~Rosemary~
The clock on the wall struck eleven and with that, my worry quadrupled. I picked up my phone again and texted, "Where are you, honey? Are you all right?"It was way past closing hour, but he wasn't back home yet. I had called him numerous times, yet I hadn't heard a word from him.
As I sat on the sofa in the living room, I stared blankly at the wedding picture on the wall opposite. In the picture, the smile on my face couldn't have been brighter, but my husband's was the direct opposite. His smile was rather frozen.
It had been two years since we got married. Although it wasn't a bed of roses, it was peaceful for the most part. Max and I barely argued. But I guess you could say it's because he was rarely at home. I only saw him sometimes in the mornings and at night.
However, today was the first time he was staying out this late. I was dead worried right now. As I took a deep breath, I felt a sharp cramp in my lower abdomen.
Holding my breath, I rubbed my bulging belly gently. "Take it easy with Mommy, okay? I know you miss your daddy. But don't worry, baby. He will be home very soon."
As soon as I said those words, I heard the sound of a car. I stood up painstakingly and dragged my feet toward the door.
Max Smith, my husband, opened the door before I could get to it. Standing at 6ft2 inches tall, he sauntered into the living room. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and his jacket was slung over his shoulder. I noticed that his blonde hair was tousled unlike how groomed it was when I saw him this morning.
Still, he looked as dashing as ever...
"Hey, I have been calling and texting. Are you okay? Why did you stay out so late?"
Max's piercing eyes reverted to me as I stood by his side, taking his jacket. He glanced at the dining table. "What's for dinner?"
"Oh..." I said, folding the jacket. "I ordered some pizza. Got you your favorite, Beef and Bacon pizza. Go take a shower while I pop it in the microwave--"
"Are you kidding me right now?" Max suddenly roared.
I almost jumped out of my skin. Turning around, I found that he was shooting me a murderous glare now.
"I work hard every day, yet you think I'd want to have pizza for dinner? I demand a freshly cooked meal!"
Sighing, I placed one hand on my pregnant belly. "I was extremely ill today, so I couldn't cook. How about you just make do for tonight? Also, don't you think it's high time we hired a chef?"
In the blink of an eye, Max hit me in the face with his wide palm. I staggered back, bumping into the armrest of a sofa. Stars hovered around my head as pain stung my left cheek.
"Stop being so lazy! How long would it take you to whip up something for me? You can cook, so why do I need a chef?"
Pointing in the direction of the kitchen, he added, "Don't make me mad. Go into that kitchen right now!"
A tear escaped my left eye as I held my aching cheek. Too scared to look Max in the eye, I ran into the kitchen as fast as my legs could carry me. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I burst into tears.
I held the kitchen island while my body trembled. As if that wasn't enough, I felt another cramp in my lower abdomen. I wanted to sit down for a while. But I had work to do.
Biting my lower lip hard, I braved the pain and got to work. I had just turned on the gas cooker when I heard Max call out, "You better make it snappy! I'm hungry, and we need to talk!"
His warning filled me with more fear. With shaky hands, I managed to make some chicken curry and rice. At the table, Max dug into the food without sparing me a glance.
The silence was killing me. My throat constricted each time I tried to swallow. A billion thoughts ran through my mind as I stole glances at Max. Why was he so silent? Does the food taste bad? Didn't he say he wanted to discuss something with me? What could it be?
Suddenly, Max pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and slapped it on the table beside me. "Sign that!"
I looked at the envelope. "What is it?"
Instead of responding, Max eyed me and then returned to eating. I had to pick up the envelope and open it.
There was a document inside. As soon as I unfolded the document and read the first page, my jaw went slack. I looked at Max again. "A divorce agreement?"
~Rosemary~"I see that you can still read," he said between mouthfuls. "Sign it.""What! You want to divorce me? How? Why?" I choked.Max's lips turned up with disgust. "Why are you acting so surprised, Rosemary? This marriage was never meant to be. I don’t love you anymore! In fact, I should have never fallen for you. So, sign that and get the fuck out of my house!"It was as if I had just been smacked in the head. Although I always suspected that Max hadn’t got feelings for me for a while, I thought it was just a phase. I never thought he would ask me for a divorce. Now that he didn’t love me, why did he have sex with me? Why impregnate me? For Pete's sake, I was carrying his child!"Max, is this a prank? Have you forgotten that I'm four months pregnant with your child?""Do I look like I give a fuck?" he growled, dropping his fork again. "I want a divorce, not you or your damn child!""What..." I could feel my blood pressure rising at this moment. "Is...is this because of Amani?"
~Rosemary~A beeping sound replayed in my head an annoying number of times. The air around me felt so cold that goosebumps pricked my skin.I opened my eyes slowly, only to be blinded by the light. When I opened them again, I saw a white ceiling.Where was I? Wasn't I at home? Was I lying down? Why? What happened to me?A dozen questions ran through my mind. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. But nothing around was recognizable.Suddenly, my eyes fell on a heart rate monitor. It was what was making that annoying beeping sound. Oh, God! Was I in the hospital?"You are awake!" a voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.I looked in the direction it came, only to find two smiling nurses walking through the door."Where am I? What happened to me?"The first nurse stood at the foot of the bed. "You got hit by a car. You've been in a coma for hours."Hearing that, my memory came rushing like a flood. I remembered running after Max in the dead of the night. I also remembered th
~Rosemary~"What! We just lost our child and that's all you can say?" Max raised his voice. "What else do you want me to say? How am I even sure the pregnancy was mine? We don’t meet often, after all.""It was yours! I never cheated on you, Max. And you know it!" I yelled, my chest tightening. "Anyway, that doesn't change the fact that Amani is the one I want to be with. Sign the divorce agreement and send it over. I'll send your belongings. Also, don't ever call this number again!"With that, he hung up.Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the phone screen in horror. It was bad enough that he impregnated my twin sister. Now, he accused me of cheating and laughed at my miscarriage.He blamed me for covering up his own mistakes, I knew. But who made him such a coward?It was all because of one person, Amani. My twin sister, why couldn’t she just allow me to be happy for once?As kids, Amani was favored by everyone, even by our parents. Since she was hotter, more beautiful, and eve
~Rosemary~"Congratulations! You are now man and wife!"As soon as the official said those words, I felt a twinkle in my heart. How I got divorced and remarried within 48 hours was beyond me!The mood was awkward as Gerald and I walked out of the county clerk's office. I glanced at him. "I guess you're Mr. Beckett now, huh?"Gerald stopped to look at me. Then he smiled. "You heard what the nurse said?"I nodded while forcing a smile. Gerald took my surname. He said that's what he should do because the money I paid him could save one of his best friends in Mexico.I had just resumed walking when my phone rang. Although the number wasn't saved, I answered it, "Hello...""Hello, Rosemary. This is Barrister Steven, your father's lawyer.""Oh, hey! To what do I owe this call?" I asked, remembering the man's face.He paused before saying, "Your attention is urgently needed. Can you come to my office now?""Sure, sure..." I replied, feeling a little disturbed. "I'm on my way.""What's the ma
~Rosemary~Amani looked back at me and snapped her fingers. "Oh! I heard that you lost the baby. Thank goodness, my son wouldn't have to deal with a disgusting half-sibling/cousin!"I felt a jab to the heart. It was bad enough that she wrecked my marriage, now she was going to mock me for the miscarriage? The baby was Max's too. How could he allow her to say such...My thoughts trailed off as I looked at Max. He was smiling at Amani dotingly. It was as if my miscarriage was a joy they both shared. "Amani, I--" I began, but she suddenly put out her left hand and said, "Max proposed yesterday! Look at the ring he got me. It's beautiful, isn't it?"My heart sank to my stomach as soon as I saw the huge clear-cut VVS diamond ring on Amani's finger. To say that I was hurt was an understatement. It was the same type of ring I had asked Max to buy for me, but he got me a plain silver band instead.After flaunting the ring, Amani pressed her hand on her chest as if showing off her big boobie
~Gerald~Everyone on the couch gasped, looking extremely offended. I also sensed Rosemary's shocked gaze on my back. "Who do you think you are! How dare you barge in here to lecture us? Do you have any idea who we are?" the older woman yelled.The younger woman who looked a lot like Rosemary also sprang up. "Yes, who the fuck are you? And why are you defending her?"Max, whose face I knew all too well, stood up too. He pointed at me. "How dare you come here and insult my love and her mother. And because of this thing?"I smiled, glancing at Rosemary. "Let's just say that I am someone who stands for what's right. More so, I have loved this woman for a long time."It was true.Rosemary Beckett was the woman I dreamed of every day for many years. Like it was yesterday, I could still remember the day she walked into my life.I was just seventeen years old at the time. On that fateful day, I just got off my cleaning job when I was accosted by some hoodlums. They were sent by the loanshark
~Rosemary~Time seemed to stop when my chest collided with Gerald's. Our gazes locked. I could see my reflection in his alluring eyes.Suddenly, we pulled away from each other. I ran my finger through my hair and looked away in embarrassment."Sorry," Gerald said softly.I waved my hand. "Don't be. Thanks for catching me."Oh, God! Why is my heart beating fast? And why can't I look at him in the eye anymore? That's normal, right? He's a handsome man. There's no way I am falling for him. I still loved Max."Your ankle twisted. Are you sure you are okay?" Gerald asked, glancing at my ankle.I pulled back my leg and waved. "I'm fine. It just hurts a little."Gerald nodded. After holding the door for me and getting behind the wheel, he asked, "Where to now?""Elmont. The house my father left to me is on the outskirts."Under my direction, Gerald drove us to my father's childhood home. It was a washed-up one-story building that stood surrounded by trees.The first thing I noticed when I wa
~Rosemary~My heart melted at the sight of the tiny gold ring. "Aww! You shouldn't have."Gerald smiled. "You deserve better. This is an old ring. I hope you don't--""I love it!" I exclaimed, putting out my hand.Once he slipped the ring on my finger, I felt a burst of joy in my chest. I jumped into his arms and said tearfully, "You are my second best friend!"He asked, “Who’s the first?”“My friend Sabrina. Except for her, Gerald you are the best!”***The next morning, I woke up to find an unfamiliar ceiling above me. It took me a good minute to realize that I was no longer in Max's house. Even worse, I was no longer pregnant and had no baby bump to examine in the mirror every morning. As much as I wanted to stay in bed all day, I had an early appointment with a business consultant today. It was time to get my life back on track by starting a company with the ten million. So I dragged myself out of bed and walked straight into the bathroom. I scrubbed my body hard in hopes it wou