Chapter 7 — Have You Considered a Divorce?

Evelyn's POV

The chaos in my mind mirrored the monitor I was hooked up to as it beeped erratically. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, and the room around me began to spin.

Baby?

Bianca was having a baby?

Zane had been dead for all of six months. If it were his, she would've been completely showing. Hell, she might've looked like she was ready to pop. Instead, she looked… normal. The baby couldn't have been no more than six to eight weeks. No more than twelve, that's for sure.

My mind began to race as I thought about how Adrian had been so tender and preferential towards Bianca as of late. From all the times he would come home late from work, even skipping work completely…

Not to mention, he didn't even deny not being her husband just then.

It was then that it dawned on me.

The potential truth of everything that was happening right in front of me.

Bile began to rise in my throat, but I did everything to suppress it. Mostly because I didn't want to think about it…

About the possibility of Adrian having betrayed the sanctity of our marriage.

Devastation wreaked havoc on me as my heart felt as if someone was reaching into my chest and twisting and pulling on it in different directions. Not long after, my stomach began to churn and hurt, and as the monitors refused to let up, medical staff soon swarmed my tiny little room.

"Miss Evelyn, are you okay?" A nurse asked. "Take some deep breaths for me, okay?"

No matter how much I tried, it was like someone was sitting on my chest. Each breath was painful; like I was breathing in glass.

"You're okay, Miss Evelyn." Another, presumably the nurse's aide, spoke in a soothing manner. "We've got you. You're safe."

I turned my head to the right, somehow hoping that the commotion would attract Adrian's attention. Yet, my heart shattered when I saw that he wasn't even reacting to what was happening mere feet away. He was too engrossed in caring for Bianca.

I was heaving so hard from trying to catch my breath, that black tendrils began to creep around the edges of my vision. Before I knew it, I passed out to the sounds of the medical staff yelling for someone.

For a while, it was just black.

I was grateful for the short bit of respite I was granted from my earlier thoughts.

After some time, I started to gain my bearings and regain consciousness. The steady beeping of the monitor was the first thing I noticed as my eyes slowly adjusted to the lowlight of the fluorescents. My body was completely depleted of all its energy, and I could hardly lift a finger.

"Eve!" A feminine voice called out to me.

I looked over to my left and saw my best friend, Mila, sitting next to me. Her eyes lit up like stars as she grabbed my hand firmly.

"God, Eve, you look like shit!"

I laughed weakly. "Well, I feel like it, too. But I'm glad you're here."

"Why wouldn't I be here for you?" Mila smiled. "The hospital called and told me to because I guess they couldn't get a hold of Adrian."

The mention of his name made my heart ache. 

Before I could respond, however, the doctor who had seen Bianca earlier came to see me. He greeted me with a gentle smile. "Good evening, Miss Evelyn. How are we feeling?"

"I've been better," I answered awkwardly. "But, I don't feel too bad right now."

"That's good, that's good." He scribbled a few things down in his notepad. "Well, I wanted to let you know that we will have to keep you for observation. The lacerations on your legs will need to be tended to, and we plan to give you some IV antibiotics."

"But, the good news," he added, "was that your baby is still doing well and healthy. Which was the main thing I wanted to tell you about."

I let out a sigh of relief. "That's actually fantastic news to hear. Thank you for letting me know."

"Of course. I'll be covering for tonight, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Once the doctor left, Mila sharply turned her head towards me as her eyes grew wide. "You're pregnant?"

I nodded my head. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Your secrets are ALWAYS safe with me." She grinned. "How does Adrian feel about finally becoming a father, though?"

How did he feel about becoming a father?

Well, I still needed to tell him.

But seeing as how he had… other commitments… I was beginning to convince myself that maybe he wouldn't even care to know.

When I didn't answer her back directly, Mila grabbed my hand again and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Is everything okay between you and him? Something tells me that I might've hit a soft spot that I wasn't meaning to."

I sighed. "It's not your fault. It's just… It's a lot."

"I have the time."

"And that's why you're my best friend."

I spent the next half hour recounting yesterday's events from Adrian forgetting about our wedding anniversary, to Bianca thinking she could order me around like I was her servant. But of course, the icing on the cake was me telling her about my most recent revelation.

Mila furrowed her eyebrows. "That's so fucked up, Eve. How the hell could he do this to you?"

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but it is hard to ignore all the signs…"

"Do you have any plans?"

"Not really. I just want to be able to focus on making sure our baby is healthy, but it's so hard when Bianca's *constantly* around. And now with this… I don't know if I can handle it, Mila."

For a moment, Mila hesitated as her lips opened and pursed a few times. But then… "I hate to ask but… have you considered… I don't know… potentially filing for a divorce…?"

My eyebrows furrowed immediately while the heat of irritation coiled inside my chest. When I made my vows, I meant them. In sickness and in health, until death do us part. My love wasn't conditional, and I promised to be with Adrian in this lifetime no matter what.

But even now… Something in me couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way about his vows as I did mine.

"Eve, I'm not trying to upset you." Mila spoke gently. "I just want you to be prepared with the possibility given Adrian—"

Before she could finish, the door swung wide open with Adrian suddenly appearing on the other side.

"Given Adrian has what, exactly?" He questioned. "Care to loop me in on what's going on here?"