I woke up to find myself staring up at the ceiling above me as the bright light invaded my eyes. I blinked a couple of times before my sight fully adjusted. I was lying in bed. Am I in the hospital again? What happened? I turned to see my mother sitting on the chair next to me, she noticed I was awake.
"How long are you going to keep this from me?" She questioned in her sharp voice the moment her eyes met mine.
I frowned. "What are you talking about?" I muttered under my breath as I sat myself up.
"You are pregnant, why didn't you tell me?" She sneered.
It was at this moment when the memories from earlier flooded my mind and realisation washed over me in an instant. I must have fainted earlier.
"Why do I need to tell you?" I retorted. It wasn't good news that I was happy to share about anyway.
"I'm your mother, Aurelia!" Her voice boomed loudly in the tiny ward as she glared at me, narrowing her eyes into thin slits. "You don't hide things from me, there's no such things as secrets between us."
A cold chuckle erupted from my parted lips as the moment when she slapped me replayed at the back of my mind. "I'm 27, I'm an adult. I decide what I want to do, and that includes saying the things I want to say. You don't get to tell me whether or not I should tell you certain things," I snapped back as a hint of disdain laced my voice.
I watched as she stood up from the seat and grabbed onto my shoulders tightly, shaking my body as she yelled in my face. "You are getting back together with Blake," she demanded, as her eyes grew wide with anger and rage.
"That's not happening. I'm not getting back with a scumbag like him."
"He's the father of the baby inside of you! You are going to ruin your reputation if you marry another man while you are pregnant with another man's child!"
A scoff escaped my lips. "Are you afraid that I'm going to ruin my reputation or that I'm going to ruin your reputation?" I challenged as defiance twinkled in my eyes.
"Your baby needs a father. You can't deprive an innocent child of his father!"
"Who says my child is not going to have a father? And besides, since when do you care? I grew up without my dad too and I turned out perfectly fine!"
She scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Perfectly fine?" She spat the words out like they were poison in her mouth. "I would beg to differ. You are a wreck, Aurelia," she sneered with disdain.
"Whatever you say. I'm not going to waste my saliva anymore. I can't be bothered arguing with you," I muttered as I turned away without paying her any attention. "I will do what I think is the best for my child."
"You don't know what's best for yourself, how could you possibly know what's best for your child," she made a snide remark.
"Leave," I demanded. "I don't want to see you here."
"You can't make me leave, I'm your mother," she retorted curtly, her sharp words piercing through the air. She was only staying out of defiance, it definitely wasn't out of care or concern for me.
As if on cue, a nurse walked into the ward with a polite smile etched onto her face. "Good afternoon, Mrs Wilder. How are you feeling?" She asked, concern laced her voice as she spoke.
"I'm feeling okay. Could you please get her to leave?" I asked as I gestured towards my mother who clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Aurelia, you can't -"
The nurse turned to face my mother, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Ma'am, please leave the ward."
"I-"
"Don't make me call security, ma'am," she warned.
"Fine," my mother spat before stomping out of the ward while I gave the nurse a grateful smile.
At this moment, the door swung open once again and I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach, thinking that my mother was back to argue. But instead, a sigh of relief left my parted lips and my features softened when I found myself looking into a pair of familiar dark eyes.
Xavier was standing by the door. The corners of his lips curved upwards into a slight smile.
"Time to go home."
***
I didn't expect myself to be walking into the office with my arm wrapped around Xavier's, but here I am.
Whispers and murmurs echoed in the office the moment we stepped in. We stopped in front of my dedicated office room. I gazed up at the door, my name was written on a fancy gold plated name plate placed right in the center of the door.
He shot me a smile. "Your own space," he announced as he pushed the door open to reveal the interior. It was simple but classy. A full length desk in the middle and a large fig plant sitting in the corner of the brightly lit room. "Like it?"
"Love it," I said as I returned the smile. "Thanks, Xavier."
A low chuckle left his lips. "Anything for you," he muttered before leaning forward to give me a kiss on the side of my head nonchalantly before mumbling "see you later" and leaving.
I had just stepped out of the room to grab a drink when I felt someone grab me by my arm and pull me into one of the empty meeting rooms at the side.
A soft yelp emerged from my throat and I looked up to meet Blake's angry eyes as he closed the door behind us.
I yanked my wrist out of his tight grasp and glared at him. "What do you think you are doing?!" I sneered.
He grabbed me by my shoulders and slammed my back against the wall behind me as a yelp left my lips.
"So, how long have you been cheating on me?!"