It's been two days. Two days since I last saw my husband. I had no choice than to lodge in a hotel when I saw it was getting late.
Thankfully, one of the purses he had thrown at me contained two of three of my credit cards. The third one was in my drawer.
I had to get myself a new phone because my old one was on top of my bedside table when I left. I was hurt but I was also trying to understand that he was angry.
He had seen me with another man and now, I was carrying another man's child. I tried calling him yesterday since I had his number off hand, he had picked at first but as soon as he heard my voice, he ended it and didn't pick again after that.
I was now in a restaurant trying to eat. My baby needed food to survive. Even though I was not hungry, I was obligated to eat for my baby's sake.
I did not like the hotel's food so I found this really nice restaurant close by.
But after toying with the ravioli I ordered, I pushed it away. I lowered my head so no one would see the tears.
"Is the food not to your liking, ma'am?" The young waitress who had served me approached my table.
I quickly used my napkin to wipe my eyes. "No, it's good. I'm just not really hungry." I raised my head but I refused to look at her face.
"I would not mind getting you something else, it will be on the house. We like to make our customers happy." She was really polite but she was not my problem this moment.
The food wasn't as well.
"No, but thank you. Just take away the dish and bring my bill, please." I cleared my throat, still avoiding her eyes.
"If you say so, ma'am." She quietly cleared the plate and went to get my bill.
Events began rushing back into my head but I held back tears. My gaze was stationed on the entrance of the restaurant, watching people come in but not really seeing them.
Until him.
My heart pounded as I blinked to make sure I was seeing clearly. It was him. I would never forget that face.
In the whirlpool of emotions, I threw common sense out the window and rushed up to him. "You!"
He turned a blank expression to me. "How may I help you?"
It was him. "How dare you stand there and act like nothing happened when you ruined my life! Tell me, who paid you? How much were you paid?!"
"What are you on about young lady? Do I know you from somewhere?" His expression now held annoyance and mild irritation.
That made me angry and more tears fell. "You're claiming not to know what happened?! The night of my birthday party?"
I was attracting crowd but I did not care. This man had ruined my life, I had the right to be crazy.
"P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid."
"Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite.
But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!"
He was trying to get me to release his jacket but I only gripped tighter. "I can have the police arrest you, woman!"
I flinched at the low degree turn his tone had taken. I released him automatically. I looked around, everyone was already watching so I had nothing to lose anymore.
I went on my knees. "Please, if you have any conscience, save my marriage. Tell my husband the truth. I swear I won't involve the police just please." I pleading, my voice trembling with tears.
"What is this woman talking about, Mr. Johnson?" A man asked.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Black, I'll have this sorted out in no time. Please, you can take your seats." He told the men beside him. "Get up!"
The tone was low but the command behind it had me getting up quickly. I sniffled. "Will you clear this mess for me, Mr. Johnson?"
He pulled me outside the restaurant. "Are you crazy? Were you sent to ruin my meeting with my clients?"
Despite his angry tone, I felt the urge to retort. "It's just your meeting, you can always have more meetings but I can not have more marriages or more of my husband, can I?! You knew what you were doing when you decided to take advantage of a drunk, married woman who just wanted to enjoy her birthday party!" I stomped my feet in frustration and anger. "You had se..."
He closed the distance between us and held the front of my shirt tightly. "Don't push it with me. I don't hit women but keep up with this attitude, I just might make an exception in this case."
"You..."
"Shut up!"
I clamped my lips immediately, feeling scared of this guy and his menacing aura, alongside hopelessness.
"If I see you anywhere near me, I won't trust myself not to hurt you. You hear me?"
He released his hold on me.
I stared at him. I could not have the wrong person. It was him. Why was he denying me and making things harder for me?
"I understand if you do not want to make a public confession, you can make a private one, Mr. Johnson."
Maybe he was scared of letting everyone know what he'd done.
He gave me the coldest glare ever. "Stay out of my way."
He made to leave.
"What am I supposed to do with this pregnancy all by myself, Mr. Johnson? I sleep in a hotel because my husband won't let me into the house. I just need you to say the truth, clear the air with my husband." I was desperate at this point.
"I won't repeat myself." Then he walked inside.
I walked back into the restaurant. I allowed my eyes roamed the place, I spotted where he was seated. I marched towards his table. He was with some men. There were glasses of wine before them and a bottle.There was the waitress who had served me coming towards me. "Ma'am, here's your bill. I..."I ignored her and focused on the table of these men. I randomly picked two glasses still filled with wine and emptied their contents on him, angry tears filling my eyes."I hope your conscience haunts you everyday of your life!" I took the other two wine glasses while he stared in shock and also poured them on him. "I hope you never find peace and may your marriage, if you have any, and life in general be ruined the same way you ruined mine." I wiped tears with the back of my hand. "I hope karma visits you and steal your happiness as you have stolen mine."I turned away from his table and, on heavy legs and with a despaired heart, walked to mine to get my bag. I opened it and brought my card
JAREDA knocked sounded on my door, I was very much in a bad place and would so like to order that person away but this was a business place.I had to be careful, it could be an important client. "Who is that?"The door opened and whoever it was walked in. "What gave you the right to walk in, Miss Bordeaux?" My head was still bent over paperwork.No client would walk into my office without being invited. "Have you read the news, Jared?" I whipped my head up. "Uncle Pete. Good morning.""Morning, Jared. Here." The man who looked so much like my father, he was his twin actually, slid his phone across to me and took one of the chairs opposite mine."What's happening on the news?" Perplexity could be heard in my voice as I took his phone and read what he was trying to show me.Anger tightened. "You know this is not me, uncle."He observed me. "Who is that girl? She seem to be pretty certain of knowing you.""She's a lunatic. Who even allowed this to be posted?! I should shut down that
"Where are you taking me to?" I asked, taking note of the different route he was driving.He had come to bail me few minutes ago. I had spent thirty six hours in a holding cell. I'd had my morning sickness just this morning and it was a kind female cop that had helped me with a bucket.I was itchy and unkempt but I didn't care about my physical looks, not when my heart was bruised. This emotional turmoil was too much for me."Is that the apology you should be rendering?" His tone was as I'd heard it the last time — unfriendly and hard."You want me to apologize to you after what you've done to me?" My voice shook badly with sadness and disbelief.I blinked back tears. "Take me to my husband, let's go talk to him. You're the only one who can clear this air! You had sex with me.""Shut up!" He bellowed.His deep angry voice had me flinching as though he'd slapped me. "Someone — who was definitely not me — had sex with you and you didn't even know?! What are you? A child? How can a full
"How dare you?! The audacity!" She raged as Uncle Pete pulled her away from me. "Let go of me, Pete. Let me teach this gold digger a lesson!""Don't touch her, Martha. What is wrong with you?! How could you hit a pregnant girl?" Uncle Pete was not at all happy with how she'd behaved.Me, on the other hand, could only cry and hold my cheeks. The events of the past two days bore down heavily on me and had me wailing like a baby before everyone."Stop that crocodile tears of yours and get out of this house!" Jared's mother, Martha bellowed angrily. "You gold digger! You think I don't know your type. You're out to ruin my son. To ruin his reputation. You want to marry into money, is that it?! I'll teach you never to try to humiliate my son! Do you know who the Johnson family is, you stupid whore?!""Enough, Martha! Enough!" Uncle Pete was angry and yelled at her.I sank back into the chair in pain and despair. When I raised my head to meet Jared's gaze, he was quiet. I could not decipher
The click of heels coming from the foyer subdued every conversation. Only Martha was exclaiming in anger. "What the hell, Pete?!"A girl came into view. To say she was beautiful, was understating it. She looked like a goddess and even walked like one. But something told me she was going to be one evil goddess.I might be wrong."Hey babe." She squealed as soon as she saw Jared and ran to him."Hey, baby." Jared was happy to see her as well. He stood and hugged her. They exchanged a brief kiss. I should not be watching them display their affection so openly but I couldn't help it. Someone cleared their throat, I jerked my eyes away to meet Martha's hateful one. She had seen me moping hopelessly at them like some pervert.Ashamed, I brought my head down. I couldn't even look at Uncle Pete to know if he had seen or not. "So who is marrying who?" She asked again, taking in everyone's faces. She stopped when she got to mine, a small frown appeared. "Who is she?"Pulling her close to him
It's been two days. I had been to another hell and back. I'd visited Christian at the company but he had ordered no one to let me in. Uncle Pete had gone with me for support. I had tried the house my father built with his hard earned money, same mean treatment. Even his ex-girlfriend — now girlfriend — Denise Kellers, had treated me worse. She's splashed cold water on me before I saw it coming. I was currently in the car with Uncle Pete crying my eyes out. "He doesn't want me anymore, uncle Pete. What have I done to deserve this? I didn't plan for this to happen.""I'm sorry you're going through this. But at a point, you have to make a choice." He comforted me.I wiped my tears and stared at him. "You do not expect me to marry Jared, do you uncle Pete? He doesn't even like me. Did you not see how he and his mother and girlfriend treated me?""Martha has never been an easy woman. Jared is short tempered and sometimes too stoic for his own good but that doesn't make him a bad person."
My phone rang while I was in the room. I had been given a room in the Johnson's mansion but Jared and his Martha were mad at me for not agreeing to the marriage yet.That was after I'd changed my initial yes to a solid no. They would not understand. I had everything to lose and they would just enjoy the proceeds of this marriage into the Johnson family.Uncle Pete was the only one who was patient with me and he was also asking Jared to be patient with me too. Excitement and nerves bloomed in the pit of my stomach when I saw the caller ID. Christian.Had he changed his mind? Was this going to work for me after all?Eager to find out, I picked. "Hello.""Hey. Uhmm...I need to see you." He said.I gauged his tone. It was calm. There was none of the meanness or bitterness when he talked to me. It was as if we were back to how we used to be. "Okay, where?" This was too real to be true but I had to believe that Dad's advice was saving my marriage.Maybe he was ready to talk. Maybe he was
Nerves forgotten, a big smile lit my face as soon as I stepped into the garden of the five star hotel.That was where I had met Christian. He used to work as a bell boy. I had come here with dad for few business meetings.His charm and handsome features has swept me off my feet. It was in the garden of this hotel we had first kissed. This was the same place he had proposed to me. This place held memories that were dear to me and if he had invited me here to meet with me, he also cherished the memories. My eyes scanned the arena, searching for him. "Hailey." I turned to see him standing close to a table for two. The setting was intimate, making my heart flutter within. I had missed him so much. I ran to give him a hug, he wrapped his arm around me and every nerves unknotted, excitement grew. That got me emotional and I struggled to hold back tears. "I'm so sorry, Christian. I-it was a mistake. I-I was not aware. I p-promise it won't happen again. Please, forgive me."My words wer