I had told Marcus I had a job, which I did not.
It was a lame excuse for leaving because I think they all know, myself included, that all I did was run away. Not wanting to deal with the shame of being left by the man I have known all of my adult life, to run off into the sunset with my friend.
So, it was time to look for a job. Hopefully, get one before I am deemed unfit to work with my soon-to-be growing belly.
"I hear the hospital is always hiring." Tess tries to make conversation while she scrolls through one of the many dating apps she is signed to while eating her cereal. I was eating too, my baby was surprisingly very nice to me. I do not know what morning sickness is unless you count the horrible feeling one gets in the morning after a crazy night out with the girls...
"I don't know about working 20-hour days and spending it on my feet while trying to grow a little human inside of me. Had it been this way before I found out I was pregnant, then I'd consider it but I cannot right now. I need something that does not require a lot out of me, at least physically." I say, Tess, nodding her head while her eyes were focused on her screen.
"I think I will just visit every doctor's office and drop off my resume, just in case they are hiring or for when they do and I hope they do soon because your paycheck is not going to cut it," I say, smiling because that was enough to pull Tess's head out of the sand. She glared at me long enough for her phone to go black and I felt victorious!
"This money is good enough for little champ in there, maybe not for you. I mean, you are so used to the high life, I know for a fact I can never be able to afford you. I refuse to compete with Marcus's bank account." Tess explains. I roll my eyes at her.
She was right.
My closet was filled with designer items and expensive jewelry. Something Marcus made sure I had to fit into his world. Not the loud kind, the kind where you have to be well versed in fashion trends to know who designed the piece... The type of clothes most of the regals would wear, I had to look like money and even though that made me feel some type of way, I did it for the man I love.
"Let's sell them," I say and Tess gasps out loud, dramatically throws her hands to her chest, and glares at me again.
"How dare you?! You will never afford those clothes again but I am also upset I did not think about this first. We are going to make a fortune! Baby in there will have a trust fund after all." Tess says to me.
Jessica flashes through my mind when Tess mentions the trust fund.
I now wonder, was she pregnant? Did she scam him or were we both conned by the same woman? Her, entering my life just to ruin it and doing the same to Marcus?
What was her endgame? If she had one.
How do I even tell Marcus now about the pregnancy? Will he believe me or think I am trying to swindle him?
If I don't tell the poor man, his child will grow up without a father and it would be my fault. I can't make that decision for my child because that is not fair but this is also hard because there is another woman, that is also in my shoes. Even if she got the man in the end, if she is with a child, her child would deserve the same as mine.
"I need to tell him," I say to Tess, who looks at me with those eyes. The eyes I ran away from. From my hometown, that is exactly the eyes I did not want to have to deal with when I walk around. With my big belly and the people pity me because Marcus left me.
"I will leave you to it then. I need to get to work anyway so, see you later and get the clothes out. Choose what you want to keep and I will drive them to a second-hand store right after work." Tess says to me, kissing my forehead and taking her coffee mug with her.
I dial his number as Tess closes the door behind her.
It rings for a while and I decide to hang up but he answers just before I press the red button.
"Honestly Gina, give up already! He is married, there is not much you can do at this point." I hear Jessica say. My heart drops but it quickly picks up again with the sound of Marcus in the background asking for his phone.
"Hello? Gina, are you still there? I am so sorry. I don't know why Jessica is being so rude but I am here now. Are you in danger? Do you need my help?" Marcus says on the other line and a wave of vindictiveness washes over me and I hear myself say these words...
'Yes. I need your help and I will need it until I am able to stand on my two feet." I say.
"I will make a transfer now and every two weeks until you tell me to stop. I will do it for the rest of my life if you'll allow me but I know you won't so, whenever you say stop, I promise to respect your decision." Marcus says to me.
"Thank you. That will be all, tell Jessica I will not bother you again." I say and Marcus laughs, the same laugh I have heard all these years, and today, instead of making me sad, it washes away that evil that had me trying to get under Jessica's skin and wanting to be in his arms again.
How was I ever going to forget about this man? Stop loving him?
"I hope that one day you can tell me where you are exactly and that we can have coffee together, to get some closure, you know... We never really broke up." He says and I chuckle in disbelief.
"Watching you get married was you breaking up with me. Breaking every promise made to me. You were all I had and you did not even find an ounce of decency in you to tell me what was happening in your life, what was about to happen so that I can hear it from you first. You humiliated me, in front of the whole world and now you want to get some closure? The only closure you will get that will put some ease to your guilt is the money you send regularly, knowing it keeps me warm at night. I will not give you any more than that." I say and then I hang up.
The nerve of this guy...