Semua Bab THE PREGNANT VIRGIN AND THE RUTHLESS HEIR : Bab 21 - Bab 30

GesareI don’t know what wakes me up first at first until I hear the voices getting louder.There is a strange, uneasy pull in my chest like something isn’t right and at first I think I am dreaming. The sound is distant and muffled like it’s coming from somewhere far away. My body feels heavy, still wrapped in sleep, my mind slow to catch up.Then the voices get louder and sharper, they also seem angrier. My eyes flutter open, blinking against the soft light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it.Then a woman’s voice cuts through the air, furious and I sit up immediately.My heart starts to beat a little too fast as I glance toward the door, listening.This kind of reminds me of being back home. I reach out for my phone on the bedside table, my fingers slightly unsteady as I check the time, it's 9:52 a.m too early for this kind of chaos.Then I hear his voice, Kumba. Who is he arguing with at this hour in

GesareFor a few seconds after he leaves, I just stand there confused. Like my body hasn’t quite caught up with what just happened.The door clicks shut behind him, soft but final, and the sound seems to echo through the room louder than it should. I keep staring at it, half expecting it to open again half expecting him to walk back in and say something that makes sense of whatever that was.But it doesn’t open and he doesn’t come back.My fingers tighten slightly around the edge of the towel wrapped around my chest, and I let out a slow breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.“What just happened?” I whisper to myself.The words sound small.I swallow hard, blinking rapidly as the silence settles around me again. Just minutes ago, I was crying behind this same door, trying to piece myself together after everything his mother said. And then he came, knocking, calling my name like he cared, like it mattered and for a moment it did, but then he just left, Just like that, no explanat

KumbaI check the time again, my thumb hovering over my phone screen as I lean back slightly in my chair at the dining table, I am starting to get irritated, I hate waiting.It's seven thirty eight, dinner was supposed to be at seven and she knows it.I glance toward the staircase, half expecting to hear footsteps soft, hesitant, the kind that always made me aware of her presence before I even saw her.But there is nothing, it's just silence. I exhale slowly, setting my phone down on the table.“She is probably just taking her time,” I mutter under my breath. It’s not unusual really. A small frown tugs at my lips as images from her this morning in a towel come back to me, but then I remember how I walked out and the irritation comes back. I shift slightly in my seat, my gaze drifting back to the staircase.The staff had finished setting everything minutes ago before quietly disappearing, leaving the space to me.I reach for the glass of water in front of me, taking a slow sip as I

Gesare It’s been one week since I moved out of Kumba's house, and I have been in this room ever since, but today I need to go in for my prenatal appointment with doctor Valentina. It doesn't take long for me to get to the hospital, it's a few blocks down from the motel. The hospital smells the same as always, antiseptic I sit in the waiting area, my fingers curled tightly around the strap of my bag, my foot bouncing slightly against the tiled floor. I try to stop it, but my body doesn’t listen.It hasn’t been listening to me for a while now.“Gesare?” I hear my voice and look up. Dr. Valentina stands by the door, her expression calm but with a slight smile, her eyes are different today today though, she seems sad.I stand up slowly and walk toward her, each step feels heavier than the last.Something is wrong, I can feel it. She has some bad news for me. I follow her into her office, “Have a seat,” she says gently and I sit quietly. “Gesare,” she begins, flipping open my file.

Kumba.I don’t move for a while long after she is gone. I just stand there in the parking lot, staring at the empty space where she was standing like if I look hard enough, she will somehow come back but she doesn’t.My jaw tightens, my hands curling into fists at my sides.“It’s time for you to move on with your life.”The words replay in my head, over and over again.A bitter laugh almost escapes me as I think of the irony of it all. A homeless girl who had close to nothing was brushing me off, normally I was the one doing the brushing off. I drag a hand down my face, exhaling sharply, trying to steady something inside me that feels like it’s spiraling out of control.This is ridiculous, she is a girl I barely know, someone I was just helping and yet I can't get her off my mind. But my mother was right, I was neglecting my duties trying to play hero to a woman I barely knew, it was time I went bacl to my normal life and focus on more important things. I turn sharply and head bac