Chapter 2 He is Sterile
THE TAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORK.
The silence that followed her announcement wasn’t what Nina expected from the people she considered her family. She looked from one person to the other, her smile fading. Her hands rubbed at her belly unconsciously.
“Didn’t you all hear me? I get that, and it is the shock. But this is good news. I am six weeks pregnant. I am carrying the first grandchild of the family.” She said, staring at her parents-in-law.
Asher blinked in shock and didn’t know what to say until he felt someone kick his foot under the table, like someone touched by a hot pan. He yanked his hand out of Nina’s hand, hissing loudly.
“What did you just say?” He bellowed.
Nina stared in evident confusion. “You heard me, baby. I am pregnant. We are having a baby.”
Asher got up from the chair, ruffling his hair. He took his time to come up with the right things to say as he kept pacing the room back and forth. Pausing abruptly, he pointed a shaky finger at Nina.
“Is this some joke, Nina? How can you be this shameless? What are you trying to prove by humiliating me in front of my family?”
She glanced around again, wondering why no one was saying anything. Not even Andrea, who is a known chatterbox. “B…baby, why are you doing this? What do you mean by trying to humiliate you?” Nina asked with her lips quivering.
“Of course, that is what you are plotting. Fucking tell me why you will claim to be pregnant with my child?”
Confusion pulled at every vein on her face as she met him. “Because you are my husband.”
“Husband?” Asher gritted, slamming the table in anger. Nina hiccuped, shocked by his reaction. “How dare you lie to my face? You and I know that thing you are carrying, if truly you are, is not mine!”
“W…why can’t it be yours?” Nina felt stupid for asking the question, but that seemed the only thing she could say.
“Cut the crap! I am fucking sterile, Nina! I can’t reproduce!”
Nina gasped out in shock. “What?” She swallowed hard. “What—What are you saying? How—how did I get pregnant then?” She stuttered, looking around for anyone to say something to back her up.
Asher cackled. “Are you asking me? It is obvious now that you are a cheat! If I didn’t get you pregnant all this while, how is it that you are pregnant now? I have been diagnosed as sterile long before I met you. Have you ever heard me pester you for our lack of children? I knew you were cheating on me, but I never expected that you would summon the courage to go to this extent.”
Uncontrollable tears rolled down Nina’s face; she felt weak and clueless about where the accusation came from. “Why are you doing this to me, Asher?” She turned to her friend. “Andrea, please tell him that I would never hurt him or be with another man. Please.”
Andrea shrugged with her head bowed, stabbing at her pie. “It's not like you told me about any pregnancy. How am I supposed to know you aren’t telling a lie?”
Nina’s eyes fluttered in shock, and her mouth was agape. It's almost as if she doesn’t recognize the person before her. Andrea sounded cold, which wasn’t like that half an hour ago.
“Where is all of this coming from? Darren, Leila, can you please talk to Asher? We haven’t been on good terms lately, but he’s not telling the truth. Listen, Asher, I will never cheat on you, baby. Asher.” She tried to reach for his hand, but he slapped it off, causing her to wince in pain.
“Don’t you ever try to touch me again? You are such a wicked person, Nina. If you wanted to humiliate me, couldn’t you have done it in the privacy of our room? You had the guts to bring to me another man’s child and still admit it in front of my family. When did you lose your sense of shame? That child is not mine!” He gritted.
Nina shut her eyes as she balled her fists, feeling the dullness cut into her palm. It doesn’t look like a prank anymore. Her husband is dead serious! She turned her red eyes to him. “I get that I haven’t been attractive to you lately, but can you not lie to my face and everyone else? You insisted that I take birth control pills whenever I am ovulating, and we have sex so that I don’t get pregnant. Because, in your own words, we do not need to rush it. I decided to stay off the pill six months ago because I thought falling pregnant might change your cold attitude towards me. But this is far too extreme, Asher. I do not like this joke of yours.”
Asher gritted, flaring his nose. Feeling a different emotion engulfed him. He yelled, “You bitch!”
While attempting to hit her, Darren stopped him. “Don’t you dare try it, young man!”
Nina cowered, sobbing. “Asher…please.” She mouthed.
“Where the hell did you get that from, young man?” Darren questioned. “I never taught you to hit a woman. What has come over you all of a sudden?”
“She came over me! This bitch!” Asher bickered.
“Can you calm your nerves, and let’s settle this?” Darren cleared his throat.
“Dad, that child is not mine. I can’t possibly get her pregnant.”
“What's with the pills then?” Darren asked.
“I only asked her to take it so she wouldn’t suspect anything. How am I supposed to know she would go ahead to cheat on me? I have heard rumors of how she makes out with one of her colleagues during break times, and that is when she always claims to be busy refusing to eat lunch with others.”
“Is this true?” Darren asked Nina.
Nina mumbled like a deaf person, and she looked at Andrea, who now has a disgusting look on her face. Leila didn’t bother to hide her displeasure. Nina felt like she was trapped in a room with no ventilation, and she might pass out from suffocation soon. Everything Asher is saying sounds alien to her ears. She can’t seem to understand him, almost like he is speaking a different language and talking about someone she doesn’t know about.
“I swear on my life, I have never cheated on Asher.” She looked straight at her husband. “And if you were sterile, why didn’t you tell me? And how, then, did I get pregnant?” She asked, feeling her chest tighten.
“Because you are a whore!” Asher growled. “And I am never going to take that child from you.”
Nina sobbed louder, her voice breaking as she spoke. “Stop this, baby. Please. Asher, I would never do anything to hurt you or damage our marriage. Remember the promises we made to each other. Please. Andrea, please tell him I would never hurt him.” She cried, turning her head around to catch pity from any of them, but they all looked unbothered.
Sucking in a breath, he pinched his nose. “I can’t do this anymore, Nina. I have had enough! I tried understanding you and enduring your cheating hobby, thinking you would have a change of heart and remember the love we share. But now I have had enough of you.”
“W—what are you saying?”
With a fixed jaw, he flared his nose at her. “I want a divorce.”
Chapter 3 The Divorce PapersTHE TAYLOR’S HOME, NEW YORK.Nina's heartbeat raced as he dropped the bombshell on her. Immediately, she went down on her knees and tried to touch his legs, but he kicked her off. “Asher—““I am going to get a divorce from you!” Asher repeated himself, this time with more finality in his tone.Nina felt the ground spin under her. She hoped this was a nightmare and she would wake up from it. The tears kept pushing their way out of her eyes, burning her cheeks. She slapped herself to be sure she wasn’t having a bad dream, and it hurt badly.It seemed she had finally crossed the thin line between life and its unforeseen circumstances. She never thought something like this would tear her world to pieces today. Probably, if she knew, she would have remained in bed.Even though Asher had been acting strange for a while, they were refined and cordial with each other. He still makes love to her and kisses her goodbye whenever they arrive at the company. Even if sh
Chapter 4 Earning Her KeepTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.“Ma’am, you should get up. Don’t forget you are on the early morning shift.” Tania said to Nina as she tapped her gently to wake her.Nina mumbled incoherent words and turned back to Tania before opening her eyes. She groaned inwardly. Nina had never had a hard time waking up before. But with her pregnancy, she wakes up grumpy or tired in the early hours. Sighing in exhaustion, she sat on the bed, scratching her eyes.“Good morning, Tania. Can you please stop calling me, ma’am? My name is Nina. And you are the reason I have a roof over my head. I don’t know what would have become of me.”“Just because you are in this state now doesn’t change that you are a woman of respect. This moment won’t go on forever, and I know you will return on your feet in no time. So, please, let me call you as I please.”Nina laughed softly. “You are such a sweet person.”“I owe it to you. You are the first person I worked with who didn’t treat me like
Chapter 5 The EXSIMS GROCERY STORE, NEW YORK.Xander kept staring like a thunderstorm had hit him. He would never have imagined in a lifetime that Nina would be checking goods at a grocery store. She had bags under her eyes even though she had make-up on. Nonetheless, Nina looked as beautiful as ever. It would have been shocking if she had lost her beauty. And his heart seems to be doing a victory dance at the sight of her.“How have you been?” He asked, finally breaking the almost consuming silence.Nina cleared her throat, shifting in the chair awkwardly. “Good. I guess.” It appears the universe has a thing or two against her. She would have preferred Andrea to meet her at the store instead of Xander.“I’ll check your items in now.” She was grateful for a while that he saw her on duty and wouldn’t have the excuse to talk to her.But to her shock, he was waiting right outside the store after her shift was over. Which meant that he would have waited longer if she had to stay until la
Chapter 6 Blocked OffXANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.“Did you get home safe?” Xander said into the receiver while tapping lightly on the car wheel. Nina made incoherent sounds in the background before making her voice clear again. “Yes, thank you.” “I mean what I said, Nina. We should meet to talk again. I don’t know why you wouldn’t let me drop you off at home, especially in that state you are in.” “I am pregnant, not handicapped, Xander. And I have been doing fine by myself, and I don’t need a knight in shining armor to do so.” Her words sliced through his chest like a knife, but he chose to ignore it. “I just wanted to be of help.” She exhaled, “I understand what happened in the past was a misunderstanding. But I need you to know that times have changed, and I am no longer the Nina you used to know. I would like this to be the end of us seeing one another again. I only gave you my contact to avoid coming off as rude. It's okay if you choose to delete it. Have a good night, Xander.”
Chapter 7 The Interview DDFOODS COMPANY, NEW YORK.Nina stared anxiously at the file in her hand. She was determined not to let herself be pushed to the ground by her supposed fate. Nina applied to all of the job posts in her field. When she got a call to come in for an interview, she was over the moon.DDFoods is also a counterpart of M&M Foods. Even though they arrived later, they have done immensely in the market. Nina has no doubt she will get the job. Her experience is more than enough to get her the head researcher position.“Miss Ruiz?” The secretary called out.“Yes, ma’am,” Nina replied and jumped up too quickly, causing her belly to ache. She winced inwardly, still holding up a warm smile.“Come with me.” She urged, and Nina followed closely.“Ah, Miss Nina. It's quite a delight to see you. Come sit, please; I am Donald Davis, the CEO.”She had expected to have the interview with the Human Resources Department, but then coming directly to the CEO might mean she has the job.
Chapter 8 Family ProblemsJACKSON FAMILY HOME, NEW YORK.Xander walked into the space, feeling exhausted already. The dining had enough food for a feast. Reasons like this are what keeps him away from the house. His mother can be pretty extravagant in whatever it is she does. There was no reason for her to cook this much, but it’s obvious she B really can’t help it.“Finally, you are here. Dad was just about to throw a fit.” Jace whispered to him as he stretched out his arm for a shake. Xander walked past him like he didn’t notice the gesture. “Rude much.” He snickered.“I am only here because Mum was overly dramatic about what she would do.”“You still could have remained adamant. I would have loved to see what trick Mom has up her sleeve and ready to toss towards you.”Xander gave his brother a side-eye. “I can’t wait to round up with the dinner and leave.”Jace furrowed his brows. “Errr, do you have somewhere to go?”“What does it matter? Of course, I have a house to go.”“Oh, my g
Chapter 9 A chanceXANDER’S HOME, NEW YORK.“I am coming,” Xander responded to the person by the door. Hurrying into his shorts, he ran downstairs to get the door. Carla has gone grocery shopping and won’t be back in a while.Checking the intercom, he was surprised to see his brother and mother. He would have expected Jace to press the code in since it is his usual way of dropping by without prior notice.“What’s with the pretense? Why didn’t you let yourself in?” Xander questioned Jace while hugging his mother lightly.Jace made a gesture towards their mother while flaring his nose.“Welcome, mum. Come in.” He invited them.Venus didn’t say much as she entered the house. Carla is indeed doing an excellent job at keeping the house intact. Sometimes, she would prefer to see his home in disarray from a long night party. But Xander’s life is too straightforward, and it worries her.“Do you not have anyone upstairs?” She asked, hoping the answer would be positive.“You want to check?” Xan
Chapter 10 Finding NiaTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.“You did what?” Tania bickered, spitting shards of the ice cream in her mouth.Nina sighed in exhaustion. “I just thought it was the best thing to do. The last thing I want right now is any burden.”She swallowed the rest of the content before sharing her opinion. “You shouldn’t have done that. From your description, Xander is not a bad guy and never was actually. So why would you go as far as blocking him when he can help greatly.”Nina stared down at her pale palm, feeling tears in her eyes. “I am just so tired of thinking I can’t do without a man, or a man has to be in place for me to get my life together. It was the same mistake I made with Asher. I don’t want history repeating itself.”“But you never can tell who the good one will be unless you test the waters. How long has it been since you blocked him?”“About two weeks.”“What? Two weeks? Why didn’t you tell me anything?” Tania questioned.She pulled at the tail of her hair.