Chapter 6 Good News
“You've already signed the papers, and everything will be finalized tomorrow. We sleep in the same bed.”
He didn’t know why, but there was something strange the moment he lifted her in his arms. Still, he knew not to do anything to ruin his second chance with Tonia.
As soon as the baby was born, he would find a way to get back into Tonia’s life.
Karen was not liking this. “You…”
“Don’t worry. You won’t be seeing me often, but I’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
That was soothing, but this was the first time she was going to live anywhere away from home. Roger wasn’t mean to her like she expected, but she knew his heart still belonged to Tonia.
Her phone rang with calls from Tonia, but she didn’t answer any of them. When Roger's phone rang, he excused himself to take the call, allowing her to explore the small but classy apartment. She didn't expect him to take so long, but she hoped to be asleep before he returned.
It's not easy for everyone to sleep in a new place on the first day, and no matter how hard she tried, sleep eluded her. As soon as she heard movements, she pretended to be asleep.
The sound of the shower indicated what Roger was doing, and when she felt the side of the bed dip, her heart sank. "Karen," he whispered softly. Karen shut her eyes tightly, refusing to respond.
Being in the same bed felt wrong, and she was already having trouble sleeping. But then, his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her closer.
His lips briefly pressed against her head before his breathing evened out. After he kissed her, Karen felt tense, pondering how she managed to fall asleep.
Roger's behavior was so peculiar that she struggled to find the right words to describe him.
The next morning, Karen woke up to find Roger gone, leaving behind a note and a bank card. The note read, ‘Gone to work. I prepared breakfast for you and arranged for a cab to take you to school. Use this card if you need anything.’
Karen was left puzzled by the situation. She realized that once the baby was born, their connection would be reduced but remembering the previous night's intimacy left her in disbelief.
Roger had kissed and embraced her, thinking she was asleep.
Upon arriving in class, Tonia greeted Karen warmly, but Karen's demeanor was distant. "Tonia, we're not related anymore," Karen replied coldly. It was painful how her parents sent the documents for her to sign.
They didn’t want her anymore, but at that time of night? It was clear they had the documents prepared beforehand.
“Dad is just upset. He’ll come around,” Tonia said, but Karen was done believing anything that came from her.
However, Tonia would not give up, ensuring to bring her food, which Karen refused to eat. When she realized her plans were failing and she might soon be found out, she began using a different method.
All she needed was a couple of girls to bully Karen, and then she could appear as the loving sister to save the situation.
Unfortunately for her, Roger appeared in time to pick up Karen from school by himself. “I thought you were busy?" She couldn't help asking when she sat in the passenger seat.
"Yeah, I'll be away for two weeks with my boss, so I thought I should let you know," he revealed. Karen felt a strange emptiness. She didn't have close friends like Tonia.
Her parents rejected her for a man whose heart belonged to another, and she felt unwanted. "Okay," was her casual response.
Weeks passed, and it was time for her usual antenatal appointment, which she decided not to tell Roger about because he wasn't there.
Only professional cleaners came to clean the apartment and left. It felt as if she was living alone after signing the marriage certificate.
He came a couple of times and always carried flowers with him, but not the orchid she loved.
At times, she was tempted to think he really cared, but then, it could only be about the baby. However, regardless of his physical presence, everything she needed was always sent to her at the right time.
At the maternity ward, Karen met another doctor who conducted a scan, his expression contorting. "I'm sorry, but you are not pregnant," she revealed, leaving Karen shocked. "What do you mean? Did I lose the baby?"
The doctor looked at her strangely and asked, "Is this your first scan?" She nodded. "Yes, and doctor Clifford told me I was pregnant. He gave me the test results."
Unfortunately, she had left without picking it up that day but the hospital should have the previous records, right?
The doctor checked Karen's medical records on the server but found no mention of pregnancy. "There are no pregnancy reports in your file, and the scan shows nothing."
Confused, Karen couldn't grasp what was happening, but the doctor suggested, "I will run more tests."
Karen agreed, and after two hours of thorough testing, all results came back negative.
"I am certain. You are not pregnant." A tear of joy rolled down Karen's cheek as she finally felt she could reclaim her life, but first, she needed to clear something.
“What about my period and the symptoms?”
“I think you should check your diet. I will write some vitamins and other medications for you to take.”
When it came to her diet, she recalled that nothing she ate at the apartment caused her any discomfort.
It was only the meals that Tonia and the housekeeper insisted were good for her. While she didn't have concrete evidence that her adopted sister was behind this, it was clear that she wasn't pregnant.
After picking up her vitamins and other medications, she took some before texting Roger on her way home, "Roger, it's urgent. I need to see you."
When she arrived home, she showered and took medication before falling asleep. Upon waking up, she noticed a delightful smell and was eager to go downstairs, but then she saw a red stain.
Her period had returned faster than she expected. After quickly freshening up, she hurried down the stairs.
Roger had not replied to her message, but she heard voices in the kitchen and wondered if it was the professional cleaners.
Roger wouldn't have sent them without informing her, but she recognized his voice and couldn't identify the other person.
What shattered her was overhearing their conversation and realizing who the other person was.
"She's so gullible and easy to please. I thought it would be difficult to live with her, but she just accepts everything," Roger said, clearly talking about her.
"I still love Tonia, and I hope she'll give me a chance after the baby is born. My mom is willing to care for the child, and I can pay off Karen. I'm also the reason she was disowned by her family, so I don't want her to suffer any further."
Karen held back the tears threatening to fall, not wanting to reveal her presence, but what the second person said was even more distressing.
"Or, you could give her back to me. That hacker I mentioned, he advised me to take good care of her, and I don’t know how to do that from a distance, so I want to marry her," the man said.
Karen realized this must be Hector. Despite Roger's earlier mention that he worked for Hector, she was still surprised to see him in the small apartment.
What hurt the most was the realization that Hector didn’t secretly love her as her father had mentioned. Her mind wandered to the hacker friend, guessing it was the late Dexter.
"That’s risky. It means you don’t love her either. What if you find the woman you truly love later? That girl has bad luck. If it weren’t for her, I could have won Tonia over and not be in this predicament. But you should reconsider the situation," Roger replied.
"The situation is under control, but I hope you are treating her well. Your..." Hector started.
"Come on, what harm could I possibly do to a pregnant woman? I know how to handle her emotions to prevent complications and all," Roger was casually saying.
The conversation faded into the distance, as Karen began to walk away. From what she overheard, she could only conclude one thing.
Hector was with Roger, and despite Roger working for him, their casual demeanor while cooking together seemed unusual.
Roger's lingering feelings for Tonia persisted, but fortunately, the pregnancy scare turned out to be false. His feigned care for her almost fooled her.
Returning her room and changing the sheets, Karen called out, "Roger, are you home?"
Roger emerged from the kitchen to meet her halfway, while Hector stayed behind. Karen, forcing a smile, announced, "I have good news."
Eagerly, Roger inquired, "Then tell me." Karen, masking her discomfort from what she overheard, struggled with the unfamiliarity of pretending.
"Roger, I swear nothing happened between us. I'm not pregnant, and I couldn't locate that doctor. It was all a setup to ruin me..." Karen lamented before Roger interjected,
"That can't be. The doctor is a certified professional. It can't be a hoax." Karen's expression darkened as she retorted,
"You should be relieved. We can verify at another hospital. Here are the scans and test results. I'm not pregnant, and I just had my period so let's proceed with a divorce."
If she wasn’t mistaking, Roger was not taking the news kindly and there was a thick darkness in his eyes that scared her.