“You are pregnant, Mrs. Russo.”..Elena felt her stomach tied in a knot again for the umpteenth time as she remembered the piece of information the doctor had said to her at the hospital a while back.The last thing she had expected now… at this critical time was being pregnant, still it did not help but make her assume that it was only going to strengthen her relationship with her husband.Her marriage has almost hit the rock button— IF it has not even hit it yet.Of course, he did not love her.They did not marry because they loved each other. She loved him, it’s him who did not spare her a glance.She had been married to her husband, Zeke, for three years and all through the three years, she could count the amount of time that he had looked at her.Zeke did not like her, and he never hid that fact. After all, it was a loveless marriage and she had forced himself on him.Had she, though?Three years ago, because he needed to get some inheritance from his grandfather or something,
“We are divorcing, Elena. Game is over.”Elena does not know which was more surprising. The words her husband had just said to her or the fact that the woman her husband was cheating on her with was her best friend.Her best friend. Camila. She sniffed gently and stood up grudgingly, leaving the brown envelope on the floor.“Z…Zeke, no, Camila?” She breathed heavily.“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and now… that is it. I hope you will sign it without any problem and…”“Zeke, that is my best friend!” She hollered.Both were painful, and she is yet to know which was more painful.She stared at Camila who looked away from her and settled on the table in the room. She looked like she could care less as she had been caught and right now, she wished for nothing more than to slap that look off her face.Camila had been her best friend for many years, and this was the woman she had told everything about what was going on in her marriage.“I think you should give him a bit of space
Elena winced in pain for the umpteenth time as her lower belly shook in pain and stood from where she sat, then walked to the tall standing mirror in her room.She raised her chiffon top and then stared at her flat belly.Wondering why her stomach hurt, she poked the lower belly gently and then winced again as the pain hit her.“Aw!”“I should go to the hospital tomorrow…” she said to no one in particular after glancing at the wall clock and realizing that it was almost seven in the night.After she had left Zeke’s company in the afternoon, she had come straight home and had been literally sleeping since then.The last thing she wanted was to think about the divorce paper that she had received earlier the day as it does nothing than bring tears to her eyes.Finally, she trailed her eyes to the brown envelope on the nightstand beside her bed and then exhaled.It was not a dream, indeed. Her husband has presented the ‘death note to her.’As she stared at her reflection in the mirror fo
“Fortunately, she arrived here earlier, else it might have been a different story entirely.”The doctor said as he adjusted the intravenous drip and then turned to look at Aria who stood behind him.“Is she okay now? And the baby?”“Yes, I must say, he is a fighter. He hung onto his mama really well,” he said and Aria smiled weakly.“Thank you.”“She should be awake soon. I will come back to check up on her,” he said and she nodded her head.“Alright. Thank you, Doctor.”After the doctor exited the room with the two nurses, she returned to sit beside her sister’s bed and then picked up her phone to check the time.It was almost six in the morning, and all she had been waiting for through the night was Zeke’s call.Was he not aware that his wife was not at home… in the room with him?Or… had he gone on a trip or something?She knew she had to keep all options open.Her sister has a nice relationship with her husband… as she had been told.It had taken everything in her to not go to the
Zeke could swear that he heard no single thing amongst what the woman on the stage in front of him had said as all he wondered was how a person could not have changed a bit in the last six years.In a split second, he asked himself if he was seeing correctly and if the person in front of him was his ex-wife, Elena.As the woman rounded her speech and everyone clapped their hands for her, a waiter stopped in front of him, and without thinking twice, he pushed the man away and clasped his hands together.Watching her being escorted out of the stage and to the door at the back of the stage, he hurried to the direction, without giving a damn about the people that were obviously looking at him.As he got out of the event hall which led him down the hallway, he looked around and saw the men who had escorted her in front of a door, he dashed there.“Excuse, sir. You can’t enter.’Zeke raised his brow at the man who just said to him and then looked at the other man beside him and took a step
Elena stopped walking occasionally while she stopped to greet the people that were rushing up to her even though she could still feel Zeke’s presence behind her.Of course, she knew that people would want to talk to her, secure a meeting, and all of that after tonight’s unveiling but what she was not expecting was her ex-husband crawling up to her in that manner.“I have been trying to meet with you, Ms. Baskerville,” one of the older businessmen said to her and she forced a smile and nodded her head.Was she aware that Zeke was going to be present at tonight’s event?No.But she hoped that he would be. She wanted to see his reaction when he saw her six years later, and not to lie, she loved the mystery that was plastered across his face.Zeke was nothing like she used to know. Although she had watched all of his achievements on the internet and how he had risen to one of the top three billionaires in the whole of America. Still, the media did little justice to his current look.The
Elena twitched her lips upward and nodded her head. Whether he submitted their divorce documents or not, she cared less.“That is your problem, not mine,” she shrugged her shoulders off and then turned to leave.She made sure she did not stop walking and increased her pace till she reached her car.Her driver got down, opened the door for her, and she got in hurriedly.“Let’s go, please.”By the time Zeke got to the car, the driver had already ignited the engine and was about to drive.Zeke slammed his hands on the tinted window while he called out her name, but even if she spared him a glance from where she sat, he would not know as the windows were heavily tinted.He breathed out as he watched the car drive away, looked around, and then adjusted his clothes stylishly.He fondled his hands in a tight fist and then clenched his teeth.He did not doubt that he would not be sleeping well tonight. He needed not to be told that his usual nightmares would wake him up.Especially now that h
Zeke hesitated to get out of the car as the driver opened the door for him because he knew that getting out of the car was meeting with everyone, including Camila’s parents.It was his mother’s birthday two days ago and because everyone had said they were busy, she had fixed a dinner gathering for today. He adjusted his collar, got out of the car, and then looked around the big mansion.“Sir,” he sighted the butler from afar and then nodded his head at the man who bowed at him.“This way, sir,” he said again.Zeke nodded his head and then walked after the man who turned around and then walked ahead of him, leading him to the garden where they were probably having dinner.“Your mother is so pissed,” he said.Zeke hissed softly and then nodded his head. “How many people are present there?”“Maybe five? Or more than,” he answered, not turning to look at him.Zeke shook his head and walked silently behind the man for a while before he talked again, chuckling slightly.“What are you worrie
“How did you know this?” She asked as she moved the duvet from her body.“I overheard Grandpa and Aunt Ariana talking about it. I am certain, Mother. Go and save our daddy. He will die!” He cried out.She looked at Natalie who looked quite panicked like her brother but said nothing.~~~MEANWHILE…“How dare you two play this kind of game with me?!”Ray and Ariana turned around instantly at the sudden holler of Karina and then pressed their lips together.They were talking about the possibility of Zeke still being outside in the rain or not and Karina had overheard them.“Mum… we can explain,” Ariana shook her head and waved her hands at her mother.“Explain? Explain? Are you kidding me?!”“Karina.”“Are you saying that Zeke had been kneeling in front of our house for the past… two days? What am I even saying? This is the third day!”“He is just putting on a charade!” Ray snapped.“A charade? Really, Ray? That is not for us to judge, I have told you!”“Let him be. He will get tired and
“Is he still there?”Chloe rolled her eyes and nodded her head in response as if Jeremy who just asked the question was in the car with them.The man had left after waiting with them for a while and it was just her and Ryan in the car.It was past ten in the morning. THE THIRD DAY. And while they were in the car, they munched on shrimp crackers and talked before Jeremy’s call came in.“He is,” she finally answered.“So, you and Ryan are there… watching him?” He chuckled gently over the phone.“Come back here, please… and talk him out of this. It’s been over two days already.”“Did anyone see him again? Aside from Ariana?”“No one has been out of that house. And even when Ariana returned about four hours ago or so, she didn’t spare us a glance! That lady, I can’t believe she could be like that to us.”“I wouldn’t blame any of them, trust me.”“You should, Jerry! Those people are being cruel!”“Your brother treated them wrong, so it was only right that they retaliate that way.”“But thi
Before he stepped out of the car, he dialed Jeremy’s number first and then waited for the man to pick up which he did after the call was almost ending.“I hope you are calling for something very important. It’s so early in the morning, dang it,” Jeremy hissed.“There is a problem,” Ryan exhaled.“Good, I love to hear that. What is wrong?”“It is Zeke. You need to leave everything you are doing and come over here, right now. Please.”“What is wrong with Zeke?”Ryan glanced out to look at his friend before he answered Jeremy and a long silence ensued.“Share me your location,” he said and then dropped the call.After he ended the call, he placed a call across to Chloe too, and then explained the situation at hand before he finally stepped out of the car.He moved over to Zeke, palmed his forehead, and then dropped his other hand on his waist.“W… what in the name of madness is this?” He moved to his front, leaned down, and then lifted his chin up with his hand.Staring down at his frie
“Is he truly outside?” Karina rushed to her husband as he entered the room and he swallowed, entering fully.“I have told him to leave. He is leaving already,” he answered and then looked around the living room.“Where is Ramon? I ran into him outside the door here.”“He has gone to see Elena,” she replied.“Was he truly on his knees?”“You worry too much, Karina.”“Answer me, Raymond.”“Do you think that man has what it takes to do that?”He knew so well that his wife would not agree to the fact that he had left Zeke on his knees outside their mansion.“Honey, I really think you should stop interfering in their business.”“Whose business?” He feigned ignorance and settled on the chair.“Elena and Zeke. Raymond, they are not children.”“You are not honestly rooting for them again, are you?”“I am in support of whatever Elena chooses. I can’t make decisions for her and you need to know that too.”“In the past, you were against their union! I should have listened to you.”“That was beca
“Who did you say is asking for Elena?”“A Zeke Russo, sir.”Ray drew his brows together and turned to look at Karina who sat on the couch away from him.“Don’t let him in.”“Raymond,” Karina called him softly.“Let him return to wherever he is coming from or you will be losing your job!”The gateman bowed and then rushed out back.Delivering the message to the man in a rather harsh way, he closed the gate and returned inside.“Something happening?” His partner asked him as he returned inside his quarter.“The man outside. Boss said he does not want to see him in this compound or I will lose my job.”“Wait, really?”“I am telling you,” he exhaled and then settled on the chair in front of the big screen.“W… what is he doing?” He stuttered as he watched the screen.The other man rushed to him, drew his brows together, and then parted his lips.“Is that what I think it is?”“He is on his knees?” The gatekeeper asked rhetorically and then stood up hurriedly.___________“Hey, are you craz
“Take, one more spoon,” Elena patted her daughter as she took the last spoon of her food and after the girl collected it from her, she cleaned her mouth with a handkerchief and then leaned back.“Are you full?”Natalie nodded her head and then turned to look at her plate where Nathan had dropped a piece of meat in.She raised her brows, smiled gently, and then picked it up.“Thank you.”Nathan watched her sister chew it completely and then asked. “Do you want more?”She shook her head and then instead pulled off her cap. “See, my hair is starting to grow.”Nathan stared at her head where he could barely see a strand and then chuckled. He pulled off his cap too, bowed his head, and then showed her his. “Mine too.”“But…” Natalie tilted her head. “I can’t see any hair there.”“Same. There is no hair on your head either.”They dropped eyes on each other, and Elena pressed her lips, thinking Natalie had taken offense at his comment when her facial expressions literally went unreadable.Sh
“So, you’re not going? Really?”Zeke ignored Ryan totally, his head buried in his laptop and the man shook his head. Ryan exhaled and collapsed in the chair opposite Zeke and palmed his face.“Your daughter… Natalie is getting discharged today and you really are not going there?!”Still, he was mute. Maybe if Ryan peeped to check what Zeke was typing continuously on the keyboard, he would see that the only word he kept typing was ‘Natalie.’“You know, you are an asshole, right?”Still, he was mute.“She is leaving the hospital today. It means she is hale and healthy already. It means she can move around freely and you can meet her as you please, you know?” Ryan reminded him.When Zeke did not answer, he leaned closer, pushed the laptop shut, and then hissed.“What are you planning? I can swear that you are not busy and you were typing shit right there.”“C… could you see them home safely?”“Dude, that is your duty, not mine!” Ryan snapped with creased brows.Zeke nodded his head, exh
Elena looked out of the door for the umpteenth time and then sighed before she returned to stab a piece of apple in the bowl in her hand.“Give up. He’s not coming,” Ariana breathed out.“Who?”“I know you are waiting for Zeke.”“I am not!” She denied and Ariana nodded her head.“Besides… how did you know he is not coming?” She asked.“It’s been almost a week. He left without telling you and has not returned since then. He didn’t call you either.”“Something… might be wrong with him,” she shrugged her shoulders off.“Something like? Chloe was here and she didn’t deliver any bad news, so, what something?” Ariana asked.Elena sniffed, bit her lower lips, and then turned to look outside again.She did not want to admit that she was worried, but deep down, she knew she was.He was supposed to be here…He had promised he would be by her side till Natalie got discharged.He left that morning and had not returned since then.He didn’t even call her!She suspected so strongly that her father
“Did something happen?” Ryan asked Zeke again. This time, he had pulled the car gently into his compound and had followed him out of the car.Zeke had kept mute the entire time in the car and even though he and Chloe had thrown random jokes, or started random conversations with the hope that he was going to join, he kept mute still.Still, Zeke said nothing and made an entrance to the big door of his house.“No, I am certain something happened. What is wrong? You said you were going to stay for a while. You said you wanted to see your daughter.”“Ryan…” Zeke finally exhaled and swallowed.Entering the living room fully, he turned around, dropped his eyes on the couple, and then palmed his forehead.He was keeping his feelings bottled up. He felt like he wanted to cry.But, he was a man and he should not cry, right?But, fuck that.He had little regret in his life, but this…?He would forever regret it.It was something he could have controlled. He did it anyway. He thought it was the