CHAPTER 70

Kyle King

Life with Ava had turned from sweet to sour. We were barely speaking with each other since I was confronted about the fake results. She blamed it on my pressure, but I didn’t listen. I took the law into my own hands and drove her to the hospital, where they ran tests on her. 

She was fertile, but due to an abortion that went wrong in her early life, the doctor advised her not to get pregnant. I didn’t know how I drove home that day, but we arrived home, and I moved my things to one of the bedrooms. Away from Ava. She apologised, but the damage was already done.

She lied to me, my mom, and her parents. How did she keep that part of her life a secret when she knew what was at stake? First, Tessa, and now, Ava? Was fate playing a sick game with me?

I took another gulp of the Bailey Xavier I had purchased a few minutes ago. The craziest thing was that I couldn’t bring myself to divorce her. The tech company was about to sign a major deal with a morally upright client, Mr. Charles Tristan. He hated working with people who had too much media attention. Uncle David had worked hard to get the deal, and all I had to do was avoid public drama or anything that would make Mr. Tristan change his mind. 

I sighed, taking another long gulp. I had fallen in love with Ava, but somehow, it felt like I had been pouring my love into a basket. The worst thing? I wasn’t going to have a child after investing so much! Life was seriously playing a cruel game with me. If not, why was everyone getting children when he had nothing? Just cars and wealth?

 I visited Katherine three days ago, and the love showered on his nephew made him jealous. Her friends were there, and they were celebrating Katherine’s small bump. Another little nephew was on his way. I was forced to cut my visit short when her friends kept asking when Ava was going to retire from the spotlight and bear him kids.

He wasn’t getting younger, as they had all said, laughing hard. 

They didn’t mean any harm, but I was pissed and ended up transferring my annoyance to Katherine when she called later to apologize. Katherine has stopped picking up my calls since then. I didn’t care, though. She should have taught her friends better.

‘You have spent one hour muttering to yourself and taking long gulps of Bailey’s. Is this still about Ava?’ Xavier asked, cutting off my thoughts.

I dropped my glass and poured another shot. ‘I don’t know what to do. Ava lied to me. She had a wild lifestyle in France and did all sorts of things with her body. She returned here, pretended to be a good girl to my mom, and using the bait that I had always loved her, she became closer to her. She made me fall in love with her! Made me marry her. I sacrificed a lot for her, and she repaid me with lies, manipulations, and threats!’

Xavier smiled. ‘I know this is not the time to say ‘I told you so’ but I did, right? Did you listen? You brought all these on yourself, so don’t feel bad. Anyway, you can divorce her and find another baby. I am sure there are a lot of women who will want to marry you, Kyle. Don’t waste your time on Ava anymore.’

‘I don’t want to remarry, and I can’t divorce her because of the deal with the Tristan company. Besides, I still love her, and I can’t give up just like that. The doctor said he would put her on some treatment to help improve her chances.’

 ‘Alright, if that’s what you want, then who am I to argue with you? It’s your marriage, and you know more about these things than me.’

I shrugged. ‘If I knew a lot about these things, I shouldn’t have married the second time, but that’s in the past.’

He chuckled. ‘Do you miss Tessa? It’s been almost five years since your divorce, so it’s weird listening to you regret your actions.’

‘I am not regretting anything. I'm just saying..’I trailed off, taking another shot. ‘Never mind. There’s an A.T. training workshop happening in California next week. I enrolled both of us in it. I hope you don’t have any plans that will prevent you from going.’

Xavier smiled and said, ‘Thank you, man. You didn’t forget. I am available. How many weeks?’

I chuckled. Xavier has been pleading with me to register us for the Hackafest training since the beginning of the year. I promised but kept forgetting until yesterday, when a colleague mentioned it during a meeting. I rushed to register and was able to get two of the three slots that remained. 

Xavier respected the creators of the Hackafest training, and he did everything to follow up on the updates. I had to make sure he got his wish this year.

‘You’re welcome, friend. The training runs for two weeks, and there‘s a challenge in the third week for those interested to stay behind for it.’

Xavier picked up his phone, scrolling through it, and said, ‘I will be available for the challenge. I don’t have any urgent work or services to deliver. Anything that comes up, I can handle it from California. Wow. I can’t believe I finally got to participate in Hackafest. How did you get the slots, though? They're really selective.’

I took the last gulp and said, ‘I know someone who knows someone in the system. She was helpful. I should get back to the office. Ava is supposed to show up for our doctor’s appointment. ‘

‘Alright, then. Thank you and your connection for making one of my dreams come true. I will call you later for feedback on the doctor’s appointment. I hope everything works out well for you.’

I nodded, standing up. ‘I hope so too.’

The chauffeur came immediately as I stepped out of Xavier’s house. I was a bit tired to drive anyway, and the past few events between Ava and me occupied most of my mindspace. One way or another, I needed a child and Doc. Brown was going to help us out.

I can't give up now.