Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I couldn’t believe how fast everything was moving.

“What are you thinking about? Eat your food.” Bryant ruffled my hair, pulling me back to the moment. It was like there had never been any distance between us.

He had spent the whole day with me, a rarity. I went for a walk in the garden, and he followed I fed the ducks at the pond, and he was right there with me. I worked on my design sketches, and he sat beside me, dealing with emails and calls.

He didn’t say it, but I could tell he was trying to apologize to me

After showering that evening, my phone alarm went off as I popped a prenatal vitamin into my mouth.

Bryant came in with a glass of warm milk. “Why are you taking medicine?”

“Just a supplement” I looked into his deep, thoughtful eyes and said, “Can you take some time off next Saturday? I need to go to the hospital for a check up, and then, I want to take you somewhere”

It was time for my prenatal check-up

He had agreed to cut ties with Margaret choosing us, but I still wasn’t so reassured. I didn’t want to tell Bryant about the pregnancy just yet, fearing any complications

If everything went well, he would find out at the hospital. He would be there to see the ultrasound himself, to see that he was going to be a father

We would have our child

With that thought, I couldn’t help but start looking forward to it

“Sule, is your stomach still bothering you? We dont have to wait until Saturday. We can go to the hospital tomorrow”

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Chapter 18

The next afternoon, Christine came to my office to slack off.

“Is the Marketing Department that slow today? I paused my work to tease her.

Christine was in a V-neck silk blouse and a beige mermaid skirt, her high heels clicking as she walked in, a vision of grace and allure.

“What, can’t the boss’ wife let her employees catch a break?” She smirked, placed two cups of decaf coffee on my desk, and chattered away. “Don’t worry, I made sure it’s decaf. I asked a doctor friend, and he said you should avoid caffeine during pregnancy. There are so many precautions. I’ll text you the details later. Don’t be careless. Pregnancy is a big deal, you know…”

“Christine,” I cut her off, grinning at her puzzled look, “You sound just like my mom.”

My parents died because of a business failure, leading to debt collectors confronting me at school to pressure

my dad into paying them back.

Panicked, my parents rushed to my aid, only to meet with a tragic accident.

I was just eight years old back then.

For years, I was trapped in guilt, believing their deaths were my fault.

But then, Christine reminded me that my parents died because they loved me.

Indeed, in my blurred memories of them, their love was abundant. Despite the demands of their business, my dad always made time for me and my mom every weekend.

My uncle pressured them to have another child, a son, to inherit the family business.

My mom immediately dismissed the idea, saying, “Who said only a son can inherit? We will not let anyone take what belongs to our daughter. Whether it’s love or wealth, it’s all hers.”

If that accident hadn’t happened, my mom would have been just as attentive about my pregnancy.

“Missing your folks?” Christine paused, then nodded, “I think their memorial is coming up.” After a brief pause, she checked her phone. “It’s close. Maybe you should bring Bryant along to visit your parents this year.”

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” I said.

Thinking back, in the three years we’ve been married, I’ve never taken Bryant to visit my parents’ graves. Partly because he was always busy and partly because it never felt like the right time, I never mentioned it.