Twisted paths

Chapter 1: Misunderstanding

"You always misunderstand me!" Mr. Carter yelled. "I never said we shouldn't wait for God's timing. I'm only suggesting that we consider adopting a child for now. An adopted child is still our child! Don't you see?"

"Well, I'm not bringing another child into this house!" Anna, Mr. Carter's wife, clapped back immediately.

"My time will come when God decides to bless me too. I believe I can conceive and deliver safely, just like other women out there. I refuse to accept that adoption is my only option."

Mr. Carter had been married to Anna for three years now, but they still haven't had a child of their own. However, they were blessed with every good thing in life, from numerous estates as assets to luxurious cars, name it! But luck hasn't been on their side in the issue of children.

There is a saying that a man can never have fame, riches, and happiness at the same time. Well, that was the same in Mr. Carter's case. He had fame and money, but he was never happy.

"Babe," Anna teased her husband, moving closer and giving him a light hug. "I'm not trying to start an argument. I simply long to have a child of my own. Not someone else's child. That's all."

"We can continue trying harder, you know. It's only been three years."

"Okay, here's the deal. She pushed further trying to convince him. If by the end of this year, I still haven't conceived, then we can reconsider adopting a child. But for now, I insist we wait," she said in a persuasive tone.

"Hmmm…" Mr. Carter murmured.

"I understand how you feel, my love," he said, squeezing her back closely into his arms. "But let's remember we are only waiting until the end of this year. We have just four months left, though."

"If by the end of this year, you still aren't able to conceive, then we are adopting a child."

"Babe," he pushed further, "God has blessed us with so much wealth already, but our joy feels incomplete without a child. I just need you to reconsider, okay?"

"Dear Lord, why can't I conceive for my husband?" she murmured and retired to her room.

Anna felt very devastated and troubled. It's been weeks since she gave Mr. Carter till the end of the year to conceive. She hardly ate properly and even skipped meals nowadays.

She badly needed someone to confide in. She was never a nice person, but these past few months have been extreme. She was either nagging at the maids or finding faults in the guards.

Mr. Carter couldn't care less. He knew she was just trying to emotionally blackmail him into not adopting a child, but his mind was already made up.

It was a bright sunny day. Anna was sitting on the majestic couch at the corner of the sitting room, moody as usual. Her phone came buzzing. She felt reluctant to pick up the call at first. but when she raised her phone and saw who the caller was, she immediately picked up the call and screamed with joy. "Oh, my dearest Jennifer! I have missed you so much. Ever since you went on vacation with your boyfriend, you hardly checked up on me." Jennifer didn't say a word because she was already used to her friend's silliness.

Jennifer and Anna have been friends for 10 years and still counting. Their friendship seems to keep waxing stronger despite the distance between them. They always found a way to reconnect again no matter what.Anna could remember how lost and rejected she felt in high school as the new girl in class, and how Jennifer walked up to her that sunny morning and asked her to be her friend and ever since then, they have shared everything, both good and bad moments. Jennifer was the sister Anna never had.

"Anna, you know that's not true," Jennifer replied. "Well, guess what? I'm in your city. But this time, I will be staying for two months! We would have enough time to spend with each other. One more thing, I got you a lot of goodies. So rush over before I share them with my neighbours," she jokingly added. "I'm coming to your house immediately!" Anna screamed.

She immediately went upstairs to shower and prepare to meet Jennifer.

Anna finally got to Jennifer's house after a two-hour drive. Jennifer lived in an estate of her own but it was nothing compared to the Carter's mansion. It was just a small-sized duplex, comfortable enough for a young lady. Immediately Anna drove in, she ran into the house and embraced her friend.

Jennifer returned the embrace with lots of smiles and kisses. "Anna, feeling relieved and safe, broke down into tears." At first, Jennifer thought it was because she had missed her so much. But when Anna fell to the floor, she immediately knew that it was more than just missing her.

"What is wrong, Anna?" Jennifer inquired. But Anna just kept crying and rolling on the floor like she had just lost someone to death. "What is wrong, Anna?" Jennifer asked again. "He wants to adopt a child," Anna said sorrowfully after she had calmed down a little bit.

"Who wants to adopt a child?" Jennifer asked in shock at who Anna was talking about. Anna turned and glared at her. "Who else? My husband, of course. He wants an adoption. It's been three years and I still haven't been able to conceive." Jennifer was just listening carefully. "But Anna, if I may ask, what is wrong with wanting an Adoption? I mean you have been married for 3 years now. But there hasn't been any sign of pregnancy, not even a miscarriage, so what is bad with him wanting an adoption?" Jennifer asked.

Jennifer wasn't surprised. She was already used to Anna's dramatic nature. "I honestly don't see anything wrong in adopting a child either. I just think you are making a big deal out of all these. Now will you stop crying and come check out these things I got you?" She said and went back to unpacking her clothes.

Jennifer went inside and got her wipes and a mirror. "Wipe your face, my dramatic queen," she teased her. "You already ruined your makeup." Anna looked at the mirror and couldn't recognize herself either. They just laughed at it together.

The visit to Jennifer's house helped Anna a lot. She stopped allowing the issue to bother her and just waited for the year to end for her husband to bring up the issue again.

Days ran into weeks and weeks ran into months, and Christmas Eve finally arrived, marking the end of the year. Mr. Carter walked quietly into the living room where Anna was relaxing on the hot Sunday afternoon. "Darling, hope you still remember our deal of adopting a child if you aren't able to conceive before the end of the year," he said.

Anna already saw this coming as it was just six days to the end of the year and she still hadn't conceived. The whole situation had weakened Anna, but she had no other choice as she had already given him her word. "Yes, my love," she replied with a pale face. "I remember."

"When do we intend on going for the adoption?"She asked. Also, I would prefer a ten-year-old. Or even a teenager. I wouldn't want to start with a toddler. It would remind me too much of my predicament," Anna said.

"And I would like to adopt a boy," she added.

"Okay, my love, whatever you say," Mr. Carter replied with a smile. "You know I love you," he added.

"I think 'Ryan' would be a perfect name for our child. What do you think?" Mr. Carter asked.

"Nice name, you do the naming. You know I'm not good at giving names…" Anna giggled.

The following night, Mr. Carter called the caregivers at St. Andrew's orphanage as usual to schedule an appointment and inquire about the most suitable day to proceed with the adoption.

They settled for next Thursday, which would be the first Thursday of the new year because the orphanage already had a lot of visitors to attend to as it was a festive period.

Immediately he ended the call, he ran upstairs to Anna's room to inform her of this good news. "Babe!" he shouted excitedly. "Everything is settled, darling. Our child will be joining us soon," he said with a bold smile on his face.I can't believe this is happening babe, three years without a child wasn't funny! Please tidy up the house, he added. I don't want our baby boy to feel uncomfortable. Order a lot of toys and stuff. You know, all those things children would love.

Anna wasn't even listening. She just looked back at him and shook her head. "Okay, I have heard you, my love," she said as she went back to sleep.

Anna could not sleep peacefully throughout the night. All her evil plans were about to be shattered. "I have to talk to the boss and tell him about this new development. He wouldn't be happy if he hears this from an outsider," she thought to herself. She immediately tiptoed out of her room and sneaked out of the living room to the courtyard, her usual spot for making creepy phone calls.

"Hello, hello... It seems the network is very bad," she couldn't hear a thing from the other line. "Hellooooo…"

"I'm all ears," a distinct voice answered.

"We are finally adopting a child," she said. "Can you hear me? He isn't listening to me anymore, and it seems my stubbornness no longer affects him."

"What? This wasn't part of the plan, and you know it!" the voice on the other end said harshly.

"Are you trying to ruin everything we have planned for years? We have worked hard for this! Do something to stop this! We cannot afford to lose now. Do something, Anna, or you wouldn't like my next torture on your body!"

"Well, I agreed to it already," Anna said nonchalantly. "But speaking of a child, it's been three years, and we still haven't been able to conceive. I would probably feel the same if I were in his shoes," Anna said to the voice over the phone.

"He is getting old already. Besides, if you had kept your part of the plan by returning last year, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Enough! Who gave you the right to talk to me in such a manner?"

"I'm sorry, sir," she replied quickly. There was a short break over the phone. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to."

"But, sir, the deed has been done, and we are adopting. But not to worry. I will make life a living hell for this new brat coming into our life," she said with a devilish smile on her face.

"It would have been preferable if he never came out of that orphanage. I would torture his life and make him beg to go back to the pit from where he came from! He wouldn't just show up in our lives and ruin our hard work for years."

"I love the spirit!" the voice yelled.

"I'm holding onto your word that you're going to handle this situation perfectly.

So tell me, sir, how is the drug business going over there? And when do you plan on returning so we can execute our plans? I'm tired of waiting and pretending to love this old fool."

"I heard from Tom that you just got released from prison. You might want to lay low for some time as investigations might still be going on. I'm happy they didn't confiscate your accounts. You would have been a big mess by now. I'm also glad they didn't kill you or something."

"Well, everything is under control. Focus on this new development and tackle it smartly," the voice snapped back.

"I would be back in like a month or less. Do not worry about me. And one more thing, keep your ass out of my business or Tom might lose his life. Remember to call me only if there's any new development." That was the last word she heard before the network disconnected them again.

Anna felt the tears under her eyes but valiantly wiped them off.

"After everything I've done for him, he still treats me like trash! Arghhhh…" she screamed.

Anna immediately deleted her call logs, as usual, to avoid any traces, paid off the guard who helps her scrutinise the area anytime she is on a secret call like this, and tiptoed back to her room.