Chapter 4

Deandra’s POV

“I told you not to come here; we can’t be seen like this.”

I stopped in my tracks and hid behind a wall, wondering who Hope was talking to.

“Hope, that’s my child in there, and you know it.” I gasped a bit too loudly and caught myself just in time before I was discovered.

“Keep quiet,” Hope hissed and looked from left to right.

This shameless woman, I thought as I listened to their conversation. I should have known the baby wasn’t Daniel’s, but he had been so confident that the child was his that I never suspected anything.

“If anyone hears you, our plan will be ruined.” She looked around again before she leaned in and whispered, “I want what’s best for this child, and so do you, so why don’t you just take the money and leave?”

I shook my head in disgust at that and left my position behind the wall, ready to go and confront her, when I heard footsteps coming from the opposite direction.

I could practically hear Hope’s heart racing loudly in her chest.

“Andra, what are you doing here?” I heard Hope’s tiny gasp of surprise at the mention of my name, and I smirked.

“I was just on my way to the kitchen when I thought I heard voices and decided to check. What are you doing here anyway?”

He looked around and frowned when he saw no one, then sighed. “I was just going to our bedroom to get my phone. Did you see it before leaving?”

I shook my head but reached for his hand. “Can we talk?” I asked, changing the subject. I wanted to settle things between us and make sure we were back on good ground again.

“I wanted to know if we were okay. I didn’t…” Daniel shook his head and pulled his hand away.

“I can’t get past the fact that you threatened Hope and the baby; it’s my baby too, Andra. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to the baby. I would never forgive…” He trailed off, but I could hear the words he didn’t say. He would never forgive me.

Tears filled my eyes, but I held them back as I nodded my head. “What can I do to make it right?”

“Treat Hope nicely, apologize for what you did yesterday, and then we will see from there.” He walked away after speaking, and I stood there rooted to the spot, not believing how much my life had changed in the last two days.

“Do you know it’s rude to eavesdrop on people’s private conversations?” I jerked and turned my head to look at Hope, who was standing there with a triumphant smile plastered on her face.

No doubt she had heard what Daniel said, and she was happy that she was once again winning and I was losing. But not for long…

“I already told you that Daniel will always pick me over you. Why don’t you want to accept that and move on?”

I nodded and smiled. “You’re right, Daniel will never see me the same way again, and I can’t blame him since I can’t give him children.”

The next thing I did shocked us both: I went down on my knees and sighed. “I am sorry for yesterday, pushing you to the floor and threatening your child’s life.” I paused before continuing again, unaware that Daniel and Yolanda were watching from a distance.

“Daniel was right, you are part of the family now, and that child is as much mine as it is Daniel’s.”

I rose to my feet afterwards, sent Hope one last smile, and then walked away.

I couldn't believe how low I had gone because of Daniel and the love I had for him. But the main reason behind my actions was I wanted my child to grow up with his father; I didn’t want my child to have a broken home with parents that were divided.

***

I don’t know how long I stayed in the kitchen crying when Daniel joined me and wrapped his arms around me. I almost burst into tears when I felt his arms around me, but I held them at bay.

“Thank you for apologizing to her. I owe you for everything."

I simply nodded my head and stepped away, not wanting to get swayed by his words.

"I'm making dinner; would you like something?" I asked and coughed to cover up the sniffles.

"We'll all eat." He replied just as his mother walked in and frowned at our closeness.

"Since we're celebrating, why don't we get the chef to make something big and beautiful?" Daniel agreed immediately, and I was whisked away to our bedroom by Daniel, who was acting all nice and friendly with me now.

Later that day, we sat down to eat dinner, and I was back in my usual seat beside Daniel. I was ready to tell him about the baby, and I couldn't wait for us to be alone.

Hope had barely touched her food, and I could tell she wished she weren't seated so close to Daniel. Alas…

“Do you both have names yet? I mean for the baby, whether it's a boy or a girl." Yolanda asked, and my fork dropped from my hand and landed on the plate noisily.

Daniel shifted in his seat and refused to meet my eyes when I tried to catch his attention.

Hope, who loved attention, took the floor and told Yolanda, “We decided not to rush things and surprise ourselves after

"Let's make a toast." Yolanda proposed, and we all raised our glasses.

"Oh no, Deandra, I think you should drink this instead. I had it made specially for you." Hope said, suddenly rising to her feet just as a maid walked into the room.