Chapter 4 : Smelling like another woman

"I mean, your clothes smell like another woman's, another person's perfume, a feminine smell, and I know it's not from me. I don't smell like that," Natalie asserted.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," he stammered, resembling a child caught in the act of misbehavior. "I—I, it must have been from the lady I helped earlier when I was going to attend to another business," he quickly explained, walking away with one hand on his head. "I need to wash down and refresh up."

She collapsed on the bed. "I know you're hiding something from me, Richy. I know. Something hasn't been right since two years ago. I feel it," she said, sitting there, her eyes lost in her gaze, and tears began to stream down her face.

Mr. Wood emerged from the bathroom after what felt like hours. Natalie, still sitting on the bed, raised her head and asked him, "Why does it feel like everything is coming to an end?"

"What are you talking about?" he smiled and walked to her. "Nothing is coming to an end, my love." He gently kissed her forehead and proceeded to get dressed.

Next Day at the beach picnic……………………………………………………………

Putting the events of the previous day behind them, Natalie chose to act as if nothing had happened so they could both relish their vacation together. They sat in a cozy tent, enjoying snacks and engaging in casual conversation.

"I want us to start a family, Richy," Natalie said, expressing her desire. Richard, who was sipping a glass of wine, choked and coughed, trying to regain his composure. "Fam-fa- family," he stammered with a nervous smile.

Natalie continued, undeterred, "Yes, I think it's time. We've been married for more than five years now, so I think we should start having children of our own." She added with a warm smile as she patted his back.

"What do you think?" Natalie asked, gazing at him.

"I think you're right," he replied, his expression reflecting confusion and discomfort.

Natalie smiled and nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait to be a mommy," she expressed with joy.

Natalie's phone beeped, and she picked it up to check the notification. "Oh, I just got an email about our award night. The date has been set," she exclaimed with excitement.

"Wow, congrats, my love," Mr. Wood said, expressing his congratulations. "Aww, thank you. You don't have to say it now," she replied with a smile.

"When is it?" he asked.

"Next week, Saturday, 24th" she answered.

"Next week Saturday?" Mr. Wood repeated, shaking his head in surprise.

Natalie's enthusiastic statement about needing to return home earlier due to an upcoming meeting with her managers and also to prepare herself on what to wear that day. "You're going to nail it, Nat," Mr. Wood affirmed with a smile, his touch gentle as he met her eyes.

Internally, Richard was overwhelmed with regret, his eyes betraying the emotions he dared not voice. Natalie noticed and inquired, "What's wrong?" His response, laden with unspoken emotions, was crafted to honor her success. "I'm just proud of you, Nate. You've come a long way, we've come a long way, and you truly deserve this forthcoming blessing," he reflected. Memories flooded back to the time when he took her on his motorcycle to her first audition a decade ago.

Natalie, recalling that moment, continued the conversation, reminiscing about her nerves and the support she received from Richard, flashing a broad smile as she expressed her gratitude for his unwavering support.

Natalie strolled alone in the hotel corridor, while Richard went ahead to the room to retrieve something. Lost in her thoughts about life, she accidentally bumped into a pregnant lady. "Oh, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you," Natalie apologized.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm okay," the pregnant lady replied with a smile. "Are you here with someone?" she inquired.

"Yeah, with my husband. He went ahead to do something," Natalie responded with a smile. "And you?" she asked. "Are you also with your husband?"

"Yes, my soon-to-be husband," the lady replied with a smile. "Oh, congratulations on that, and with your baby too. You look great," Natalie said, offering her best wishes.

As they continued to talk, the lady suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute, are you not that lady from the movie 'Love You Until I Die'? The one that went big," she exclaimed with a hint of surprise.

Natalie smiled and confirmed, "Yeah, I am." thank you for supporting our movie……

What’s your name if I may ask………… I’m Brindle," the lady replied.

As Richard approached, Natalie pointed him out to Brindle. However, when Richard saw Brindle, he appeared anxious, fearing that she might have said something to Natalie. He hesitated, glancing between the two women.

Natalie called him over and took his hand, trying to bring him closer to them. "This is Brindle," she said to Richard, who stood there sweating, lost for words.

Richard acknowledged the awkwardness and reached out to shake hands. "Nice to meet you," Richard managed, looking uncomfortable with Brindle's presence, especially in front of his wife.

Brindle, however, went in for a hug, saying, "Nice to meet you too, Sir," in a slightly flirtatious tone. The hug lingered longer than expected, prompting Mr. Wood cleared his throat to break the embrace. "Oh, sorry, my bad," she said as she pulled away. "You know, pregnancy makes you forget things at times. I thought that was my man. Nate gave her the look and she clarified herself and said oh they look alike," she explained to Natalie.

Natalie replied with a smile, holding her husband's hand, "Oh, don’t worry, I understand."

Brindle continued the conversation, asking, "Are you guys here with your kids or maybe a child?" She directed her gaze at Richard.

Natalie answered, "Oh, no, we don’t have a child yet, and even if we did, they wouldn't be here. We're on an anniversary celebration, so…"

Brindle interjected, "You would have left your children at home and come to another state to have fun. That’s crazy, the life of rich people."

Natalie explained, "Well, yeah, they will be in the care of our caretakers or our families."

Brindle then inquired, "How long have you guys been married?"

Natalie responded, "For six years, but we've known each other for more than 10 years."

Brindle seemed surprised and asked, "6 to 10 years?" She then continued, "Are you barren, or you just don't want a child?"

Richard gave Brindle a disapproving look, realizing that the conversation was making his wife uncomfortable. However, Brindle, undeterred, pressed on with her line of questioning.

Natalie tried to ease the tension by saying, "We are planning on having a child soon," though she felt awkward about how the conversation was turning.

Brindle responded with a sassy tone, "You are planning on having a child soon when everything is about to end. How possible is that?" She smiled and clapped her hands.............

Natalie, feeling confused and uncomfortable, replied, "Excuse me, I seem to not get you."

Richard quickly intervened, "We need to go, Nate. I forgot to tell you, your manager called me. He said you have a Zoom meeting in about 10 minutes, he tried calling you but didn't get through. You need to go and prepare yourself." He said this awkwardly to change the subject.

Richard realized the urgency and responded, "Excuse us, madam," to Brindle, and Richard led her away.

Brindle gave a dismissive response, "Oh, don't worry," with a smile, "you need to take care of her, after all, she's your wife."

"What was she talking about, Richy?" Natalie asked as soon as they entered their hotel room. Richard, somewhat puzzled himself, replied, "I don't know what she meant."

"It might be the pregnancy," he added with a smile, trying to explain. But Natalie, still lost in her thoughts about Brindle's comments, sat on the bed.

"You don’t have to dwell on it too much, Nate," Richard said, trying to reassure her. He kissed her on the cheek and sat beside her. "I’m scared, Richard. What if I lose you? You are all I have," Natalie confessed, her eyes reflecting her fears. "I understand she’s pregnant, but pregnancy doesn’t make people talk like that. I have friends who have been pregnant before. They acted goofy sometimes but not like her. She talked as if she knows something I don't ."

"You’re overthinking this, Nate," Richard said, trying to console her. He stood up from the bed and added, "Maybe she’s just not feeling well."

"Get up," Richard urged, gently pulling his wife from the bed. "Your meeting is in 3 minutes." He swiftly arranged a table with Natalie's PC and guided her to sit down for her meeting. "You don’t have to think about this too much, Nate," he reassured her, showering her with affectionate kisses.

"See, I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere," Richard assured her with a smile. Finally, as he finished the little display of affection, he kissed her hands one last time before excusing himself.