CHAPTER 4
SEVEN MONTHS LATER“What do I do now Aunty?” Nancy asked her aunt, Diana, as she looked at her beautiful twin boys, Leonard and Lexington who were now a month old.Thelma connected Nancy to her first cousin, Diana, when she got to Brandon. Diana was more than happy to take Nancy in after Thelma explained the whole situation to her.Diana had lost her husband in a car accident some years back and she lived alone with her only daughter Emily, who quickly became close friends with Nancy.It made the whole pregnancy to birth journey less difficult for Nancy, although she was still very sad about everything that had happened.“You have to give one of them up. We can’t disobey the government. They will take them both if we refuse to obey the law,” Diana replied calmly, before turning and frowning at her daughter, Emily.Three months after Nancy got to Brandon, the government announced a new birth policy. Their population was fast rising and the economy couldn’t sustain it, so they declared that every family for a period of twenty years were only allowed to have one child.If you had twins or triplets as multiple births, you were only allowed to keep the first child. You could either willingly give the other or others up for adoption or hand them over to the government to do so for you.Violation of the policy meant that the government would take the first child and the extra child or children and replace them in single homes without children.Fathers of multiple children were advised to get a vasectomy and mothers of multiple children were advised to use strict birth control measures.When Nancy found out she was having twins, she panicked, knowing that she wasn’t an exception, but her aunt had a plan.On the day of her delivery, Diana and Emily both helped her deliver her twins at home and they registered only Leo, the first born, into the government system for identification.However, two days ago, being in too good of a mood, Emily forgot their secret and posted both babies sleeping on her social media. Before she realized her mistake and deleted it, government officials had already sent them a letter, giving them a one week ultimatum to do the right thing or lose both babies.Nancy was distraught. She heaved a deep sigh as a thought crossed her mind. If she had to give up one of her children, that one might as well have the life they both should have had. It was a risk, but she could only hope for the best to come out of it.***********“I heard you mom, I’ll take my meds on time and try not to think too much. Can I go now? I don’t want to miss my flight,” Lloyd said, breaking from his mother, Veronica Bank’s hug.After Lloyd passed out that day in his apartment, his mother insisted that he moved back to the family mansion. If Kyle had not planned to drag him to the meeting that morning, he never would have found his friend lifeless, on the floor of his living room.Since moving to the family mansion, Lloyd had had another two episodes of passing out. On one occasion, he was found with a printed picture of Nancy clutched in his hand and the other time he was reading through their old chats of when their love was still Rosy and Sweet.He had to live off anti-depressants to keep his thoughts from sinking him into deep depression.“Baby, it took me four miscarriages before I had you. You’re all I have. I know you regret your actions but you have to live for you at some point. That girl may never come back,” Veronica advised, as she walked him to the mansion’s main entrance.She was exceptionally mad at Lloyd when she first found out what he did. He deprived her of having grandkids even though he knew how much she wanted to have other children after him but her womb couldn’t hold anymore and even him had to live in an incubator for months after she delivered him prematurely.One of the security guards came in with a basket as they approached the door.“Sir, there’s a package for you,” the man said, bowing slightly.“Throw it away,” Lloyd replied almost immediately, frowning at the basket in his hands. He imagined it to be one of his numerous admirers sending him a gift basket or something. His heart only belonged to one woman and no one else.“Sir it’s a…”Kyle sneered at his hesitation and cut him off. “Did I stutter?” His eyes were cold and he could snap at any moment. Everyone in that house walked on egg shells around him. His mother was the only exception.Suddenly, the cry of a baby came from the basket. Veronica rushed and grabbed it from the guard, settling it on the coffee table in the waiting area and opening it to reveal a beautiful baby that had the same light brown eyes and shiny dark hair as her son. Even a blind man could see how the child was a miniature version of Lloyd.Lloyd froze as he stared at his little photocopy. He was confused as hell but he had a gut feeling the child was his. The resemblance was uncanny.He picked up the envelope on the beautiful shawl that covered the baby and then he saw his favorite black cap beside the baby. The one Nancy wore to cover her face when she escaped.‘Does this mean the abortion failed?’Guilt gripped his heart again and tears rolled down his cheeks.He opened the envelope and began to read the letter.[ His name is Lexington. He is not my claim to you. I don’t want anything from you. I promise you will never see or hear from me. Circumstances beyond my control forced me to do this but I can only hope that somewhere within your cold heart, you find enough warmth to care for our son. Please let him know that mommy loves him so much and that she will never forget him.]The tears were pouring down like a torrent now. His eyes suddenly widened as one thing hit him. She must have brought the child herself.“The woman who brought this, where is she?” He suddenly asked the guard, rushing outside the door.The guard and Veronica stared at him in confusion as he didn’t even wait for an answer before storming off.He ran to the main entrance of the mansion and saw a woman entering a car. He couldn’t be mistaken. That was Nancy.“Nancy, wait!” He called out.Nancy froze and brought her head back out. The world seemed to stop as their eyes locked in the distance.Her eyes were still, full of fear and despair. His eyes were teary, full of need and regret.CHAPTER 5Nancy was brought back to earth when she saw Lloyd storming towards the gate, screaming for her to wait at the top of his voice. Fear easily gripped her as she quickly got into the vehicle.“Drive, drive,” she ordered the cab driver who brought her down to the mansion.“Whatever you do, don’t stop,” She added, looking back frantically as she saw Lloyd run back inside to get in a car to chase after her.Her heart was racing with fear and she instantly regretted coming here in the first place. It was a stupid decision. She didn’t expect him to be at his family mansion. Her intention was to drop the baby at the mansion so by the time he got the message of the delivery, she would be long gone.If Lloyd caught her, he would imprison and torture her again. What if he killed the baby? Would he really be such a monster as to kill his own child? He did do it before they were born. What will happen to Leo back in Brandon if she can't return to him? No, Lloyd must not get a hold of her.
CHAPTER 6Nancy returned early from work to find Kaleb Trevor, her new man, sitting in the living room of the luxurious three bedroom apartment he rented for her, smiling from ear to ear.Nancy lived in the house with her Aunt, her cousin and her son.It had been five years since the incident with Lloyd and her little man, Leo had naturally been clamoring for his father and she thought Kaleb was the perfect father he needed.Kaleb has been chasing her for years and despite her being a single mother, he cared for her the same and she knew he accepted her and her son wholeheartedly. Kaleb was a handsome man. Tall, dark shiny skin and equally dark curly hair. He had a smile that could melt any woman’s heart. To her, he was everything she wanted Lloyd to be. Caring, sweet, doting, supportive and understanding.Even when she repeatedly turned down his advances in the beginning, Kaleb went ahead to pay for her to go to culinary school when he learnt of her dream to become a world class chef
CHAPTER 7“Wake up honey, let’s pray,” Nancy tapped on Leo. It was the next morning. True to his words yesterday, Leo didn’t go to lunch with his mother and when she returned, he gave her the cold shoulder for the rest of the day.“Good morning mama,” Leo greeted her as he rolled over and sat up.“Good morning my sweetest son,” she pecked his cheek before she knelt down by the bed.Leo and his mom shared the room. It was the master bedroom of the house. It was spacious and well furnished, all thanks to Kaleb.The room had this tranquil ambience even though it was pretty stylish. The bed had a sleek low profile design with white upholstery. The pink sheets that covered the mattress were rumpled on both sides of the bed. Mother and son both toss and turn a lot in their sleep.The walls were painted white all over . The curtains were gray giving a contrast to the white that occupied the room. The spacious wardrobe that occupied the left corner of the room was also gray, its glossy surfac
CHAPTER 8***FLASHBACK***Yesterday, Lloyd and Lex had a great time at the Theme park in Lescott City, Brandon.There was no ride Lex did not want to try out, from the merry go round to the roller coaster and the Ferris wheels.He was so excited to be at the theme park with his father. Lloyd didn’t allow them to go on the big rollercoaster and since he couldn’t ride on the mini ones, he cheered his son on as Lex screamed in excitement.After trying out the Ferris wheel and the merry go round together, Lex was exhausted from the rides and playing with his favorite cartoon characters in person. He had so much fun and soon, it was evening and they were both hungry.The ice cream and pie they had earlier at the park had done its bit. They decided to stop at a Chinese restaurant on their way to the penthouse they were renting in the city. Lloyd loved Chinese food, he remembered how Nancy had to watch several videos on YouTube to make some Chinese dishes for him and after much trial and er
CHAPTER 9“Your word is Pseudonym,” The spelling bee moderator, Mr Luther told Leo.The twins had been at it, head to head for about 15 minutes after easily qualifying through each round with perfect scores, completely annihilating their opponents.Before Lloyd and Kaleb could get around to explaining their relationship, the twins stormed out of the room, screaming they were running late for their competition.They were both so excited that not only were they competing in the same competition but they were the only two contestants with perfect scores in the whole continent.All talks had to be postponed as everyone drove to the venue. Lex rode with his mom and twin brother in Kaleb’s car while Lloyd followed closely behind.“Origin and meaning please?” Leo asked, trying to rack his brain for the right letters.“I’m sorry young lad but this is the blitz round, No Origin or meanings,” Mr Luther replied, smiling at the young prodigy.He was greatly impressed at how these two boys from di
CHAPTER 10Sparks! Nancy felt sparks and she froze. Longings and desires that had been locked up and forgotten inside her crept up to her core as his plump lips sucked on hers.The sensual kisses she had shared with Kaleb barely lit a spark and here her body was, on fire for a stolen kiss from the man she detested so much.She pulled away and gave him a dirty slap across his face.“How dare you?” She sneered, yelling at him.Her body may remember and react to his touch but her mind also remembered the torture he put her through. He had no right.Lloyd stared at her in disbelief as his cheeks burned, not only did he not expect the slap, he also didn’t know what came over him. She was just so irresistible.“Leo,” Nancy called, turning away from Lloyd who was still too stunned to speak. “We’re going home.”The twins were so engrossed with their ride that they didn’t see what happened between their parents.“Nancy,” Lloyd held her hand back.She yanked it away. “Don’t you dare!” the look o
CHAPTER 11The next morning, Nancy woke up to a sweet and teary sight. Leo was almost at her feet to her left, fast asleep while Lex was to her right, with one of his legs hanging off the bed. She chuckled seeing that Leo wasn’t the only one who inherited her bad sleeping habits.She slowly got out of the bed, careful not to disturb their sleep but she tugged Lex back into the bed properly. The boys had chatted and played far into the night yesterday and she let them because she was also enjoying the wholesome experience of reuniting with Lex.Her phone beeped and she checked. There was a ton of missed calls and texts from Kaleb, but an unknown number had also sent her a text. She opened it to read.[ I haven't been able to stop thinking about all the ways I let you down. Please forgive me and give me another chance. I know that I am a terrible person, I know I am a fool, but at least I'm your fool. My misery is not punishment enough for what I did to you, to us. You were caring and ki
CHAPTER 12Emily was laughing her heart out later that morning as Nancy prepared for work. It was a Sunday and she would normally be off but because she took yesterday off, she had to go to work that morning for a short while.“It’s not funny,” Nancy slapped Emily’s arm who was still laughing.“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just never figured Kaleb to be a one minute man,” she burst out laughing again.Nancy had filled her in on what transpired earlier in morning. She shamefully stood up from Kaleb’s leg and took the kids back inside the room, thinking of the best thing to say. She told them they were doing adult stuff and that kids were not meant to see or talk about it. Oddly enough, the boys didn’t ask anything or say anything further.Lex knew his daddy would explain better if he asked him about it. His daddy always explained things he didn’t understand to him. Leo on the other hand was just confused. His mama and Mr. K have never done this so called adult stuff before.You’re a kid Leo…