Published: Dec.06, 2019----Sept. 30, 2020

"Darling, you are awake already?" Katelyn heard Meme's voice asked her as she sat on the bed.

"Yes, I am Meme," She answered and then yawned while looking at the older woman who arranges the flowers in a vase.

"Rest is what you needed so that the little one will be secure."

At the mention of her child, she looked down at her still flat belly and touched it. Thankfully she didn't lose her precious burden.

She saw Meme's concerned eyes looked at her before she can say anything, the older woman informed her of the Doctor's visit after an hour.

When she left, Theresa came inside and assisted her in taking a bed bath.

She was not sure of what had happened after she fainted until Tess told her. She and Blake brought her to the hospital as soon as they saw her lying on her bed.

When she wanted to ask her friend about the topic of their conversation before she fainted, the latter just answered, "We will talk about it later" and reminded her about the Doctor's advice to refrain from stressing herself in succeeding days.

The Doctor did arrive after an hour and entered her bedroom, accompanied by Meme. After the examination, the Doctor told her, "Everything is stable, but as she is still in her first trimester, special precautions are still needed."

Her regular daily routine was good news already but added to it, her child's good condition was a blessing.

If it is not for the wellbeing of her child, she has been up and around already. She will not spend those past days in complete bed rest without a bathroom privilege. With only the books as a companion, she felt bored. Meme removed all the gadgets in front of her.

Her grandmother's face also brightened with the news, and Katelyn was sure the older woman's happiness was more on her child than her. It was then she remembered Jared.

"Was he happy to know they have a child?" She asked herself, but his absence made her conclude he was not because he never came to visit even once after she refused to see him on her first day in the hospital.

She wished he was with her, mostly when she was in the hospital, scared of losing their child.

"Stop thinking of him, you will only hurt yourself, and it's not good for your child to be sad." She reminded herself and diverted her mind to something else.

Jared just received a call from his grandmother and was informed of his wife and child wellbeing. Happy to hear everything is alright, he smiled for the first time in a week.

He misses his wife so much, but his grandmother guarded Tori against him. He can't even talk to her just on the phone.

He remembered what had happened last Saturday morning after he talked to Theresa. While walking to the hospital where his wife is confined, Jared felt like his rib cage almost broke from his heart's throbbing.

Blake stopped him from entering the room. The reason was, Tori doesn't want to see him. The guilt of not being there with her when she fainted made him do as told. He waited outside the room.

After an hour, his Meme arrived. His grandmother looked at him as if he was a dart and her eyes as the arrows. She never said anything but just passed him to enter the room. Her behavior towards him baffled him. He even asked Blake and was answered by the latter with a shrugged off his shoulder.

When the Doctor went out, and she talked to him, he found out that the baby is safe, but his wife needs to stay. For the series of examinations to be done to rule out any possible causes that can endanger her health and child. The Doctor also advised him to limit any emotional and mental stress to her.

Blake, who was at first surprised to know about his wife's pregnancy, tapped him in his shoulder and teased him," Wow, what a speed."

His mind was not on his cousin. So he didn't respond to his jesting but instead, he went inside the room.

Tess and Meme talked, but upon seeing him, the latter walked towards him and then ushered him back outside the room. His grandmother told him to leave his wife alone to rest first and informed him they would talk later on.

They never had that talked as his grandmother didn't let him inside the room again. For the first time, he felt being an outcast in his family.

The next day, his wife left the hospital and went to Steele's mansion without his knowledge. He followed them, but their gate remained closed to him, and when he ordered the guard to open it, he told him," he is only following his grandmother's order." Confused about the reason for his Meme's weird action, he called her, but she ignored his calls.

He decided to visit Blake's apartment to ask if he has any idea of what's going on. It so happens when he went there, his cousin's girlfriend was there too. Once she heard what his problem was, she narrated about telling his wife of Charlize's pregnancy. She even emphasized the news had made Tori devastated.

Remorse was what he felt upon hearing his wife's reaction. He thought with all the precautions he had done, and she still found out about Charlize from someone else. It was then he realized her refusal to see him was because of it. She might have thought he doesn't want their child. If only she knows, he is so happy to know they have a child.

Armed with that knowledge, he left his cousin's apartment, forgetting Tess was still talking. He went back to the mansion, eager to explain to his wife, only to be dismayed as he was still not allowed to enter.

The next day, he was there again. That time the gates opened, and he went directly to the stair to go up and see his wife. He was on the first step when his grandmother intercepted his progress and was directed to his study room to talk.

His grandmother showed her the message she received anonymously. The email was about Charlize's pregnancy and pointing him as the father.

He cannot forget his Meme's face, full of dislike as she told him, "You can do whatever you want with your bastard, but Tori's child will be born within the wedlock." Stating her stands of no divorce will occur as long as his child is not born.

Of course, he straightened out everything. He told his grandmother Charlize's child's birth father, making his Meme cry for not trusting him. All he did was hugged her and even teased her by asking, "I can see my wife now?"

Her refusal made him upset, but once she explained her reason, he did as she said. It was to wait for the Doctor's next visit, which is today.

Now that she is okay, he cannot wait to see his wife. He hopes she will forgive him for not explaining everything before. His only excuse, he was a coward.

He was afraid of her leaving him if she found out about Charlize's pregnancy and misunderstands him. At that time, he can only keep it a secret until the investigators have reported on who the father can be as Charlize will not divulge it.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. Mark came in with the folder he asked earlier, but instead of checking it, he got up from his chair and told his PA to bring it to his apartment. He then walked towards his elevator.

Katelyn was sitting on the couch inside a gazebo. Earlier, she told Meme after the Doctor left her plan to spend her afternoon here, and immediately the housemaids were told to prepare it.

She first saw this place when Jared went to Germany, and Meme took her back here. One day she went out of the terrace near the passageway going to their room and saw the gazebo. It was like a big white dot amid the green. Curiosity made her asked Meme, and to her surprise, she told her of it being inside the property.

At that time, she had been here for a few days but never seen it before. She found out that when the housekeeper brought her here, trees concealed it from view on the first floor.

The door opening made her look in its direction, and saw a housekeeper carrying a bowl of nuts. She also left once she put it in the table in front of her.

Left alone by herself, she got up and walked on the rails. This gazebo is unlike a normal one. Meme had told her Jared had modernized it as he likes to stay here. It has folding windows in case anyone wanted to spend the night. It can be closed, partially or entirely.

As it is located in the middle of a pond with only a bridge to connect it to the land, the main attraction is the fishes that frolic around in different colors and species. Just looking at them can relax someone's mind enough to forget the time.

Katelyn gasped when a hand encircled her waist, and a masculine body touched her back. As the realization hit her of Jared's presence, her eyes widened.

"Remember what you had decided the next time you met him. You should keep your cool and pretend as if everything is okay," Katelyn warned herself. She removed the hands in her waist and took two steps sideways before facing him.

She felt compassion for him as soon as she saw his weary eyes. "Its Charlize and their child he was worried about, so better not let him notice you care." She advised herself and then stared at the vacant space. At that moment, the sounds of the leaves of the trees as it moves to the direction where the wind blows it distracted Katelyn in what can be a deafening silence.

"Tori, I am sorry." Jared broke the silence, and she looked at him, remorse was on his face, this time.

"I am expecting this, and I will be happy to gain back my freedom." She told him with a smile, but deep in her heart, she wanted to cry. What stopped her was her pride.

She doesn't want to look pathetic in front of him.

She promised before to do everything, not share her man to any woman. To be confronted with the truth that he only has Charlize in his heart is enough for her to let go.

"Are we going to discuss divorce again? Didn't I made it clear to you before, don't ever think about it?" Anger was in Jared's voice though he tried to control it, the reddening of his face betrayed him.

It made her confused then. "Isn't he here to talk about it? Why is he angry now? She was only helping him to start the topic so he can finish it.

"Until now, you cannot learn to love me, Tori? Even with my child inside you. Are you still thinking you can go back to your country and marry that friend of yours?" Jared asked her while his hands hold both of her arms and looked at her intently.

She never noticed him walking near him. So engrossed was she of trying to fathom on what's going on.

"What do you mean?"

"What?" Frustration was in his voice as he asked, then turned his back on her and walked two steps away.

She saw him put both hands on his waist and then heard him took a deep breath before turning to walk back to her.

This time, he put both of his hands on the rail, imprisoning her. "Weren't you listening to what I had said, or maybe it was not clear enough, and you wanted me to say it word for word."

"Oh, please do try the second." She answered while turning her face sideways. She was avoiding his gaze, so distracted with it, and she can't afford to be.

"I love you, Tori. I am not sure when it started, but I do." She looked at him immediately after what she heard and then pushed him away from her.

"Are you playing with me, Jared? Is your need to please Meme led you to lie to me and forsake Charlize?" For the first time, she accused him, shouting, and then she cried.

Pity was what she felt towards herself at Jared's thought, doing anything to have a child from her. Even sacrificing the woman he loves and their child.

"I am not lying to you, Tori." He told her as he hugged her, and she tried to push him away, but this time, he didn't budge an inch. "I hate you, Jared. Why don't you go back to Charlize and your child?"

"I know you hate me, but as of now, I have only one child growing, and I don't want his mother to cry."

Upon hearing it, she pushed him softly, and he slackened his hold on her waist. She craned her neck again to stare and asked him in between sniffing. "Charlize is pregnant, right?"

"Yes, she is, but it doesn't mean I am the father." He answered while wiping the wetness on her face with his fingers.

"How come you are not?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am a married man, and I love my wife, so what's the use of looking around?"

"Stop pretending, Jared, besides, didn't you warned me before not to fall in love with you because you only wanted Charlize?"

Instead of answering, to her surprise, he picked her up. He then carried her to the couch and settled her on his lap. He took a tissue and wiped her face with it.

"Well, Mrs. Steele, before I knew you, I have no plans on loving any woman. I never even thought I would get attracted to you. The first time we met and you were sitting down in a chair so stiff like a wooden tree.

"No way, I wasn't like that." She protested.

"Yes, you were, but listen first and remember this husband of yours doesn't like to explain much."

"We shall see." He looked at her on what she said. This time she will listen as she saw the desperate need in him to have her attention.

"Do you know I attended your graduation?" This time she was the one who was surprised.

"Why you didn't come and say hi to my friends and me?"

"And ruined your fun? Was it Eddie who gave you the flowers?"

"Yes, he was the one and for your info, again. We are just good friends." She pointed out to him as she heard a hint of envy in his voice.

"He was so sweet with you." She looked at him. "I know, but I can't help being jealous of him. You were with him for a long time. Okay, I will not say anything about him." He added as she glowered at him.

"Good, How about your relationship with Charlize?"

"Honey, Charlize, and I were over." Her eyebrows rose, and when he saw her disbelieve, "It's true." He then explained about his relation with Charlize and when it started. He also made it clear if they had been intimate; it was not the whole five years they knew each other. It was only in the last six months before he got engaged with her.

"Though we met always, I had been celibate since we got married, rather, before we consummated it. If I had not been attentive to you, it was because I don't know how you feel towards me." He held her hand and then asked, "Honey, do you ever love me?"

"Well, I will answer you after your probation." She told him and get up from his lap.

"What?" She heard him asked as she walked back to the mansion, with a smile on her face."

END OF PART 34

Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share with your friends.❤❤❤