บททั้งหมดของ Strangers: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

I wished I could look back at the way this began with fondness; maybe it would make the circumstances bearable, but waking in the bed of a stranger on the wrong side of town didn't lend itself to memories I wanted to cherish. But hell, neither did the day, that preceded the night, that changed my life.I hoped the more time I put between myself and that horrific twenty-four hours, the easier the pill would be to swallow, but distance and denial did nothing for me. The reality was, I had participated in a chain of events I shouldn't have been a part of, and fate would remind me for eighteen, long years of just how pivotal one wrong choice could be.As I waited through the unbearable pain of the previously mentioned consequences, I couldn't help but replay what brought me here. Every decision-good and bad-that had led me to this moment filtered through the ever-increasing agony I currently experienced.My alarm didn't wake me for whatever reason-I refused to admit that I hadn't set

The only thing worse than being caught having a threesome was the press publicizing it. My father had me on total lockdown after the charade at Scene Six. I hadn't made a public appearance in close to two months. I swear to God, I believed he had sabotaged every interview I went on to keep me from getting a job and reinstating my trust fund freedom. Only the necessities were paid, and he wasn't afraid to cut those off as well. The first couple weeks hadn't really bothered me. I was as embarrassed as my father when I saw the picture that I fucking posed for on the cover of the daily paper, and my friends wouldn't shut up about my debauchery. The image that dominated the front page the next morning was, in essence, soft porn. The straps of my dress had fallen from my shoulders almost wholly exposing my breasts, and any periodical reader could now tell you the shade of my left areola along with the color of my panties. To make matters worse, I'd been dancing, drinking, and sweating all

There was a reason I shouldn't be a parent. I sucked at responsibility, and it wasn't because I was an idiot; it was because I didn't care and people always cleaned up my messes. That card Dr. Duek gave me, the one I had promptly put in my purse, never made it back out. Meaning, I'd missed my appointment. The one he closed his entire office for. Still oblivious to my faux pas when a random number displayed itself on my caller ID, I answered with the exuberance of any other day. "Hello?""Kate?" The gruff voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it."Yes.""It's Hale."It took me a split second to recall who Hale was. "Hey, Hale. What's up?" For the life of me, I didn't remember giving him my number, but somehow, he had it and used it."Your appointment."Fuck. I left him to hang in silence as I dug through my purse looking for the card. I glanced at the chicken scratch on the back, noting today's date, and my watch indicated I was over an hour late. His vo

Hale sent me a couple texts before my next appointment. I didn't respond with anything other than one-word answers. His contact was obligatory, not because he gave a shit, so there was no reason to bother. Each Tuesday at nine in the morning, I got a message that asked how I felt. Apparently, he'd set a reminder on his phone, and that irritated me more than his silence. He didn't owe me anything. I'd decided to tell Kappy and Carmella about the baby the night before my next appointment. At twenty weeks, this appointment would include another ultrasound, and if I wanted to know the sex of the baby, I could. I wanted one, or both, of my friends with me. I couldn't bear the thought of doing this alone anymore. It wouldn't go well, but I had hoped my two best friends would forgive my night of indiscretion and my secret. "You're not serious. Are you, Kate?" Carmella hissed at me with a nasty scowl. I chewed on the side of my bottom lip and nodded. I hoped Kappy would come to my res

The closer I got to my due date the more precarious my visits to Hale's office became. His staff had started to question why he closed the office so frequently and wondered if it was related to his mother's cancer. Luckily, she'd been in remission and rather healthy, all things considered. I'd had the pleasure of meeting her once, and it was apparent Hale hadn't kept his end of the agreement because she knew all about me. I reminded myself she had a disease many didn't outlive and gave him a pass on the breach of contract right after he kissed my ass for about three hours.All my appointments were moved to the end of the day on Fridays so he could send his staff home early and I came in an hour later. Funny, they all stopped asking questions when they got a half day off every other Friday and would get one every Friday once I hit thirty-six weeks. Nearing the end of my pregnancy, at thirty-three weeks, I had one more two-week appointment before I had to start going weekly. Hale ha