"What went wrong in her marriage? Was he really desperate for a child?He should have let me know than cheating on me"Alora thought as she sat in the backseat of the moving vehicle and stared out of the window. She had managed to stop crying and was now recounting her marriage with Dalton Steel. Everything had been blissful... ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก! She loved him with her whole heart and believed he did the same. At least he had proven himself countlessly.
Back then, Grace had loved her so much and they were like best friends. Sadly, their friendship started breaking off six months after their marriage. It finally came to an end a year later when she still couldn't bear children. Alora was then despised by her mother-in-law who never stopped maltreating her whenever her son was away on business trips.She has try several ways to please her but it's not working just because she doesn't have a child.
Looking down at her bandaged arm, she sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. It was still hurting but was nothing compared to what she had gone through for the past Six years.
Finally, she arrived at the airport and proceeded to book a flight to England. She had informed her parents about her homecoming and they were more than happy to receive her. What they didn't know was why she was returning.
Eight hours later, she arrived in England and boarded a taxi back home. She was so exhausted and wanted nothing more than to eat, take a shower, and have a proper rest. Her waist was already on fire from the airline seats.
"Oh, sweetheart!" Her mother, Betty cried out and pulled her into a tight hug. She had not seen her daughter since they decided to move down to England a year after their retirement. "It's been decades since I last saw you! You have changed so much"
"Centuries!" Her father, Mr. Smith interjected, joining them in the sitting room. He pulled them into his arms and pecked Alora's hair. "We've missed you, Gumpie!"
"I missed you too!" She replied as tears rolled welled up in her eyes. Finally, she was home. Away from Grace, Dalton, and Carolina. She sniffled and blinked back tears. No, she wasn't going to think about them anymore. She was going to forget them the best way she could.
"That's enough, Smith. You're going to suffocate us!"
Alora laughed as her father pulled away from them. She had not realized how much she needed her parent's warm embrace until now.
"I'll take this up to your room!" Mr. Smith said and grabbed her luggage from where they sat at the doorway.
"Thanks, Dad!"
"Come!" Betty chirped and grabbed her hand, leading her into the kitchen. "I learned some new cooking recipes around here. You should try it too. I bet Evander will love them the way your father does!"
Her heart skipped on hearing his name, and her stomach lurched to her throat. She had not yet disclosed the reason for her sudden visit or the fact that she was no longer married to Dalton. ๐โ๐๐ก ๐ค๐๐ข๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก? She wondered.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Shaking off the feeling, she nodded and smiled. "Yes, mum. I'm just... Tired and hungry"
"Well then, the food is ready!" Betty announced and handed her a bowl of dessert. "Here, let's go. You can always learn the recipes later"
*****
They all sat to eat in the small garden while they talked about everything that happened over the past months. They looked so happy and were still beautiful together even after thirty-five years of marriage.
๐โ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ-๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ...
"That's a terrible lie, Smith. You said you loved the turkey!" Betty frowned at her husband who wouldn't stop laughing. She ignored him and turned to face Alora who had been smiling the whole time. "He said he loved it. That was why he ate all of them and asked for more!"
"Because no one wanted to eat them, honey!"
Betty scoffed and folded her arms. "That's ridiculous. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to eat deliciously spicy grilled turkey?"
Mr. Smith laughed harder and her frown deepened. He could still remember the little party they threw and how none of their friends or neighbors ate the turkey because it was way too spicy. After consuming the whole turkey, he ended up living in the toilet for days.
"It made me sick for days."
"You told me it was some drink. And... And then you blamed It on the weather. How could you have kept it from me?"
He leaned closer to her and pecked her cheeks. "Because I didn't want you to feel bad that no one ate your turkey. I don't care if it burns my liver to ashes, I'll always eat your deliciously spicy grilled turkey a million times. As long as it puts a smile on your beautiful face!"
Alora didn't realize she was crying until she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped it off before her parents noticed and smiled. It was a beautiful thing to see that her parent's love was still stronger. But hers...
"Enough about us. How have you been, Alora? How is Dalton?"
Alora choked on her meal and quickly grabbed her glass of water to gulp it down. By the time she was done, she looked up to find her parents staring at her. Bertha's eyes fell to her fingers before they returned to her face.
"Alora? W... What happened?"
She gulped and shook her head. "It's... It's complicated!"
"Did he hurt you? Is he responsible for what happened to your arm?" Mr. Smith asked and stood up immediately. "Tell me if I need to get on the plane right now. I don't care if he's a f*cking billionaire, he'll answer to me!"
"God, no, Dad, sit down. I already told you it was an accident" She answered and swallowed nervously. "We... I filed for divorce!"
Everyone remained quiet. They took time to digest what she just said before Bertha covered her hand with hers. "It's alright. You don't need to talk about it now..."
"There was a picture..." She managed to say, her voice quivering. "A picture of him with his secretary. We were supposed to celebrate our Sixth anniversary but then... He... He didn't come back home the same way he did on my birthday and didn't take my calls either."
She told them everything that happened with Carolina in the hospital and how things broke off with Dalton. "I was so hurt and heartbroken!"
"I never really liked him anyway. You made a good choice!"
"Smith!" Betty growled and he shrugged, taking his seat. "I understand it's hard but we're here for you, honey. You can stay as long as you want until you're willing to... try again!"
Alora shook her head and smiled softly. "There's no point in trying again if I keep failing."
"You're not failing, Honey! It's not your fault he couldn't remain faithful!"
"It is. I couldn't give him a child after years and I don't think I'll ever be able to produce one." She said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've visited the best hospitals with the best Doctors around the world but still, there's nothing. Carolina was right. I am useless!"
"Hush now, don't say things like that. You are not useless, you hear me?" Alora looked up at her mom who had the same green eyes as hers and curly brown hair. She nodded and wiped her tears.
"Good, now let's finish our meals before they get cold. We will go for a drive around town after you've had some rest"
*****
ONE MONTH LATER...
Betty and Mr. Smiths stood in the middle of the room, staring down at the pregnancy test result on the table. It was positive! Alora was pregnant and was three months gone! The results brought tears to Betty's eyes who couldn't hold back her excitement.
Her daughter was finally pregnant! They were going to have grandchildren!
Alora finally walked out of the bathroom and wiped her mouth with a towel. She had been throwing up! "I'm... I'm sorry things happened this way..."
"That's bullsh*t, come here!" Mr. Smith opened his arms and she walked into it, sobbing hard. "You're gonna be fine. We'll take care of you!"
Alora was happy and awful at the same time. It was still hard to believe the pregnancy results had come out positive. For the past month, she had been throwing up and felt very ill. Betty noticed all the signs and suggested they visit the hospital. There, it was confirmed. ๐โ๐ ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ-โ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ !
Deep down, she wished it had happened earlier. Maybe then, Grace wouldn't have been so cruel towards her and Dalton wouldn't have betrayed her. They would've been happy together with their children but now, things were different.
"Why did the child have to come late"She thought.
"I'd like to keep it a secret." She spoke firmly and placed her hands protectively on her stomach. "I'm afraid they'll try to take them away from me!"
"They can only try!" Her father replied and fisted his hands.
"It's alright, everything will be fine. We're gonna take care of you and the babies!"Her mum said happy for her.