alex? Isn't this his phone?"
I withdrew my phone from my ear and looked at the screen to confirm the number I called. I wasn't mistaken. It was Alexander's phone. So why was she the one answering his calls? I placed the phone back on my ear.
"Why are you with my husband's phone?" I asked her and I felt the rising anger in my voice.
I felt highly offended by it because even if he wasn't with his phone, she could have easily went to give it to him wherever he was, unless he didn't want to pick my call so he made her pick it instead.
"Husband? Did you say husband?" Lucy scoffed. "Alex isn't your husband anymore. He divorced you, remember? So put that in your little skull before you make the same mistake again."
Did the bitch just speak to me that way? Ever since Lucy had moved into the mansion with my husband and I, I always knew she didn't like me, but she didn't dare speak to me in any disrespectful manner. With what I remembered, I was very nice to her, making sure she had everything she needed in the house and was attended to whenever her necessary needs came up.
But now, I could tell she was finally showing her true colors to me because I was divorced. From her tone, I could tell she was mocking me and my anger increased all the more.
"I don't care if he's no longer my husband or not. I need to speak to him now, so please give him the phone. Its very important." I was losing my patience by the second.
"There's nothing you can say to my Alex to make him change his mind."
"Your Alex??" I knew I heard the words correctly.
"Oh, you didn't know?" She laughed, causing me to feel irritation in the pit of my belly. "We're getting married. In fact, I'm also pregnant for him."
"W-what... did you just say?" I felt like as if my heart was plunged right out of my chest.
"Yes, honey. You heard correctly. I'm pregnant for Alex. You thought he was impotent, but he's not. Turns out you were the barren one, after all."
It took me all the strength in me not to end the call right at that moment and stop myself from having a panic attack. But there was more I needed to know before I ended the call. How could she be pregnant for him suddenly after our divorce? Unless...
"Alex was cheating on me while we were still married? Both of you were sharing the same bed behind my back?"
"Not before we found out you were cheating on him first, of course. Therefore, we owe you no apology."
So he didn't even wait to confirm whether I was cheating or not before he started fucking his ex-girlfriend? I clenched my fists into tight balls and gritted my teeth.
"Grizzy? Is everything okay?" Jax asked with a worried tone next to me when he noticed my restlessness, but I showed him my palm to keep him from intervening.
I could understand clearly what was going on now. Divorcing me was only an excuse to get back with his ex girlfriend. He knew she was pregnant for him so he thought the best thing to do was to divorce me? I was holding onto a marriage that was already broken when I should have known sooner that the man that held my heart for so long, no longer cared about.
He must have found out that the doctors were wrong about his impotency and planned to elope with his ex girlfriend behind my back a long time, ago. I guess everyone's warnings to me were right after all.
I shut my eyes closed to let go of the last thread of attachment I had for him.
"Hello?" Lucy sounded on the phone.
I didn't answer and simply ended the call. Tears began to fall from my eyes and I laughed out of pity for myself. I couldn't count how many tears my eyes had to release in the past few days. I was sure all the tears were almost finished very soon.
"Grizzy." Jax tried to call my attention again and this time I answered by looking at him.
"Let's go, Jax. Take me home to my parents." I responded.
"What about Alex? What did he say?"
"I don't care about him, anymore. I've accepted the divorce."
"But what about the baby?"
"It's my baby, Jax. Not his. So please, let's just go. I'm tired of talking about him. I'm alone now and it's high time I accepted it. Please." I pleaded with desperation in my eyes and Jax finally nodded.
He started the engine and drove me home to where I was going to reunite with my parents. I and the baby growing inside of me.
-- Alexander --Alone in my office, I stared at my phone, wondering if I should text my ex wife or not. A few days had passed since she left me and it felt like a whole month, already. I couldn't seem to get her out of my mind. Was she really gone forever?Out of frustration, I dropped my phone on my office table and ran my fingers through my blonde hair. For the past few days, I'd been fighting with myself not to text or call her. I had my pride to feed. She was the one who left me. She was the one who cheated on me. Sleeping with other men behind my back for how long now?And how could I be so foolish to still be thinking about her? Why couldn't I just let her go? Why was I so unwilling to accept what life had given to me? I didn't want to believe that the woman I fell so deeply in love with on the very first day I set my eyes on her, could have never loved me the same way in the first place."Alex!" I jumped when I heard a voice in my office. I sat upright and adjusted myself immed
-- Alexander --Everyday, I found myself becoming more depressed despite all the success and riches that surrounded me. I felt incomplete without Grizelda by my side. I had searched for her for years and found nothing on her. Like she had disappeared completely just as she'd planned to from a heartless man like I was. I could never forgive myself for what I did to her and it ate me up everyday.I tried her phone number severally on different occasions, hoping it would go through one day, but I was only deceiving myself. She had probably changed her number. I wanted to see her just once and apologise for the pain I caused.My company grew bigger and bigger and I grew richer and richer. My mother had everything she ever wished for. All she had to do was snap her fingers and I would have everything being sent to the mansion I gifted her.Everyone was happy, even my new wife and her son, Spencer, who was now five years old. He looked nothing like me. I had blonde hair and hazel eyes, wher
-- Grizelda --The sound of my heels echoed off the fine hardened stairs of my mansion as I slowly approached my son and sister waiting for me in the living room. It was obvious that I carried a different type of energy. Different from five years ago. I had returned to reclaim my place as the daughter and heir to the most powerful family in this city. And I was back to show them all who they had underestimated.Anyone who hadn't laid eyes on me in the last five years would lay eyes on me now and be scared to see the woman that I had become. I wasn't just Grizelda Williams, the shy daughter of James Williams and abandoned ex-wife of Alexander Kingston that everyone once knew. I was the woman who had known real pain and betrayal and come out stronger and harder, and fierce.I trailed my fingers lightly against the railings and kept my chin in the air. I inhaled once again the space of my new home. My son, Leo and I were back to New York from the UK about a week ago. While I was ready to
-- Alexander --I stood in the space of my office, staring out at the busy streets for a long moment, my mind racing. Every decision I’d made, every step I’d taken to build the life I thought I wanted, was starting to crumble.I'd felt the eyes glued on me the second I'd walked into the building, the undercurrent of tension running through my employees like an electric wire. Everyone was scared for me. Scared for the company and the doom it was about to face.It was like the world was counting on me and the gravity of pressure felt heavy, forcing me into a state of depression. I felt hopeless and I couldn't even let it show. Shame washed over me. It was my company, yet it felt like I had no control of every single piece of it. I was the damn CEO for goodness sake. I balled my fists into my pockets, digging my nails deep into my palm. I hadn't slept in the past three days. I felt restless."Sir!" My office door flung open. I turned away from the window and saw Nicholas walk in with a d
-- Alexander --It wasn't a mistake. I wasn't dreaming. My eyes weren't seeing things. It was Grizelda. Truly the woman I'd been searching for and thinking relentlessly about like a mad man. I couldn't believe she was standing right in front of me.She looked so beautiful. Maybe because it felt like forever since I had seen her. Her skin was the finest shine now. Her hair like the best hairstylists all gathered in one place had attended to it themselves. She wore a long white dress that fell to the ground and covered the heels that she might have been wearing under it. It hugged her in all the right places, showing me curves that I might have never noticed or knew existed on her.Her gown was even more stunning than the one I bought for Lucy, although I'd spent so much money on it. It wasn’t just elegant, it screamed expensive and I was confused. Her choice of color baffled me. Every other person at the party went along with the dress code, all glamored in either wine or black, yet sh
-- Grizelda --I felt bored in my own welcome party. I realized how much I wasn't used to my own set of rich people. They were pompous and proud. At least, the ones that were currently present at the party hosted because of me. I had to keep my smile while they all eagerly came to greet and talk to me. The men came off as irritating.They knew I wasn't married and they thought they could use the opportunity to show off their assets in conversations and throw nothing other than wealth from their mouths. I fought hard from reminding them that they couldn't be compared to my father's, so what was the essence of bragging to me about it? Couldn't they be sensible enough to know that money was far the least of my concern?I needed a real man for goodness sake!In the middle of conversations, my mind pondered off to Leo. Somehow, I felt uncomfortable that he was with me at the party. I had tried to convince my parents to let me leave him behind at home under the care of my hired nannies, but
-- Alexander --My heart felt painful as I watched her stand on the stage and address her guests. It felt like a dream. I wanted to pinch myself to wake up. It was a dream, wasn't it?I felt my insides going into a turmoil. The woman on the stage was unrecognizable. That wasn't the Grizelda I knew. That wasn't the woman I'd gone on dates with and with whom I'd decided to spend the rest of my life. That was someone else. Someone powerful, untouchable.It was a side of her I'd never seen. Confident, completely at ease, easily fitting into the world of the elite. A world consciously at her fingertips.Amongst the crowd around me, my ears picked up hushed voices belonging to a group of men in particular. They stood not far from me, so I could hear them clearly."Yeah, I never knew James' daughter was this breathtaking. She really is the Grizelda Williams whom I hear is supposed to be some kind of business genius, even though she's always kept out of the spotlight. She makes me want to hav
-- Grizelda --“Grizelda,” He called my name from behind and my breath seized.I knew he was coming to talk to me and most of all, I'd seen him speaking with my son but pretended not to notice. I was pissed at Vicky for not keeping to her word and I had to hurriedly send a random woman to help me rescue Leo. Thank goodness that she had quickly agreed to help me. After all, the woman had seemed so excited to witness me talk to her like I was some goddess or angel.Slowly, I turned away from the group of women I was giving a bit of my attention to and faced Alexander. Silently, I prayed to God that this wasn't about Leo. That he hadn't noticed Leo's resemblance with him or I doubted I was ready to answer any of his questions. He didn't deserve any answers. He didn't deserve anything at all that concerned me and my life. Not anymore.I tried to keep a cool and distant expression as I stared into his hazel eyes that was no different from Leo's ones. Leo was the cutest child I ever laid my
-- Alexander --I drove away in my car and they didn't hesitate to shut the gates behind me, the sharp clang of the metal gates symbolizing the superior power of the Williams Estate. And to think that years ago I always saw them as gods and never would have thought for once that one day I'd have the audacity to stand in front of their gates and plead to speak with their daughter.That was the kind of influence the Williams had in the entire country.But unfortunately, I'd once been married to that 'daughter' without knowing she was connected to the Williams family.I slammed my palm against the steering wheel, feeling the weight of my frustration pressed heavier on my chest.Damn you, Grizelda!I was trying my best to fix things, to prove that I was on her side in every way, yet I felt her shutting me out without any aid to it. Even audacity couldn't help me out.Her sliceful words repeated endlessly in my mind. "Then show it. Don't just fucking come and spell it out to my face."I ex
-- Grizelda --I watched Leo fall asleep on his bed while I was just almost done with reading his bedtime stories to him. His tiny body curled against the pillows, his golden hair shimmering in the glow of the nightlight and the peaceful rise and fall of his chest indicating how probably deep he was in the world of his dreams.Hopefully, it was a good dream.I brushed a stray strand from his forehead and kissed him there. My love for him only grew more everyday and the will to protect him and keep him safe grew stronger day by day as well.I remembered how my blood boiled with simmering rage during the interview earlier today.Alexander Kingston had promised me, given me his word while we stood face to face, agreeing that there would be no dragging over Leo, yet what if it was all a lie?In the blink of an eye a custody battle was placed on my table? All for what?! It was exactly what I'd wanted us to avoid, yet he brought upon a damn legal war over Leo!Jax had to be right! It would
-- Alexander --My jaw hung loose when I saw Grizelda live on the TV screen. She sat composed, but like a queen appearing with a deadly look on her face like she had come to announce the presuction of those that had dared to go against her.“I have been a single mother for years, caring and nurturing my son till this very stage." She said smoothly, her voice calm yet laced with fire and authority. "Therefore, I believe if there should be anyone willing to claim him from under my care, they should be ready to prove more capable of catering for him better than I have. But that isn't the case now, is it?” She continued.“All I sense is family legacy being placed as a priority, as well as a struggle for control being brought to my face. The people I've seen are people who refuse to accept that I have built my own life, independent of them, and I refuse to be bullied. I refuse to allow my son to be used as a pawn in their game.” Her words sounded final.I clenched my fists. This had to be
-- Grizelda --Back at my parent's mansion to spend some time with them while I also brought Leo along, I settled in front of the television in the living room as I poured myself a drink. A breaking news alert caught my attention and shock had me in its hold as I saw Margaret standing at a podium, her face calm and composed.“As a grandmother, it is well obvious that I would want what's best for my grandson. Not just because I love him with all my heart and want him by my side, but because I want to ensure he's raised in an environment that prioritizes his well-being,” she said, her voice steady. “It’s clear to me that certain environments can be bad for a child's growth and upbringing.” My grip on the glass tightened. She was making this public. She was declaring war.“If you will not turn that off, I'll turn it off myself.” My father came out of nowhere, breaking through my concentration and before I had time to object, he went ahead and disconnected the tv plug from the sockets.
-- Alexander --I leaned back in my leather chair, steering myself slowly to the left and slowly to the right, lost in the turmoil in my head. It felt like the wrong time to remember Grizelda's painful words to me at the hospital but I did and clearly."I've decided to give Jax a chance in my life..." She had said.The words were like tiny needles pricking against my skin.Jax Grey. He was finally successful in taking Grizelda from me.Apart from that, there was a lingering pain in my chest. I felt deeply broken inside because it felt like everyone was suddenly against me. I felt alone with no one to turn to.I stared once again at the crumpled drawing Leo had given me last time I picked Spencer up from school. I'd been the one to crumple it, squeezing it tightly in my hand while emotions welled up inside of me. It was a picture of a family, properly colored with crayons.No matter how many times I stared at the drawing, I felt the same amount of emotions brewing inside of me. It was
-- Grizelda --The front door being slammed shut echoed through the house. I soon heard Leo's footsteps followed by his lovely voice."Mommy!" he called out in a shrill voice.I stepped out of the kitchen to meet him. I dried my hands on a dish towel as I met him in the hallway. His face was red from the cold, his blond hair pointed in all directions and his bag almost slipped off one shoulder.The paper he held commanded my attention."Look!" he said excitedly as he stretched the paper toward me. "Something new I made at school today!"I collected the drawing from him. My breath got caught in my throat as I realized what he drew this time.It was a picture of himself, unmistakably and Alexander. It was drawn in vibrant crayon colors. Leo had drawn himself in his favorite red shirt as he held hands with a tall man who looked unmistakably like Alexander.The man had the same blond and hazel eyes. The title was written very boldly. Me and the man who looks like me!I forced a smile. "My
-- Alexander --The afternoon light poured into my office and radiated off the polished wood of my desk. The financial report I’d been working on untouched for the past hour on my computer screen stared back at me. My head was in another dimension. I kept thinking of my argument with my mother.Grizelda’s supposed betrayal with Jax Grey still played in my head.It was a story I believed to be true all those years ago. Lucy showed me the so called evidence of Grizelda's infidelity. She cried and consoled me, telling me I deserved better. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be logical then.But now? All I could think of was if there must be more to the stor I should know about.I leaned back in my chair as I stared at the ceiling deep in my thoughts. My head was completely filled with doubt. Could it really be that something did go on between Jax and Grizelda, or could those photos have been entirely fake, purposely made to look that way? Probably edited too.Those photos always felt
-- Grizelda --The custody fight hanged over me like a dark and unrelenting storm. Even in my leisure time, I was unable to relax because of the heaviness I felt when I thought about it. Margaret not only wanted to take away Leo from me but my identity. I didn’t know what else I was asides being a mother.I decided to bury myself in work but little good did that do. The numbers and quotations just blurred into one huge mess of gibberish before my eyes. I leaned back in my chair as I rubbed my temples. I needed to keep busy otherwise my mind would spiral into places I didn’t want it to go. I couldn’t afford to fall apart now.A soft knock on the door startled me.“Come in,” I called. I bent over the papers scattered on my table. I needed to appear or give the impression I was busy.Vicky stepped inside, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. She had always been proactive, sorting my needs before I even knew. I gave her a grateful look, my eyes twinkling with delight as it expressed the r
-- Alexander --"You have crossed a line." I said as my voice trembled with anger.My mother who stood in the centre of my office didn’t flinch at my tone, she didn’t even blink. She just stood there, arms folded with a rigid posture as the cold matriarch she has always been."Leo is my grandson," Her words were measured and deliberate. "He belongs in the Kingston family."Her words sent my mind reeling. I glared as I launched myself to my full height. "Leo stays with his mother," I snapped. "And you had no right to serve Grizelda custody papers without my blessing. What were you thinking?""I was thinking about Leo’s future. Your son's future." she said with an icy tone "The Kingston's name. The legacy you seem so fixated on ruining."I could barely restrain my anger as my hands were clenched into fists. "This has nothing to do with legacy. This is about Leo. He’s a child, not some object to be added to the Kingston's collection. No matter what the case may be."Her lips curled into