Chapter 2: Drunk Livia

Livia Washington’s Point of View 

Cold. Dim. People’s grizzle. Three light colors simultaneously wandered around the club where I was. 

My taste has gone bitter. My face became grumpy as I drank the last shot of my whiskey. 

“You’ve drunk almost one bottle of whiskey, Livia. Stop it,” Janice; a close and trusted friend of mine said. 

I rolled my eyes in the air. Instead of having a one-shot glass, I got the bottle and sipped it directly. Whiskey is a hard liquor a certain person can’t drink moderately especially when her tolerance for alcohol is low. Just like me. 

I invited Janice to come over and be with me. Above all, she’s the only person I knew to invite and besides, Janice is the only person who can understand me.

“Let’s just enjoy the night, Janice!” 

She only rolled her eyes at me. “I can’t drink. No one will drop you off at your house, you know that. Unless, otherwise, your husband would.” 

Hearing the keyword ‘husband’ made me ill. I suddenly remembered what happened yesterday when I came to the address he told me about. 

For hours I’ve been here, I was just drowning myself in extreme sadness. It wouldn’t subside no matter how much I tried. It will continue to flow until I’m already sober and try to gaslight myself. 

“You know what, it has never been your fault…” Janice softly told me. 

I shook my head and didn't agree with what my friend had said. “My husband wouldn’t be able to forgive me. Now… he’s punishing me for what I’ve done.” 

The paleness of my voice became calm. I was just looking down, Janice and I were alone in the corner of the club, sitting on the sofa; drinking until I became wasted and completely forgot about Archer. 

Janice held my hand, she put her head on my shoulder as she caressed my fingers and then whispers solemnly. 

“You helped him. His family’s company went bankrupt and just found a way to help him since he was your husband! Isn’t that the duty of being a married couple?” 

I frustratedly glanced at her. “I do. I know that. I helped him, alright, but Archer didn’t know I became a surrogate mother just because I wanted to help him!” 

Janice gave me a soft smile. She knows how I feel. Janice is the only person who knows what I’ve done. I was hired to become a surrogate mother for someone I met. She’s married and had trouble producing a child so I was hired by her. 

Being a surrogate isn’t easy. Yet, I survived. Gianna hired me because she needs my help, and so do I. I was in a dire need of money so it was a lucrative move for both of us. However, after I bore the child, Archer found out. 

He told me I cheated on him when in fact, I only carried the child for nine months! I never even met his husband, how can I have a sexual interaction with him? 

He thought that I slept with a man. When in fact, I only did that in exchange for a billion dollars they are willing to pay me. While I tried explaining to Archer but he doesn’t want to listen. He thought that I was fooling her… finding another man whilst he’s in the midst of a crisis. 

“I just carried the child… I didn’t even have a sexual interaction with the father. How come it became cheating?” I groaned, looking frustrated. 

I bit my lower lip. My vision began to blur and Janice in front commenced to be twice her number. Damn, I’m drunk! 

Janice, on the other hand, muttered rough curses as she scanned her phone inside her bag. 

“Livia,” she said using her stern voice. “Behave here, alright? I’ll just answer a phone call and after that, we’re coming home. Got it?” 

Even Janice's voice turns out to be a hazy echo for me. Without clearly understanding what she meant, I frustratedly nodded my head as I put my head on the table. 

My head hurt, and my vision and hearing are vague. But the hell do I care? As long as I forget the memory that’s tormenting me, I’m fine with it. 

Fifteen minutes have passed yet Janice isn’t back. I stood up and was nearly out of balance when I held on to someone’s arms, stood straight, and supported my weight. 

I covered my mouth when I felt like I had to vomit. I felt nauseous and uncomfortable and the queasy feeling I got in my stomach made me feel like I want to puke. Without thinking enough, I came inside the bathroom, hurrying to enter a cubicle before kneeling, when I bumped into a strange man. 

“Fuck…” I muttered softly. 

“Are you alright?” said a male low baritone voice. 

Low yet stern, firm, and dark. 

His features are solid. I can’t see his face clearly due to my blurry vision but his incredible body structure amazed me. He was standing in front whilst I was sitting on the ground, completely out of reach. 

“This is a lady's room!” I claimed. 

He only scoffed and then put one hand on his waist. “You’re the one who’s in the wrong bathroom, woman,” he asserted. 

I didn’t like the way he called me a woman. Furthermore, I hoisted my gaze and my eyes drifted accidentally to his unzipped pants. Although I can’t see what color underwear he was wearing, I noticed the huge thing he had beneath those clothes. 

“Stand up. Next time, don’t drink too much and learn how to differentiate the ‘He’ and ‘She’ written on the doorway…” he said a lot, yet I couldn’t hear it properly. 

I felt my body going feeble. I raised my hand, eager to zip his pants yet it touched the wrong one; more likely— the huge thing behind his pants. It is when my body fell on the ground, shutting my eyes as the darkness slowly ate me… a sign that I am now being drawn to oblivion.