I trailed behind Evelyn into the dining area and gaped around the space, my lips parted. The room was warm and brightly lit. Florescent lamps stood on the cabinets that lined the room. In the centre of the room hung yet another elaborate chandelier. The room was a medley of off-white, cream and dark chocolate brown. A large dark brown painting of abstract beings hung at one end of a cream wall and beneath it was a three-seater sofa. On another wall were large silver polished trays lined up on the walls. A lot of reflective objects in this house.

A dark brown glass dining table for eight sat in the middle of the room with cream plushy chairs tucked in. A tall vase of white flowers sat atop the table, in the midst of plates and neat silver dishes enclosed with food. A foreign scent of spices rode the air, I couldn't discern what we'd be having. Evelyn ushered me into a seat and gradually, the dining room filled out.

Nicholas returned with his father. I'd seen a couple of pictures of the two on the web. They shared many similar features. The same dirty blonde hair colour, same facial feature and determined set jaw. They also shared the same height and gait, but where Nick nursed a neat stubble, his father's was clean.

Nicholas had swapped out his initial white button-up shirt for a deep blue one. Now, he left two or three buttons loose and his sleeves were rolled up to half of his forearm. His light khaki trousers and brown suede shoes remained the same. His father had on a black polo and white shorts with black leather sandals.

They took their place at the dining table. Nicholas's father settled down at the head of the table, his wife sat at his right hand and Nicholas on his left. I happened to be sitting right next to Nicholas whilst Evelyn was seated beside her mother.

Nicholas leaned in and whispered. "I'm sorry for taking so long. Are you okay?"

I'm not sure. Between the rich air surrounded by aristocrats and your mother's clear distaste for me, I can't decide which has me more uneased. I nodded and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine"

As the dinner progressed, I found myself eating a little amount of food. The food was indeed foreign to me – Ribollita, an Italian cuisine – but that wasn't the issue. It was actually bread soup made from bread and vegetables. I wasn't a choosy eater and the dish smelled good but I couldn't particularly taste the food. It was like my taste buds had shut off and all I could think of was exiting this place. Maybe under better circumstances, I'd try it again.

"So, how do you like the food?" Evelyn piped up, her voice filling the silence.

"It's very delicious," I moved my spoon through the chunky bits in my bowl. "It's actually my first time having a proper Italian meal, other than spaghetti"

"You can pay your compliments to my mom, Rosa. She made the dish herself" she placed a flat palm on her mother's arm, a big smile on her face.

"It's very tasty, ma'am," I said to her but the only reply I received was the clinking of cutlery against the dish. Okay...

Nicholas's father cleared his throat and gently released his spoon against his bowl. "So, where are you from?" His voice although low held power and so did his piercing eyes.

"Nigeria," I said, then stuffed a spoon of soup into my mouth.

Rosa's eyebrows knitted together and her eyes narrowed at me. "Nigeria? Where's that?"

"In Africa, dear" Nicholas's father placed an affectionate pat on the back of his wife's hand. He returned his gaze to me. "So, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a resident doctor, actually. I work at James Berman memorial hospital"

"Oh, that's nice." He nodded then picked up his spoon and resumed eating in silence.

"Unbelievable," Rosa muttered under her breath, still loud enough for the whole table.

No other words were exchanged and the silence returned, bar the clinking of plates. Every person at the table was still eating and as far as I was concerned I was over the food. But I couldn't just stop eating or walk away from the table, so I dipped my spoon into the bowl and force-fed myself. I glanced at Nicholas from the corner of my eyes and wondered if he noticed my legs shaking, underneath the table.

"So, where's your husband? He couldn't make it?" Nicholas asked Evelyn, breaking the silence once again.

"Sophie was feeling a little under the weather so he decided to stay back and take care of her" she replied. I guessed Sophie was her daughter.

Rosa dropped her spoon loud against her bowl, sending shock and silence over the table. "Are we all going to sit here and pretend that this thing is not out for his money and using her pregnancy to trap him"

"Mother,"

"Rosa," Nicholas and his father spoke at the same time

I froze in my seat, my breath held back and my eyes wide. It's happening. I'd been sitting here feeling the pressure on an impending outburst and it was finally going down. What do I do? Do I leave? At this moment, I wanted to dissipate from this table, if it was possible. Every cell in my body trembled, I clasped my hands tight on my laps to stop the quivering but to no avail.

"What?" she issued them a share of her icy glare before settling them on me. "She's a street rat who wants to use her baby to claw her way out of her misery. Isn't just convenient that she happens to work at the same hospital we use and invest in?" she clasped her hands together as she looked at me. "You should be ashamed of yourself" her tone laced with larva.

"That's enough now, mother" Nicholas balled-up fist on the table, his voice firm and direct. "Don't disrespect her"

"How are you even sure that 'thing' is even yours, hmm?" she pointed a finger at my belly. "You never know the lengths, people like her are willing to go. For all we know, she could've been spreading her legs for anything that's willing to get her out of her wretched state"

"Mom, please stop" Evelyn placed a hand on her mother's forearm but she was shrugged off.

"Why should I? I'll be damned if I let another pauper chain my son with her bastard child to drain money from him" she spat out, seething with fury.

"I said ENOUGH!" Nicholas banged his fist against the table. The clanging sound of plates against the glass table resonated around the room. "We're leaving. Come on, let's go." He took my hand, pushed back my chair and pulled me up.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat back in my seat, staring outside the window the entire car ride back home. I felt Nicholas's gaze on me every once in a while but I didn't acknowledge it. My bones and muscles felt like butter and every other was drained out of me. It was finally over. I wish I could take this night and shove it into a black hole in my memory but I knew better. I would play and replay the entire scene in my mind, once I had some alone time. Even when the memory is on the verge of being lost, I'd find a way to regurgitate it.

"Are you okay?" Nicholas said as he pulled his hand gear to park.

I released a deep sigh, my chest full of air and emotions I wished I didn't need to address. I unfastened my seatbelt and spared Nicholas a glance, my hand holding unto the door handle. "Good night"

Nicholas held me back by the arm as I pushed the door open. His eyes were soft and searching, maybe even pleading. "Talk to me, please"

I released the ajar door and let my hand fall limp, unto my lap. "I don't trust myself to," I let out in a whisper and released a shaky sigh. "Please, let me go"

He nodded and released my arm. "I shouldn't have made you come. I'm really sorry"

I pushed the door open wide as I gave him a weak nod. "I know"

I stepped out of the car, held unto the door ledge and leaned down. "Bye." Then I closed the door and gave the roof two good pats before dragging myself into my building.

As I pushed my front door open, Whitney dropped her phone down and got out of the couch. She had on a smile as she approached me but upon further observation, her smile faltered. "How did it go? What happened?"

I shut the door, slow and gentle, then leaned back against it as one lone tear slid down my face. "I've never felt so insulted and belittled in my ent—"the words got cut off by the lump that had formed in my throat. I placed a cold hand against my throat and the other on my chest.

"Oh God," she rushed forward and enveloped me in a hug.

"His mother hates me," I swallowed and exhaled. "And to be honest, I don't blame her"

"Don't say that," Whitney said and took me to the couch, by the hand.

I shook my head as I tugged off my wig and flung it unto the seat. "I was club one-night stand for Christ's sake. If I didn't have enough self-respect, how can I expect someone else to respect me?"

"Stop that," her voice took a stern tone as she settled down next to me. "Calm down and tell me everything"

I breathed in and blew out a mouthful of air then narrated every detail of how the dinner played out, amidst tears. She left to get me a glass of water and rubbed circles around my back once she returned.

"How dare she treat you like that, just because they're rich? Is she forgetting that her precious son was also at that club and also failed to wrap it up?" Whitney spat. "I just hate it when women get to bear the brunt and men get a free pass"

I rose out of the chair. "Right. And you know what, I blame Nicholas as well. He went on and on about how this dinner wasn't such a big deal and how it would all be fine," I walked back and forth the living room, gesticulating as I talked. "Ughh, I was so calm on the drive back because I was fighting back tears but if I see him right now, it'd be war"

"You know what, they can rot in their mansion. Who cares about their money? In fact, you don't need to set eyes on his mother till the baby comes" she added with a clap of her hands. "Even when the baby comes, she won't come near both of you"

Oh God, the baby. My shoulders slumped as I walked over to the couch and lowered myself into it. That horrible woman will always be in my baby's family. What if she treats him just as bad? I placed a hand on my bump and ran my thumb back and forth on my belly. If she can speak to me in such a manner, who's to say she doesn't do the same to my child? I leaned back into the sofa and released yet another sigh as I shot my eyes. I'm exhausted.

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