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I was pregnant for a man who despised me, in love with same man who was in love with someone else, my sham of a marriage was due to end any day now, in less than 8 hours.<br /> &quot;I&#039;ll be going to Winsconsin.&quot; I said.<br /> &quot;Winsconsin? the factory? Is there a problem?&quot;<br /> &quot;Not really, just to smooth out any potential problems that...would delay supplies.&quot; I looked down at my hands.<br /> &quot;When?&quot;<br /> &quot;Tonight.&quot;<br /> ————————<br /> <br /> I sagged against the wall of the clinic, not trusting my legs to carry me any further without collapsing in a heap on the floor.<br /> Slowly, as though in a slow motion video, I lifted the picture clutched tight in my left hand and stared at the black and white mass that the nurse had handed over to me after the doctor had pronounced the four words that I had not been expecting at all.<br /> Disbelief and shock and a dozen other thoughts waged a battle in my head. Most prominent thought was &#039;how?&#039; How could I have gotten pregnant?<br /> Which was a silly question, really. After all I knew all about how babies were made, I wasn&#039;t that naive. Still, it had been just the one time, my first time. One time.<br /> A headache bloomed in my temples and I sighed and let my eyes drift shut. Unconsciously, I crumpled the paper in a tight fist, fighting the surge of tears that stung my lids. This was not the time to give in to bouts of self pity, I had to figure out what to do, how to break the news to Aiden and brace myself for what comes after.<br /> I heard footsteps coming towards me and I straightened, unwilling to let anyone see me in this condition. Pale, teary eyed, shaken.<br /> A nurse passed me, giving me a friendly smile and nod and I forced a smile in return. Smoothing out the ultrasound photo, I tucked it into my purse, careful that it would not fall off. A quick glance at my watch had me hurrying down the corridor towards the exit of the hospital. As I stepped outside, my phone beeped a text message from a familiar number.<br /> Are you done?<br /> Aiden. I quickly replied that I was done, quickening my footsteps because I knew the car would already be waiting outside and I didn&#039;t want to keep him waiting. He was not a patient man, and I knew he had a meeting scheduled in the next hour.<br /> I caught sight of the gleaming Mercedes already idling at the front entrance to the hospital, drawing admiring and envious gazes. Thanks to the heavily tinted windows, none of them could see the occupants of the car, but I knew Aiden would be in the back seat, watching me approach. Feeling self conscious at all the attention, I walked up to the car just as the driver&#039;s door opened and our chauffeur, Martin, came around to open the back door.<br /> &quot;Afternoon Ma&#039;am.&quot; Martin intoned in crisp, professional tones as he held the door open.<br /> &quot;Hello Martin,&quot; I murmured, distractedly.<br /> The cause of my distraction sat at the other end of the seat, narrowed dark brown eyes, set in a face that many women and men had described as drop dead gorgeous, were trained on me as he watched me almost lose balance and topple head first into the car.<br /> Disapproval oozed from him in waves as he watched my blunder and my cheeks heated from embarrassment, but I managed to right myself just in time to avoid disaster, mumbling an apology that was ignored.<br /> &quot;Did you get the signed contract?&quot; He asked, his voice deep, sliding over my ears like hot chocolate on a cold winter&#039;s morning and I had to suppress the thrilling shiver that ran through me. It wouldn&#039;t do to let him see how much everything about him affected me. Yes, I was hopelessly in love with him, but I didn&#039;t need a fortune teller to tell me my love was neither wanted nor reciprocated.<br /> I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. &quot;Yes, everything&#039;s all set. We should be able to deliver the first batch of lab equipment by the end of month.&quot; I fished out my tablet and switched it on, quickly bringing up the signed contract for him to see. &quot;Dr. Mason sends his regards as well.&quot;<br /> Aiden merely spared one glance at the screen and nodded. &quot;It&#039;s your project. You&#039;ll be the main liaison with Vincent at the hospital. Handle it well.&quot;<br /> &quot;Of course.&quot; I murmured and slid the tablet back in my purse. My fingers brushed the edge of the damning picture that would either be the final nail in the coffin of our marriage, or the start of a new beginning.<br /> <br /> New beginnings...that was merely wishful thinking. I risked a glance at Aiden, my gaze lingering when I noticed he&#039;d leaned back against the headrest and had his eyes shut. He wasn&#039;t asleep, but most likely deep in thought as the car began to move smoothly. I took this rare opportunity to study him, committing every single feature on his face to memory because, who knew, the next moment, I could find myself with a broken marriage, alone, pregnant and out of my marital home.<br /> The thought was a knife through my chest and I forced myself to look away, turning to the window to stare at the passing scenery. I noticed then that we weren&#039;t on the route back to the office and frowned, puzzled. Aiden had mentioned earlier that he had a shareholder meeting to attend by 2 p.m. and it was already a half past one &#039;o&#039; clock. The distance from the hospital to Skylark Corp took about thirty minutes barring heavy traffic but it looks like we were headed back home instead.<br /> I looked at Aiden again, intending to ask about our destination, but caught myself before I opened my mouth. I noticed the strained lines around the corners of his eyes, lips pressed tightly together and fell silent. Wordlessly, I opened the mini fridge compartment and pulled out a bottle of chilled water, and from another compartment, got out a pack of aspirin. Squeezing two white pills onto my palm, I uncapped the bottle of water.<br /> &quot;Here.&quot; I said, holding out my hand. His eyes opened, confused for a moment then he noticed the pills. His mouth twisted and for a second I thought he was going to reject my offer. Instead, Aiden took the pills and popped them in his mouth. I handed him the water and watched as he drank, transfixed on his throat which bobbed deliciously with every swallow, the motion so unconsciously sensuous that I felt my own throat go dry and forced my gaze away.<br /> I should not be having hot thoughts about my husband. Not when disaster was imminent.<br /> &quot;Thank you.&quot; His words broke through my hazy thoughts. I nodded and took back the bottle, screwing the cap back on, my thoughts now back to the issue of my pregnancy and how to break the news...when to break the news to Aiden.<br /> I should do it now, I reasoned silently. Rip off the bandaid and endure the pain that was sure to follow, then get on with my life. It would be better than stewing in uncertainty for god knew how long until I worked up the courage to tell him later.<br /> &quot;Aiden...&quot; My palms began to sweat and I could literally hear my heart pounding in my ears. I swallowed nervously and wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.<br /> Rip off the bandaid.<br /> He looked at me, expression devoid of any emotion. It had always been hard to get a read on Aiden and I usually prided myself on being able to read people with some measure of accuracy. Not Aiden though. He was a block of marble - cold, impenetrable.<br /> &quot;What is it?&quot; There was a hint of impatience in his voice and that made me lose what little nerve I had managed to muster.<br /> &quot;I...&quot; I hated myself for stuttering, because I could see how much it irritated him, if the narrowed eyes and wry twist of his lips was any indication. My hands formed tight fists, nails digging into the soft flesh of my palms, the pain helping to ground me a little. &quot;While I was at the hospital, I stopped by...&quot;<br /> His phone went off, the sound shattering the tense moment and drowning out my words. I fell silent as Aiden cursed under his breath and slid the phone from his inner suit pocket to glance at the screen. In the dim interior of the car, I could easily see the lit up screen and the name of the caller displayed.<br /> Elisa.<br /> A tinge of bile filled my throat at the sight of the name. My shoulders sagged and I looked away, my chest feeling like a vise had clamped down on it, squeezing tight.<br /> &quot;Can it wait?&quot; I heard Aiden ask and I glanced up at him. He was looking at me with that same impatient look, head c****d to one side as he waited for my answer. &quot;I need to take this call, we can talk afterwards.&quot;<br /> &quot;Yeah, sure.&quot; I said, forcing a lightness to my voice that I didn&#039;t feel. I watched as Aiden accepted the call, my throat tight as I noticed the way his voice got softer, the way his tense shoulders relaxed as he listened to the reply on the other end, the hint of a smile that lifted his stern mouth and felt the vice tighten until I could barely breathe.<br /> Unable to bear the sight, I looked away, swallowing down the lump of bitter emotions that threatened to spill over. I let my mind wander again, unwilling to listen to whatever conversation they were having, knowing it would only hurt me more.<br /> <br /> For the second time today, tears welled up in my eyes and once more, I refused to shed them. It must be the pregnancy that was making me so prone to tears, wreaking havoc on my hormones.<br /> I wasn&#039;t one to cry easily. I had only cried five times in twenty five years and those had been out of pure grief at losing people I cared about to the cold hands of death. The most recent crying episode had happened a month ago, when Julian Brown, my mentor, friend and the father of the man seated next to me had passed after a long battle with cancer.<br /> The time before that had been when Julian had gathered all of us in his home office to break the news of his cancer diagnosis. That had been two years ago, the same day my life had taken a turn for the worse, or for the better, depending on who you asked.<br /> Knowing he was dying soon, Julian had expressed his desire to see his son married before he left this world. Julian had known of my feelings for his eldest son, had known that I&#039;d fallen in love with Aiden from our first meeting during a thanksgiving dinner with the Brown family.<br /> He would always tease me about it, good naturedly, of course, but never in a million years had I ever imagined that Julian would scheme to bring us together in marriage.<br /> Particularly since he knew well that Aiden did not reciprocate my feelings, that he saw me as merely a friend of the family, someone to be endured and be polite to during the few times we met but nothing more.<br /> I knew where his heart lay. With Elisa Harding, the stunning beauty with brains to match who was his childhood friend, school mate and now his co-worker.<br /> So, when Julian had asked Aiden to get married, I&#039;d assumed, much to my dismay, that Aiden would ask Elisa to be his wife. But Julian had thrown in a wrench in his plans when he&#039;d stipulated that Aiden marry me instead.<br /> Julian had been adamant and refused to change his mind. Not when Aiden had refused at first, not when almost everyone, including myself had pointed out that Elisa would be the better match for Aiden. Not even when I&#039;d privately pleaded with Julian to change his mind because I knew Aiden would never agree to the marriage and I did not want to force myself on him.<br /> Then to my utter shock, Aiden suddenly changed his mind and agreed to the marriage. For a while, I&#039;d been in heaven, foolishly indulging in fantasies that maybe he had come to realize his true feelings for me. I ignored my misgivings, or the fact that he barely spoke more than two sentences to me the entire time we were planning the hasty wedding, or that whenever he looked at me, his face was devoid of expression. I&#039;d fooled myself into thinking it was because he was still coming to terms with his feelings for me.<br /> Then, on our wedding night, Aiden had coldly informed me that our marriage, as far as he was concerned, was nothing but a sham. He&#039;d congratulated me in such cold tones that I&#039;d felt goosebumps all over my skin for manipulating his father and himself into marrying him.<br /> &quot;I suppose congratulations are in order.&quot; Aiden had snarled on the ride back from the reception, heading towards our new home, a three storey mansion that was a gift from Julian. &quot;You finally got what you wanted, didn&#039;t you?&quot;<br /> I stared at him in confusion. &quot;What are you talking about, Aiden?&quot;<br /> His laugh had been filled with derision. He tugged at his bow tie viciously and I had the sense that he wanted to wrap his hands around my neck instead.<br /> &quot;Cut the innocent words, Jessica,&quot; the way he said my name sent cold shivers down my back. &quot;You may have everyone fooled, but I can see through that f*****g angelic face.&quot;<br /> &quot;Fooled? I...I didn&#039;t fool...&quot;<br /> &quot;I said cut the words.&quot; he cut in ruthlessly and I&#039;d instinctively shrank back in fright. He followed me, leaning close until our noses almost touched, eyes an icy glint of anger. &quot;Enjoy your victory while it lasts, because the second my father is cold and in his grave, you and I are done.&quot;<br /> While I&#039;d struggled to process his harsh words, he moved back to his seat and continued. &quot;This marriage is in name only. We might live together, but do not expect even the slightest consideration from me. As far as I&#039;m concerned, you and I are two strangers who merely share a last name, on a temporary basis.&quot;<br /> It didn&#039;t matter how many times I&#039;d protested that I had nothing to do with his father&#039;s decision and eventually, I&#039;d given up trying to make him understand. We&#039;d lived together as strangers ever since, barely speaking and avoiding each other unless necessary.<br /> Until the night Julian had passed away. Driven by grief, I&#039;d stopped by my best friend&#039;s bar and drunk a little more than I could handle. When I stumbled home at one in the morning, I&#039;d met Aiden, who had been drinking too and one thing had led to another and we&#039;d ended up in bed.<br /> I shut my eyes and tried to recall that night, but no matter how hard I tried, I could barely remember our time in bed. The last thing I remembered was standing in the doorway of Aiden&#039;s study and that was all.<br /> With Julian dead, I knew it was only a matter of time before Aiden served me with divorce papers. To be honest, I was surprised he didn&#039;t give me my marching orders the day after Julian&#039;s death, but I reasoned that he was probably waiting for the funeral before he made his move.<br /> The funeral was the day after tomorrow. I felt a stinging pain in my mouth and when I tasted blood, I realized I had chewed on the inside of my cheek so hard to break the delicate skin. Aiden was still on the phone, but it looked like he was rounding up.<br /> With shaky hands, I reached for a fresh bottle of water and took deep gulps.<br /> &quot;I need to head back to the office.&quot; Aiden said after hanging up.<br /> &quot;Oh? Is it the shareholder meeting?&quot;<br /> &quot;No, that was rescheduled for tomorrow. Elisa was able to set up an impromptu meeting with the chairman of Linston Healthcare and she wants me to sit in for it.&quot;<br /> Of course she does, I mused silently, careful to keep my expression neutral. &quot;Okay. If you need the car, Martin can pull over here and I&#039;ll catch an Uber back to the house.&quot;<br /> &quot;No need. We&#039;re almost at the house, so it shouldn&#039;t take too long.&quot;<br /> &quot;Will you be back for dinner?&#039; I asked and wished I didn&#039;t when he leveled me with a quelling look, mouth twisting in familiar derision. I knew the question was silly, we never ate dinner...or any other meal together, but I&#039;d wanted to know if he would be coming back home tonight or spending the night elsewhere...probably at Elisa&#039;s place.<br /> It wouldn&#039;t be the first time.<br /> &quot;No, I won&#039;t.&quot; He replied, curtly.<br /> Cheeks burning - from humiliation and hurt, I nodded and looked away again.

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