Ch.97

Ch.97
Ayanna's POV

You could imagine my reaction when I bumped into Henry once again. It was almost laughable at this point, and I couldn't help but ask, "Are you following me?"

He smirked. "You really do know how to make an entrance. Why do I keep bumping into you?"

"That's exactly my question," I replied, folding my arms.

"Sorry, I'm not following you," he said with an amused chuckle. "I came to see the store owner and pick up a dress for my sister."

"You have a sister?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head. "No, actually, I'm an only child. A friend turned into a sister," he explained.

"I see. But do ensure I don't bump into you again. If I do, I'll take it as a sign that you're stalking me."

Henry tilted his head and smirked. "You know you can't blame fate, right? Maybe you were meant to be with me, not Travis."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I better start going."

"Alright, see you some other time, Ayanna."

"I don't wish to see you next time. Bye," I teased before heading to my car.

As the driver pulled away from the boutique, I couldn't shake the feeling that my run-ins with Henry weren't just coincidences. There was something off about it, and my gut told me I needed to be cautious.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now, I had a more pressing concern-how to talk to Travis about Jenny's suggestion. Would he even consider it?

If there was a way for me to have another baby, I was willing to try.

When I got home, I expected to see Travis and Irene playing like they usually did. Instead, I found only Irene sitting in the living room with her nanny.

The moment she saw me, she ran toward me, her tiny arms reaching up. I bent down and picked her up, kissing her cheeks before putting her back on the ground.

"Mommy, you're back!" she squealed happily.

"Yes, baby. Did you have fun today?"

She nodded. "Yes! Nanny let me paint. Look!" She pointed to a colorful mess of a drawing on the coffee table. "It's a picture of me, you, and Daddy."

"It's beautiful, sweetheart," I said with a smile.

Then I glanced around and asked, "Where's your daddy?"

Irene pouted. "He's in the study. He said not to disturb him because he has some important things to sort out."

"Okay then," I said, ruffling her curls. "Let me go change out of my outfit and then I'll start making dinner."

As I made my way upstairs, I passed by the study and peeked in. Travis was sitting at his desk, engrossed in his work. His brows were furrowed in concentration, and I decided not to bother him. Instead, I made up my mind-I would talk to him after dinner.

After changing into something comfortable, I headed to the kitchen and started cooking. In no time, dinner was ready, and I called Travis to join us.

To my relief, he obliged, leaving his work to sit at the table with us.

"Honey, you came back and didn't bother to inform me?" he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled. "Yeah, I didn't. I passed by the study and saw you were busy, so I decided not to bother you."

"Is that right?" Travis looked at me skeptically.

"So," he continued, "how was your day?"

"It was okay," I said, picking at my food. "I spent time with Jenny, and we talked about a lot of things. Oh, and I kinda bumped into Henry again at Jenny's store."

Travis's fork clattered against his plate. His expression changed instantly. "What?! What was he doing there? I need to file a restraining order against that guy."

I sighed. "There's no need to be so possessive. He was just picking up a dress for someone."

Travis narrowed his eyes but didn't push further. "Oh, I see."

I decided to change the subject. "Alright, eat up. Let's go to bed after this-it's late already."

After dinner, we sat together as a family, watching one of Irene's favorite cartoons. She eventually fell asleep in my lap.

"I'm going to put Irene to bed and come meet you in the room," I told Travis.

"Want me to help?"

"No, it's okay. I can handle it. You go on ahead."

I carried Irene upstairs, tucked her into bed, and kissed her forehead. Watching her sleep peacefully, I felt a pang of longing in my chest.

Would it really be impossible to have another baby?

After a moment, I sighed and left her room, making my way toward our bedroom.

After taking a quick shower, I climbed into bed. Travis was still awake, his phone in his hand, but the moment he saw me, he put it down.

"Did I stop you from your work?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I was just chatting with my secretary, that's all."

I hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Travis..."

"Yes?" he replied.

"I wanted to discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

I swallowed. "Would you like to be a father again?"

He looked confused. "Didn't you say you can't get pregnant again?"

I bit my lip. "I was thinking... Jenny suggested that we could have another baby through surrogacy."

Silence filled the room. Then, his expression hardened.

"What the hell? Aya, I'm not having a baby that isn't from you."

"Wait, wait, wait, Travis," I said quickly. "That's what I thought at first, too. But I could get checked to see if I still produce viable eggs. The baby would still be ours."

"But another woman would have to carry the pregnancy in my place since I physically can't."

Travis clenched his jaw. "No. No, I don't accept that. It's dangerous. We wouldn't even know the woman carrying our child. What if she turns out to be an enemy's pawn, a thief, a gold digger? or possibly run off with the baby? What then?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but he wasn't done.

"Don't worry about it," he said, In a softer tone. "I'm okay with just having Irene. I've already accepted that I missed out on all her firsts, and I won't get them back. That's enough for me."

"But what if it does work, Travis? What if-"

"And what if it doesn't?" he cut in. "Then what? You'll raise your hopes for nothing."

I couldn't say anything. I just stared at him blankly.

Maybe he was right. Maybe I was chasing a lost cause. But a part of me still wanted to try.

After a long pause, Travis sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You know what? I'll sleep in the other room tonight."

"What?" I whispered, because of what I said?.

"Stay here, Aya. I need to clear my head. We'll talk tomorrow."

And just like that, he left. The only thing I could hear was the door shutting behind him.