"Ava, I'm highly disappointed in you; you shouldn't have lied against your husband," Robert said and walked away with Austin.
Ava felt disappointed as she dug her nails into the bed. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have accused Alex of being impotent. She had become a nuisance in the presence of the only person who cared for her.
Claire scoffed. "How long have you been dreaming of having sex in the presence of everyone? You are such a shameless prostitute that wants to be fucked everywhere; fuck you barren!"
"Do you know what will be best for you? Don't let Alex meet you at home; I know he must have warned you about that."
"I came prepared; here is a divorce paper, sign it and get the hell out of here," Vivian spat.
There was a bit of worry on Claire's face; she knew how stubborn her brother was and no one dared tell him what to do.
"Mom, don't you think it is getting too much? Let Alex handle this himself."
"Do you think Alex won't be happy with this? He will surely praise me for it," Vivian smirked.
"Can we go? It is getting late. Please, let Alex handle her himself."
Vivian thought of it for a while before she agreed with her daughter. She flung the paper to Ava on the bed, and they walked out.
Tears that Ava had fought began to stream down her eyes. She wailed uncontrollably until her vision blurred.
She stood up and walked to her room to clean up all the blood on her lap; she felt it sore in between her legs. All her dreams of the first night became shattered; she had prepared for what happened today a long time ago. She had many lubricants, lingerie, and red G-strings that would make Alex go easy on her.
She regretted ever marrying him because of the pain he inflicted on her; he indeed made the Christmas day memorable for her.
There was no one to talk to since all the workers had gone on holiday. Luca, who had been making her feel safe, was nowhere to be found.
One month later
"You need to go to the hospital; you can't be feeling unwell and stay indoors," Luca, the maid, said.
"I don't need to go to the hospital; I will be fine."
Ava had been feeling unwell for the past few days since the incident. She looked pale, her skin lacked color, and she thought the sickness was the result of the ill treatment she received from Alex and his absence from home.
Alex refused to come back home after he stormed out, and this got her worried. He had been going to the office. Ava had made many attempts to meet him at the office and apologize for what happened that day, but he refused to let her in. His butler always chased her back. That could be one of the reasons Ava fell sick.
"Okay, ma'am, what should I get for you?"
"Nothing, I'm okay; just don't leave here; let me be seeing you; I hope Alex could come back home," tears welled up in her eyes.
Luca heaved a heavy sigh and said, "I'm sorry, ma'am; he will come back; keep hanging on, ma."
A dry chuckle escaped from Ava's lips and she said, "Luca, you and I know that we are deceiving ourselves; Alex will never come back to this house unless I leave."
"Don't talk like that. I know Alex, he felt guilty for the way he had treated you. I know when he runs away. I liked the step you took on Christmas Day. Alex had never gone down on a woman since I met him; I thought he wasn't a man enough. Thank you for taking this bold step," Luca explained.
"Your boss is gay; how on earth does he discriminate against women like that? Even the woman he claims he loves, he is such a liar, and..." Before she could finish her sentence, she felt a sharp pain under her tummy; it was as if her stomach wanted to fall off. She let out a moan and gripped Luca.
"Luca, my tummy... I don't know. My stomach wants to remove itself from my body." Tears began to fall incessantly from her face.
Luca began to shake violently from where he stood, he was disoriented and didn't know what to do. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed Alex's number.
Alex could only pick his call; at the second ring, he picked.
"I know your salary will be due for payment tomorrow; my secretary will work on it, and you guys will be paid. Goodnight," he responded to the call without hearing what Luca called for.
Luca called again and started talking immediately as Alex answered the call.
"Mrs. Langford is sick; she has been sick for so many days but refused to go to the hospital; she can no longer hold the pain."
"Is she my responsibility? You can call me when she gives up the ghost; consider deductions from your salary for disturbing my peace over that disgusting being; get the hell out of my phone!" he yelled.
Ava heard less of everything he said on the phone.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as her husband's cruel words echoed in her mind. Tears streamed down her face, the pain of his betrayal sharper than any physical ache she was experiencing. How could he wish her death? She felt a heavy weight settle on her chest, making it even harder to breathe.
She had expected nothing less from him, but hearing it out loud still crushed her spirit. A shaky sigh escaped her lips, and she felt a deep sense of hopelessness. How did her life come to this?
Despite she was feeling the pain, a burning anger began to rise. How dare he speak of her that way? He had taken her love and given her nothing in return but scorn and neglect. Her tears dried as she clenched her fists and muttered, "Take me to the hospital."
"Okay, let me ring the family doctor and notify him that we are coming."
"Don't take me there; look for one different..." she collapsed before she could finish the sentence.
After two weeks
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Good morning. What happened to me?"
"I'm Doctor Kate; you have been here for more than 10 days; you had an abortion."
Ava's heart raced as she struggled to sit up. "What did you say?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Her hands instinctively moved to her abdomen, feeling a mix of shock and disbelief. "I... I can't be pregnant. But I was feeling something in my tummy before I got sick." The room seemed to spin, and she gripped the bed sheets tightly, trying to steady herself as she recalled changes she noticed on her body before she fell sick.
"Doctor Kate, where is my baby?" she snapped gripping the doctor.