Published: Nov. 28, 2019----Sept. 30, 2020

Kate, what happened to you? You look so devastated about the news."

"Of course she will be, Mr. Steele is courting her or rather had courted her," Nicole answered with a shake of her head from side to side.

"What? Is it true, Kate?" This time she nods.

"Men...they are like shingleback skinks when courting but behave like walruses once you accept them," Nicole commented while pouring wine on the glasses.

"You never mentioned it before," Tess told her in a voice, implying disappointment.

"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you about it."

Tess looked at her and, after a thought, shrugged and said. "I'm sure you will not do it without reason.

"It was because lately, we rarely see you." Nicole told Tess as if pointing out the fault was on the latter's side and then added, "I was even surprised when Mr. Steele told me about his intention to court Katelyn."

"Mr. Steele talked to you?" Tess interrupted disbelief in her voice of Jared's action.

"Imagine the high and mighty Mr. Steele's doing it. If Charlize didn't get pregnant, it would be flattering, but now it seems like he was playing around while his ladylove was not around." She added after Nicole's nods.

"That is the reason why I am skeptical of his courtship. Anyway, he had done it; we cannot do anything but help Kate to move on." Nicole suggested.

"Is he the father of your child?" Tess's direct question on her left her speechless for a time.

Nicole answered, "What are you asking her Tess, of course, she is..." Nicole was not able to finish what she was going to say as she nods her head as an affirmation to Tess question, leaving the former stunned.

"I can't believe it," Nicole commented once she was able to comprehend what's going on and then took the glass of wine and gulped it in one shot. "I needed it." She told them and then looked at her. "Kate, I am ready now to know what is going on. I am sure Tess is curious too."

"How can she tell them it was her fault she sandwiched herself in between Jared and Charlize? She would not face this predicament, pregnant, and soon to be a divorcee if she didn't follow her emotion. She got hurt and involved an innocent child who would grow up without a father's love.

Her blurry eyes looked at her friends' intrusive face, which became concerned when they noticed her in pensive silence. Their reaction made her regretful she cannot tell them everything. She can only impart her background and why she left her country to lessen her guilt.

The recrimination she was expecting once she told them her real identity never happened. This time she weeps, touched by their non-judgmental behavior towards her after all those fabricated stories and dishonesty. At the same time, because she cannot tell them she is already married, all she can say is her being the chosen woman to be Jared's bride.

Nicole's hugged appeased her lonely heart, telling her she is not alone.

"Cry it all out but remember it is not good for the baby if mommy is sad." Nicole reminded her and then asked. "Does Mr. Steele know about your condition?"

"No, he didn't."

"Do you intend to tell him?" Tess asked in which she answered." I don't know. I'm afraid of the consequences if I do."

Her two friends then looked at her, nodding while uttering the word "right." After a minute or two, they changed their mind. They take turned in suggesting what to do, argue if they think the solution is unfair or not right, but in the end, they still didn't settle with anything. It is because; they always consider his moneyed background, which can obstruct their options.

"I think I need to drink something as my throat dries," Nicole commented while taking a sip of wine and then put it down on the table.

"Kate has an excuse not to drink with me." She told Tess while picking another glass of wine and offered it to Tess. The latter reaction made her say, "Don't tell me you are also in a delicate condition?" Tess's guilty face made Nicole gulped the wine in her hands.

"What happened to both of you?" Nicole, with a slurred speech, asked, "Both of you are pregnant while unwed. It is so sad, and I want to cry..."

She and Tess looked at each other," She's wasted." They both said in unison and then looked at the glasses and the bottle.

"I am not...I am just so sad." Nicole sobs and was reaching for another glass, but Tess put it away from her. "You're party pauper! Oh, I'm sorry, Mommies." a laugh came out from her mouth.

Tess punched a button, and then a waitress came inside, and she asked for more water.

The waitress came back, not alone but with Blake, who then sit on another couch.

He looked at the glasses in front of them, then at their faces. He then asked the waitress to pour him some drinks.

Instead of the waitress doing it, Tess took the glass of water from the former and did it herself. She then walked to where he sat and handed it to him.

"Babe, Mr. Steele was outside; you can wait for me there. We have our "Girls' talk." Tess told Blake with an emphasis on the last two words.

"I want to check if all of you can still stand. The three of you had been here for more than two hours and with the wine and all. So who's the winner?" Blake's voice with a hint of amusement asked.

Jared and Mark's entrance gained all their attention, forgetting Blake's question.

Katelyn looked at Jared's face turned into stormy ones as he looked at the glasses of wine. He then stared at her the same way he did at the objects.

Nicole's retching sound made her turned to her friend forgotten was the anger in Jared's face. The waitress's quick intervention of putting the bucket in front of Nicole prevented the disaster from happening.

Mark ran to Nicole's side and helped her stand to go to the loo.

Katelyn stands up to help her friend too, but dizziness made her returned to her chair and laid her head on the back pillows. A hand then touch her head, and she turned to her right side and saw Jared's clenched jaws as if he is trying to control his anger.

She wanted to touch his face but stopped herself because he will never be hers in this lifetime. He had said before he will never let her go, and she had thought he also reciprocates what she feels, but now it's different.

The sounds of the flushing of the toilet, the closing of the door, and footsteps coming their way made Jared said, "Mark, take Nicole to the hotel," while his eyes never left her face.

"I can go with Nicole." She offered. Time away from Jared is what she needed so that she can think about her plans after this. If she goes back with him in their apartment and confronts her with the news, in her current state, she knows her reaction will be. To break down and cry, and it's the last thing she wanted him to see her.

"You young madam is not going anywhere but back to our place," he told her in his most authoritative voice, which didn't intimidate her. She remains still on her chair while he stands tall, but when he picks her up and carries her, bridal style, she knew he doesn't like her defiance.

She protested, but as if he didn't hear her, he continued walking. Before they can go out of the room, she assured him of her intention to go back with him so he can let her walk. Good thing, he did too.

Jared helped his wife settle in the car's back seat before sitting down beside the driver, who happened to be one of his guards. He was not drunk, but he consumed two glasses of wine and wanted to think. He knew once they are in their place, his wife will interrogate him.

Earlier, when he saw the empty glasses in front of Tori, his initial reaction was anger. He thought she drink wine even after knowing about her condition. He became calm only when he was near her, and no smell of alcohol emits from her.

Now, he did wonder why Tori didn't tell him yet about his child. Indeed most women, once they found out they are pregnant, will immediately say to the father. How come she didn't tell him yet? Three days had passed already since she had been sure.

"Is she afraid to tell me? Is that why she hesitated, or maybe she doesn't want to have his child," with those questions on his mind, he turned to look at his wife. To see her dosing off at the back made him tell his bodyguard to be careful about driving.

When his phone rings, he fished it out of his coat's pocket to turn it off, but when he saw Charlize's name, he silences the call instead. He did wonder what she wanted at this time.

Katelyn woke up by something which vibrates at her back. She then noticed being carried again by Jared, which meant she had fallen asleep in the car.

She wanted to tell him of the call, but then Charlize came into her mind. "Who else will ever call him at this hour, but it's either Meme or her nemesis? If she lets him know of her awakened state, he will let her walk so he can answer the phone. Then she remembered, maybe this will be the last time she will have these moments with him.

She pretended to be asleep, so she can savor being close to him. Once her head touched the pillows, it was then she was able to release the tears. The closing of the door made her even lament the loss she will be facing.

Maybe she had fallen asleep still crying because she woke up with heavy lids and alone. She looked for any movements inside the room, but she saw nothing.

"Where did Jared go? Aren't they supposed to talk last night? With the quietness of the room, it seems like he had been long gone." She muttered.

The ringing of her phone made her reached out for it. Tess's name as the caller reminded her, she didn't notice what had happened to her last night. She picked the call and asked about it immediately.

Tess told her Blake had ushered out of the room once Jared was with her. Then they went to his apartment, and until now, she is still there.

After their talk about what had happened, Tess then mentioned the reason for her call.

"I know it is a bit early to gossip, but this is a piece of important news." Her words made Katelyn's heart beat faster than normal, as she felt it is not good.

"I just read the message from my sister; Charlize was in the hospital last night, brought by her friend. It is not known the cause yet, but she almost miscarriage."

"So it was the reason Jared was not beside her, he went to the hospital." Kate thought and she felt the warmth spreads all her body.

"The most important of all," she heard Tess continued, "the person who was with her..."

Katelyn didn't hear the rest as darkness falls upon her.

Jared just came out of the flower shop, carrying a dozen red roses, and walked to his waiting car.

He sat down on the back seat while holding the flower as if it is a precious one and then told his bodyguard to drive.

"Mr. Steele, someone called while you are inside the store." Another bodyguard told him while handing him the phone, which he left to them earlier.

He checked on the missed call, and when he saw a number, not on his contact, it made him mused for a moment before he returned the call.

What on the other line had said made him loosen his hold on the flower.

END OF PART 33

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Males make a series of moves—including caressing and licking females—before copulating. Courtship takes months. By:AmandaGreen-mentalfloss.com/article/55019/10

- they defend a large harem of females that join him underwater for copulation. By: livescience.com/12963