I walk through reception.
“Good morning, Mr. Garcia.”
“Morning.”
I walk into my office and lock the door. I put the code into the safe, and I go to my briefcase to take out the passport. I flick through it, seeing the name and photo of my beloved.
April Bennet
Without hesitation, I put the passport into the safe, slam it shut, and I relock it.
I need an insurance policy.
She can’t leave me. I won’t let her
April
The car pulls into the garage around 7:00 p.m.
Sebastian hasn’t called me once today. That’s a first. I know he’s probably busy being pulled from pillar to post, but with everything that’s going on, I would have thought…
I’ve made dinner and had a glass of wine.
I feel unusually nervous to see him. My heart hammers in my chest when he comes into view.
“Hello.” I smile.
“Hi, babe.” He bends and kisses me, and then pulls immediately out of my arms.
Oh.
He sits on the chair and rests his elbows on his thighs. His head hanging low, and he looks at the floor.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I watch him. Something’s up.
“I called her,” he says quietly.
I frown. “Who?”
“On the night I was drugged, my call register shows that I made an eight-minute call to Helena’s number,” he says softly.
Emotion rushes through me.
His eyes rise to meet mine. “And there were other things.”
My heartbeat pumps loudly in my ears. “Like what?”
“There was a…”
“A what, Sebastian?” I snap.
“A bottle of champagne with two glasses beside it.” He shakes his head. “But that’s standard practice, isn’t it?”
“And what about the bedsheets?” I whisper.
His eyes search mine as his nostrils flare.
My vision blurs, and I drop my head as pain sears through me.
“I… I didn’t think it meant anything,” he stammers in a panic. “It wasn’t even on my radar. I don’t—”
I step back from him as if hit by a physical blow.
“I swear to you, April,”—he shakes his head— “I don’t remember anything. I promise you.”
I get a lump in my throat as I stare at him, it's big and painful and hurts all the way down.
I thought he was the love of my life but he’s just like the rest of them.
A liar.
I need to get away. I can’t be here. I turn, and he jumps from the chair and wraps me in his arms from behind.
“Don’t. Don’t!” he begs. “April, please listen.”
We struggle as he tries to hold me against my will. I turn, and with all my strength, I push him off me. He goes flying back.
“Stop it!” I cry.
“Please,” he begs. “I don’t remember.”
“You remembered to lie to me, though, didn’t you? That was the one detail you did get right.”
“Because I love you. I thought it meant nothing.”
We stare at each other, me with contempt, him with fear.
“Well,” I whisper. “It looks like you might have your baby, after all. It just won’t be with me.”
His eyes well with tears. “What does that mean?”
My anger peaks. “It means stay the fuck away from me!”
33
April
I march to the bedroom to get dressed. I don’t know where the hell I’ll go, but I need to get away from him.
“Where are you going?” he calls.
“Out.”
“There are cameras out there.”
I tear through my overnight bag looking for a shirt. Damn, this living between two houses pisses me off. “Do I look like I care?”
“April…”
“So, help me God, Sebastian, stay away from me. I’m so furious with you, I can’t even stand it.”
“I didn’t lie to you. Ever,” he argues. “I saw the call on my register in the seconds before I was elected. The cameras were on me, and then with everything going on, I completely forgot about it. And the other things I thought were standard practice.”
“So, when were you going to tell me this?”
“I’m telling you now.”
Gah.
This man is fucking infuriating, I yank my pants on.
“Where are you going?”
“I told you. Out.”
“I don’t want you leaving the house.”
“And I don’t want to be here with you, so tough fucking shit.”
I grab my handbag and open the front door in a rush. I glance down and see four security guards standing around on duty. They have no idea of the Armageddon going on up here.
Damn it, if I leave, they’re going to have to come with me.
They have to. It’s policy.
Why the hell is Sebastian the Prime Minister? It’s annoying and damn inconvenient.
Fuck it, what do I do now?
I’m so angry that I can’t see straight. The very last thing I want to deal with is being followed as I drive around the streets trying to calm myself down.
I close the door and turn to see satisfaction flash across Sebastian’s face.
My God, I’m about to go postal.
I inhale deeply.
Calm, calm. Keep fucking calm.
I storm back to the kitchen. I dish my dinner onto a plate, grab a knife and fork, and I pick up the bottle of wine. I don’t need a glass. I’ll drink it straight from the damn bottle. I march back up the hall.
“Are you not eating with me?” he calls.
I slam the bedroom door shut.
No, I’m not, fucker.
I turn the lock.
And you’re officially in the doghouse.
I wake alone.
The bed was lonely last night, and I feel sad today.
I’ve been married for weeks, and look at the fucking mess my marriage is in.
Who knew that my capabilities of marrying asshole men would be so high?
I roll over and stare at the wall as I try to brace myself for the upcoming day. I have to go to work and deal with a million questions from everyone about the scandal that’s all over the news.
That’s the last of my worries.
A baby. His baby.
My chest constricts. I couldn’t stand it.
A part of him and a part of her mixed together to form a child.
I imagine Sebastian going to pick the baby up and seeing Helena. Then, dropping the baby back to her.
They would always have that together and I know that Sebastian being Sebastian he would dote on the child…..and look after it's mother. He wouldn’t be able to help himself.
My stomach rolls. It makes me feel sick.
I think for a moment. Can a paternity test be taken while pregnant or do you have to wait for the baby to be born?
Hmm. I grab my phone and type into Google:
Can a paternity test be taken while still pregnant?
DNA testing can be completed as early as 9 weeks along. Technological advancements mean there's little risk to mom or baby. If establishing paternity is something that you need to do, non-invasive prenatal paternity test (NIPP) is a blood test that analyzes fetal DNA found in a pregnant woman's blood during the first trimester.