My Dream Marriage

The family has been treating Valen like a fragile princess ever since the day she was pronounced pregnant, especially Piper and Edward. Another helper has been assigned just for her, she doesn’t go to work often and Edward has been by her side all the time. This is surprising because Edward has never spent most of his time in the house, especially during the day.

I have been staying in the house like a forgotten sheep, a good-for-nothing one for that matter. No one has been paying attention to me and that is very okay with me because I do my things without anyone having to ask me about it. The only problem I have is that smug smile that Valen always has whenever we meet, be it on the stairs, kitchen or at the dining I always wish I could wipe or scratch it out of her face that is always full of makeup.

I wash my face and put on the most comfortable dress ready for breakfast. I have to go for my antenatals later today and of late Azila has been taking me most of the time. She always takes an off from work because she knows the dates that I am supposed to go to as she checks my antenatal reports everytime after the checkup. Jackie is almost due and she is happily waiting for her baby girl.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

I make my own breakfast nowadays because I have different cravings nowadays, so I don’t want to bother anything with my problems. I chose to live as if I am alone in the house. The bad thing is I only have few coins with me, I am broke as hell. The baby items that I have are from my friends; Azila who couldn’t restrain herself when she saw them on offer and thought that they were cute. She brought them as a surprise the last time we went to the hospital. Jackie cited that the gifts she received were too much so she decided to share some with me. I am so grateful for those two, I don’t know what I did to deserve their friendship.

I sit on the stool at the kitchen island and dig into my breakfast. I hear footsteps approaching and I assume is Martha or Sheal or Valen’s hand maid but when I look up it’s Valen herself, pursing her lips. She comes to my side and pushes my plate of food away and leans so that we are face to face. She chuckles and smiles, a different one from the one she usually gives me, which doesn’t reach her eyes. I try to pull back my plate but she shakes her head and pushes it further from from my reach.

“What is the matter with you? Have you lost your mind? I was peacefully having my breakfast here.” I say in an attempt to send her away. “We need to talk,” she says and I am surprised she can say something like that to me. “Me and you talk? There is nothing to talk about, I have nothing to talk to you about.” I am not interested. “You will have to. Anyway, I wanted to give you a good deal so that you can leave my husband alone,” she says. “Leave your husband alone? Which husband are you talking about?” “Don’t be coy with me Neera, you definitely know who I am talking about.”

“I definitely don’t know who you are talking about.” I am not going to give in to her.

“Look around you young lady. No one loves or wants you around here. Edward has never loved you from the beginning. Your mother-in-law prefers me for her son, you have to open your eyes. Name your price and I promise that you and your child will never lack.”

“You should open your eyes wider, Valen. I am the wife of the richest man in the city, why would I need some woman giving me money?” She chuckles at my words. “Neera, you and I know that you are broke as hell and you are only using this family’s health facilities when it comes to your pregnancy. You know, I pitied you the day Edward threatened to throw you out of the house. Your parents are dead, you have no other house and I know that you haven’t been working since you got married. Here I am, giving you the best deal of your life which I know you will never be able to get even if you work twenty-four seven for your entire life. I am only looking out for my fellow woman,” she says shrugging her shoulders.

“Looking out for me? You should have done that the moment you knew that Edward was married. You should have stayed away from him and looked for another man. I knew you wanted my husband the first day I met you so spare me the pretense of looking out for me. I don’t need your pity Valen, you are the last person or rather if you were the only person that could offer me help, I would rather die than accept it. I have enough resources and like I said, I am married into the most influential family why would I need your help?”

“Stop lying to yourself. Just accept my offer and everything will be fine, okay?” She is not backing out. I hate to admit that she is somehow stating the facts. No one cares for me and my unborn baby in this family but I won’t give her a glimpse to my vulnerabilities. “No Valen, I am fine and I don’t need your sympathy or any pity from you. I have everything I need.” I am probably lying to myself.

“Neera, you such a naive and stupid woman. The one you call your husband is mine now and only the blind and deaf won’t be able to understand that you are nothing but a loser in your so called marriage. If I were you, I would do anything for my child but given your silliness you only think about yourself and making a name for yourself where there is nothing for yourself. Why are you forcing yourself on Edward? He is not yours girl.”

“I can do anything for my child and that is what I am doing right now.” All I know is making sure that my child won’t stay away from his family. “That is what you are doing by forcing another man to be his father? Oh no that is not being motherly enough,” she corrects. “I know the father of my child Valen and I won’t let you talk to me about motherly values.” I wave my finger at her.

“I really pity you Neera. An orphan that is not loved by her husband, actually by the entire world. I think you are used to poverty that you are not capable of grabbing any grand opportunities that come your way.” She is getting on my nerves now. “No, I am not capable of stooping to your level and accepting an absurd offer to leave my husband for you.”

“Not your husband Neera, my husband. You should stick that into that poverty stricken head of yours.” She is making fun of my situation, but no, I am married to Edward so I can’t be counted as poor. “I am not poor Valen, you keep forgetting that this is my family now and what that is Edward’s is mine too. We have our solemn vows that we made at the altar,” I say.

“Vows? I think you are dreaming now because the one you were vowing to is in someone else’s hands now. That is always the reason why I pity you Neera. I am even wondering which kind of school you went to because it seems so difficult for you to understand anything. Why am I even wondering about that when clearly people of your class go to ordinary schools or better still don’t go to school at all. Something as simple as her husband hating her and bringing another woman into their house. Is it that difficult to understand that he is over you now and doesn’t want you anymore?” Wow, that is quite a mouthful.

I chuckle and pull my seat backwards and stand up and look into her eyes squarely, ” I pity you Valen because if Edward can do that to his own legally married wife, what can he do to you, a mere side dish?” I see her face changing and I know that I have touched a never, I feel good that I have that effect on her with my words.

“A side dish? You dare call me that? Edward is mine and will be forever. Why don’t you take that bastard in your belly to his father and leave my Edward alone? You are like a bug in this family.” I bet she wasn’t prepared for the impact that left her cheek stinging in pain when I land a dirty slap on it, “don’t you ever call my child like that not even in your dreams.” I won’t take any more insults being hurled at my child. What has my unborn baby done to them. I only forgave Edward and his mother because I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I decide to walk away because it is as if she was born to make my life hell.

“Neera, you slapped me?” She can’t believe it. “Yes and I will do that again if you don’t keep your mouth shut when it comes to my baby. How dare you?”

“How dare you?” She turns and comes to the other side of the kitchen island but before she can reach where I am, she knocks over the seat I was sitting on earlier and falls down. She screams and I know she must be in pain given that her stomach hit on the chair when she fell down. I pull the chair away and make to help her when Piper comes immediately into the kitchen. She couldn’t have been far from the kitchen.

“Valen what is wrong? Why are you on the floor? What happened?” She asks. “She fell down,” I answer. Valen doesn’t want me to help her because she keeps pushing my hand away.

“How did you fall?” Piper asks her. “She pushed me,” Valen says pointing at me. What? “No, I…” “Who pushed who? Valen, what happened, why are you screaming?” “This ungrateful girl pushed her down. Help her up, she needs to go to the hospital now.” Piper says. “What? Neera, why did you push her? Can’t you see that she is pregnant?” Edward asks me. “I didn’t do it Edward. I didn’t push her.” I don’t know why Valen would accuse me when she clearly tripped and fell. “Then explain to me why she is screaming and lying on the floor.” I look at Valen and she is holding her stomach and writhing in pain.

“Edward, stop shouting and take her to the hospital, she is bleeding,” Piper says with horror on her face. “Martha,” Edward calls. “She comes before him, “yes sir?” “Tell Alex to prepare the car, we are leaving for the hospital now.”

“Alright sir.”

“Neera, if something happens to my child you will spend the rest of your life behind bars,” Edward says lifting Valen off the floor and I can see blood on her skirt. He goes out of the house while Piper follows behind. I don’t know where her helper is gone to.

I look at my food that is probably cold now. I have lost my appetite so I empty the food into the trash. I go back to my room thinking about Valen’s accusations. Why did she say that I pushed her? Does she hate me that much, even though she took my husband but I can’t do that to her. I can’t kill another woman’s else’s child just because I don’t like the mother. The enemy is the mother not the child.

I hope she doesn’t lose her baby. Even if she is evil, her baby doesn’t have to pay for her crimes.