Friday, April 15, 2016
Trey's house
Lexi was seated before the crackling fireplace, a cozy blanket draped over her to ward off any additional chill. Lost in thought, she was startled by the forceful slam of the front door.
Heart pounding joyously at the thought of seeing her husband, she rose gracefully from the rug and went to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water from the fridge for Trey.
She wondered what had put him in such a foul mood today.
"Alexandra?!" She jerked in surprise, some of the water spilling from the glass as she wondered about the situation. "Alexandra? Where are you?!"
She gripped the glass tightly, moving in the direction from which his voice had come from. She found him ascending the stairs, his posture rigid. Even in his tension, he maintained a certain gracefulness about his movements.
For a moment, she observed him, savoring that fleeting respite, because once he found her. . .she didn't know what might happen. The fact that he had called her 'Alexandra' instead of 'Lexi' filled her with apprehension.
"Trey," she whispered softly. He halted abruptly, then whirled around sharply, fixing her with a piercing, icy glare. She trembled as he descended the stairs like a raging bull, taking two steps at a time until he stood directly in front of her, his towering height making her feel small.
"Ah, there you are. My wife," he spoke with a chilling calmness that unsettled her more than his yelling would've, and the way he emphasized 'wife' sounded like he was trying to convince himself of the fact instead of being proud.
"What's the matter?" She tentatively reached out a hand to touch him but froze when he moved out of her reach. Her heart ached. It wasn't until she looked into his eyes that she saw an emotion she never expected he would someday direct at her.
Hatred.
And beneath it, pain.
She whispered his name, already wondering if she had done something to hurt him. "Please, stop," he hissed, his fists clenched. "Drop the pretense."
"What do you mean?" She stammered, bewildered, racking her brain for any possible thing she might have done to cause him pain. Nothing came to mind.
He stepped closer until his face was inches from hers, his warm breath brushing against her cheek. "I hate you for hurting me like this," he murmured in a strained voice.
Alexandra closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears. She had seen it in his eyes, but hearing him say it aloud, in such agony, was almost too much. "Two reasons," he held up two fingers, preparing to enumerate them.
"Trey—"
"If sleeping with Donovan behind my back wasn't enough, giving him the project I had been pouring my heart into was a new low," he murmured, his eyes glistening with tears.
"What? Which project are you referring to?" She whispered, struggling and failing repeatedly to recall the specific project he was talking about.
He stood, stunned. The fact that she hadn't even denied being with Ethan cut him to the core. Consumed by hurt, he impulsively slammed his fist into the nearby wall in an attempt to regain control of his emotions. Having even a sip of alcohol on his way home had clearly been a terrible idea; it was clouding his thinking.
Alexandra's eyes closed, and the tears she had been struggling to contain streamed silently down her cheeks. "Don't act like you don't know, Marie," he spat out her middle name as though it were a curse. She opened her eyes, confusion and pain evident in them, and for a moment, Trey almost relented.
Part of him desperately wanted to believe in her innocence, but her failure to deny her actions had driven the final nail into her own coffin. It hurt more than he was willing to admit.
"You were the only one who saw me working on those projects. They were here in the house, with you," he continued, his gaze locked onto her, taking in every detail of her face. He knew he would miss her after what he had to do.
"Trey—"
"I thought you said you were over Ethan," he whispered, hating how broken he'd sounded.
"I am. I am over him," she assured, lowering the glass of water. He wasn't going to drink it anyway.
"I told you to drop the act because I know. And I'm begging you now to please stop breaking my heart even more," he muttered, locking gazes with her. "You gave him the project, didn't you?"
"I did not," she stated firmly.
"Are you lying to me?" He asked suddenly, his left eye twitching. He was close to snapping, and she could tell. So close.
More tears fell as she racked her mind for something that would appease him. "I'm serious." Trey pulled on his hair, irritated she wasn't exactly admitting or explaining anything. Maybe there was nothing to explain.
He saw the glass of water in her hand and that reminded him of how life was before today. So annoyed, he took it out of her hand and threw it to the floor, leaving her gasping.
"You know what else I found out?" Without waiting for an answer, he went up the stairs. She pressed further into the couch, scared, because this was not the same man who'd showered her with love and attention for three years.
She allowed her body to slump, feeling a slight pain in her belly. Trey was wrong. She hadn't done anything and didn't remember the last time she saw Ethan—well except that one time he'd managed to sneak past security to 'pay her a visit'.
She shuddered, regretting not mentioning it to Trey. Had it been some kind of warning? All he'd said was 'you're mine Alexa, remember that', then he was gone.
Trey returned with a duffel. He dropped it to the ground with a thud, and several packets of birth control pills—used and new—spilled out of it.
"Did you ever want kids with me?" he asked, a broken man appearing before her once more. "While I was trying to get you pregnant, you were taking these," he waved a hand in the direction of the pills.
Alexandra went stiff, wondering what was going on, but Trey took it as a sign that he'd been right. "You could've told me you didn't want any. We could have found a way—adoption, any other way. I love you that much."
He sounded so dejected that Alexandra wanted to crawl into a hole and die though she'd done nothing. "God knows that since your first 'accidental' pregnancy, I've been obsessed with the idea of having our kids filling this empty house with life."
Alexandra still couldn't speak. Was he blaming her for not giving him children? At this point, it was safe to say she was confused. Almost nothing was clear. Where had all these pills come from? And why would she waste money buying a whole duffel of pills? Nothing was adding up.
"Shocked?" he said with a dry but pained laugh. "What of the miscarriages? Did you. . .?" He left the question hanging, but she knew what he was asking.
"Trey, I swear, I don't know what is going on. You have to believe me." When he remained indifferent, she turned away from him.
It hurt... so bad.
When he finally spoke, he said, "Get out of my house."
Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she regained her voice. "What do you mean? This is my house too."
He took steps towards her, backing her into the lounge. She slipped and grabbed the back of the couch to steady herself. She had a tiny human depending on her to protect—not hurt. "Right. You should have thought of that—and the fact that I am still your husband—before cheating on me with your ex—boyfriend."
"Trey!" She couldn't believe him. He wasn't like this. Well he'd been before they'd gotten married, but everything had changed. He had changed for her. He listened to her. But now—Why was he picking his old habits back up?
"Don't yell at me!" he growled, his anger surfacing. He pointed a finger in her face—one that was shaking so bad. "I haven't done that to you, so don't you dare." Then he lowered his finger.
"Please leave," he muttered tiredly, guiding her in the direction of the front door.
"Don't push me," she mumbled, wiping her eyes. He wouldn't let her speak and when he did, he didn't listen. He was trusting someone else over his own wife, because it was clear someone had fed him these lies.
Her tears pained him. But why the heck was she crying? She was the one who'd cheated. Swallowing, he murmured, "I didn't mean to."
"I can leave tomorrow morning—if you insist."
"No." His answer was immediate, like he wasn't going to change his mind. "I want you out now—for my sanity and yours. Because the more time you waste here, the more I'm tempted to do something, and that's not who I am," he added in a voice slightly above a whisper. "Please do this for me. That's all I ask."
With a stiff nod, she whirled around, not wanting him to see the fresh set of tears his words evoked and walked to the door. She felt that same twinge in her belly but ignored it and slipped on her shoes.
He went out the door with her, taking her as far as the gate, and somehow, she wasn't surprised. "And Alexandra?" She paused without looking back. "Don't come back here for me. Be happy." Then he closed the gates behind her.
She sighed and continued walking in the cold night. Trey hated publicity so the house was in a secluded area—a long walk to the main roads. She focused on her steps, so she wouldn't slip in any puddle of mud, and wrapped her flannel tightly around her belly to offer her fetus some warmth.
*
He'd slid down the door upon entry, staying on the floor as he felt his heart break. He'd wanted to teach her a lesson yet ended up feeling empty—like he was doing something wrong. He wasn't exactly worried because there were other properties around that she could get to. He just needed to be away from her for now.
However, he couldn't shake off the hurt in her eyes when he'd accused her of miscarrying. He felt terrible for even suggesting she would do anything like that. He'd watched her sink deeper into herself with every baby they'd lost, only brightening up a bit when she got pregnant again.
He groaned, running his hand over his face. She'd cheated though, and that wasn't something he could forgive easily. He'd even put his 'playboy' ways behind him for her, thinking she was the one.
Valerie was going to say she told him so, and he'd have to agree to do what she wanted because he'd lost to her. Lexi didn't want him anymore for whatever reason. Tugging on his hair, he willed himself to get up. He didn't have to sulk. It wasn't over yet.
He went towards the fireplace to dry off, a cream onesie on the fur rug catching his eye. He didn't remember buying this. She must have bought it herself, he concluded. It was a beautiful crocheted onesie, only, there'd be no baby wearing it.
A sharp ache ripped through his chest when he realized she'd probably also been thinking of a baby, only to have him rub it in her face. His brows creased. If she wanted kids, why would she use the pills? It didn't make sense.
He heard someone clear their throat behind him and turned to find Maya—his housekeeper—there. She wouldn't meet his eyes, and he knew it was because she was disappointed. "What is it?"
"Alexandra had cooked for you and set the table herself. Would you like to eat it or do you want me to pack it up?" she trailed off, uncertain.
He frowned and walked to the kitchen, the onesie still in hand, and with Maya following silently. He stopped when he noticed she'd gone all out on the dinner table. Why? Then he looked down at the onesie in hand with 'BABY' written on the front. His heart skipped a beat.
Had she wanted to ask that they try again for a baby, or was she already pregnant?
"Maya," he whispered as he grabbed onto the edge of the table to steady himself. "Do you know why she did this?"
"I do not know Trey, but if it helps, she's been unwell for a while now." The house phone rang and Maya stepped away to answer. "Please excuse me."
His heart lurched, beating frantically against his chest. Had he kicked his pregnant wife out? He hoped not. He turned towards the stairs, going to get some more comfortable clothes—for both him and her. He had to find her. "Trey," Maya called out, shuffling her feet as she hurried to reach him.
He turned to her, a brow raised. "Yes?"
"Samuel just called." He turned back around and continued his trip up the stairs. Samuel was their driver, probably calling to report a car problem.
"I'll call him later," he grumbled dismissively, hoping the woman would take the hint and leave him alone. Apparently not.
"Trey."
He turned, glaring so hard at her that she shuddered, intimidated. "Which part of 'I'll call him later' did you not understand?"
Maya glared back at him, spitting the words, "He said it's about your wife. If you're going to stand there while she's possibly hurting, let me know and I'll hang up the phone."
He froze. It was a natural instinct of his to be worried about the woman he loved. "Alexandra?"
"That's what I just said, wasn't it? Samuel is still on the phone, waiting."
He didn't need to be told a third time. He hurried back down the stairs and past Maya into the kitchen and picked up the phone, his heart frantic. "Samuel?"
"Sir. . ." The man's hesitation was enough to make Trey's brain run wild with endless possibilities of what might've happened.
"Talk," he ordered, gripping the kitchen island and hoping nothing bad had happened.
"I saw ma'am on my way back sir—don't know what she was doing out on such a cold night."
I know.
I kicked her out.
Trey felt foolish. "She had a hand pressed to her belly and waved at me to stop. When I got down, I saw she was bleeding, so I took her to the hospital. Thought you should know," Samuel explained.
Trey closed his eyes, running his hand through his thick hair. He'd put her—and possibly their baby—in danger. What if it'd been someone else and they hadn't stopped? "Where'd you take her?"
"Highgate," he answered.
"Thank you." He hung up and turned to find Maya in the doorway, hands clasped in front of her. "Get me my car keys. The SUV. I'll be right out."
"Now you're talking." She went out of the room, and Trey went up to his and Lexi's room to get her a change of clothes and a coat. Then he was rushing back down the stairs and out into the cold, forgetting his own coat.
Maya walked with him to the garage, an umbrella over his head, then she handed him the keys he'd asked for, telling him to drive safely. He went in and drove out, hoping he hadn't made a mess of everything...
Who was he kidding? He could only wish.
A/N: Hey guys! First chapter of my new and first Wattpad book is done. Don't forget to SHARE and smash that little star if you like this chapter, and of course, the ones to come.
I'm saying this here and now because for smooth reading, I'm taking out all the author's notes as I edit. Hope you enjoy it.