BLAIR POVFor one hundred and one days of working in Ronnell's company, I arrived at the office at eight a.m., sat down at my desk, flipped open a notepad, and neatly wrote my schedule down. And at the bottom, following the notation for the last meeting of the day. I pulled open the drawer of my desk to restock them with candy. Those were the only things that allowed me to release a tiny drip of the anger I swallowed down daily. When Ronnell's demands became unbearable, I used them to sort my own anger. I took out the file, and ran my fingers over it before sighing deeply. The therapist I'd been forced to see when I was a young teen would definitely be proud of me right now. Once I had gone through the file and my desk was back to its neat position. I ran through my usual routine before Ronnell arrived for the day. Lately, it has been me going to the bathroom, break room, bathroom, Fatigue, backache.My bladder seems like it would burst out from frequent urination, which meant I spe
RONNELL POVWe had just finished my meeting with Mathew and William. Blair and I were in the back of my Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire drop-tail, being driven to the office. Traffic crawled, taking several minutes of travel a handful of feet. Fortunately, I had my phone and laptop. Blair on the other hand sat silently, while tapping away on her phone. Perhaps, she was making efficient use of her time. I stared at the email on my laptop. Details were very important to me. If I missed a single word or number, it could be a huge problem for me. That was why I didn't miss anything untouched, I studied details to avoid fumbling. Yet, I'd missed a glaring one.Blair was pregnant. But how? I know for sure that she wasn't married ___was this for her ex-boyfriend that came in the other day or was this my child from the one-night stand we shared? Was that even possible? I honestly had no idea about it until Mathew who was a doctor told me. How could I have missed noticing the changes in her? Her
BLAIR POVI halted a little the moment I noticed an unfamiliar face behind my office desk doing something around my chair. I hated that chair ever since I sat on it, and I even hated it more ever since I started feeling so much backache and fatigue lately. I was fairly certain that it would shove me to the floor if I shifted the wrong way but still. It was mine. My steps picked up speed, intent on defending my chair. But as I drew closer, the butter-like leather and plush cushions came into focus. It wasn't my chair after all. My exhaustion from a night of interrupted sleep— my sleep time seemed to be short recently, due to the fact that my thoughts were clustered with so many worries. Could I raise this child alone as a single mom? Whose child was I even carrying?I sighed heavily trying to push the thought away. It took me a long moment to realize that the man behind my desk was a delivery guy, not some random man off the street.“Hey,” I called calmly while I approached my desk.
BLAIR POVI looked through the clothing price tag and my eyes wouldn't stop bulging out at the ridiculous prices, and right now, I had next to no budget. I hadn't even told Ella yet about my newfound secret___she had been away preparing for her wedding and I just didn't want to shove this kind of news down her throat. Finally, I was able to find a few things at a thrift store close to my house. Brown and black where what picked my interest, since those were my ideal types these days. Hopefully, I’d be up to douse for Ronnell. If he said anything else about my clothes. I'd likely jab him with my pen. I honestly didn't like how it felt when he'd told me that I couldn't wear my dress anymore. I should be the only one to stop wearing them when I wanted to. I kept replaying the way he'd looked at me when he said it. Like he had been embarrassed for me that I couldn't fit my body into an item of proper clothing. It wasn't like he paid me a whole hell of a lot that would make me a millio
RONNELL POVThe weekend brunch Tradition we started after college had balloned. today, it wasn't just William, Mathew, and me. Today, William's sister, Mia, graced us with her presence. Not that Mia was bad, exactly. there was just...a friction between us, a static charge built from year's of childhood sniping. But williiam was practically a brother, so I endured Mia for his sake. (besides, she drove William equally crazy)Our table was situated at our favorite brunch spot, overlooking the sidewalk. The early autumn sun was positioned directly above us, providing a beacon of warmth on a mildly chilly day. “I'm surprised you're here, Ron, you have been less active__” Sarah remarked. “It seems like you've made It to more brunches than you've missed lately.” I looked up from my menu, which I didn't really need since I almost always ordered the same thing. “Is that a complaint?”I knew that it wasn't. Sarah was my cousin who was married to Mathew, and we were really close. Both our pare
RONNELL POVBlair was already hailing a cab when I caught up. Her shoulders were hunched, a stark unlikeness to her usual posture, and she clutched her bag tightly to her side."You should come back," I said, stopping in front of her. "Sarah will have my head if I let you leave without joining us."Blair was usually impeccably dressed, with her hair styled and clothes nice and simple. Today, her hair was pulled back willy-nilly in a bun, and a baggy hoodie and leggings replaced her usual attire."I don't think—I can't really," she stammered, tugging self-consciously at the hem of her hoodie. "Honestly, I don't know about crashing an unplanned dinner, and everyone else—""You look good, Blair," I interrupted gently. "No one will judge you for a hoodie, especially at nearly four months pregnant."Surprise flickered across her face, followed by a flicker of confusion. "Wait, you know how far—?""Of course," I said with a smile. "You told me, and it wasn't exactly a math equation after th
BLAIR POV"I'm fine," I managed to say, my voice wobbly."You're not—" His gaze snapped to my stomach, catching the violent movement beneath the thin fabric of my dress. His eyes widened in surprise, and dawning realization."I don't know why the baby kicks every now and then," I stammered, trying to cover my sudden unease. The movement felt different this time, sharper, almost urgent.“I think that's normal, right?” Ronnell stared at my belly being prodded from inside.“I think it's normal for the baby anyway.” As if its own will, his hand slowly touched the middle of my stomach. I held my breath, watching him move in slow motion. At the last second, his eyes flickered to mine, asking permission. For reasons I couldn't explain, I gave it to him with a nod of my head. His palm stretched out on top of my belly, and the baby pressed against him. A shiver ran down my spine as his warm hand settled further on my stomach. It was a foreign sensation, a touch from a man who wasn't suppose
BLAIR POVThe moment Samuel was out of sight and the break room was just Rosa and me again, she snatched up the envelope I'd tossed on the counter. I'd been in such a daze that I had forgotten that I brought it in here with me."Wow, this place is pricey and porch." Rosa said, sliding out the gift card and peering at the amount. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, my F---kin v--gina. Seven hundred dollars! Ronnell really went all out. Are you sure you should accept something this extravagant?""I know, right?" I admitted, forcing a smile. I took the card from her, turning it over in my hands. The expensive spa logo mocked me with its image of calmness."But you don't seem that excited," Rosa observed, her brow furrowed."It's incredibly generous, it really is," I admitted, forcing a smile. "But..." My voice trailed off. It was hard to explain the knot of unease twisting in my gut. "Right now, with everything going on, spa treatments aren't exactly at the top of my to-do list."Rosa sh