Chapter 2

Briar’s POV

My night was awful and I really wish it wasn’t.

I couldn’t catch a wink of sleep after that harsh reality I was forced to face last night. I couldn’t even bring myself to eat the delicious meal Gibson and I had worked so hard on all day. It tasted watery in my mouth and my stomach rejected every bite. Still, I left my bed rejuvenated and determined to make the announcement to Adrian again.

He was probably jet-lagged yesterday which prevented him from expressing himself truly. I plan to make his favorite tea to relax this morning.

“Good morning, Gibson. How was your night?” I asked as I stepped into the kitchen.

Gibson held up his signature smile. “Good morning, Miss Briar. My night was fine. You didn’t seem to have slept much.”

I patted my swollen face. “I guess. Do you know if Adrian is awake? I want to take his tea to him. I am guessing it’s the one you are making.” I pointed at the cup he was stirring.

He nodded in response. “Yes, it is. You want to serve it to him?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, ma’am. He is in his study.”

Inhaling sharply, I held onto the tray like my life depended on it and walked gingerly towards the study. Adrian is a strict businessman who likes his morning devoid of any distractions. I guess being in construction does that to one. I am hoping there would be a way to ease his mind this morning with my peace offering. The last thing I want is for our child to be born in a house where the parents barely speak to each other.

I was just about to knock on the door when I noticed it was slightly open. The voice from inside stopped me in my tracks.

Adrian made a snorty sound, he seemed to be on the phone. “Yeah, she told me she was pregnant yesterday. I can finally get the board off my back.” A slight pause. “If she thinks anything magical will happen just for that, she is being delusional. Briar is a mere breeding vessel. Her job is to give me healthy babies to carry on the Sterling name. I don’t have the time for dumb plays.”

A shocked gasp escaped my lips at his words and I didn’t know when the tray I carried fell out of my hands shattering the china wares. The door soon opened up widely, showing a displeased-looking Adrian while I stood there like a zombie.

His eyes trailed the floor. “What nonsense is this?”

My body stiffened, “Who were you on a call with just now?” I mumbled in a shaky tone.

“Were you eavesdropping on my call?”

I swallowed hard, staggering backwards. My head felt jumbled as my hands became sweaty. I can hear my heart beating crazily in my ear.

“W…what was that call about? What did you just call me?” I stuttered, lips quivering.

Adrian pocketed his hands, a blank look on his face as he let out a light exhale. “Whatever it is you heard.”

I gasped, struggling to breathe as tears rolled down my face speedily. “Adrian, you can’t be serious. You just called me, your wife, a mere breeding vessel. Is that all I am to you? Is this why you didn’t deem it fit to show happiness when I announced the pregnancy?”

He stared me down like I was some speck of dust on his shoe. “You eavesdropped on my phone call and now you are expecting me to answer your question?”

“What?” I blurted. “Adrian, I am your wife! Not someone you picked off the street. How can you be so dismissive? You owe me an explanation for what I just heard” I broke into tears.

“Stop with that, right this minute! Oh, I see what this is about. I think I have made you feel too special and you think you can act as you please.”

“Special? You call not talking to me and acting like I don’t exist, special?”

“I provide for you, don’t I? Saved your wretched mother from the debt she acquired with her ridiculous need to live a life she can’t afford. You think I am a fool for investing in such a bottomless pit? This marriage was strategic. A marriage that wouldn’t draw the media attention. It was easy to have you around because you are not a socialite. I married you because you were put together and would make a good housewife. Don’t start getting ahead of yourself now. Don’t piss me off.”

For a split second, it felt as if my breath got stuck in my throat. My chest tightened as I tried to get his words right. Now it’s clear what these past months have been about. When he made it a point of duty for us to have sex, I thought he truly yearned for me. I had been a virgin when I married him. I remember him asking that I do many tests before the wedding day. In my innocent mind, I felt he wanted me to be healthy. All along he was just prepping his breeding cow?

“How could you, Adrian? Almost a whole year, and you still can’t see me beyond a contract?”

He sniffed, a bored expression on his face. “I already gave you more than you deserve. Don’t push it, Briar. Now have all of this cleared from the floor. I am expecting a guest.”

At his words, a loud clinking of heels against the floor reached my ears. I turned to see where the noise was from and a lady who looked like she had just walked out of a magazine cover made her way towards us. The most shocking of it all is how she walked up to Adrian and kissed his cheek in a manner that was beyond friendly.

“Hi. I hope I wasn’t interrupting?” She asked, showing off her perfectly set teeth and bloody red lips in a smile.

Adrian had a smile on his face that I had never seen before. His eyes seemed to be feeding off the lady. “Not at all. We were just done here. Come into the study. Just ignore the mess.” He said when she looked down at the broken glasses.

“Oh, not so fast. It will be rude of me not to get introduced. I am guessing she is your wife?” She pointed at me and I could hear the mockery in the tone.

Adrian didn’t seem quite interested in making the introduction, but he did appear eager to please whoever this lady is.

“Briar, meet Isadora, my friend, also a business consultant. She is joining the company and she will be staying with us for a while until her apartment is ready.” He uttered.

Isadora let out an ear-piercing giggle, leaning into him seductively. “You forgot to tell her that I am, in fact, your first love and the only one with the key to your heart.” She said it while holding my gaze intently as if to send a message.

Adrian snickered, “Don’t start. Come on in.” He urged, putting his hand on her small back as they went in but not before he ordered me. “Clean up the mess.” He seethed.

The door slammed right in my face, making me jump out of my skin. It is how he erased the conversation as if it wasn’t important and refused to admit to what he said. I blinked back tears a couple of times as I bent down to pick up the glass pieces, even though the sharp edge of a broken piece pricked my finger. I couldn’t feel the pain.

I just watched the blood trickle to the ground while Isadora’s shrilled laughter burned my ears.