Chapter 5: Coming Danger
Elena’s P.O.V:
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the bell going off over and over again.
Groaning, I reluctantly got up from my bed and padded over to the door in my slippers so that I don’t accidentally step on a glass shard. But as soon as I opened the door to Helena Hugh, Robert’s wife, I hunched over as nausea hit me full force and ran to the bathroom, leaving Helena worried and startled on the other side of the door.
“Elain!” I heard Helena standing by the bathroom door an instant later, and then she was pulling my hair back from my face as I pucked out guts.
“I’m sorry.” I told her when my gut stopped wrenching, my back to the toilet and my head in my hands. “You shouldn’t have had to see that.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” She chided me good naturedly as she wet a washcloth and dabbed it on my face. “You’re like my daughter and a mother has every right to take care of her daughter.”
She helped me off the floor and took me into the bedroom, stepping on one of the shards with one heeled foot. But she didn’t say anything as she placed me into bed, pulling the covers over me and that’s all I remember before falling under a deep sleep.
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When I woke up next, it was to the house smelling like French toast and the sunlight streaming in through the windows to bath the entire bed in it. I sat in bed, my back against the head board and pulled off the blanket I had on me, the temperature in the room too hot for a blanket.
“You’re awake!” Helena said from the doorway, her shoulder length black hair in light curls and a tray of toast and orange juice in her hand. She wore a white blazer and a plain white skirt paired with nude plums, her enormous diamond wedding ring her only ornament.
“Shit! I’m so sorry, I fell asleep on you.” I told her guiltily as I scratched the back of my head.
“Elain…what did I tell you about swearing?” She mock glared at me. “Here, I’ve got you some toast and OJ. Forget about coffee for the rest of your pregnancy and eat only home cooked and healthy food. If you can’t cook on your own, tell me right now so I can send you meals every day, in fact, don’t cook at all, I will be sending you meals every day.”
She finished her rant as she crossed the short distance from the door to my bed and placed the tray of food next to me. Then she gave me a worried look. “I cleaned up the glass from the floor. At first I was thinking about giving a piece of my mind for compromising your safety, but then I saw the newspaper next to the glass and realized why you must have been so angry.”
“Robert told you.” It wasn’t a statement. Robert and Helena were one of those couples who you consider as #couplegoals. It’s not that they’re always lovey dovey, they fight alright, I myself have been witness to some pretty mean ones, but they always get through their differences and come out stronger than before. So it was natural that Robert would share everything he knew with his wife.
“Yes. And I’m so sorry for what happened to you, honey.” She petted her hands through my hair and then cupped my cheeks. “But remember that you’re never alone. Robert and I will be there with you all the way. Now, eat your breakfast, we have plenty of things to discuss after that.”
“I’m sorry for being so gloomy today and not to mention such an awful host. You had to not only cook for me but also clean up after me.” I told her after I’d finished breakfast and Helena had cleared away the dishes. “And thank you for being so kind.”
“I’d do the same for my daughter and you’re no less than her.” Her smile was sad as she spoke of her daughter. Clarissa, Robert and Helena’s daughter had been twenty-two years old when she’d died. After graduating from college, she’d gone on a trip to Vegas with three of her friends, but their car had been all but destroyed when an eighteen wheeler has lost control of the staring and crashed onto them. Three people, including Clarissa had died instantly due to collapsed lungs and severe head injuries and the fourth passenger, a girl named Aurora, had barely survived the crash but had lost a leg and is still undergoing therapy even though four years have passed since the crash.
“Thank you for that.”
“Now, let’s move on to some important things, shall we?” Helena’s tone was serious. “Have you told your parents?”
I immediately shook my head, my eyes nearly popping out of my skull. “No! No, please don’t tell them. I don’t want them to find out about it like this.”
“Okay, calm down. I won’t tell them, but Elain they’re your parents, they have a right to know. And this isn’t something you can hide for long…you’re carrying a baby.”
“I’ll tell them Helena; I promise…just not right away. I need some time.”
She nodded her head in understanding before adding, “And have you booked an appointment with a Gynecologist? Have you done a scan yet?”
This time, I lowered my head, fiddling with my fingers as I shook my head. “For two weeks I couldn’t even believe that I was pregnant…I didn’t know what to do.”
“Oh baby!” Helena engulfed me in a hug. “I’m here now baby girl so don’t worry about a thing. But Elain, you’re going to be a mother now, you have to take proper care of the baby and yourself. I’m going to call my OBGYN right now and see if she can fit us into her schedule. Go freshen up and get all the documents of your medical history, the doctor will need to see that.”
I nodded and got up from bed to go take a shower. I took a quick shower and finished my morning routine and then got dressed in a short white dress with tiny red roses dotting the hem and the waist region, the skirt reaching just below mid thigh. I let my hair down to dry naturally and applied some eyeliner and lipstick before exiting the bathroom. As expected, I found that Helena had already made my bed and was rummaging through my kitchen cabinet for something to cook for lunch.
“Helena, if you step into the kitchen again, I swear I won’t eat a thing.” I warned her when I saw her fishing through the fridge for vegetables.
“But you need healthy food…” she pouted.
“I know I need healthy food and I also know how to cook. You’ve cooked me breakfast, so no you’ll let me cook lunch.” I told her, my tone final.
“Or…we can go to your doctor now and have lunch on the way home.” Her smile was wide and wicked.
“What happened to home cooked meals?” I asked her frowning.
“I said healthy meals,” Helena reminded me. “I never said we couldn’t eat out.”
And then Helena was pulling me towards the door, giving me hardly enough time to fetch my purse and then she was dragging me with her to her car and we were off to see the doctor. But as the miles to the hospital grew shorter, I couldn’t help this sinking feeling in my stomach that something bad was about to happen. Somehow, I felt I’d learn more from the doctor than just about my baby, it felt like I was heading straight into something I wasn’t prepared for.
Chapter 6: Something UnexpectedKnight’s P.O.V:“What is the meaning of this?” I felt something flying towards my head so I lifted one hand and caught it just before it hit me and placed, what I assumed to be a newspaper, beside me on the bed.Then I opened my eyes a fraction to look up at Keena’s fuming face and then closed them again. “Morning sissy.” I murmured under my breath.Suddenly, my covers were ripped away from my body and a glass of ice cold water was thrown on to my face.“What the Hell Keena!” I sat up so fast I felt my head spin, but my glare was directed at my younger sister standing at the foot of my bed, her expression equally bone melting.“Oh no, don’t you dare ‘what the Hell’ me! Do you have any idea what you’re doing? How your mistakes are ruining the image of the entire family?” Keena, Kareena Tyson Mil
Chapter 7: ComplicationsElena’s P.O.V:Lara, as Dr. Johnson insisted I call her, applied a bit of gel on my stomach, which still looked normal even though I was about three months pregnant. But when I’d told Lara about my concern, she simply smiled and told me that my tummy wouldn’t be that noticeable until I was about five months pregnant.“Just relax honey; you’ll be able to see your baby in a little while.” Lara said as she used the probe on my lower abdomen to find the right spot. It didn’t take long before an image appeared on the screen and Lara turned the computer slightly in my direction and there it was! My baby!I felt tears well up in my eyes at the sight of the tiny bundle that looked more alien than human. “It’s so tiny!” I whispered to Helena, who was standing right beside me, holding on to my hand tightly.“Of course it is,&rdqu
Chapter 8: This is ItElena’s P.O.V:The second his lips touched mine, all thoughts vanished and electricity poured into my veins.One of Knight’s hands were fisted in my hair while the other was around my waist, molding me to his body. For an instant, I forgot everything around me. The only thing running through my mind as he parted my lips to put his tongue inside my mouth, was that this felt right. A sense of belonging washed over me, a sudden peacefulness that had been absent in my life for…for the past three months…I wrenched myself back from the kiss and at the same time pushed him back with all the strength I had. It was only when I tasted the iron in my mouth that I noticed that I’d bitten his tongue hard enough to draw blood. Good. It was a very small price to pay for everything he did to me.Knight stumbled back, his eyes wide as he looked at me as if he was still in a daz
Chapter 9: RevelationKnight’s P.O.V:I watched over Elena for the rest of the evening. She was dazzling onstage. Everyone seemed to be enchanted by her; the staff, the judges and even the students. She walked the stage like she owned it, yet, her face radiant, her skin glowing. I even saw a few of the male teachers looking at her with interest.I curled my hands into fists. No one was getting near her on my watch! Elaine might think that the conversation we had was enough to drive me away, but it wasn’t. Now I knew she wasn’t responsible for that photograph and it just made me want her even more. And I wanted her back in my life, in my bed, by any means possible.Elaine walked another round on the stage and then she turned back, disappearing behind the stage. I knew this was supposed to be a break for her so the students could ask her tips and get ready for their walk. I took the opportunity to get up f
Chapter 10: Unconventional DemandsElena’s P.O.V:“Marry me, Elena.”I stared at the man in bewilderment. Did he really just say what I think he just said? Did he just ask me to marry him? Right out of the blue?“Are you out of your mind!” I yelled at him, rising from the chair and backing away from him as far as I could. “We don’t even know each other!”“We don’t need to,” he had the audacity of saying as he too rose from the ground and stood facing me. “That’s my child you’re carrying, Elena. My heir. If you want to take my child away from me, don’t expect me to just stand there and watch it happen. I will fight for my child’s custody if it comes down to that. But marriage gives us equal claim over our child.”Fight for custody? He had no idea that if it did come down to that, I’ll fin fair and squar
Chapter 11: Bonds of FamilyKnight’s P.O.V:“You mind explaining what’s going on?” I asked Robert, feeling helpless in a way I couldn’t even explain to myself.Elena was having a baby. My baby! I was about to become a father! And I only just found out about it. Dear God! Has Elena been sick this whole time? Did she have to deal with this every day? Keena doesn’t get this sick, then why Elena?Robert sighed audibly. “Look, Knight,” he gave me a stern look. “When I gave you a hint about Elain’s pregnancy, I did it because no matter how awful you’ve been as a man, right now, Elain needs someone to look after her and the baby. I’ve already lost my child, so I didn’t want a child losing its father even before it’s born. But that was all before I heard the word complications.”My heart sank. “What complications?”
Chapter 12: Some Brotherly Conversations:Knight’s P.O.V:I took a closer look at the bouquet of bright pink carnations in my hand and debated on the color choice I’d made. Red would’ve been too bold, too demanding, and I didn’t want Elena to feel trapped. Pink was the better choice and since the industrially bread carnations no longer have any scent in them, it was safe for Elena to keep it in her room…if it didn’t get flung at my face or the trash can, right after I handed them over.So I held the bouquet in my right hand and a large box of dark chocolates on my left; rang the door bell and stood quietly with my heart in the pit of my stomach. What I wasn’t expecting however, was a tall man with silver blonde hair and violet eyes, opening the door to Elena’s apartment.“I’m sorry; I must have gotten the wrong address.” I told the older man and backed awa
Chapter 13: Decisions and Promises:Elena’s P.O.V:“Are you alright?” Knight got up from his seat after Leo went out the door and came to stand in front of me. “You look a bit pale.”I shook my head at him. “I’m fine.”“How are you feeling today? You should really lie down for some time.” Knight said with genuine concern.In fact, I was feeling a bit tired, but going back inside the bedroom with Knight was a big no-no. It was far too soon for that. “I’ll just have a seat on the couch.” I told him instead.Once I was seated, I motioned for Knight to take his seat as well. Instead of taking his previous seat the couch opposite mine, he took a seat at the foot of my couch and much to my astonishment, took my feet into his lap and started giving them a massage. I closed my eyes and leaned back on the couch, almost moaning at how