It seemed as though everyone was congratulating Helen the next Monday morning she went to work. Even those who had outrightly ignored her and distanced themselves from her when the rumor got out. She didn't have time to be bitter or hold grudges. She was very excited and happy. She marveled at the small office space she was given. It was a small corner office in the north wing of the building, and for a moment, her legs felt just a bit shaky. She needed Aaron here, but he was already on his flight back to Florida. A knock sounded at the door. She turned to see a bouquet through the glass wall and she knew who it was. “Come in,” she called, and to her amusement, he hid his face behind the bouquet.“Thanks, Alvin,” she said, as she began to unpack her items from her box. The first was the framed picture of her and Aaron. The one we had taken at the park, with our faces imprinted with the paint covering the other's palm, and other splotches of lavender and red.“They’re not from me,”
Two weeks later, Helen took a sick day off so she could get a long weekend and she was on her way to Florida. Guilt pricked her as she drove home that Thursday evening, especially given her promotion and all the new responsibilities that came with it. But she needed a very long weekend, and Friday night was just too late a start with Aaron. A long weekend to know her fate with Aaron. A long weekend that will determine if her heart will be shattered or if she will live happily ever after. She drove straight to the airport from the office and boarded the 7 p.m. flight headed to Florida. She was so close to turning back but she had come this far. Spent quite a sum on a flight ticket too. She couldn't chicken out now.Besides, Tracy and Lily would have her head if she didn't go again. Her hands trembled as she secured the seatbelt across her waist, in her preparation for takeoff. She couldn’t help but realize this would be the turning point. This weekend, she was going to tell him abou
Helen found a taxi and after giving him the address to The Churchill's Mansion, she settled in the backseat. Her phone beeped and it was a message from Tracy. The message read: 'Helen! Aaron called! He’s incredibly anxious that he can’t reach you. Have you landed? I just told him that I’d call him back, and hung up.’She was about to reply when her phone rang, signaling an incoming call. The number wasn't on her contact list but one from Florida. Perhaps it was Aaron. So she picked up but instead heard the smooth response of a woman’s voice.“Miss Helen Roberts?" She called.“Yes?”“I’m Meredith, Mr Churchill's secretary. He’s in a meeting right now so he can’t contact you directly, but he’s been trying to get in touch with you for the last hour. Is everything alright?”She sighed, remorseful that she had caused him to be so worried. She wondered then if it would be best to just inform him of her arrival, but she couldn’t make up her mind. “Everything’s fine,” she replied. “Please tel
Aaron couldn't wait till the end of the meeting. He left thirty minutes before the meeting was concluded. He didn't bother to go back to his office to pick up his briefcase or ask his secretary if Helen had picked up the call. He just wanted to go home, pack up a few things, and be on his way to Chicago. When he got home, he found Anna's car parked in front of his gate and he wondered what she was doing there. Upon spotting him, she exited her car. She walked towards his car just as he exited. "Oh, Aaron. You don't know how long I've been here. Your guards kept me here because I don't have an appointment with you." She said as she hugged him tightly. Aaron's face hardened. He gently pushed her from him to break the hug. "What are you doing here Anna?""That's some welcome Aaron". She rolled her eyes and continued. "You really should put my name as one of the accepted guests so I don't have to spend hours outside waiting for you".What the hell was she talking about and what did sh
Helen knew she couldn't do this alone. The worst seemed to have passed, but from now onwards, she just could not deal with all of this on her own. Just then, her phone began to ring, and seeing that Tracy was the caller, relief washed over her. “Hey,” she said. “I know it’s early but I just thought to check on you. How are things going with Aaron? Sorry, I missed your call a few minutes ago?”At the mention of his name, and her care, just when she was about to reach out to her, her throat constricted again. She couldn’t hold herself back as the sobbing began again, and it didn't stop for a while. When she calmed down, she told her all that had happened with Aaron. She listened in silence at the other end of the call. Aaron was in the middle of a supermarket trying to figure out what to buy for Helen in case she woke up. He already got a few comfy Pyjamas, and sanitary pads because she was bleeding so much when he took her to the hospital. He wondered if it was just her monthly flo
"Those pictures you saw of him kissing his wife, his ex-wife rather, she was behind those pictures. According to him, she tried to kiss him in a public place and she had planted a photographer who took the pictures." She took a slow breath and continued. "When you saw him with her, he didn't invite her over. She came to tell him that she wanted him back and when he told her he had moved on, she kissed him without his consent. Helen, I don't know what to make of all this. Aaron isn't one to be petty. He won't just lie. Please listen to him. His ex-wife has many reasons to want to come back to him. She's fighting to be with him. I think you should put up a fight too."Helen froze, the announcement jarring her into a stupor. “What are you talking about?” she breathed.She tried to recall what she saw and realized he struggled to break off the kiss. But all her brain could interpret at that moment was the fact that he was with another woman. “Aaron’s on his way right now to the hospital
Aaron was conflicted as he watched her. He stood away from her door but positioned himself in a way that gave him a clear view of her. She sat in a sullen silence, her head lowered and seemingly deep in thought.He didn’t know what to feel. On one hand, his heart burned with malice that she’d kept her pregnancy away from him, and for so long. She was now almost two and a half months along, so that meant that she had most likely been aware of the baby even before he had arrived in Chicago. Maybe it was why she had fallen sick and taken the day off when he had first arrived there. Maybe that was why she had initially tried to push him away.His head was swirling, and he didn’t know where to begin. He heard approaching footsteps and lifted his gaze to see it was a nurse. She wore a cautious smile on her face. "Sir, I'm sorry but you can't be allowed in there. The patient needs some rest and has asked for us not to let anyone in".What the hell was the nurse talking about? "Well... She
She gazed at him and from nowhere, her eyes filled with tears. A drop fell before she could turn away. “I’m sorry,” she said with a nervous laugh. “These damn hormones keep pushing me out of balance.”He gave her the time to recover and reached forward to place his hand on hers. That little gesture he could see, greatly encouraged her.“I’m not ready,” she answered. “But I doubt that I’ll ever be. And since… I’ll never consider any other options, I don’t have a choice but to be ready do I?”He was well aware of the alternative options that she was referring to. “Did you consider getting rid of the child?” he asked.“Honestly, I didn’t. Even though at the time I didn’t know if I would ever see you again. We had gotten involved and parted ways in a not-so-peaceful war” Her laugh was bitter. “I didn’t even know if I should reach you or if you may want to have anything to do with me, not to talk of a child. So no, I didn’t consider anything other than having the baby, and then you showed