The food tasting thing started pretty great; you know, with the heavenly scent, all the flavours to die for. But eight different dishes later, I felt like I would die if I tried another. Everything looked and smelled great but tasted like shit. My stomach churned as the fowl smell of puke filled the air. I had thrown up so much so that I doubted there was be any liquid left in my body. Jared made sure I drank a lot of water every time I emptied my guts. We'd been at it for almost three hours; I was starving but couldn't eat anything. I was tired and I was exhausted.
"I'm starting to think this baby hates me," I couldn't control the tears that washed down my face. It was frustrating to not being able to eat anything and still be hungry; plus the nausea which wasn't a very pleasant feeling. I wasn't the only one frustrated. He wouldn't say anything but I could see it in his eyes. He was tired and a little pissed. The veins that stood on his forehead, abou
I had been upstairs, exploring through my new lifestyle and I heard Sophia's laughter down stairs. It sounded like she had been really amused by something or someone. I was going to go down and snoop but stopped halfway on the stairs, sat down and watched as Jared served his wife a bowl of the food he had made for me. I watched as Sophia lifted a spoon to her lips with an impassive look on her face, then scrunched up her nose in disgust;"This taste horrible! It's bitter.""What? No way! After all the delicacies we had her try, she found my cooking to be the best. She almost emptied the whole pot." Mr. Shenko defended his dish in amusement causing Sophia as well to jolt into simultaneous laughter. Their voices echoed throughout the mansion, "I'm about to open a world's first class noodle soup only restaurant you know!""Oh really now? So try it then, Mr. World chef." Sophia mocked back at him,
Weeks had gone by with me trying to lock myself out of the life of Jared Shenko, inside his on house. My feelings for him were growing and as they did, I slowly came to the realisation of what was possible and what was impossible. Jared Shenko was happily married. He loved his wife so much he hurt. Even if I was there, he never failed nor faltered in the way he demonstrated his love for her; they never failed to demonstrate their love for each other. It was not like I was important to him or anything, or I had some issues with their explicit display of affection. I wasn't his ex girlfriend or at least a concubine. I was just his surrogate. Some times, it would hurt; a lot! so I started keeping my distance. I used to think I was done! Finished with feelings and emotions but I still couldn't understand what this man had on me the drove me to the brink of the sanity I already lost.I was four months in now and my bump was still tiny; visi
Sophia's POVFor the very first time, I saw more to this girl than I had depicted of her.Vulnerability!! So much vulnerability!By no way was it her fault that she had almost lost the baby! But I couldn't do anything either when Jared was angry; he was like a an angry lion in the wild. I just very silently watched as he lashed out his exaggerated anger and frustration on the poor girl."The only reason I let you come into my home was so that child would be safe. Safe!!! And what did you do? You compromised that!!!" He yelled at her; more like over her. She just sat there and tears washed her cheeks; not a word was uttered. It was as if she wasn't even with us. She looked completely out of the situation. She kind of reminded me of myself when I was going through almost the same thing, except I had wilfully gotten rid of my own
As I stepped out that room, I felt the world fall on my shoulders and its weight was just too much for me to bare. I felt like I was the center of everything wrong and right at the same time. For years now I have had to struggle with the weight on, hoping one day it'll go away. But it never did. It had only gotten worse; with every related word anyone said; I felt it, every related mistake Jared made; I felt it. I loved him too much to even hate him even just the smallest bit of any faults he made. But that aside, I needed to find one of his mistakes. She was carrying something I couldn't give him, and if warming up to her was all what it took to make him a complete happy man, I was willing to make that sacrifice. I was willing to befriend her, for him. I would give my life for Jared.I ran outside to find Maraïda's figure disappearing towards the garden."Maraïda! Maraïda!" I called as I followed her, "Maraïda wait?"
Maraïda's POVAfter the little excitement, a month went by with me avoiding Jared Shenko like an incurable disease. I hadn't exactly made alliances with Sophia but we understood each other, so not really alliances; more like acquaintances. We talked a lot more instead if me third wheeling to her and Jared's display of affection, we started doing baby shopping together; a few times when we encountered people she and Jared were familiar with and they'd want to know who I am to her, she'd tell them I was her cousin and people actually believed it. I mean we were both blonde with blue eyes. As much as it did me a lot of good to be close to someone, enough to tell them a little bits about me by the days, somewhere inside I was still a broken soul, dying slowly but never showing. Some times I felt sorry for her efforts; like pouring water on a duck's feathers. A total waste.
Jared's POVI can not just say it wasn't a good thing that Sophia and Maraïda had closed up their relationship. It was, but she had drifted away from me. It wasn't like we had ever been close though. I knew she had been avoiding me. I tried giving her that space but it was a little difficult. I always found myself thinking about her. I couldn't help but worry about her mental condition. I hot scared when I caught her lost in thoughts or spacing out. I wanted to know what she was thinking and how she was feeling. I wanted to be the one she'd talk to if ever she felt anything. I wanted to know about everything she experiences during her pregnancy; but she would rather tell Sophia or the maids, than me. I got used to it. I was already giving up, getting used to her always turning away from me. If she would rather eat in her room instead of on the table with me on it, it was pass the point of appeasing her. At least she was talking to others now and that was way better than all th
"Are you sure you don't want to come along? Two weeks is fourteen days and it's a long time. Plus if you're worried about Maraïda, she can just come along. There's enough space for all." Sophia's voice echoed from within her closet. I could hear her ruffling things about as she packed her suitcases. She had just gotten an urgent call to fill in for a sick friend for some fashion event in Spain. "You know I would in a heartbeat my love. But there are some serious issues with the company that require my presence and attention now, and I can not afford to just postpone it again." I continued scrolling through the emails my assistant had sent me. She handled all the less important ones and only sent me only the ones of utmost importance. And the were a ton of them. I had been ignoring them for weeks now, with Maraïda coming into our lives and every event that preceded her arrival, but they were beginning to threaten my businesses. I had to take advantage o
Maraïda's POVI woke up to the scent of fresh summer breeze and Yves Saint Laurent. The scent was addictive and impossible to resist. I felt my body pressed and coiled to another bigger one. It was tight but very comfortable. I struggled to slip out of his hold but he just pulled me impossibly closer, held on tighter and continued snoring away. I felt slightly dizzy and couldn't remember much of what had happened; or how Jared got into my bed and cuddled in with me. But it was a very pleasant feeling seeing him and feeling him.All was riding on pretty well until he started caressing my side arms and mumbled Sophia's name. It pierced me like a silver stake, right through the heart. How could he be with me and still think of her, even in his sleep. Did he really love her that much? Did I really have no chance at having him all to myself? I shoved him with all force away hoping he'd fall off the bed; but he was too big and I wasn't even strong enough. He just flinche
(Ten years later) A five years old little girl in pink ballerina getup is dancing and twirling happily in the middle of a huge living room. Her bright blue eyes are filled with excitement as she jumps about. She stops and runs to the foot of a flight of stairs, "Mummy hurry up! I'm going to miss my show if we are late," her little voice yells, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Gosh! You're so feisty today. And it's the school's show not yours," a woman with similar blue eyes walks majestically down the stairs. Her blonde curls are bouncing just above her shoulders. Her slender fingers are grazing the walls as she steadies herself on each step she takes, while her other hand lays steadily on her already huge bump. She's heavily pregnant. "Where are your stuff?" "Already in the car! Now move a little bit faster!" "Is your father already here?"
"What did you do then?""You ask as if you don't already know,""I do! But I still want to hear it,""Alright alright! I'll finish it then.I became so confused. I didn't know what to do. I admitted I wasn't in good terms with Maraïda but I could've never wished her death. I had so much on my hand that I became traumatized: on one hand I had Maraïda; she only needed help, love and care, she still had a good chance in life; On the other hand you, innocent! Knowing nothing about what was happening, just wanting to be out and free. Then there was your father in the air, I didn't know if he was ever waking up. It was hard. But I had to be strong for all of you. Then I remembered something. There was a time when Maraïda and Jared had a fight. I remembered promising your mother that day to be a good mother to you. But I also made her another promise...(Flashback
In the third person's POV(10 years later)A blonde woman in a light knee length red floral dress is leaning on a silver - ish pink Range Rover sports. She looks in a hurry; checking on her Gucci watch after every two seconds,"Ellie! Hurry up young lady, we haven't got all day." She keeps staring impatiently at the doors of the flower shop and checking her watch,"Dang it Ellie, come on! We're going to be late for the day. We still have so much to do."A little girl comes out of the shop with a big bouquet of roses obscuring her entire face. Her long blonde hair is dangling from behind her white lace dress paired with a pair of pink flats. Someone follows from behind her with another bunch of flowers, way too big for her hands. The lady in front of the car turns to the little girl, with her blue eyes popping out I surprise,"Ellie! When you said you were getting flowers, I didn
Jared's POVIt all became as clear as day to me when I watched Cassidy's video. I felt like a storm rain had just washed down on me. All this time, Maraïda played me; she made a fool of me, while I sympathized with her sneakiness. I watch with horror as she cut her own self and smudge the blood all over her thighs; as she pretended to scream; as she fake fainted!I was a such a terrible state that day and to think she was just mocking me."Why Maraïda? Why did you do all of this to me? Why did you ruin my life? Why? What did I ever do to you?" She started crying. Her fake tears just made me angrier. I was standing on a bridge between life and death, trying to control my temper, in order not to seriously hurt her."You've been playing me for a fool all this time! I lost everything! I lost my wife because of you!" I yelled harshly at her. She shrieked to a corner of the kitchen, not being able to look at
Maraïda's POVOne phone call had turned into him driving off without even telling me where he was going. I waited for almost four hours in my room. I decided to run down stairs for a glass of water. I was a few feet away from the kitchen entrance when I heard one of the maids talking,"This really sucks. This house was a lot livelier with Madame Sophia around." The first maid said,"Yeah. Everything changed when that woman, that surrogate got here," she wore a disgusted scowl on her face, "Hey, don't talk about miss Maraïda like that. You know she's the new lady of the house now," another maid added,"New lady my foot! That woman is a sneaky bitch! She just wants to replace Madame Sophia in Mr. Shenko's life." The second maid with the scowl repeated,"Cassidy!!!" The head maid, I remember was called Fatou, scolded her, "Stop! What ever happens in our superiors lives is none of
Jared's POVThey were already a good number of questions running through my mind while I drove through the gates of the house. That Joseph guy had set my already disrupted peace of mind in absolute chaos. Maraïda was already eight months in and I wasn't ready for anything or anyone that could jeopardize her health; mentally or physically. My daughter's life mattered more to me than anything. I was not about to jeopardize it for something that might not even matter.I had just pulled up in the driveway when three maids rushed out to take the bags, I helped Maraïda out,"Aren't you coming?" She asked,"Go on ahead, I'll make a call first. Help her in would you?" I motion one of the maids. Once they'd disappeared behind the doors, I brought my phone and a card, tapped on the numbers, he picked
Maraïda's POVJared had become more engaging in everything concerning the baby. We'd taking another maternity visit together, and we were as well shopping together. It was during one the shopping sprees that I had run into Sophia. Jared had stayed back in the shop to complete the payments. I didn't want them to meet each other under any circumstances. I knew for one Jared still loved and wanted Sophia back and also she was likely to take him back because she seemed to love him more than herself. I had witnessed it. I couldn't take such a chance! So by all means possible I had to make her leave; and as fast as possible.I did make her leave. But she had the last word;"...just like you're trying to have my husband. But let me remind you this Maraïda;
Sophia's POVThis particular phase of my life was like a repeated phase. Some kind of déjà vu. The first time I remember like it was yesterday though it's been years; it was when I left Jared, to go away, far away with the pregnancy he wasn't ready for. I was broken, wrecked and utterly disgraced. I felt so embarrassed thinking in was growing feelings for him when he wasn't even an ounce bit interested in me or having a family. I still don't remember how I survived without him, because I became so stressed; extremely stressed that I had to rely on crack. I hated it so much but I went into drinking and drugs: careless of what effect it might have had on me or my baby. Consequently, I had a miscarriage. That was how it went down. I lost my baby! The only one I was ever going to get. Because the cleansing process caused me fertility. My reproductive organs had suffered the highest as the drugs, alcohol and all that burned my womb so bad that the doctors said I was lucky to
Jared's POVI had been in the office all day, like I had been lately, knee deep into my work. Sometimes I wished I could just stay in the office and work all through. But that was not how it worked. I had to go back to my home which didn't feel like it anymore. I got home but she wasn't home. No one had any idea about her whereabouts, she hadn't said a thing to me either.It took everything humane that I had in me not break down the main doors of the house when I heard a car pull up in the yard. How could she still have the guts to leave this house without my knowledge or permission? We had already agreed, she couldn't leave without my knowledge! And now she was demanding I let her be the mother of my child! None of this was ever part of the deal! All I wanted was my child and my wife. But I had lost my wife. Sophia wasn't even answering my calls or replying my messag