Chapter One

The rain began to pour heavily and the taxi driver wound up the windows as they sped past other cars on the busy highway. What had been a bright and beautiful day now sported dark grey clouds that downed their contents on the earth happily. Despite the weather, Nicole's mood remained piqued. She was just as excited as she had been when she had gotten out of bed this morning knowing Alex was coming home today and she had the best news awaiting him. They were having a baby.

Her hand came to rest on her flat tummy instinctively and she smiled to herself. She was just 5 weeks gone. She wasn't sure if her hormones had something to do with it but her heart swelled even more these days when she thought of Alex. He had been on a business trip to Florence for the past two weeks and is to be back today. She missed him so much. An hour ago, he had informed her that he'd be landing by roughly 12am. She smiled and checked her watch. It was just 9:17pm. She glanced at the bag that sat next to her on the car seat and her heart raced in excitement again. In it were the pregnancy results, a box of Alex's favorite chocolates and a bottle of wine. She caught a glimpse of the burgundy silk that rested at the bottom of the bag. Alex loves burgundy, so she had purposefully bought the best lingerie in that colour. She couldn't wait to see his reaction when he saw it tonight.

"Right here please". She told the taxi driver. He brought the car to a stop in front of the elegant gate of Alex's house. The rain still poured heavily but she didn't give much care about it as she stepped out of the taxi. With a hand over her head, she rushed to the security post and inputed her fingerprint into the pad. A year ago, Alex had registered it and it had been such a huge step in their relationship. The gate opened to give her access and she ran up the cobbled driveway in haste, the bag tucked under her arm and a palm raised over her head in slight protection. By the time she reached the porch, she was soaking wet from the top of her head to her sneakers but somehow, she couldn't even find it in her to be irritated. She chuckled as she fisted her long dark hair in one hand and wrung the water out of it. The rain has only made her look forward to the promise of a hot, scented bath that awaited her more. Shaking her hair like a wet dog, she finally retrieved her key from her bag and unlocked the front door. To her surprise, it was already unlocked.

The first thing she noticed upon entry were the lights. As far as she could see, the lights were on everywhere. She paused in her steps as her mind travelled back to her last visit 6 days ago. She had made sure the lights were off….. hadn't she? The sound of loud laughter shook her out of her reverie and her brows furrowed in concentration. The laughter had come from the house. Sure enough, a second bout of laughter proved her right and she realized it was coming from the dining room. What was going on? Had Alex planned on surprising her? A small smile spread on her lips as she recalled how awkward he'd been these past days. Alex wasn't a good liar and he had definitely given himself away with his mannerisms. She just hadn't paid much attention in her own excitement.  Her smile widened as a third round of laughter filled the house and excitedly, she rushed down the living room to where she was sure the merry was coming from. 

"Oh wow!!! What a sneaky….". The words died on her lips as she rounded the corner to enter the dining room. Almost as if in slow motion, she felt the smile fall from her face. It wasn't their friends that sat around the table. It was Alex's family. She had never met them physically but she knew all their faces from the pictures. Her heart raced uncontrollably as she took in the small group. 

The head of the table was empty but by the right of it sat his mother. She was tall and milk skinned, elegantly dressed with very sharp eyes that scrutinised Nicole from the distance. Even from so far away, Nicole felt uncomfortable under her gaze. On Mrs.Van Lexis's left sat a very attractive, young blonde woman who looked so refined and polished that Nicole couldn't help feeling a little intimidated by her. She didn't know her from the pictures though….who could she be? On the other side of the table, the seat by the left of the head was also empty but by the side of it sat Jeanette, Alex's immediate younger sister and their last sibling, Ray. 

And they were all staring at her.

"Ummm…..good evening". She said tentatively.

They kept staring at her and right there, Nicole wanted to sink into ground. Finally, Alex's mother broke the silence.

"Who may you be?".

Her heart raced uncontrollably and she struggled to find the right words. "Ummm….. I'm Nicole. Nicole Webster. I'm……".

"Nic?". She had never been so grateful to hear anyone's voice before. Frantically, she turned to see Alex and relief so blissful poured into her. 

"Alex!!!!". She whispered excitedly.

He was standing there by the doorway, with an older man, his father. Alex still had on suit pants and his shirt sleeves were folded to his elbow. A light stubble shadowed his jaw and his hair looked bedraggled the way it did when he had run his fingers through it way too many times. That wasn't what caught her attention though. It was the look in his eyes. There was no excitement in them. They didn't twinkle like they usually did when he saw her. Instead, she saw confusion and panic. She might be wrong but she sensed underlying anger too. What was going on?

"You must be a friend of Alex's". The man behind him boomed. "Sit. Join us". He said as he made his way forward and took his seat at the head of table. 

Nicole couldn't take her eyes off Alex. He was avoiding her eyes too. She wanted him to look at her and reassure her with his warm gaze. But instead, he ran his fingers through his hair one more time and made his way forward to sit beside his father. Meekly, Nicole pulled out a chair beside the blonde woman and settled into it. Mr. Van Lewis resumed his meal and the family took that as a cue to too. They turned to their meals stiffly and Nicole couldn't help noticing how no one even offered her a plate. She imagined how awful she looked sitting there beside this gorgeous woman, wet as a cat and obviously intimidated and nervous. Her eyes met Alex's across the table but he quickly looked away. Now that was what was throwing her off the most here.

After what seemed like forever, Mrs. Van Lewis put down her cutlery loudly and turned to her. Nicole felt her spine instinctively stiffen at the woman's attention.

"Who are you, young lady?".

"Ummm…. I'm……".

"Mom, she's a friend. She needed help looking for a place to stay overnight".

Nicole's body went cold. Alex had just called her a friend. Her body went numb and rigid and she stared at him in surprise over the seat. Even then, he refused to meet her eye.

"Oh….I see". His mother continued. "And where did……".

"That's a lie". Nicole didn't know what made her say that. Perhaps it was this sense of betrayal and anger she was feeling like none before. How dare he!!!! Two years together and Alex called her a friend to his family? She was carrying his baby for God's sake!!! Her mind flashed back to the overwhelming episodes of morning sickness she'd been going through and how she had managed to get through them only with the thought of Alex's face when she finally told him. He was everything to her. And now he called her a friend?

"Excuse me?". Mrs. Van Lewis queried.

Alex's eyes finally met hers over the seat in panic and again, that only made her more furious. He hadn't even acknowledged her with a glance since she came and now, he willingly looked at her?. She resisted the urge to scoff. With a stronger resolve, she turned to his mother and stared her in the eye.

"It's a lie. I'm not Alex's friend. I'm his fiancee".