AMELIA It was funny how people are always able to think of the right things to say after a confrontation was over. This was exactly my case now. There were so many things I wanted to tell Noah, so many things I had just thought of, things that would have taken him down a peg or two. But he had more or less the last word with that jibe about my inability to conceive. Somehow, I was paranoid that he was right. That I was somehow barren and destined to have no kids. I didn’t have any evidence to prove he was wrong so silence was all I could offer. My day was totally and utterly ruined. As soon as I pulled up in front of the house, I grabbed the groceries on the passenger seat, and marched angrily into the house. And then my anger deflated the moment I saw Damian. He was on the living room settee. The television was on, but muted and I could see that the news vultures as I had taken to calling them, were running yet another news feature on the child trafficking case against him. H
AMELIA THREE DAYS LATER I smoothed my hands over my dress. The dress, bought specially for the occasion of the gala was beautiful, fitted me to perfection. I knew that, but still I was nervous, very nervous. I tried to hide my nervousness from Damian but with each passing minute, it got worse. Perhaps it was because this was the first time I was attending an event of this kind without Damian or anywhere close to me. And then there was the fact that this was my first real outing since the scandal Monique had stirred up. I didn’t know what people would say about me or if I would eventually be allowed into the venue. What if they invited me to humiliate me? I had a thousand questions running through my mind and I had answers to none. "Nice," Damian's voice came from the doorway. I yelped in surprise, my hairbrush falling from my hand and onto the floor. I bent to pick it up but Damian beat me to it. I smiled weakly. "Sorry. It's just nerves, I guess. I'm a little jumpy t
AMELIA The whole hall went so silent that one could hear a pin drop. I had been expecting this, of course. I would have been a fool not to, but the silence was unnerving all the same. I fought the urge to cower, to back down. Instead I held my head high, looked right at the MC. These people thought the Donovans were finished, but I was going to correct that impression no matter what it took. The silence was broken by the MC clearing his throat while adjusting the bow tie of his midnight blue suit. He took a sweeping look at the crowd and his shock changed to amusement at their surprised faces. He chuckled and said, "Mrs Donovan. This is rather... unusual." He stole a glance at the table close to the stage where the mayor sat cleaning his glasses and blinking like an owl. "I will need a second to ask the mayor if you can accept the award on his behalf." There was a rumble of conversation the moment the MC got off the stage. I kept my eyes fixed on their exchange, ignored th
AMELIA Bright and early the next morning, I was at the mayor's office. I was so excited to be there, hoping we were to immediately start preparations for the yearly project. "He is expecting you," the secretary said immediately I introduced myself. "Please step into his office. He will be right with you." I nodded my thanks, confidently marched into his outer office and immediately stopped short. Already seated in one of the chairs, smirking and looking very pleased with himself was Noah. After recovering a little, I took a seat as far away from him as possible. I ignored him, but couldn't help noticing that he kept smiling sheepishly. What was his doing at the mayor’s office? And why did he have that dirty look of his? Minutes later, the door to the mayor's inner office opened. He appeared at the door and smiled at us. "Mrs. Amelia. Mr. Noah. Please, come right in. I was making some urgent phone calls just now. Sorry for keeping you both waiting." I frowned. I thou
AMELIA I was nervous, but again, I took my time to painstakingly go through the contents of the bag I was carrying. I brought out the bulky file, taking special care not to crease the edges. A glance at the wall clock told me I still had a little time left before leaving to meet with membegs of the board. I flipped through the file again, checking if I had not forgotten anything essential for the meeting. The proposal, which I had worked on throughout the previous day and mainly during the night, was good, at least to me. I just hoped the board would not be biased like the mayor had promised. A hand fell on my shoulders. I flinched a little and almost dropped the files. Before they could slip from my grasp, Damian's hands shot out from behind me. He grabbed it, closed it and handed it over to me. "I startled you," he said. He came to stand in front of me so he could look me over. "You look stunning... and very smart." I looked at my clothes: a dark blue pantsuit and match
AMELIA I couldn't sit still for long. I stood with my hands clasped together, offering a silent prayer to whatever force was out there. I had to get this contract. I just had to. Even the universe had to agree that I deserved a break after all I had been through. I couldn't let Noah take this one thing from me again. I had to get this. Noah's voice interrupted my musings. "Scared already?" he smirked. "I think I understand how you feel. You must feel like a fish out of water. You shouldn't have tried to fit into where you obviously don't belong in the first place. Next time, stick to accepting your husband’s award on his behalf. Women have no place in the business world.” I said nothing, but my eyes did the talking. His taunts were probably a way to overcome his nervousness about the board's decision. I knew he was nervous, too, and I had seen it on his face when the board commended my proposal. I had to get this contract so I could shut him up once and for all. I
AMELIA I had felt happy before, but it had been a long time since I had felt this. I was literally brimming with joy. I hoped of winning the contract but didn't think it would come so true. The moment I walked through the door, I threw myself into Damian's arms. My decision to put some distance between us was temporarily gone as he hugged me tightly. For now, I just wanted him to share in my joy. He was still in my embrace for a moment, and then his arms went around me. I was smiling so much my cheeks hurt. "I take it the meeting with the board went well," he murmured against my hair. "Oh. Yes. It was-" I paused for breath. "It was surprising." "Surprising?" He took my hand and led me to the sofa. "Tell me about it. How was it... surprising as you say." "What I meant was I never expected things to turn out the way they did. So, Noah proposed the building of an art gallery. My proposal was for the building of an-" "-amusement park. Yes." He smiled fondly. "I saw you wor
NOAH "Tell me, Lucy, who have you been visiting lately?" Her look of surprise was very believable—almost. I knew very well that Monique never gave untrue information. Her vast information network was always accurate. If she said Lucy had been paying frequent visits to this, Mr Thompson, then Lucy was doing just that. "Talk to me, Lucy," I said. “Have you suddenly gone mute?” "I- I don't know what you are talking about," she said with a slight shake. "What is all this talk about visiting people? Who am I supposed to have visited?" "You visited a Mr Thompson," I said. "Yeah. I can see from that look on your face that you already know who I am talking about. So what's this about you and Thompson? Oh, wait. Before you answer that, tell me how you manage to visit this guy regularly. You always claim you can't do anything, move or go anywhere because of your pregnancy, so tell me how you find the time and strength to sneak off to visit people." "Oh... that." "Yes. That," I s