“What’s wrong, sir?” Robert asks, racing in.
“What time is it?” Waylen asks.
Thick curtains cover the window and make it impossible to tell if it’s night or day.
“It’s noon, sir,” Robert says.
Waylen rubs his temples with his hands and groans. He has a raging hangover, and his head feels like it might explode. He squints at Robert and tries to remember his dream. He knows he saw Leilani, and she was screaming for his help. He remembers seeing her fall into a puddle of blood.
“Where is Leilani’s phone?” he asks.
“Mrs. Bamford’s phone is still turned off, so the location can’t be monitored,” Robert answers nervously.
“Has the hospital sent the test results yet?” Waylen asks, impatiently.
The test was supposed to be ready two days ago, but a system failure at the hospital set everything back.
“Not yet,” Robert replies, “They say they’re working on getting the results as quickly as possible.”
“What about the recording?” Waylen inquires.
“As for the recording—it’s very damaged,” Robert explains, “The circuit board on the device was smashed, and it may be impossible to repair.”
Robert stumbles on the word “impossible.” He’s afraid of invoking one of his boss’ rages. In the past few days, Waylen has been hardly recognizable: he constantly drinks and sleeps at odd hours. Robert has no idea what Waylen might be capable of now.
“Nothing is impossible,” Waylen growls.
“Yes, sir,” Robert nods.
“Are you waiting for me to kick you out of here physically?” Waylen shouts, “Get lost!”
“Mr. Bamford, there’s one other thing,” Robert says, “A hidden IP address sent us these photos.”
Robert hands Waylen a tablet and quickly steps away in case Waylen tries to hurt him. The screen shows several photos of Leilani and Andrew. The photos are grainy, and the angle is odd, but it seems as if the two are long lost lovers enjoying a happy reunion.
In one photo, Leilani presses her hand to Andrew Clifford’s chest. She looks shyly down at her feet as he smiles. In another image, Leilani raises her head and he looks down at her. There’s barely any space between their faces—as if they’re about to kiss. Each photo seems to stab Waylen like a blade. He balls his fist and smashes the glass screen with a single blow.
For days he’s been drinking to numb the pain of losing her, but she seems to have forgotten about him.
“How happy she looks!” he thinks bitterly.
“She’s fallen into a coma,” one of Andrew’s private doctors announces, “It seems to be a combination of exhaustion and malnutrition, exacerbated by the pregnancy.”
“Is she really pregnant?” Andrew asks.
“Yes,” the doctor replies, “And she’s currently suffering from severe anemia as well.”
Andrew glances at Leilani. She’s lying on the bed, and her face is worryingly pale. The covers are pulled up to her chin, but her stomach looks flat under the blankets. His heart seems to twist and squirm uncomfortably in his chest. He can’t bear the thought of her carrying another man’s child. He wants to dig it out of her herself.
“Why did Waylen let her go if she’s pregnant?” Andrew wonders, “Is it possible he doesn’t know she’s pregnant?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Andrew sees Leilani’s finger twitch. Slowly, she begins to wake. At first, her face is peaceful, but when she sees Andrew, she looks panicked. She tries to sit up to defend herself against him, but she feels helpless weak.
She looks around the room and realizes she’s back in Andrew’s house. Something pricks her hand, and she looks down to see an IV needle inserted into the back of her hand. A colorless liquid flows through a plastic tube and into her veins.
“Where am I?” she asks, her voice weak.
“On my bed,” Andrew says with a lascivious smirk.
Leilani presses her lips together unhappily. A sound at the door disturbs her, and she sees a servant entered carrying a tray with a bottle of pills and a cup of water. Nothing has been done to obscure the name on the bottle, and Leilani can see that the medicine is meant for an abortion. Unconsciously, she clutches her abdomen protectively.
“What is this supposed to mean?” Leilani asks.
She forces herself to sit up. Her head hurts, and her body aches, but she wants to do everything in her power to defend herself from Andrew. Andrew raises his eyebrows with wry amus.e.m.e.nt.
“Are you pregnant?” he asks her.
“Yes, I am,” she retorts, “So what?”
“I want you to have an abortion,” he says, as calmly as if he’s asking her to have some wine.
“You can’t ask me to have an abortion,” she replies.
“I’m the most powerful one here,” Andrew says, his voice dangerously low, “Do you think you have a choice?”
Leilani looks at him coldly. She can’t understand why he’s doing all this. She knows she’s beautiful, but Andrew never lacks a beautiful woman. It makes no sense that he’s become so obsessed with her.
Leilani shakes her head. At first, she wanted to have an abortion, but now her maternal instincts have kicked in. She desperately wants to protect the baby. She feels even more protective when she remembers it’s Waylen’s child too. She knows she’s risking her life, but she’s willing to make that sacrifice for everlasting love.
“You don’t have the right to ask me to have an abortion,” she snaps, “It’s my baby.”
“There’s nothing I can’t do,” Andrew says, “I assure you, I’m not used to being denied.”
His tone is even more arrogant than Waylen’s, and Leilani can feel a cold sweat begin on her forehead. She has no doubt that he’ll do whatever he says. She clutches the quilt to her stomach and bites her lip.
“What’s the second option?” she asks, “You said there were two before.”
“But you refused to listen then,” he says.
“I don’t really have any choice anymore, do I?” Leilani asks with a sad smile.
It’s clear that playing tough won’t persuade him. She hopes she can charm him into giving her what she wants.
“Stay here and be my wife,” Andrew whispers.
“Why do you want me?” Leilani asks, “You are handsome and rich, and many women love you and would be happy to call you their husband. I’m pregnant with another man’s baby. Besides, do you really want to f.u.c.k a pregnant woman?”
“I said that my heart needs you,” Andrew says, “I can’t love another woman.”
“Well, as long as I can give birth to my baby, I’m willing to be your heart’s wife,” Leilani says carefully, “Most importantly, your heart can touch me, but you can’t.”
“Are you willing to be my heart’s wife?” Andrew asks, hopefully.
“Yes, I am,” Leilani replies, “But only because your heart needs me.”
“You need to make my heart happy then,” Andrew says, “And if I touch you, he will be very happy.”
“There are other ways to make the heart happy,” Leilani replies
“But making love can bring supreme happiness,” Andrew says seductively, “Nothing can compare with it.”
Leilani wants to yell at him, but she’s weak and exhausted and scared. She forces herself to take several deep breaths before she speaks.
“You can’t touch me because the first three months are the most dangerous for a pregnant woman,” she says calmly, “But if your heart still wants to f.u.c.k me after three months, I’ll reconsider. If you or your heart is still interested in me—in spite of the pregnancy—I’ll make love with you. How about that?”
Leilani smiles seductively. She knows she’ll never let him touch her. If she hasn’t escaped in three months, she’ll kill herself instead.
“I can’t control my heart,” Andrew says urgently, “I should follow my heart and give it what it needs. I can’t wait.”
“If I feel sad, your heart will be sad too,” Leilani warns him, “Besides, I know you’re a man who likes a challenge. You don’t want it to be too easy to seduce me, do you? If you wait, think how much better our first time together will be.”
“If I refuse your request, what will you do?” Andrew challenges.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.