2| A different scenario

There were lively decorations everywhere and a little crowd of maids and servants stood with smiles on their faces as she approached.

“Happy birthday, Mrs. Martinelli!” They exclaimed in unison as confetti exploded in the air.

Zia was confused for a moment.

What the hell was going on?

Was there another Mrs. Martinelli in the house?

Wait. Right. Her mother-in-law, Madam Charlotte was also Mrs. Martinelli….

Zia’s thoughts immediately halted when Damien emerged from behind the household staff. He was dressed in an office suit and smiling brightly at her. But what caught Zia’s attention was the single red rose in his hand, which he handed over to her.

“Happy Birthday, Wifey.”

“Damien!”

It was her! Zia had woken up nauseous in the morning and had been occupied with the test, so she didn't even notice it was her birthday.

However, this setting was strange to her.

She had counted two birthdays in this home before today and neither of them had been anything special. One time, Damien had left for work after forcing a tight “happy birthday” her way, and the other, he did not even remember at all!

Zia was still stunned, out of her wits at the scene when a hand yanked at her wrist, dismissing the servants with the other hand.

It was Charlotte who had grabbed her. And now, she was leading Zia towards the already laid-out dining table.

“Come, join us for breakfast. Sit next to me.”

Damien pulled out a chair for Zia while Charlotte served out a portion of food for her, adding a generous serving of proteins to the plate. Lizzy who had left the room at a point returned with a jar of freshly pressed fruit juice.

She poured out a glass and placed it next to Zia, before settling down on a seat to join the rest of the family. “I ordered fresh oranges from an orchard to make juice for you, Zia. Tell me how it is.”

Through all these, Zia’s mind was in disarray. Was it possible that they found out… that she was pregnant already? No, that wasn't right. If they did, wouldn't Charlotte be mad that she had been careless with her birth control?

She looked at the smiling faces of her in-laws and her husband and her brows tightened. Ruling out the possibility of them knowing about the baby, she eyed the food in her front and swallowed.

“Why aren’t you eating?.” Charlotte asked and everyone looked at Zia. “Are you not happy we prepared all these for you?”

Zia’s eyes were on the medium-sized cake on the table.

“No… It’s not that. I wasn't expecting… this.” She responded, still slightly shaken.

Right now, to anyone looking, they would definitely be a normal family. Zia’s heart warmed up as a stirring thought clouded her eyes with tears. Were they finally opening up to her?

To show them that she was okay with it, she picked up Lizzy’s fruit drink and had a sip. The orange drink was cool and went down easily.

She knew Lizzy probably did not lift a finger and must have had the maids prepare it, but she consumed it to the last drop.

Charlotte smiled, completely satisfied.

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome, sister,” Lizzy responded with a warm smile. Her brown eyes which were way bigger than Micheal’s twitched as she did.

Sister. Lizzy had never addressed her in such a way. Maybe it was the hormones but Zia was deeply touched. She smiled back and started to eat in bits.

She had grown up without a sister and had always longed for one.

Charlotte slipped a card towards her. Raising a brow, Zia picked it up and was surprised to find out it was a credit card. Did she have an errand to run after their meal?

“Your dress is too old and plain. Anyone that saw you in this would think you were a maid rather than Damien’s wife.”

Charlotte smiled and pointed at the card. “Go to the mall after eating and shop for nice, beautiful dresses with lots of jewelry. Don’t worry. There is enough cash in there. You can keep the card.”

“Ah- right!.” Lizzy shouted excitedly as she picked up a car key and passed it to Zia. “You can take my car to the mall. I know you don’t have a car, good thing you can at least drive.”

She looked accusingly at Damien and urged scoldingly “Take better care of your wife, will you?.”

Zia’s ears pointed, her eyes widening. Was she starting to hear and imagine things?

Smiling, Damien refilled her cup and gave her a pat on the back. “You see, Lizzy isn’t as bad as you think she is.”

~

Back in her room, Zia looked at the rose, credit card, and key in her hands and started to tear up again.

After all these years, the invisible wall between her and the Martinelli family would finally break down.

And all this had happened in good time too.

Zia’s hands instinctively covered her flat belly. “Baby, let Mommy tell the family about you when we return, okay?

She smiled sheepishly in the mirror. Then found a simple dress she wore on special occasions and even did a little makeup.

Outside, Damien, Charlotte, and Lizzy saw her off to the car and a smile formed on their faces as they watched Zia drive off.

~

Zia hummed a happy tune as she drove towards the shopping mall. At the mall, she did as her mother-in-law had said and bought five dresses for herself and a few other accessories to pair them with. She then proceeded to the Martinelli family member's favorite shopping stores to buy a gift for each of them.

However, as Zia left the final spot, her legs weakened, her head suddenly so light.

"Zia.." A voice called. It sounded so distant. Zia looked around. No one in the mall seemed familiar, everyone was going about their business.

Where did that come from?

"Zia." The voice called again, then a eerie laughter followed.

"Zia. Zia. Zia..."

Zia covered both ears. There was no way she could have imagined that.

Was she... hallucinating?

Something was happening to her.

Keeping her hands over her ears, Zia ignored the awkward stares she was receiving from the people in the way and hurried towards the entrance.

As Zia started the car and drove away from the mall, she wondered if she should head straight to the hospital instead before heading home.

However as she made a U-turn on the main road, she started to feel uneasy. Her breathing became erratic and her slight, blurred significantly.

Her grip on the wheel tightened as she shook her head severally to bring herself to order.

The road became extremely noisy, creating a disturbing ring in her ears.

Zia suddenly saw a little girl  run into the road. On impulse, she swerved her car to the side.

The last thing she heard as the car hit a large truck and tumbled repeatedly in the air, was a high-pitched ringing in her ears.

              Then the world went blank.