HAPPY FOREVER AFTER

Weeks passed.

They barely saw each other after that, not that Emma wanted to. It hadn’t been easy telling him she fell in love with him. And he had ignored it and left like it didn’t matter. And it didn’t. She told herself over and over again. She had more important things to think about right now.

The few times they saw each other at the office, they only spoke about work. It was like they were pretending that everything was the same..

That nothing had changed. And Emma didn’t know if she should be mad at him or grateful that he kept his word not to bother her.

Most people at Kay Corp knew she and Daniel were in some kind of affair. And she was able to ignore the rumors and whispers. But for some reason it was harder now, especially since she was starting to show.

But office rumors were the least of her problems. She felt horrid, sick all the time, exhausted, and worried. And she was miserable because no matter how mad at him she was she still missed him. But he had hurt her and threatened to take her baby away, and she didn’t know if she could ever get past that.

The marriage suggestion freaked her out even more. The man confused the hell out of her. One minute he didn’t want to be in a fake relationship with her. The next he wanted to marry her. But it was only because she was pregnant. Not because he was in love with her or anything. How would that kind of marriage even work? She asked herself. Was he really willing to go into a loveless marriage for their baby?

It annoyed her even more. She didn’t want his pity proposal. She was strong and independent. She could take care of herself.

Karen and Monica did their best to be there for her. Even Tom came around sometimes, but she didn’t try to talk to them about Daniel, because she didn’t think she could speak about him without bursting into tears.

She wanted to be strong… For the baby and for herself. She found herself talking to her stomach most times. “We only have each other. So we have to be strong”. She would smooth a hand over her belly and whisper. “I love you, I will never begrudge a single moment I have with you.”

As the pregnancy progressed, she realized she was getting even more tired. She hated the whole morning sickness thing because when she was done throwing up, all she wanted to do was get back in bed instead of going to work. She began to isolate herself. She did her best to show up at the office, and when she got back she went to bed early. She tried to eat right -which was hard because most foods turned her stomach and everything came back out again. Sometimes it took only the smell of the food to send her throwing up in the bathroom. Even some foods she used to love were hard to keep down.

Daniel gave her space. Which hurt him so damn much. She just needed some time. He thought. She would come around. So he kept his distance. She had to realize at some point that she needed him. And he wanted to help. He wanted to be there for her and their baby.

But as the days went by, Emma defied his expectations. She didn’t ask him for anything. She didn’t ask him to take her for doctor appointments and she didn’t talk to him about anything concerning the baby. Even when he texted and asked. She simply texted back that she was fine. No details… Just that she was fine.

It seemed like she had everything under control, but he knew she didn’t. He hardly saw her and when he did see her, she looked miserable, though she was trying so hard to hide it. But he knew. It was like he could see through her.

She was never in the mood to speak to him, and she seemed determined to have nothing to do with him.

But one fact that remained true and undeniable was that she was pregnant with his child- and it was making her sick as hell.

She lived alone, and he couldn’t help her in the night if she needed him. It bothered him so much when he thought of her being alone in her apartment. His one suggestion that she call him had been met with an appalled stare and an indignant “I can manage.”

It was torture watching her grow with his child, her baby bump becoming visible. Her body curved in new places, her breasts were bigger, and her belly a little rounded. His child was growing in there, he thought whenever he saw her, his mind boggled. And he was watching it all from afar. It was like he was there and he wasn’t there.

——————————

“He asked you to what?” Karen asked in surprise.

Emma stared at Monica and Karen and they stared right back at her. She had just told them about Daniel’s suggestion that they get married.

“Wow,” Monica said. “That’s huge. I can’t believe he proposed”.

“Well, it wasn’t really a proposal. It was kinda like a… Suggestion.” Emma said.

“Damn… So what did you say?” Karen asked.

Emma stared at her like she had smoke coming out of her ears. “What kind of question is that? I said no of course. It was a stupid, stupid idea. What kind of loveless marriage is it going to be? We couldn’t even handle a fake relationship. It’s going to be doomed before it even begins” she said.

“Hmmmm. I understand where you are coming from” Karen said. “But I think Daniel has a point. Marriage might be a bit extreme, but he just doesn’t want you to be alone in this. I mean, I’m not saying I don’t think you can do it, cos If anyone can, it’s you. But you gotta admit, it’s not easy being a single mom. And you should also think about the baby, don’t you think it would be better if the father was around?”Belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

Monica nodded in agreement.

“I know that,” Emma said. ” And I’m okay with him being around… And that’s why I told him he could be involved.. But marriage? How crazy does that sound?”.

“Oh really? And just how involved is he right now?” Karen asked.

“He doesn’t have to be right now. The baby isn’t here yet” Emma replied.

“You won’t even let him come see you. Look, I know you are mad at him, but you have to start thinking about the baby. Unlike some guys, he’s here, wanting to be here for you. You have to let go of your anger and give him a chance”

Emma sighed.”I hate it when you do this.” she said.

As usual there was no need arguing with Karen. She couldn’t because she knew Karen was right. She needed someone there with her through the pregnancy. Her doctor had complained that she wasn’t getting enough rest the last time she went for her appointment. And she had kept that information to herself, not wanting to bother anyone.

“We should get going now” Monica said, and she and Karen grabbed their bags. “Take care of yourself, hun. And call us if you need anything”.

Emma stood up and walked with them to the door. She opened the door, and was stepping out into the hallway when she spotted Daniel.