~2 months later~
"Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed in immense joy as I saw the two lines on the test tube.
I was hundred percent sure my eyes were seeing properly. I was pregnant!
"Oh my God! I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant!" I screamed as I rushed out of the bathroom to get my phone and call Damion. He had to know.
My joy knew no bounds but as I picked my phone up, I paused.
Wouldn't it be nice to surprise him rather than call and just casually tell him.
"How should I surprise him?" I wondered to myself as I sat on my bed while thinking deeply.
"Should I tell him at work?"
"What if I make a document and hand it over to him then when he opens it he would see a bold writing stating I was pregnant…" I grinned in happiness but just as the grin came, it left.
That was very unromantic, Arleen! Think of something else.
"How about I go to his house and tell him…hmmm," I hummed thoughtfully.
It was Sunday and I had no work.
"Should I take a cake with the writing of I am pregnant on it as I go to his place?" I asked myself.
And while I was deep in thought, a call came in and I hurriedly checked who it was.
When I saw the caller, my eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Clifford?"
"From your voice I can tell you're already up."
"That's right."
"Can we meet? I have something to show you."
"Show me?" I frowned.
"Yes." He confirmed.
"But I have to go to church."
"I don't mind meeting you at your church."
Sighing, I gave it a thought.
"Where should we meet? I'll come see you later."
"It's very important, Arleen."
"How important?" I asked out of curiosity.
"It's about Damion."
**
"Does Beverley know you're in a relationship with Damion?"
At his question, I frowned.
"Not at all, it's still a secret between I and Damion except that you know, why?"
"Look at this."
Clifford quietly pushed an envelope to me and I narrowed my eyes at it. Giving him a look, I slowly picked it from the table and opened it.
"I had never brought it up to Beverley that you're dating Damion because I felt she liked him and it would break her to hear it from me." He explained while I took out the photos and my heart seemed to have stopped as I stared at them.
Confused, I glanced at him.
"What am I seeing, Clifford?" I didn't want to believe it. It was frightening.
Unable to answer my question, Clifford remained quiet.
We were currently in an empty restaurant which was the best place to meet.
I scanned the photos one by one with my hands trembling.
There were eight photos and each of them had different scenes.
The first one was Damion and Beverley out on a date, the second was them again on another date, the fourth was too much for me to handle. They were kissing!
The fifth was taken from outside to show what happened inside. They were having sex…
And the sixth, seventh and eighth were all evidence of them having sex together. I was speechless.
"That's not all, listen to this." He handed me a recorder and I stared at it for a long time as tears filled my eyes.
As if sensing how devastated I was, he played it so I could just listen. The first voice I heard was Damion's and he said;
"Don't worry about that, she knows nothing. I'm just dating her so I could watch her closely. She's really naive…" saying that, he chuckled.
~"Since she knows nothing, what's the need in keeping her?" The person he was talking to asked.
"She's good in bed but Beverley is excellent. I'm keeping Arleen because I have her around my finger. She's madly in love with me and it's to our advantage, Jake."~
Jake! My mind spiked at that name. The only person he spoke casually with was his closest friend, Jacob!
Grace's husband.
My countenance fell instantly. Was it a joke all along?
But the conversation didn't end there;
~"Does Clifford suspects you?" Jake inquired.
"Not at all. But I plan to take everything from him. I'll use Arleen, after all he seems to be into her." Damion stated.
"How about Beverley? Have you planned on how you're going to propose to her?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, but let's work on taking everything from Clifford…"~
"Stop it!" I sobbed.
Without wasting much time, Clifford stopped the recorder and quickly came to my side to comfort me.
He took out his handkerchief and wiped the rushing tears.
"I didn't want to tell you because I know the pain it would cause but I just had to."
The tears poured out even more at his words and I cried out loud. It was heartbreaking!
The anguish in my chest was unbearable to contain.
"Why!... why!...how…cou..ld…he?" I kept repeating those words as I cried.
I even wanted to tell him we were going to have a baby together. I trusted him with all my heart regardless of what Clifford had told me way back.
It was all my fault for not leaving in the first place.
I cried so much to a point I couldn't breathe and before I knew it, I passed out.
**
I slowly opened my eyes and found myself staring up at the white ceiling.
Feeling exhausted and thirsty, I remained laying on the bed.
Get up, Arleen. My brain told me and I sighed.
I struggled to sit upright but surprisingly, an arm came around my waist.
I slowly looked to my left and found Clifford staring back at me as he helped me sit upright.
"Wh-how are you here, Clifford?"
"You're in the hospital, Arleen."
Hospital? When?
I was meant to be at home as it was morning…wait!
Suddenly, everything hit me hard like a rock and I went still for nearly a minute.
Facing Clifford, I asked in a low voice.
"Please tell me it's all a dream…please…" I pleaded as tears filled my eyes.
At my question, he shook his head sadly.
"I'm afraid it's not, Arleen."
I closed my eyes and the tears trickled down my face as I tried to breathe.
Damion couldn't do such…no no…he couldn't. I tried to convince myself but the evidence was jarring.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared into space.
"The doctor told me you're pregnant." I heard Clifford say and it pricked my heart badly.
The first person I wanted to find out about it was Damion but Clifford found out first.
"What will you do with it?" He worriedly inquired.