Anne’s POV
It was Nathan.My heart raced as I confronted Nathan, the man who broke my trust and crushed my heart. His presence in front of me elicited a torrent of conflicting emotions in me, including wrath, hurt, and a tinge of yearning that I desperately tried to conceal."Anne," he said slowly, his voice laced with desire and grief. "We really need to talk."I crossed my arms defensively, putting up a wall between myself and the torrent of emotions that threatened to consume me. Kiama stood on the sidelines, her face tense with anticipation."What exactly it is you have to say, Nathan?" I answered; my voice was a little firmer than I would have liked it to be but I didn’t care.Nathan ruffled his hair, a sign of his anxiousness."I realize I made a mistake, Anne. I know I hurt you deeply, and I can't express how sorry I am. But, please, may we chat in private?"Kiama looked at me, her eyes quietly asking whether I wanted to hear him out. I paused, caught between wanting to give him a chance to explain and harboring hatred. I grudgingly nodded after taking a big breath."Fine; we can talk, but not here," I answered coldly and distantly."Meet me at D'Angelo's in a half hour."Nathan's face relaxed as he felt relief and thankfulness."Thank you so much, Anne. I'll be there."With a small smile on his face, I watched Nathan walk away until he disappeared out of my sight."Are you sure about this, Anne?" she questioned, her concerned voice calling me back to the reality.I sighed, my heart heaving under the weight of the choice."I'm not sure, Kiama. But I believe I owe it to myself to listen to him out, even if just for closure."Kiama squeezed my hand reassuringly."Whatever you decide, know that I and the girls are here for you, okay?"I mustered a faint grin, grateful for my friends' constant support."Thank you, Kiama."Finally the time we had agreed upon came and I went to the club. Nathan was waiting there for me already, no drink on his table yet. I asked him why and he said De Andre refused to serve him and threatened to beat up the other bartenders if they attended to him.“Serves you right,” I thought to myself.I sat down across from him and asked him why he did it. I sat back and listened to all he was saying which was just him asking me to forgive him and take him back but I told him I was too hurt to do that. Still angry, I told him never to come to my house to look for me again or call me.I got up from the bar stool, despite his pleads and walked out of the club. It was time to start living my life afresh without the involvement of any man. Little did I realize that another unforeseen twist was going to enter my life, changing everything once again?Days progressed into weeks as I worked on restoring my life following the traumatic occurrences. Work kept me busy during the day, and spending time with Kiama and the girls helped to soothe my heartache. Nathan's inflicted wound was gradually mending, but the scars remained.After another revitalizing girls' night out, I found myself wandering alone near a tranquil park one evening. The moon shed a soothing shine on the surroundings, and the pleasant breeze ruffled my hair. I couldn't stop thinking about the events of the previous weeks. I had stayed faithful in my choice to keep Nathan and other guys out of my life.A sudden wave of sickness came over me as I resumed my stroll, leading me to come to a halt. My heartbeat elevated as I held onto a nearby bench for support, my thoughts racing to find an explanation. The weird feeling had been going on for a few days, and I had assumed it was stress or probably something I had consumed. But this time it seemed different, more powerful.A sudden wave of sickness came over me as I resumed my stroll, leading me to come to a halt. My heartbeat elevated as I held onto a nearby bench for support, my thoughts racing to find an explanation. The weird feeling had been going on for a few days, and I had assumed it was stress or probably something I had consumed. But this time it seemed different, more powerful.I began to feel really anxious so I decided to return home. But just as I turned to walk away, I saw a pharmacy directly across the street. I went across the street and entered the pharmacy. I began to scroll through looking for drugs for cold and fever, but before I realized it, I was in front of the pregnancy test aisle. My mind went back to that night of sinful pleasure with the stranger."I can't possibly be, right?" I asked myself as my pulse was racing.I shook my head smiling and walked past the aisle but 10 seconds later, I went back to the pregnancy test aisle and picked a package. I went to the counter and paid for it swiftly.As soon as I got home, I went straight into the bathroom and locked myself in there. My hands were trembling as I unboxed the pregnancy test package and painstakingly followed the directions. I put the testing device face down, while secretly praying that it wasn't what I was thinking it would be.While I waited for the results to show, time seemed to drag on to infinity. Finally the moment to check the results came. Slowly turned the testing device to see what the result was, my heart beating really fast while my hands were shaking in fear.Finally, I turned it and saw the result of the testAnne’s POV"Positive."My entire body jolted in disbelief as the word glared back at me from the little screen of the pregnancy test. Pregnant? I was pregnant? “No way,” I said in a shaky voice.How did this happen? My legs began weak and I slowly fell to the floor. My mind was filled with a lot of thoughts. I began to blame myself for being careless and stupid for letting something like this happen to me. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door in the bathroom.“Ann-Ann, are you in there? I heard noises,” I could hear Kiama’s voice from outside the door.I didn’t say a word but soon again I heard a voice, different from Kiama’s.“What’s up girl? Are you good there?” Gemma’s voice resounded.My heart was still racing as I returned the pregnancy test into the box and opened the bathroom door. "No, I'm great," I replied. I just came to use the restroom."Kiama's eyes widened as she glanced at me, definitely detecting a problem. "Are you certain? You appear to have encountered a ghost."
Anne’s POV“Well young lady, I’ve had my fair share of One-night stands in this lifetime and you won’t be the first to approach me with this silly tactic. You all are gold diggers, looking for whom to extort money from. But young lady, you came to the wrong house today. Now if you could excuse me, I have to round up my meal and get on with things more important,” Lucian said to me.I felt so angry and embarrassed. How could he say that to me? Me? A Gold-digger? How did I end up sleeping with a heartless man like Lucian? “Excuse me, Mr. Lucian, I’m not here to extort money from you. Hell, I didn’t even know who you were until I got to know that I was pregnant. I’m only here to tell you about your child that I’m carrying so you can perform your fatherly duties towards him or her. I could have taken care of this child on my own but my pay isn’t enough,” I said.“See, a Gold-digger; you couldn’t take care of yourself alone but then you went ahead to get pregnant for just any man and you
Anne’s POV“Fine; I’ll agree to it. I’ll agree to the 1 year or rather 9 months contract marriage so that in return Lucian can accept the fatherly duties,” I said.Mr. Macaulay and Lucian looked at me like they couldn’t believe my reply. Wasn’t that what they expected? I asked myself. “That’s if the child ends up being mine,” Lucian added.I rolled my eyes at him. “That’s a good decision, Miss Anne. Now you’ll have to sign a few papers to effect the contract,” the lawyer said.“No problem,” I said.I just wanted to be done with that and get out of here. The lawyer brought out the contract which I later found out was the document Lucian had typed while waiting for the lawyer. He gave it to me and I read the necessary parts to be read before signing the contract. I handed it back to them when I was done and asked the question that had been in my mind since I agreed to this contract thing.“When will the fake wedding be held?” I asked.“This weekend,” said Lucian.“What? That early?” I
Anne’s POVThe pain suddenly stopped and I felt better again. I looked at my best friends with a smile and said,“Sorry; I guess it’s just a fake alarm. The baby kicked; it has been doing that for some time now. I’m in my 4th month so it’s normal.”Kiama and the girls sighed in relief. They were worried that something else gone wrong. The fun vibe returned as we conversed and laughed throughout the remainder of dinner. We eventually finished our meal, said our kind goodbyes, and they left, leaving me with a heart full of thankfulness for the beloved connections that had gotten me this far in my trip.One day, I was in the living room surround with different snacks. Don’t blame me, it’s the baby’s cravings. I was watching TV while eating the snacks when Lucian walked in. “What’s going on here?” He asked, a disgusted looked on his face.“What does it look like?” I retorted back.“Why have you turned my living room into a garbage house? You could have done that in your bedroom,” he said
Author’s POVKiama, Daisy, and Gemma, Anne's friends, couldn't help but look at each other nervously as Lucian appeared out of nowhere. Unaware of the tense atmosphere in the space, Anne questioned their apprehensive looks."Why do you three appear to have witnessed a ghost?" Anne asked with worry rushing through her body.Her friends responded by motioning for her to turn around while trying to discreetly communicate their point. The fact that Anne was still unable to understand their signs just made her uneasiness worse.As her frustration grew, Anne said,"What's happening? I'm scared of you."Look behind you," Daisy muttered as she leaned closer.Slowly, Anne moved her head to see what her friends were looking at. Lucian was there, in the space, his presence throwing an unexpected shadow over the group. His unexpected return caused Anne's eyes to widen as she processed it.She asked, her voice tinged with a range of emotions, "You're back?"Lucian returned her stare with a myster
Author's POV"Can you tell me more about your friends?" Lucian asked Anne as he moved closer to her and took a seat beside her.Anne told Lucian how she met her friends starting with Kiama whom she met at high school then to Daisy and Gemma whom she befriended in college. She told him all they've been through as friends and how they've got her back. She told him of their professions and Anne noticed the change in Lucian's demeanor."Don't be a scared; they only hit anyone who hurts me like my ex?" Anne said."You were in a relationship?" Lucian asked curiously."Yes I was; the night we met, I caught my fiancé as of that time with another woman on our bed in my apartment. It was so heartbreaking," Anne said."I'm...I'm so sorry about that," Lucian replied, showing signs of true concern."I went to the clubhouse that day to drink away my sorrow and that was the day you saw me and brought me to your home. Now here we are and I'm carrying your child. I could still remember how you humilia
Author’s POV“Anne, it’s not just about having common experiences,” Kiama started with a sigh. “You never know when love will creep up on you. Perhaps it began as sympathy, but it’s obvious that your feelings for Lucian have grown,” she continued.“And it’s not a negative thing, Anne,” added Gemma. “Love is a lovely and common feeling. Furthermore, we have observed the closeness between you two. There is definitely a special connection between the two of you,” she concluded.When Anne realized that her friends’ statements were accurate, she was forced to consider her developing feelings for Lucian. She had witnessed his frailty, held him during nightmares, and had private moments with him. It was becoming more and more obvious that her heart was opening up to him in unexpected ways.“I… I suppose you could be possibly right,” Anne said, her cheeks beginning to flush.“So, when are you going to tell him how you feel?” Daisy asked with a cheeky grin.In fear, Anne’s eyes widened.“Tel
Author’s POVWith his lips lightly touching Anne’s temple, Lucian mumbled,“I don’t want to hide our feelings any longer.”The eagerness in Anne’s heart caused her to nod in accord. She was aware that their shared adventure had taken an unexpected turn, but she wholeheartedly welcomed it.The storm raged outside as they clutched one other in the dimly lighted chamber. However, Anne and Lucian had discovered something more potent than any storm in the security of Lucian’s embrace—they had discovered love.In the midst of the thunder and lightning, their love story started, a tribute to how unpredictable and lovely love is in and of itself. They slept together that night, in each others warm embrace. The next morning, Anne woke up to see Lucian staring at her with so much love written on his face. The tenderness in Lucian’s eyes as he saw Anne awaken was palpable. As his lips softly smiled, his fingers delicately touched her cheek.He sighed, “Good morning, beautiful.”When Anne looke