Tapping her fingers impatiently on the polished mahogany desk with her legs churning out of nervousness, Mackenzie wondered what her fate would be. Would she be lucky this time?
She noticed the clock across the office tick. It’s noon.Shortly after, the door opened. A man in a lab coat entered with a report in his right hand. Mackenzie stood up with a curious yet worried gaze as she looked up at the doctor with a glazy expression."Doctor Paul!"The doctor nodded in acknowledgment, "I have received your report, Mrs. Axford.""H-how is it?"The doctor adjusted his glasses shrewdly with his left hand before proceeding into the room."Am I pregnant?""Why don't we have a seat and talk more about that, Mrs. Axford?" The doctor suggested calmly.Now aware of her anxiety, she nodded while trying to control her pounding heart and overactive mind. "Yes, doctor."They settled down in their appointed seats, Doctor Paul sitting in his chair and Mackenzie sitting across the desk in the chair assigned for patients or visitors."So what have you found out, doctor? Am I pregnant?" Mackenzie's hands went to the desk as she leaned forward, looking at the doctor desperately. That was the best she could do to stay calm.After losing her child the previous year, her husband had been drifting away from her. It was obvious! He no longer looked at her like he used to. If she hadn't told him that she was trying for another child, he would stop coming to bed with her completely!But these recent days, she found a ray of hope.Hope.A throbbing headache and feeling of nausea? Lightheadedness? Many would hate having these symptoms. But for her, it was everything! Mackenzie's hands unconsciously rested on her belly.A pregnancy.That was her hope to get back the attention and love of her husband. Just the confirmation of her pregnancy from the doctor after all the symptoms she's had the past couple of weeks. Her relationship with her husband would go back to how it was.Blissful.Loving.Kind."I am sorry to inform you that you have tested negative for a pregnancy, Mrs. Afford."Her only hope was dashed, just like that. "What?!" Mackenzie threw her hands over the desk rigidly as she stood to her feet, looking at the doctor with her eyes glistening with tears. “No way!"Doctor Paul remained calm. He had been the Axford family's doctor for years. Although Mackenzie was a recent member of the family, he understood that getting pregnant was pertinent to having a place in her husband's life."I even had some pregnancy symptoms!" Mackenzie interjected.Doctor Paul looked at Mackenzie sympathetically as she continued to ramble. "I had a splitting headache. I felt lightheaded and weak whenever I did not eat on time!" She announced still in disbelief."About that Mrs. Axford…" The doctor looked at Mackenzie attentively before saying, "You might want to sit down for this."Mackenzie plowed down on the chair distraught and depressed by the doctor’s serious expression."The body scan indicated that you are not pregnant, Mrs. Axford. But we found something else—""—Enough of the suspense, Doctor Paul. If you have anything to say. please say it!" Mackenzie was usually kind and deliberate about her actions. She is presently frustrated. Doctor Paul kept mentioning that she was not pregnant despite telling him that she had all those symptoms. If she wasn't pregnant, then what was it?!"You've been confirmed to have Meningioma." The doctor pushed the report lying in front of him towards Mackenzie."W-what?" She shuddered, feeling her stomach tighten."That must have been the reason for your headaches.""What's a Meningioma?" Mackenzie did not know what it was, even though she knew it sounded like something she should dread."A meningioma is a tumor…"Mackenzie's stomach dropped.A tumor?"Yes. It is a kind of tumor that forms on membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord inside the skull."Mackenzie swallowed, her heart, breaking, and throat closing up. How could she have such a horrible diagnosis? Just this morning, her mother-in-law had looked at her with such hopeful eyes. Her husband too… had looked at her a bit differently.How could she go back home and tell them that she wasn't only 'not pregnant’ but that she had a tumor as well? It was beyond shameful to her. It made her scared. She did not want to die after all her struggles to live a good life started paying off.Memories of her life back in the fields where she lived with her father in North Dakota consumed her and they made her want to cry.Her father.Her poor father.She had not done anything for him yet. How could she have this deadly disease? How could she die and leave her poor father alone in this world? Would he even survive the heartbreak of losing his only daughter? He had gone through so much to raise her alone after her mother left the world when she was only a baby."Mrs. Axford, are you listening?"Mackenzie was snapped out of her thoughts on hearing the doctor's voice. "Oh, yes." She said quickly."Then why don't we continue—""—No, I have something to do so why don't we continue this conversation another time?" Mackenzie said, grabbing her report and her handbag which was slung on the chair.She was scared.And she didn't want to hear a thing that would crush her soul any further. Most importantly, she didn't want to hear her death date. She was certain her mind would collapse if she heard that."Mrs. Axford, I understand that this result may be frightening for you. But with the right treatments, you can overcome it. Please come with your husband the next time you come for a consultation. That way, we can talk in-depth about your health and the best way to treat it as soon as possible."That was as far as Mackenzie was willing to listen to before she walked out the door, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.She strolled down the hallway, remembering vividly the day she left home and got married. That stunning evening, her eyes were determined to move on to the next phase of her life.She had thought that leaving her father would be the best option. That way, she would not be a burden to him, and she would even help him. But now that she was married, she had not been able to do a single thing to help him. Neither had she allowed him to visit her.How could she?Her father was poor and unsophisticated. He was no match for the class of the family she married into. Although she was the same as her father, her husband had upgraded her standard of living to his family’s own.Mackenzie's tears continued to fall as she exited the hallway and headed for the exit. What could she do now? Once she got home and told her husband and mother-in-law that she was not pregnant and instead had a tumor. What would be their reaction?As Mackenzie walked past the moving doors, the cold wind hit her face but
Mackenzie dunked down another glass wishing that the alcohol would dissolve the weight on her heart. How could her husband whom she worshiped for years in their marriage cheat on her with…?A tear rolled down her cheek.Three years ago, she was a bustling young refreshing woman at the peak of life. Although she lived in the fields with her father, she was happy because she could help him out and give him a foot massage when he needed it after his tedious day at the farm. They lived a very limited life but since she was with her father and the neighboring sisters, she did not hate it.Then Jeffrey came along, sweeping her off her feet the instant they laid their eyes on each other— Or was it her who fell in love first? Jeffrey was a newbie in North Dakota and he'd somehow wandered off and got missing in the Noose Hage village due to the night's heavy rain. Like the lovely lady that she was, she helped him through the rain with her umbrella.Sex happened and it created a passionate ro
The night had slowly passed, along with the cupid's arrow of passion that seemed to have been fired previously.BeepBeepThe sound of the message notification seemed barely enough to wake a ponderous man like Chase but it did.Chase woke up and when he did, his woman was not in his arms.His woman?!Chase sat up in bed, rubbing the heaviness in his eyes but it didn't seem to be any good. He brushed back his tousled-from-sex hair and let out a breath.Last night…The innocence of that woman's voice, the intensity of feelings in her eyes, and the precision with which her curves were carved. The beautiful curls that danced across her face, her melodious moans when she cried with pleasure. It was beyond incredible the amount of effect she had on him to make him mad enough to wish she was his woman.But where was she?He touched his lips and when he stared down at the sheets, he was convinced she had been here in his room.She hadn't been a dream!Chase's gaze shifted to the nightstand an
The black Lamborghini pulled over at the mansion and once the door opened, three imposing figures stepped out. Two were men, and the third was a familiar woman with a pair of seductive green eyes and amber hair."Honey, we're late." She said to the aloof man standing next to her after checking the time on her Patek Philippe brand wristwatch. His answer was a simple shrug before walking to the mansion. He didn't want to be here anyway.The other man placed both hands behind his neck, his playful light brown eyes gleaming with mischief. "Isn't he the coolest?" He said to Selene sarcastically.Selene looked at him from the corner of his eyes, her eyes unfriendly as she walked past him.He slowly followed behind the odd couple, a large portion of his brown hair falling over his face as he walked, due to his fringe hairstyle.He was wearing a white turtleneck knitted shirt and gray pants with a pair of brown sandals. His appearance looked clean, fresh, and laidback like his personality.T
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Mackenzie pushed him aside, her lips trembling from the repercussion of what he'd just done to her. This was Chase Axford, her brother-in-law!No matter what had compelled him to act this way, it was still wrong!Chase grabbed Mackenzie by the shoulder and instinctively nudged her until she was up against the wall. "W-what," She stuttered, trembling as he placed a hand next to her against the wall, leaving her with no way to escape his enclosed trap."Look at this face properly," he roared, staring down at her with clenched fists.As if it wasn't enough that she kept a calm face throughout dinner, she even had the nerve to pretend not to know him.Mackenzie struggled to gaze into his stormy blue hues and instantly plunged into the memories of last night. Her words stopped in her throat. She couldn't come up with coherent words.The person she'd had a one-night stand with was her brother-in-law.Shivers ran down her spine and so did fright. She also had the fe
Hello, father. It's me, Mackenzie. How are you? How's everyone?As Mackenzie hit the send button, tears rolled down her cheeks.This was the first message she ever sent to her father in a while that did not involve her informing him that she'd wired some money to his bank account.Now that she thought about it, she realized that was vain and all the efforts she was putting into helping her father was just a heap of heavy dust. What was money going to do for her now? It could never make her a better daughter.She might die. How would money save her from her unlucky fate?"Mackenzie!" A shrill voice yelled, "Are you going to neglect the house chores again?! Your disease is not even life-threatening so don't you dare try to use it as an excuse!"Mackenzie could hear it. The mocking tone in her mother-in-law's voice.It wasn't the same tone she'd used to speak to her in the past. Could money take her back in time, when everything was so perfect?No—If anything, she'd sacrifice all the i
Mackenzie ran into the elevator and pressed the second-floor button. The moment the elevator stopped, she got out, hurrying through the hallway until she found the room door.Knock knock"Open,"Mackenzie turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.She was immediately perplexed by the sight of Chase in a silky blue robe. Her pulse immediately jerked into an erratic rhythm at how devastatingly handsome he was.He looked as though he'd just left the shower. Wet tousled black hair danced over his face, hiding away his beautiful eyes, and his lips were stunningly pink. Despite wearing a simple robe, his aura emitted prestige and his body posture was regal.The robe was parted along his chest, only held together at his waist. His smooth, tan skin flaunted his naked chest and abs muscles, sending a warm feeling through her cheeks.Mackenzie did not know what to do with herself. She felt uncouth in front of him. "It's sarcastic, isn't it," Chase spurned, "The last time you came into my ro
It was a feeling that she'd never felt before.Not even with her own husband.The pressing of his groin against her hot core and the lustrous moan that escaped his mouth as he gasped against her neck, the muscles in his arms flexing as he fucked her at a rather rapid pace."Ohh yeahh," She moaned, nothing but the sex on her mind.Usually, with her husband, she could keep her moans to a minimum and hold back slightly when it came to the sounds but with Chase, she couldn't suppress it, nor could she fake that she wasn't enjoying it because she was. And Chase was making so much effort as well.Even with the trail of sweat dripping down his forehead as he gazed down at her very naked body, he didn't seem to lose sight of what he was doing to her."Ngg," As Mackenzie's face scrunched up, focusing on the pleasure he gave her Chase slowly pulled his cock out of her causing her to open her eyes and look at him with a gaze of confusion."W-why?" She gasped breathlessly. Her breath is a mixtur