by Lannah Smith
"Are you feeling well?" I asked worriedly.
"It’s hard to take in that you’re finally back," she answered. "I had rushed over when I heard from Rohan and I think the adrenaline crash has sapped my strength. I just need to rest a bit, don’t worry.”
"When is the baby due to arrive?"
“I still have seven months to go. You know I'm getting married right?"
I frowned. "He didn't tell me that either."
"Maybe he wanted to let me tell you personally." She gave me a disgruntled look. "Were you ever going to tell me that you're back?"
Feeling guilty, I muttered, "I'm sorry, Emilia. I was unsure how to act when we see each other again. My life has become such a mess. Not like it ever wasn't before but..." I pressed my lips tightly. I couldn't go on. And she understood.
"You know, Rohan kept telling me your father was a bad guy. Of course, I already knew that but I didn't know how bad he was and how bad it had been for you. All those rumors about him being a drug lord, I didn't want to believe that because it meant your life was in danger. I wanted to think positive for you."
That made two of us.
"Is he really...?" she trailed off, hesitating.
I clenched my jaw and didn't answer. Her gaze fell and she chuckled darkly.
"Was that the reason you had to leave?"
I still didn't say anything. She scowled up at me. "Tell me or I won't leave the apartment and Christopher would have to put up with me sleeping between you."
That threat carried substance since I knew Emilia very well.
"I told you I was going to Europe..." I began, sitting next to her.
She nodded.
"Obviously, I didn't," I took hold of her hand, exhaling softly. "My father was set to send me to Mexico. I was going to be... someone's bride there."
Her eyes grew wide. "He sold you?"
She was quick to catch on.
"Not quite," I hedged. "It was a barter."
"Explain," she snapped.
I shook my head. "I can't," I mumbled. "It's not safe for me to tell you everything. If I had confided in you, I know you’ll put yourself right in the middle and I’d never forgive myself if something happens to you and your family. All you need to know is that I didn't want to accept that kind of life. That's why I ran away."
"Did he know that you didn't want that... that engagement?"
"Yes," I answered.
She nodded thoughtfully. "What did he do?"
My brows drew together. "What do you mean what did he do?"
"You told him you didn't want to be that man's bride. You clearly didn't manage to convince him. So what did he do to you?"
Understanding dawned and my lips pressed together into a tight line.
She knew exactly what he did then.
Emilia almost toppled over when she knifed up the bed and shaken, I reach out to her but she pushed my hands away. "That bastard!" she shouted. "That fucking asshole! That - that shitstain!"
Emilia was about to bellow another opinion of my father when we heard loud uproarious laughter outside the door. I got close to her and slapped my hand over her mouth, feeling myself get red on the face.
"Your father's a monster," Emilia whispered when I let go of her. She heaved a deep breath. "He'll get his punishment soon. I know there's real justice in this world and he will get what’s coming for him."
There was.
It was in the form of Christopher.
"You had to keep lying to me because of him."
I looked away.
"You also had to keep lying to me even when you recovered from your heart problems because you didn't want to have a reason to burn this bridge.”
My throat closed. My heart problems were the reason why I kept visiting her father's hospital, to get outpatient rehabilitation. It was how I met her.
"What you said to me before...” she started to mutter furiously, “when I refused to take the surgery... You said you were still hoping that your life will get better. That your life will turn better and that you wished for more time... You were talking about your father taking away your freedom, weren't you? Not your illness?"
My wet eyes went to her. She looked as furious as she sounded that I started to feel panicky. An angry Emilia was a reckless Emilia. She might put herself in danger for me. Especially for me.
"You didn't offer me friendship but you were my sister," she whispered, emotion washing over her face. "And I will help you get through this, April. You don't need to tell me everything but I won't let you keep me away anymore. We both promised to get through hardships together right?"
She remembered every word I told her. My chest tightened and I let out a shaky breath. It had been selfish of me, keeping her in my life when I knew it was dangerous for her to associate herself with me. I tried so hard to make her go away but she was stubborn, forcing through my walls relentlessly until she was there, inside where I was, determined not to let me deal with my miserable life alone. So I let her stay.
Panic deepened but I fought it.
I only have to believe in Christopher. That he would keep us all safe.
"Will you wait outside while I take a quick shower?" I suggested.
She glared at me. She was determined to stay put.
"Right," I whispered. "You can stay here."
"I'll pick out your clothes," she declared, moving to the closets. "Just get in the shower."
I was happy to oblige. Expectant mothers were prone to emotional outbursts. I wanted her to be soothed as possible.
Chapter 61
So many things had happened in just a short amount of time.
It had only been three days since Christmas but since then, I had already managed to adjust to my new home, to Christopher's new purpose and status in the city, to his men coming and going out of the penthouse. In the beginning, it made me feel awkward because it felt so weird. Thinking about how Christopher was so sweet on me, thinking how even the men around me were being so friendly and who all thought I was funny, not a heinous bitch… I’d never been in a house filled with so much love and affection. It was bizarre and even when I tried to give the men a cold shoulder, they slowly wore me down with their jokes in just one night. Even Christopher encouraged their behavior. Such camaraderie was new to me. And I felt myself drawn to it.
And Emilia. She was as forceful as the rest of them. Somehow, she had managed to trick me and made me promise to come shopping with her the next day after we reconnected. I couldn’t say no. Not when she was so angry. Not when we missed each other so much.
As I was dressing to go out, I kept glancing at the calendar on the wall. December 28. It felt like a lifetime had passed since my father found me. Since Christopher stole me from him. Thinking about everything that happened made my head dizzy. So I tried not to.
Earlier, Christopher advised me once again to take things one step at a time. Then before he left work, he gave me a black card and four bodyguards including Jaehyun, and promised to pick me up for dinner.
"People are looking," Emilia whispered to me while she was browsing for baby clothes in a shop in the luxury mall in the city.
I gave her a look to tell her what I thought of her little joke. She grinned and fluttered her eyelashes. I rolled my eyes. I knew people were looking. Whispering. With shocked expressions on their faces.
All their lips formed the same words.
April Locke.
And from the bits and pieces of conversations that I caught, it seemed that everyone simply thought I had moved to Europe and had stayed there. Jaehyun stood closely behind us while the rest had fanned out. I glanced at him. I did not believe even for a minute there were only four bodyguards with us. Not when we were this out and about.
"What do you think of this dress?" Emilia said, showing me a cute little white floral dress.
"What do I think?" I returned in a dry tone. "Are you sure you want to know what I'm thinking right now, Emilia?"
She blinked at me
then nodded. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn’t, right?"
I could have strangled her.
“You don’t even know the baby’s gender yet,” I pointed out. “It might be a boy.”
“But what if it’s a girl?” she insisted.
I just rolled my eyes. There was no winning her.
"Why is she back? Don’t tell me she’s staying here for good?"
The whispering grew louder.
“Doubt it. Maybe she’s just visiting.”
“I heard from my Dad that she got married off to an Italian. Heard he was in some nasty business too.”
“Figures. Her family does have some dirty secrets.”
I held my head high, continuously ignoring them. A group of women my age, I knew them to be old schoolmates from East Private School, was blatantly staring at me from the corner of the shop. It had been quite the distinction, being the most hated girl amongst my peers. And I knew that until then, I still held the title.
"April?" Emilia called.
I looked at her. "What is it?"
"You looked miles away," she frowned.
"I'm not. I'm right here."
She sent the group a glower. “I’m going to talk to them.”
More like have a fight with them.
Grabbing her arm, I pulled her back. “Don’t bother.”
“But—.”
"Scram, Ashley."
I stared at the newcomers weaving through the aisle in horror.
“I said, scram,” Hannah repeated, glaring at them when they didn’t move. “You, your baby bump and your minions can go shop elsewhere.”
"Jesus, Hannah," Sophia shook her head, pushing pass them with a sleeping baby in her arms. "It's not like you own the shop. Leave them alone.”
Terry was shaking her head. "But I own it. And they’re bothering the other customers. If they’re not going to buy anything then they need to leave."
Said Ashley pursed her lips and turned to leave, followed by her friends. I caught her mutter the words, fucking princesses, as she left. Jaehyun watch them go with a tiny twitch of his lips. He found that funny. But I didn't find all that amusing. I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t want any part of it. I glared at Emilia.
"I did not know they'll be here," she protested.
"Sure."
"I swear to Beethoven I didn't tell them anything about you!"
My gaze slanted to them. Terry's face was devoid of expression as she stared at me. Hannah was giving me the stink eye. And Sophia looked worried.
Time had also been amazing to them. And Sophia seemed to have finally acquired some fashion sense.
"The men underestimated me." Terry started to say in a low, angry tone. "Did they seriously think they can keep something as big as this from me? Not when Hannah is my best friend?"
Hannah lost the ugly look and turned green eyes to her. "You threatened me, you monster."
"The only monster around here is Christopher," she snapped.
My eyes went glacial and my shoulders straightened. "If you think I'm going to let you run your mouth and talk to him that way—."
"S-She just feels wronged, April," Sophia cut-in, stammering. "Christopher lied to us when we were all so worried about him a-and about you. We thought he was out there, wallowing. We didn’t know he was on vacation, having the time of his life with you. And he doesn’t even call."
"He wasn't having the time of his life with me," I slowly muttered in an arctic tone.
Terry's eyes narrowed. "I figured when John said Christopher was having problems with you."
Something about this hit me somewhere deep.
And I decided it was time to go.
"How are you?" Sophia asked hesitantly before I could.
"I'd be a lot better if people would stop coming up to me unexpectedly, asking me how I was," I said immediately and icily. "I'm back. It's nothing worth talking about. Especially since we're anything but close."
"April," Emilia hissed angrily from beside me as I watched Sophia flinch.
My stomach clenched.
But I was having none of this shit. It was clear what they were trying to do.
I was having none of it.
I decided it was time to go.
I whirled and looked at Jaehyun. "We're leaving."
Jaehyun nodded briskly.
"But I haven't paid for my stuff yet," Emilia complained, latching on to my arm.
"You're welcome to stay, Emilia," I told her.
Then without a backward glance, I left.
Or tried to.
Because never would I ever thought she'd do what she had just done. Sophia, for some insane reason, blocked my path and put her baby in my arms.
Yes. Her little baby girl.
In. My. Arms.
I blinked furiously at the pink bundle. Then I lifted wide eyes at her. She flinched again.
"I think maybe we should all talk?" she suggested.
Silence.
Then it was broken by Emilia cracking up behind me.
"Let me..." she snorted and took a deep breath. "Let me pay first."
"Emi - Emilia!" I called out when she went to the cashier with her basket. My eyes went to Terry. "Has Gideon gone insane?"
Terry pursed her lips. "She probably has. And it's Gage now."
"Get this baby out of my arms," I ordered, panicking when I felt the bundle shift.
"Emmy!" Sophia called out as she pushed me gently towards the exit. "We'll head to the café first, alright?"
"Okay!" she shouted back.
shit.
Seething, I sat rigidly on the chair. Sophia had not taken her baby. I couldn't believe she was letting me, me, not just a total stranger but also the woman who tried to split her up with her now-husband, hold her precious baby girl.
And Terry was letting her. Overprotective Terry.
Thank God, the tiny tot slept through all of this.
"Maria looks comfortable," Sophia commented in a conversational tone that held a lot of nervousness. "Do you have experience with babies, April?"
I gave her a withering glare. She managed not to wince this time.
"You look like you have experience," she tried again.
"If you're talking about the rumors that she got abortion four times and gave birth twice back in high school, then they were all just rumors, Sophia," Terry said in a mild tone, sipping her coffee.
Sophia turned red. "I wasn't referring to that. I was just... making small talk."
"Well, you suck at making small talk."
Hannah stayed quiet. She was no longer glaring daggers at me but looking quite pensive.
"It's been a while, April," Terry addressed me.
My eyes slid to her. I did not answer. Not only because I was bristling but because I might look like I have experience with babies but I didn’t. I was trying my very best to hold Sophia’s daughter properly while I glared daggers at them at the same time.
A corner of her lips curved. "I used to think how nice it would be if you never opened your mouth."
"One more word and I'm going to drop the baby," I muttered angrily.
None of them looked like they believed me. Sophia even leaned into me to say, "Can you tell your bodyguards to take a seat? They're scaring the other customers."
I did not have to glance behind me to know that Jaehyun, Jonathan and Aldwin were standing right behind me. And of all days for them to suit up, it had to be today.
I watched Emilia walk to us, Noel trailing behind her, holding several paper bags. I let out an angry exhale. She was smiling brightly when she took the seat beside me.
"You ordered for me." She grinned at Terry as she lifted her cup of matcha tea. "Thank you. So what were you talking about?"
"We're all getting re-acquainted to each other," Sophia supplied.
"And was there any re-acquainting done?"
Terry smirked and tilted her head towards me. "One is being a reluctant participant," she responded.
