Dawn POV
My heart gives one loud jolt. My eyes laced with unshed tears as I stared at the pregnancy test strip in my hand.
It’s amazing how staring at the two lines on the strip makes me feel totally like a newborn baby.
I feel new, alive, and energetic.
Gosh! I’m fucking pregnant!
“I am pregnant right?” I turned the strip to Mia who looked at me with curiosity latched on her face.
She doesn’t know how happy I am, does she?
“This…” Mia gaped at me. “You’re pregnant?”
I nodded. My tears slid down my face.
“I am.” I beamed. “I am pregnant.”
I hugged the strip to my chest.
I’m going to break the news to my family.
Right! The wedding won’t proceed knowing that I’m pregnant with another man’s baby.
“You’re mad!” Mia said. Her eyes bulge in disbelief almost at the point of falling off their sockets. “You’re really mad, Dawn.”
Oh yeah, I am mad. I am madly happy. Only I know how happy I am.
“You’re fucking pregnant?” She yelled. “Pregnant, Dawn. When you’re getting married. ”
“I am not getting married!” I snapped. “Well, not to that git!”
I touched my stomach, smiling sheepishly. The thought of having a life right inside me couldn’t make me feel much alive. And not just any life, but Ethan’s.
“Listen,” I held Mia’s hand, my eyes boring into hers.
Mia looked confused, shocked, and at the same time sad.
I don’t know why she’s housed those emotions in her eyes, but I’m not ready to give it more thought.
No! She can talk to me about what she thinks later.
“I am going out there to tell my Dad.” I grinned. “The wedding is going to be called off.”
“No,” Mia chuckled dryly. “You’re going to have that child aborted.”
I glared at Mia. What kind of lame joke is that? Abort my baby? Over my dead body.
“C’mon,” she dragged me down to the bed and sat me down. “We have to talk.”
“There’s nothing more to talk about.”
“Unless you already tell me about the owner of that pregnancy when I’m not there.” She huffed.
I rolled my eyes. Fine! I haven’t said anything to her. She doesn’t know about Ethan, nor does she know about the relationship between him and my betrothal.
“Will you tell me now?”
I inhaled sharply. My hand still clutched over my stomach.
My whole body shook with excitement. Oh! I want to get down with this and head downstairs to break the news to them.
“It all happened when I ran away from home…..”
****
“So, this guy you met, saved you twice. You lived with him, then you fell in love with him?” Mia rested her head on the headstand. She folded her arms beneath her breast and crossed her legs. Inhaling sharply, she said; “this sounds like a drama”
“But it’s not.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m telling you that I love Ethan.”
“Oh yeah I know,” she rolled her eyes. “And you claimed Ethan to have loved you too.”
“He genuinely loves me, bitch!” I snapped.
“He is a Playboy.”
“Was! He was!’ I gritted out.
Why would no one understand? Everyone has their past.
“Alright!” Mia rolled her eyes. “This Ethan now happens to be your husband’s brother.”
“Unfortunately.”
Mia hummed softly, her eyes glinting with something I have no idea of.
Would she just hurry up, my legs are shuffling, almost at the edge of running down there to break the news to them?
“So,” Mia breathed out. “Does Ethan know? Does he know that you’re pregnant?”
“How would he know it when I just found it out myself?” I tutted.
“Oh right! He wouldn’t have known” she chuckled dryly. “And you wanted to go out there and tell them you’re pregnant?”
Mia laughed in disbelief.
I cocked my brows. Alright! What’s wrong with telling them that I’m pregnant.
Is this a crime? Something that can’t be told.
“C’mon, Mia.”
Mia grabbed my hand, her eyes boring into mine as though she read through them.
“What… why?” I mouthed.
“Ethan doesn’t know he’s going to be a father,” she said. “Who do you think has the right to know first?”
“Ethan?” She nodded.
But Ethan is not here and there’s no way I’ll be allowed out of this room to meet him.
“What if…” Mia bit his lower lip, a mad nervous glint flashed through her eyes. “What if Ethan doesn’t… doesn’t want the baby?”
I almost laughed out loud, but I was quick to cover my mouth and muffled my laughter.
Doesn’t want the baby?
“It’s true, Dawn.” She hissed. “Most men like him always do not want to settle down.”
I shook my head, trying to discard her lame, ugly thought, but it kept replaying in my head over and over again.
What if she’s right? What if Ethan doesn’t want to settle down? What if I’m the only one that’s happy about having a baby?
I clapped my hand on my tummy, shaking my head. “No! He won’t do that.”
“I desperately hope so,” Mia said. “But you really might want to tell him first before anyone else.”
“But, how do I?”
Mia sighed. She slapped her forehead lightly and leaned forward.
“I have an idea.”
Ethan POV
I waited for the board of directors to walk out of the conference room.
I heaved a sigh, rubbing my temple softly.
I have no idea how much I’ve changed over the week, but I’m quite aware that I’m hiding behind the piles of workload, working on them so hard just to stop myself thinking insanely about someone.
“You okay?”
“Oh yeah, I am.” I flashed Dad a faint smile.
He raised his brows, his eyes locked with mine as though trying to read through me.
Hey! I hate the look in those eyes of his.
Dad opened his mouth, but before he could mutter any single word, Grandpa beat him to it.
“Of course he is,” grandpa cut in, walking to stand before me. “He must have been nervous about the upcoming wedding this Saturday.”
I gritted my teeth, pulling on my tie frustratedly. I suddenly feel suffocated and the room feels stuffy.
How could I have forgotten? That I’ll be getting married to Mel in six days to come.
“Right,” I smirked. “You’re right, I’m nervous.”
Placing his hand on my shoulder, I sucked in a deep harsh breath. It’s taking every ounce of me to stop myself from shrugging off his hand and walking away from him.
Everything annoys me these days, and grandpa is not excluded.
“Don’t you think,” he grinned. “You need some days to pick out new things for your matrimonial home.”
“No, I’ll… ”
“Bill on me, ” he cut me off. “A little gift for your wedding from me. If you finally choose a date, I’ll be waiting for you. You know where to find me, don’t you? ”
Without waiting for my reply, and with a last thump on the shoulder, grandpa walked out of the conference room.
Dad stared at me, his gaze lingering for a fraction of seconds; “good luck to you.” He whispered and he followed grandpa’s step too.
Frustratedly, I snatched bottled water on the table and uncapped it, gulping the whole content.
Fuck the marriage! Fuck their damn wish and the damn luck!
Who wants to get married?
My hand ran frustratedly through my hair and I cussed myself loudly.
How can I be so useless? How come I allowed myself to be used.
Just how…?
“What!” I snapped at whoever just disrupted me with their stupid call. “What! What do you want from me!”
“Eth… Ethan?”
My breath hitched in my throat on hearing the familiar voice.
No! Am I hallucinating right now?
I brought my phone down to check the caller, but it was not a one I’d recognized.
“Dawn?” I called tentatively.
“It’s me, Ethan. Listen…”
My heart gave a wild jolt, and every drop of uneasiness in my stomach vanished instantly.
It’s amazing how her voice only can calm and ease my tension.
But then, why does it matter? She left me! She did.
“Listen,” Dawn said hurriedly. “Can you meet me at the 5star Mall tomorrow? Can we meet there during lunch? This is urgent, Ethan.”
And yeah! I can sense the urgency in her voice, but why should I care anyway?
Why would she want to meet me anyway?
“Listen, Ethan.” Dawn cut through my thoughts. “Everything… I’ll explain everything to you tomorrow. I love you. ”
****
“Is the offer still open?” I gasped for breath, leaning against grandpa’s door. “Picking of new things for my matrimony home”
Grandpa stared at me as though I’d gone mad.
Yes, I have gone mad.
“You picked a day?”
“Hmm. Tomorrow”