Chapter 1

Maybelline.

“May!, go get us some drinks, would you?” Sasha, My sister-in-law’s voice broke through the soft music playing throughout the wedding hall, sharp and commanding. Her words weren’t a request, they never were.

I felt myself twitch at the suddenness of her voice but I nodded quickly, got up to my feet, and turned toward the bar.

As I walked away, I heard snickers, and whispers behind my back from her and her friends.

“Why is she even here?” One of her friend asked, her tone dripping with disdain.

It’s the same question I’ve asked myself a hundred times tonight. Why am I here? They already told me previously that the wedding would be for intimate family and friends, and I wasn’t an intimate family even though I was married to their brother. It was the wedding of my brother older sister -Nelly. She was quite older than my husband and I with about five years so I didn’t really know her, she was based overseas, she came back few months ago because of the wedding.

I ignored their jesting, I had more happy thoughts to think about at the moment than their attempt to humiliate me. Two days ago I found out I was pregnant and that was the best news of my life.

My husband and I had been hoping and praying for a baby for three long years since we got married. He might not have said anything but I knew he was getting impatient.

I was so excited about it but then, I decided to keep my excitement to myself and break the news to him in the most exciting and special way. Also I had been searching for a job, I finally got one in the company that I had been trying so hard to get in. The joy of all the news I had to share with him over rode my heart, I knew for sure that Fred would be equally as excited and proud of me.

Maybe after I finally break the news to everyone, his family would finally realize that I am not as useless as they think and they would respect and treat me better.

The bartender handed over the tray of drinks to me, I mumbled a thank you and turned back to the small crowd. As I walked back to my seat I looked through the people present, searching for my husband but he didn’t seem to be anywhere around here.

He dragged me here as his plus one against my will but he’s been barely around me the whole evening, I saw this before hand, this wasn’t the first time something like this was happening.

I have always complained but he still keeps on doing it, I wanted to be angry that he brought me here knowing that I knew no one and still left me seated all by my self for hours. But no! Happy thoughts only, this is the happiest period of my life. That’s what I keep telling myself.

I know Fred cares about me, he wouldn’t do a thing like that on purpose, he’s probably just caught up in an impromptu business somewhere around and would be back soon. After all he’s a business man and he could get caught up in business anywhere.

“Took you long enough,” Sasha muttered as I dropped the tray of drinks on the table, I mumbled incoherently with a small nod and just as I was about to say something, from the pit of my stomach I felt a strong wave of nauseousness stir up in me, I couldn’t even wait to excuse myself from them or reply to anything they said, I turned around and dashed off towards the bathroom immediately.

I rushed to the bathroom, my hand clamped over my mouth, my body shook uncontrollably and I almost could not contain it as the nausea surged through me. I barely made it in time before I lost my control, heaving painfully. Tears stung my eyes as I emptied my stomach, the bitter taste of vomit and what I ate earlier lingering in my mouth.

After what felt like an eternity, the nausea subsided. I rinsed my mouth, washed my face, and took a deep breath, these pregnancy sickness have been a whole lot for me to handle alone and I can not wait to tell my husband about it.

As I turned to leave, I heard faint, muffled sounds, kissing, and soft moans from the adjacent bathroom stall.

I shook my head slightly and began to make my way out of the bathroom, the dirty things people would actually do in a public bathroom, thank Goodness I didn’t have a partner who would want to get down with me in a public bathroom of all the places in the world.

Just as I reached for the door handle, a familiar voice cut through the silence and I could hear the other person still moaning, my heart unintentionally skipped a beat, it was a very distinct voice one that I would recognize even if I was awoken from a deep sleep.

I slowly let go of the door knob, my heart began to beat heavily in my chest, I slowly turned back and walked towards the bathroom stall where the moaning was coming from.

My heart clenched when the voice spoke again,

“I love you Nora,” he said and that was all the confirmation I needed, I shouldn’t have done it but I peeped into the bathroom through a tiny hole in the door, and I saw the both of them almost naked, I wanted to make excuses for them but I couldn’t even, the intimacy was undeniable.

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision, I almost could not walk again, I dragged myself away from the door and began to head outside, but the next statement I heard felt like I was dealt a physical blow on my head with a sledgehammer.

“You keep saying this Fred, when will you actually act like you love me!”

“Do you even have my interest at heart? I’m only putting up with her because of you, do you know how difficult that is for me?” She said to him. My whole world came crashing down, Nora was supposed to be my anchor, there wasn’t anything about me that Nora didn’t know about it, She and Fred had been my bestfriends right from high school, yet here they were, in a bathroom stall, sharing a moment that ruined my life.

“I told you she’s pregnant and you still didn’t do anything, how are you going to divorce her now?!” Immediately I heard that, my grip on the door knob tightened just so that I don’t drop to the floor as I sauntered backwards, I could literally feel my head double, my right hand unconsciously wrapped around my stomach as I tried to gain my stand again. Nora was the only person I told about my baby, how could she do this to me? How could the both of them do this to me!

I had heard enough, I raised my hands to my face and wiped my tears dry, Happy thoughts only! But I could not stop my tears from falling as I grabbed the door knob and staggered out of the bathroom.

Nora’s giggles and the things she said to my husband could not stop ringing in my ears as I made my way back into the wedding hall, tears blurred my eyes but I didn’t even make an attempt to wipe it off, I staggered through the small crowd occasionally hitting strangers who were probably having a time of their lives, people who had no idea what it was to be me or to live like me.

I finally got to where I was seated previously with Sasha and her friends, they had chattered away and were so into the playing music to realize that I had returned, good for me.

I picked up my clutch purse and bent downwards as I took off my heels, held my flowing gown in my hands and proceeded to leave the hall.

Just as I turned around to leave, a very loud and sharp piercing Microphone sound played through the speaker and the music came to an abrupt stop.

“Sorry to ruin the fun evening everyone,” Whoever it was standing at the stage said, it wasn’t any of my business, I turned around and headed for the door.

“As you all know I’m the groom, and I have a confession to make,” he continued.

“I’m sorry, I won’t be able to go on with this wedding anymore, So I’m cutting everything off before we take the wedding vows,”

“I’m in love with someone else and I can’t get into a loveless marriage, I tried but as early as now I don’t see it working.”

I slowly paused in my tracks, tears still oozing out of my eyes and turned to look at the Nelly, she was now surrounded by Sasha and their other friends who were trying to comfort her, he didn’t seem touched by her outburst, he just kept at what he was saying. Men are actually one very dirty and worthless specie, what can they not do? It wasn’t any of my business anyway, I turned and continued walking out. Heartbreak is inevitable, at the end of the day everybody will be served!

“The woman I love is actually pregnant and she’s here!” The next thing I heard was a loud slapping sound, it was definitely the bride slapping the groom, I didn’t bother to turn back to look, as it was I was already mentally drained on my own for any other person’s life drama.

“Tell me! Who is she?! Where is she!” I heard the bride bark at him.

“There she is!” I heard him stay, I still didn’t turn back to look, it wasn’t my business, just as I grabbed the door knob to walk out of the wedding hall, I felt someone grab me by my hair and pulled me backwards, I turned forcefully to meet the face of the raged bride, before I could think or react, she raised her hands and slapped me hard across my face.