CHAPTER 13
Please note all the chapters of the book are written from Lily’s point of view unless stated otherwise.
My breath caught and my hand instinctively ran up against my mouth to hold back the gasp about to escape.
I was in a rush to leave for work this morning so I forgot to hide the pregnancy test result. I had left it on top of the nightstand. Now he’s found it. Something I promised never to let him find out about till the time was right. How could I been so forgetful and careless? This is bad…very bad.
My heart was pounding against my rib cage. I tried but unsuccessfully to steady it as I lifted my gaze to meet Robert’s raging eyes. I don’t think I have ever seen him this angry.
Normally, couples are supposed to celebrate the news of pregnancy especially if it has taken a long time to come. Any husband will be happy about this. Any husband but Robert. Was pregnancy really that bad a thing for him? Did he despise it, or did he just hate the thought of me carrying his child? After Scarlett revealed her pregnancy status to me, I was convinced Robert hated the thought of any woman other than Scarlett carrying his child.
Clutching the paper in my hand, I took a fearful step back. I prayed he wouldn’t do something bad like hit me. His gaze was already burning me to ashes and I didn’t know what to expect next. I wanted to say something before he snatched the words from me.
“What in heaven’s fuck is wrong with you?” He snapped, addressing me cruelly. “Do you just enjoy being stupid and dumb or you inherited some undiagnosed mental illness from your parents?…”
“Leave my parents out of this!” I interjected in defence. “They have nothing to do with any of this.”
He can say all the harsh things he wanted to say to me, treat me unfairly and accuse me falsely but he should never include my parents in this. This was all his fault. If he’s to blame anyone for this pregnancy, it should be no one other than himself.
“The contract terms were simple, Lily!” He vibrated even more, his voice thundering at every corner of the room. “No babies! No fucking babies until this bondage of a marriage you’ve held me captive in is over!! My lawyer made sure to thoroughly explain everything to you before you took the pen and signed. What was so hard in it that you couldn’t understand? Even an eighteen-year-old will understand perfectly. Gosh!…” He growled and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration as if to hold back an intense negative feeling.
“You’re the one that’s held me captive by putting me through all this pain and torture all because I agreed to this marriage. Even after all that, I forgive you not because I want to but because I love you. I still do…. I’ve always loved you ever since we were in high school. But you just never noticed…” The tears in my eyes drained into my nose and I took in a heavy sob. I couldn’t believe I was finally confessing my feelings to him after all these years in a moment like this. This wasn’t the right moment but I was so overwhelmed with emotions I couldn’t help it. “I was very aware of the contract terms before I signed. I knew what I had gotten myself into. This pregnancy wasn’t my fault. You returned that night heavily drunk and made love to me for the first time like never before. You enjoyed it as much as I did. Surely, you must at least remember. This pregnancy was all you’re doing, Robert so don’t put all the blame on me.”
“I never noticed your love because I didn’t care about it, Lily. It means nothing to me. It doesn’t matter if this pregnancy was a result of my doing or not. It’s growing inside your body, not mine so it is your sole responsibility. As a dutiful wife and young woman, you should know better to always be in control pills.”
His words caught me off-guard, clawing at me like a knife to the chest. He sure knows how to twist blame and make one feel guilty. I wanted to say something in protest, but he brought his hand forward to stop me and looked away with his jaw tightened in annoyance.
“Enough! I don’t want to hear your pathetic voice again. Get rid of that pregnancy. That’s all I have to say to you. You just lost your job. Surely, you won’t like to lose the only thing keeping you from wallowing in poverty and your mother from rotting in the hospital.”
He came closer to me and leaned in furiously. I took a sharp breath and leaned back a little, his expression so emotionless it chilled me. He poked a finger to the side of his head, “That pregnancy is just a month old. There is still time, Lily. Think smart. Be smart. Get rid of it before the end of tomorrow or say goodbye to this contract agreement and all the benefits that come with it. Convincing my grandpa this time won’t be hard because I already have more than enough evidence to use anything you.”
My initial fear came storming in at his last words. He was obviously referring to what happened at the office. He’ll use the evidence he had to tell his grandpa and the rest of the family I was sabotaging and planning to steal his company from him. No doubt, his grandpa will believe him and support him in bringing an end to this marriage. Not only that, he’ll be highly disappointed because he likes me very much and always speaks highly of me.
With that said Robert turned and made his way to the door. But I said something that dragged back his attention.