Chapter two

“I said!!! I don't want to.”

Sterling crossed his arms against his chest, laughing before bending towards me. He held me by my chin and looked into my eyes making me feel really uncomfortable.

“You seem afraid. You don’t have to be afraid of anything while with me,” he inched his face closer to mine so that I could feel his breath against my face.

He held my palms and placed the document in them. “Read it.”

I stared at the document before me. Hesitantly, I flipped open the documents

”LEGAL PROTECTION: FULL COVERAGE OF ALL CRIMINAL CHARGES AND LIABILITY UNDER THE STERLING LEGAL NETWORK” My eyes stopped on the line.

“I didn’t kill anyone..” I argued but was cut short by Sterling. “Well, you attempted to. You placed lives in danger by burning down the venue and shooting and you are liable for endangering others,” he replied, shaking his head slightly like I was a joke.

“Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?” I questioned. Just then my phone rang, I picked it up immediately.

“Mom?”

“Vanessa, what is going on? There are people outside, police, reporters, everyone is talking,” her voice shook.

Before I could respond, another notification flashed across my screen from my workplace.

NEW EMAIL. SUBJECT: CONTRACT TERMINATION.

The modelling agency I worked for doesn't want me working anymore. I bet they had seen the news too.

I looked at the document placed in my hands. Everything I worked for was now on the line, my job, freedom and life.

“You’d be in jail if you left here. Your life is in your hands,” Sterling added. Of course he wasn’t lying, I’d end up in prison either way.

I picked up the attached pen and inserted my signature without properly reading the entire terms of the contract.

“Good girl.”

“My lawyers will be here soon,” he added. Immediately, he dialled a number. On the phone, he spoke about the media dropping everything.

While I sat on the bed, I started seeing everything in two and black and white before darkness.

My body and eyes felt heavy as I blinked open to a nurse adjusting the beeping machine.

“You’re pregnant,” I heard the nurse say a few minutes later. My heart dropped.

“Pregnant?” I muttered in disbelief.

“Yes,” she replied with a warm smile.

Harris was the only sexual partner I had. “Oh my god,” I let out silently.

The door opened and Sterling walked in. The scent of his perfume washed the entire room making me nauseous. “How is my wife?” He asked the nurse.

“She’s three months pregnant,” the nurse announced, as Sterling walked to me, the sound of my wife, pregnant and his perfume filled my ears and nose. He held my hands gently, caressing my fingers, and before I knew it I threw up on him.

To my surprise, he kissed my forehead. “I’d wipe that.” The nurse hurriedly left.

“The child is mine, we are going to call her Lilac, what do you say to that?”

“No… It’s not yours. You are insane,” I sighed, shaking my head as I stared at him in disbelief.

“You are mine. So is the child,” his voice.

At this point, there was no use arguing with him. I reached for my phone on the bedside table. My fingers trembled slightly as I unlocked it.

“I’m pregnant,” I typed

“It’s yours,” I added.

“Who are you texting?” Sterling asked, stretching his hands to get the phone from my hands.

“Give it back!”

He looked at my phone, “You told him,” he said as his finger hovered on my screen. Certainly, he deleted the message.

“You’d get it back when you behave well. I don’t want you near him, don’t reach out to him and don’t speak with him,” he added.

**********

(TWO DAYS LATER)

I stood in front of the mirror. Motionless and an hour later, a white dress clung perfectly to my body as I walked down the aisle. Looking around, faces of millionaires and affluent men and women sat watching me. As I walked, I scanned, I searched to see the face of my mom but she wasn’t there.

I had invited her for the wedding and she promised she was going to be there, so why wasn’t she there?

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest said, and Sterling held me by my head, his face inching towards mine and lips colliding.

A few minutes into the wedding, I felt nauseous. “I need a minute,” I whispered quickly, and he smiled, agreeing to my request.

I walked away to the bathroom, exhaling sharply as I pushed open the bathroom door.

While inside, a knock sounded, “Vanessa.”

“Harris?” That was his voice.

Without warning, the door opened and Harris walked in.

I stood straight, my palms slamming his cheeks. “What are you doing here?” My throat went dry.

“I came for you,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “Leave before I call security on you,” I said, trying to make my way to the door. He held my wrist, my hair flowing and brushing my face.

“Vanessa, I didn’t choose her,” he said quickly. “You don’t understand what happened that day. I have something to tell you.”

“Well, it's too late for that now,” I responded.

Harris gripped my wrist tighter, "But I'm not letting you marry him. Vanessa, I love you."

I rolled my eyes as I listened to him blab lies and show his borrowed audacity.

Before I could respond, his other hand reached up and tangled in my hair, pulling me toward him.

“You love me and I love you,” he said. My palms slammed his face again and before I knew it, his lips crashed against mine with a hunger that stole the breath from my lungs.

I tasted salt from my tears I never knew was leaking as his tongue parted my lips, deepening the kiss. My hands came up to his chest and pulled him close to myself.

We were lost in each other, oblivious to everything outside this bathroom. His hands moved from my hair to my waist, pulling me against his body. I could feel every inch of him pressing against me as our kiss intensified.

"God, I've missed you," he breathed against my lips, before claiming my mouth again. His kisses traveled from my lips to my jaw, down my neck, leaving a trail of fire wherever his mouth touched.

His fingers fumbled with the zipper of my wedding dress, desperate to feel skin against skin. "Harris... please..."

“No shhh,” he immediately grabbed me close to himself, covering my mouth with his palm as footsteps got closer.

“Mrs Sterling, are you in there?” Adrian's voice came from outside.

“I am in here,” I responded, dropping Harris' palms from my mouth and adjusting my dress.

“The boss requests that you come with me,” he said to me, and hesitantly, I walked out of the restroom, carefully shutting the door with Harris in it.

“Let's go,” he said to me, guiding my path.

My chest tightened as I walked towards Sterling. “What took you so long?” He asked as I sat down next to him.

“My stomach hurts, and I feel nauseous,” I responded, then he held my hand, patting it gently.

“Do you want to leave? I’d ask the driver to take you home,” he replied, and I shook my head in disapproval.

“I’d stay,” I said, the image of the kiss flashing across my face.