Chapter 8

~Kate~

                       4 YEARS LATER

I found myself seated in the doctor's office, anxiously awaiting my results but it felt like they were taking too long. 

I swear I was going to switch doctors again. This was my hundredth doctor. If he was going to walk in here with his usual nonsense I was going to switch.

The door finally opened and I sprang to my feet.

“Mrs. Norwood, please have a seat,” the doctor instructed.

“Did you find anything?” I shot back, in no mood for small talk.

“Please…” he pointed at the chair.

“Just tell me!” I snapped, my patience wearing thin.

“Nothing, everything looks fine…” he attempted to reassure me with his typical nonsense but I grabbed my handbag and stormed out of the room.

Incompetent doctors!

Every last one of them, American, English, French, Italian! just a bunch of clueless fools sent to drain our money.

I felt the urge to kick something, but this was a hospital bustling with people. I quickly exited the building and got into my car.

In a fit of frustration, I pounded the steering wheel repeatedly. “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” I yelled, letting my anger erupt.

Taking that rage home wouldn’t do me any favors.

I took a few deep breaths, touched up my makeup, and drove off with a bright smile plastered on my face.

I drove straight home.

As I pulled into the driveway, I spotted Linda’s car parked there, and a wave of irritation washed over me, souring my already sour mood.

I had no patience for her and her nonsense comments about my struggles to conceive. There was a time I enjoyed her company, but that was four years ago.

Before her overbearing nature began to grate on me, and worse Daniel a mama's boy.

It was always my mother said this, my mother said that. My mother does not like this. My mother wants you to do this.

Stupid useless mother.

I was not in the mood to exchange barbs with her. The doctors always advised me to minimize stress, claiming it could be a factor in my fertility issues.

Linda was my biggest source of stress.

I stepped into the house, forcing a smile, and found her in my kitchen, intruding on my space.

Daniel sat at the dining table, chuckling at her stale jokes as usual.

“Honey, you’re back! How was your spa day?” he asked, rising to greet me.

I kissed him softly and wrapped my arms around him.

I had lied about my doctor's visit for a reason. I didn’t want him to sense my desperation and I didn’t want to burden him with worry.

A year into our marriage, we had both undergone tests, and everything came back normal. I had always known Daniel wasn’t the issue.

We had tried everything, tracking my cycle, fertility pills, consulting doctors from all over the world but nothing was wrong with either of us.

They all insisted it just wasn’t our time, yet here we were, four years later, still waiting.

“Kate, how are you?” Linda greeted me, her gaze fixed on the plates. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you’d be home so soon, so I didn’t prepare a meal for three,” she remarked coolly, as if she would have cooked even if I had been around.

I plastered on a fake smile, “Oh, don’t worry, Linda, I’ve already had my lunch,” I replied.

“Oooh,” she raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “So you dined out while your husband stayed home hungry? What if I hadn’t dropped by?” she asked.

“Mom, please,” Daniel interjected, but I shrugged off his embrace and walked away.

I had no patience for her antics.

I headed straight to the bedroom and threw myself onto the bed. There were far more pressing matters on my mind or rather, research to dive into.

I had been chatting with my brother, Idris. He was a doctor though he wasn’t a gynecologist, he had suggested IVF, In Vitro Fertilization.

Two years ago, I had scoffed at the idea when a doctor first mentioned it. It felt like admitting defeat, as if I were somehow less of a woman. And with Linda’s traditional views, I would have faced her relentless ridicule.

But now? I couldn’t care less.

I was determined not to lose Daniel. I knew she was relentlessly pressuring him for a child and planting seeds of doubt about me into him.

I was going to get pregnant, no matter the cost or the shame.

I pulled up G****e and began to read about the procedure once more.

Just then, the door swung open, and Daniel stepped in, apologizing as usual for his mother's stupidity.

“Let’s try IVF,” I blurted out, shifting to sit up.

He blinked continuously.

He looked taken aback, caught off guard by my sudden declaration.

I sprang off the bed, “We have the time now. Back then, we were preoccupied with trying to conceive naturally, and you were busy cleaning the company,” I approached him, taking his hands in mine.

“But now the business is thriving, we’re raking in millions, and you can accompany me to the appointments without worrying about the company,” I pulled him closer.

“Kate, that option is for people with issues, the doctors…” he began, but I silenced him by placing my finger on his lips.

“Time, Daniel. We both know your mother is being difficult because of her desire for a grandchild,” I quickly shifted my tone and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “This will be our little secret. No one needs to know we’re doing IVF,” I whispered.

He fell silent. I anticipated some sort of response or objection. I knew I had caught him off guard, but Daniel wasn’t the type to ask to think over things.

He’d likely consult his mother for advice, and she was notorious for giving him bad decisions.

“Come on, Daniel, this is just between us. We can still have our second child the traditional way,” I suggested, leaning in to kiss him again.

I paused, waiting for his answer.

“Okay, let’s do this,” he finally said, prompting a joyful scream from me.

I wanted to lift him in celebration, but he was too heavy, so instead, he scooped me up and spun me around in excitement.

I let out a scream, fully aware that Linda would hear me.

That woman had no idea what she was up against, and it was high time she realized she couldn’t compete with me for her son’s affection.

Daniel tossed me onto the bed, and as if she didn’t exist, we began shedding our clothes. He was already deep inside me, and I was moaning on top of my voice.

We had to pause when we heard the sound of an engine rolling outside 

Daniel and I exchanged glances and erupted into laughter.

“You are going to make the best father,” I placed my hand on his cheek.

He smiled and thrusted deeper.

The following morning, we booked an appointment with a gynecologist to kick off our IVF journey. 

As we entered the clinic, the doctor laid out all the details for us, explaining the process and the timeline ahead.

I've never been fond of needles, but some sacrifices were necessary, and I was already prepared for the discomfort.

After examining us both, the doctor assured us that my eggs and Daniel’s sperm were perfectly healthy, giving us the green light to proceed.

However, more tests were done, and we were instructed to return in a week.

A bubbling excitement filled me, and to mark this significant step, Daniel decided to take me on a shopping spree to Singapore.

We needed a positive atmosphere for our treatment, far away from his mother’s negativity.

I packed my bags, and we were off on his private jet.

I couldn’t help but feel regret for not starting this journey sooner, but that was behind me now. Once I become pregnant, I planned to persuade Daniel to relocate to another country, all under the pretense of opening a new branch of his company, just to keep that old woman away.

I refused to let her negativity taint my pregnancy.

She was a toxic presence. While I wasn’t perfect myself, there was a level of evil that even the wicked recognized as beyond human. 

And Linda embodied that kind of darkness. I simply didn’t want her in my life or my unborn child.