CHAPTER 1
“Congratulations Nancy, you’re six weeks pregnant,” The good doctor smiled as he broke the information to Nancy.She suspected it when she didn’t see her monthly visitor last month but confirming it gave her mixed feelings knowing life was growing inside her when the man who put it there would probably never accept it.“But doctor, how can that be? I have an IUD,” She replied, worry etched on her face.“It happens. No prevention method is 100 percent guaranteed. If you’re going to be keeping the baby, it’s best to take it out,” the doctor replied and shook his head as if he could read her troubled mind.“No, leave it in, I’ll have to discuss this with Lloyd,” She said, knowing fully well it wasn’t going to be an easy discussion.Yes, Lloyd Banks, her boyfriend, well their relationship wasn’t exactly defined after almost three years but she hoped that after all this time he saw her as his girlfriend.He made her get an IUD two months into their relationship because in his words,"I like it raw and I don’t want any accidents.”“Welcome back baby,” Nancy greeted Lloyd when he came back to the condo they lived in later that night.It was a three bedroom condo that he owned. The place felt more like a prison to her than a home because she hardly went out or did anything without his knowledge, but to make him happy, she never complained.She rubbed her Belly as Lloyd pushed past her to the dinning without saying a word.The dust that settled on his shiny black hair told her he was at one of his construction sites today. His family was huge in the real estate business amongst other things.“You should probably wear a helmet when you visit your site, baby. Your hair has dust and God forbid if any accidents occur,” Nancy said as she dished out his food.The man loved her cooking. It was what first got them together. Well after they had a one night stand and she made him breakfast.“Safety measures are for pussies. You play it safe, you die, you don’t play it safe, you still die, so why miss out on the thrill?” He said with a shrug, frowning his face.Nancy set his plate before him. “I understand,but still, you should…”Lloyd slammed his fist on the table causing her to jump. “Are you going to lecture me on something you know absolutely nothing about? Just stick to the kitchen woman and let me eat my food in peace.”“I’m sorry,” She replied. He waved her off and she retreated to eat her food in silence at the other end of the table, opposite him. It was an eight seater dining room even though there were only two people living in the house and no one ever visited.Halfway into his meal, Lloyd asked. “So what did the doctor say was wrong with you?”Nancy’s heart started thumping violently when she heard his question. She didn’t want to tell him the truth just yet. He didn’t seem to be in a good mood and he was clear that he didn’t want any accidents AKA pregnancy. She knew he wouldn’t react great to the news, perhaps later in bed she would open up to him.The chink of his fork hitting the plate as he dropped it made her look up from her plate.“Didn’t you hear me or have you suddenly gone deaf?” He asked, raising his voice.She scratched the nape of her neck and looked down, unable to hold his gaze as she lied “It was just a fever.”Lloyd scoffed. “Just a fever? That’s not what the doctor told me.”‘Shit! I totally forgot the doctor could have informed him.’ Nancy cursed in her head.She gulped and struggled to find the right words to explain herself when Lloyd’s light brown eyes suddenly turned a shade darker. His throat tightened as he stood up forcefully, knocking his chair over and walking to her side of the table.“So you want to trap me with a child, is that it?” He barked. As his voice echoed across the room, her heart rate further increased.She hurried out of her seat as he reached her. Her eyes naturally settled on his broad chest and she kept them there.His strong muscular arms grabbed her frail ones and he shook her violently. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!”She raised her eyes to meet his and there was no love in them. All she saw was pure contempt. He was raging.“I’m sorry Baby, I thought…”“You thought what? That you were going to bear me a child? You really think there is a world where a woman like you would birth my child? You are only good for one thing. My pleasure and satisfaction,” Lloyd cut her off, with iciness dripping from his tone.His harsh words hit her like a brick and her eyes turned moist before the tears fell like a stream.“Just your pleasure and satisfaction? Is that all I am to you? A thing to satisfy your urges? I thought you said you love me,” She managed to ask as her teary hazel eyes fixed on his cold brown ones.Her words must have felt repulsive to him with the way he pushed her down, making her crash into her chair and as her rib hit the edge of the seat, she screamed.Lloyd looked down at her as she winced in pain but there was no emotion in his eyes, neither pity nor remorse. Rather, he continued to berate her.“Love you? When did I ever say that? And even if I did, it doesn’t mean a dishonest gold digger like you is going to carry my child. First thing tomorrow morning, I’m taking you to get rid of that filth growing inside you,” He spat out venomously.Nancy felt like a bucket of ice was dumped on her as she heard his words. Goosebumps covered her entire skin from the fear his word instilled in her.‘I know he’s just angry that I lied about the pregnancy, surely he didn’t mean any of the things he was saying. I’m just going to have to calm down and apologize to him. Make him see reason.’She took a deep breath and struggled to her feet. She leaned on the table to ease the sharp pain she felt in her rib.“I’m sorry I lied to you baby, I was just scared of your reaction. Please, I don’t want to have an abortion, let me keep the child,” she begged, looking in his direction with teary eyes as he went back to sit.He picked his fork and continued eating his meal, pretending he didn’t hear her.“Please Lloyd, don’t do this,” She said, raising her voice a little and he looked up from his meal. His eyes were even more cold and distant.He dropped his fork and folded his palms in each other, rested both his elbows on the table and he leaned forward.“You don’t get it, do you? Having a child for me gives you a claim to me, my wealth and my family. What would my parents even think when they find out their only son, the heir to the Banks empire, is having a child with the daughter of a nobody.”Nancy bit her lower lip in agony as he said those words but she held back the bitterness they were creating inside her and chose to ignore the insult to her and her parents.She went over to him, massaging her ribs as she walked, to subsidize the paralyzing pain she was feeling in them.She knelt beside him and laid her hands on his thighs. He looked at her and for a moment she saw a flicker of concern in his eyes but it was quickly replaced by a cold stare.“Baby, your parents don’t have to know. I can have the baby in secret. We can be your secret family. You can send me to another city, far away from here. Just please, don’t take my child away from me,” She begged as tears kept dripping down her cheeks.“No. You are not worthy,” He shook his head and then he continued.“The truth is, when I look at you, I don’t see the kind of woman I would do that for. Look, I don’t think I will ever see you as anything more than what you are right now, a thing for my pleasure.”CHAPTER 2“Lloyd please don’t do this, Please,” Nancy begged as their car was parked in the private car park of the hospital the next morning.Lloyd continued smoking his cigar and signaled one of his men to get her out of the car without even looking at her.Minutes later, Nancy was in a hospital gown, laying on an examination table with her legs spread apart as the evil doctor Lloyd paid to commit this crime poked her insides with whatever devilish device she used in doing her master’s bidding.Nancy’s face did not hide her sadness, neither did the tears falling off her face as she stared blankly at the ceiling.“We’re done here,” the doctor said but her voice sounded distant because Nancy’s soul wasn’t in that room anymore.She let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding, wiped her tears and stood up. As she changed out of the gown, the doctor gave her tampons to wear because there was a chance she might bleed later on. She also gave her some medication for the throbbing p
CHAPTER 3“Pregnant? You’re pregnant? Why do you have to bring such disgrace to this family?” Nancy’s father, Theophilus Drew’s voice roared through the living room as he scolded her. Once she got back home to Emerald Bay, she opened up to her mother who told her father everything when he returned from work and he was seriously berating Nancy.“Calm down Honey, your daughter just made a mistake, it’s not like she killed someone,” Her mother, Thelma Drew, defended her. This wasn’t the first time her mother was defending Nancy from her father’s wrath. Her father was a strict disciplinarian and a very principled man. The only person he often broke his code for was his wife and Nancy took advantage of that so well over the years.Theo sneered. “You’re the reason she’s like this Thelma, you’re always defending her.”“I’m sorry baba, I didn’t mean to bring you shame and disgrace,” Nancy said as she clutched his legs, apologizing on her knees. Her eyes were a mess. She cried in the Taxi a
CHAPTER 4SEVEN MONTHS LATER “What do I do now Aunty?” Nancy asked her aunt, Diana, as she looked at her beautiful twin boys, Leonard and Lexington who were now a month old. Thelma connected Nancy to her first cousin, Diana, when she got to Brandon. Diana was more than happy to take Nancy in after Thelma explained the whole situation to her.Diana had lost her husband in a car accident some years back and she lived alone with her only daughter Emily, who quickly became close friends with Nancy.It made the whole pregnancy to birth journey less difficult for Nancy, although she was still very sad about everything that had happened.“You have to give one of them up. We can’t disobey the government. They will take them both if we refuse to obey the law,” Diana replied calmly, before turning and frowning at her daughter, Emily.Three months after Nancy got to Brandon, the government announced a new birth policy. Their population was fast rising and the economy couldn’t sustain it, so th
CHAPTER 5Nancy was brought back to earth when she saw Lloyd storming towards the gate, screaming for her to wait at the top of his voice. Fear easily gripped her as she quickly got into the vehicle.“Drive, drive,” she ordered the cab driver who brought her down to the mansion.“Whatever you do, don’t stop,” She added, looking back frantically as she saw Lloyd run back inside to get in a car to chase after her.Her heart was racing with fear and she instantly regretted coming here in the first place. It was a stupid decision. She didn’t expect him to be at his family mansion. Her intention was to drop the baby at the mansion so by the time he got the message of the delivery, she would be long gone.If Lloyd caught her, he would imprison and torture her again. What if he killed the baby? Would he really be such a monster as to kill his own child? He did do it before they were born. What will happen to Leo back in Brandon if she can't return to him? No, Lloyd must not get a hold of her.
CHAPTER 6Nancy returned early from work to find Kaleb Trevor, her new man, sitting in the living room of the luxurious three bedroom apartment he rented for her, smiling from ear to ear.Nancy lived in the house with her Aunt, her cousin and her son.It had been five years since the incident with Lloyd and her little man, Leo had naturally been clamoring for his father and she thought Kaleb was the perfect father he needed.Kaleb has been chasing her for years and despite her being a single mother, he cared for her the same and she knew he accepted her and her son wholeheartedly. Kaleb was a handsome man. Tall, dark shiny skin and equally dark curly hair. He had a smile that could melt any woman’s heart. To her, he was everything she wanted Lloyd to be. Caring, sweet, doting, supportive and understanding.Even when she repeatedly turned down his advances in the beginning, Kaleb went ahead to pay for her to go to culinary school when he learnt of her dream to become a world class chef
CHAPTER 7“Wake up honey, let’s pray,” Nancy tapped on Leo. It was the next morning. True to his words yesterday, Leo didn’t go to lunch with his mother and when she returned, he gave her the cold shoulder for the rest of the day.“Good morning mama,” Leo greeted her as he rolled over and sat up.“Good morning my sweetest son,” she pecked his cheek before she knelt down by the bed.Leo and his mom shared the room. It was the master bedroom of the house. It was spacious and well furnished, all thanks to Kaleb.The room had this tranquil ambience even though it was pretty stylish. The bed had a sleek low profile design with white upholstery. The pink sheets that covered the mattress were rumpled on both sides of the bed. Mother and son both toss and turn a lot in their sleep.The walls were painted white all over . The curtains were gray giving a contrast to the white that occupied the room. The spacious wardrobe that occupied the left corner of the room was also gray, its glossy surfac
CHAPTER 8***FLASHBACK***Yesterday, Lloyd and Lex had a great time at the Theme park in Lescott City, Brandon.There was no ride Lex did not want to try out, from the merry go round to the roller coaster and the Ferris wheels.He was so excited to be at the theme park with his father. Lloyd didn’t allow them to go on the big rollercoaster and since he couldn’t ride on the mini ones, he cheered his son on as Lex screamed in excitement.After trying out the Ferris wheel and the merry go round together, Lex was exhausted from the rides and playing with his favorite cartoon characters in person. He had so much fun and soon, it was evening and they were both hungry.The ice cream and pie they had earlier at the park had done its bit. They decided to stop at a Chinese restaurant on their way to the penthouse they were renting in the city. Lloyd loved Chinese food, he remembered how Nancy had to watch several videos on YouTube to make some Chinese dishes for him and after much trial and er
CHAPTER 9“Your word is Pseudonym,” The spelling bee moderator, Mr Luther told Leo.The twins had been at it, head to head for about 15 minutes after easily qualifying through each round with perfect scores, completely annihilating their opponents.Before Lloyd and Kaleb could get around to explaining their relationship, the twins stormed out of the room, screaming they were running late for their competition.They were both so excited that not only were they competing in the same competition but they were the only two contestants with perfect scores in the whole continent.All talks had to be postponed as everyone drove to the venue. Lex rode with his mom and twin brother in Kaleb’s car while Lloyd followed closely behind.“Origin and meaning please?” Leo asked, trying to rack his brain for the right letters.“I’m sorry young lad but this is the blitz round, No Origin or meanings,” Mr Luther replied, smiling at the young prodigy.He was greatly impressed at how these two boys from di