I haven't spoken with Lisa since that night at the club. After five months of being married to Henry Dragon, I finally heard her voice again.
We spoke on the phone for almost two hours, trying to catch up. But of course, she wanted to know how my marriage with Henry was doing. I had to lie to her that everything was good and rosy to save face.
She promised to visit me soon. I really hoped she wouldn't.
After marrying Henry Dragon, we both lived like strangers. We tried so hard to stay away from each other's space or businesses.
This was not what I wanted when I married him. Sleeping in separate rooms, not discussing like couples do, or eating together. And I bet having sex with me was the last thing on his mind right now.
I bet Monica, his girlfriend, was the one telling him to act this way towards me. Two weeks ago, I eavesdropped on Monica's conversation with Henry's mother.
I found out that Mrs. Dragon sincerely did like Monica, and she really thought that Monica and her son were a perfect match.
Which got me thinking, if she thought that they were such a perfect match made from heaven, why then did she threaten Henry to marry me in the first place?
I refused to believe that it was really because I was pregnant with his child. I felt like there was something more than met the eye.
I must confess, I was a little hurt after listening to Mrs. Dragon and Monica's conversation that day. Maybe a little jealous too. I thought I was the only one Mrs. Dragon really did like for her son.
Anyway, Mrs. Dragon and I became even closer after that day. She always bragged about having the best daughter-in-law to her friends.
Mr. Dragon became fond of me too because of his wife.
In fact, she literally and single-handedly made her husband like me.
Henry's mom would never wear an outfit that I never approved of. We were so close, too close that you would never believe me if I told you that she was not my real mom but my mother-in-law. She was like the mother I never had, and Henry's father was like the true father I wished I had.
I never imagined in my life that I would be blessed with such a beautiful family who didn't care about the fact that I was an orphan. Compared to how wealthy this family was, I honestly thought that everyone in this family would be as arrogant as Henry.
I couldn't believe that I was married into one of the richest families in the country.
These people took me in, fed me, and clothed me. They treated me like I was the daughter they never had.
I wished Henry would do the same and pay more attention to me and to his child I was carrying.
I loved everything Mrs. Dragon said, and I did whatever she told me to do. But there was just one thing that didn't sit well with me.
Tuesdays were my antenatal days. And on those days, Mrs. Dragon always took me to Monica's hospital. Monica happened to be a doctor.
Believe me, I hated seeing my husband's girlfriend. And having her touch my stomach every now and then gave me the creeps, knowing full well that my husband was still with her every night.
She was the reason why Henry had refused to love me.
But why did my mother-in-law always bring me here for my antenatal? There were thousands of hospitals in the country. Why bring me here?
Initially, I expressed how uncomfortable I was with Monica being my doctor, but my mother-in-law would always say that she couldn't trust anyone better than Monica to take care of me. She was good at her job, blah blah blah, and so on and so forth.
"Don't worry, you're in good hands. Monica is the best in this field," she said, trying to convince me.
Oh well, I couldn't say no after hearing her say all that. Monica sure did a number on her.
There's something that had been bothering me for so long, and I couldn't bring myself to ask my mother-in-law about it because my pride would be hurt.
Why hadn't she said anything about Monica? She could pretend for all I cared; I knew she was well aware that her son was still fucking Monica. In fact, the whole family knew this, and it wasn't even a secret.
What exactly was going through her mind whenever she brought me to Monica's hospital? Didn't she care how this would affect me mentally and psychologically?
My due date finally came, and luckily for me, Henry was at home when I went into labor. Henry Dragon drove me to the hospital himself.
I really wished I could relive this moment over and over again. I thought he didn't care about his child. But I was wrong; he did. Maybe he just didn't know how to express himself.
I could see how worried he looked while driving with great speed. Finally, we arrived at Monica's hospital. The nurses checked me and saw that the baby's head was already out. They quickly rushed me to the theater and called in Monica at once.
Monica rushed into the theater, and before I knew it, they all began to chorus, "Push, push."
"Come on, Andrea, push. This is the last chance you have. If you don't push now, your baby will die. So push." That was definitely Monica's voice I just heard.
This was the very first time I heard her call my name. I could swear even the baby in my stomach felt how angry I was when my name came out of her mouth.
I used all the anger I felt towards her; I channeled everything into pushing out my baby. Immediately I heard my baby cry, I smiled and was very proud of myself.
"Welcome to the world, son. Now Henry Dragon will never treat me like he did before."
I pondered all this in my heart. I was too weak and tired to say a word. Too weak to take a proper look at my son. But one thing I knew for sure, I had given birth to Henry Dragon's son, Henry Dragon Junior.
Now I am fulfilled. Finally, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.