Episode 151 || The Unsettling Truth

Jennifer rolled her eyes, “Come on, Lia!! Why do you think she didn’t recognise you?” She asked with a sinister smirk on her face while Lia stared at her blankly. “Because she actually doesn’t know about you and Christian.”

The realisation hit Lia. “But why would Christian hide this?” She muttered, unable to think straight.

“Because he is going to dump her in the next few days. I don’t see any other reason.” Jennifer said.

“Right, maybe because she is mentally unstable. I accidentally bumped into her at Dr. James’s clinic.” Lia started connecting dots.

“You’re absolutely correct. She is mentally unstable, plus their contract marriage is expiring soon. But what were you doing at the clinic?” Jennifer questioned.

“I went to collect my mother’s reports,” Lia answered. “I thought to ask Dr. James about her but then dropped the idea as I was sure he won’t share her confidential information. He was updating me about my mother’s health when he got a call from someone and he said Mishka is suffering from depression and it’s quite dangerous. Also, she might never conceive again and he is hiding this from her.”

Jennifer took a deep breath and smiled evilly. “So the queen is barren, wow this news made my day!! Anyway, I am sure now, Christian is going to leave her and come back to you.” Jennifer stated confidently.

“That’s not possible. He said on my face he doesn’t want me.” Lia shook her head.

“So do you think he will spend the rest of his life with a mentally unstable wife who might never give an heir to Knights? Moreover, Knights will never accept her. Christian is the sole heir of the entire empire, while Daniel is adopted and Jake is a cousin. They will need the next bloodline heir, so they’ll surely kick her out. You should talk to Christian, girl. You still hold a chance to become Mrs Knight,” Jennifer tried to manipulate her.

“I don’t think so. Christian clearly stated that he doesn’t want me back.” Lia’s face dropped. “He loves her, Jennifer. I saw how they behaved at the Christmas party. He is totally invested in her. He even bought an island naming it Chrishka……” Before Lia could complete it, Jennifer cut her off.

“And what happened after that?” Jennifer arched her eyebrow, and Lia pursed her lips in a straight line, waiting for her to continue.

“Christian got the position of CEO and Mishka named everything back to him,” Jennifer revealed.

“Wait… what? Mishka named everything back to Christian??” Lia knitted her brows and looked at Jennifer for an explanation. “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, that bastard Knight named everything to Mishka. That bloody beggar became one of the richest women of London overnight.” Jennifer snarled, her eyes spitting fire while Lia gripped the spoon to suppress her anger.

“Christian is a cunning businessman. After all, he is the grandson of the brilliant businessman Leo Knight. He has planned out his every move very smartly. The contract marriage game came to a halt when Leo played the masterstroke, naming everything to Mishka. Christian had to pretend that he was in love with her so that he could get everything back.” Jennifer smirked.

“But why is he pushing me away?” Lia's question, her mind clouded with confusion.

“Because he doesn’t want anyone to ruin his plan. Why else do you think he hid his past with Mishka? I have raised Chris, and I know him from the inside out. He is going to throw Mishka out of his life, so you, my dear, speed up your game, because if that old Knight brings some other girl, you’ll lose your chance forever.” Jennifer advised, and Lia rubbed her face. “Love him, beg him, or better seduce him, but if you couldn’t convince him soon, then god forbid.”

“Contract Marriage is ending on Eleventh of March. I’ll talk to Christian,” Lia said confidently.

***

Indie Spices,

“Ummmm…. It’s amazing,” Mishka moaned, taking the first bite of her favourite dish while Christian smiled, looking at her, but slowly his smile dropped when he recalled his conversation with Dr. Ken.

Christian called Dr. James as soon as he got a text from him that Mishka has left, “So, how’s her improvement?” He asked impatiently.

“Not very good, but I am keeping her in a delusion that she is doing just fine. It’s important for her to feel that she is recovering. Keep a close watch on her, make sure she doesn’t get hyper over anything. It might be fatal for her.”

Christian took a deep breath. “I’ll take care of it,”

James took a long pause before starting to speak again, “There is another thing that you need to know, I asked Dr Ken for some of her medical reports, and it appears that she might face difficulty to conceive again or… might never be able to conceive. Dr. Ken is talking to one of the experienced gynaecologists regarding this case.”

Christian’s heart thundered against his chest, his eyes turned bloodshot red and at that exact moment, he wished Dan were alive so that he could give him a brutal death again. The bastard died taking away something precious from them, but still very much alive to destroy them.

“Are you alright?” Dr James asked. “I understand. It’s a lot to take in, but Mishka isn’t in the right state of mind to take this news.”

“I’ll take care of everything, doctor. Thank you so much.” Christian smiled sadly.

“Don’t lose hope! Miracles do happen in this world and I am sure we’ll find a way out, but right now, Mishka’s health is more important.” James said, and they ended the call.

“Are you even listening to me?” Mishka asked in a high pitch, breaking Christian’s daze.

“I am sorry, what?” He asked, and Mishka narrowed her eyes.

“Are you hiding something?” She asked.

Christian laughed it off. “Of course not! Why do you ask?”

Mishka narrowed her eyes, dismissing it. “Never mind, I was saying, Angela called this morning. She wants to catch up with me. So, can you drop me at her place?” Mishka asked in an uncertain voice, as she was not sure if Christian will allow her to meet the Rogers after what happened.

“Sure!” Christian answered.

***

“Damn Vera, you’re on fire!” Dr Ken was thrilled, examining her new CT Scan reports.

“What happened?” Luke asked, fear laced his voice.

“Improvement! Improvement! Improvement! Every report is screaming improvement.” Dr Ken beamed with a smile while Vera continued to watch them.

“Did you listen? I am so happy,” Luke said, caressing her forehead, and Vera’s lips trembled as she was trying to say something.

“Yeah, Christian will come soon to see you. Don’t worry,” Luke understood what she was trying to say, and she smiled in response.

***

“Hey, Alan! Why are you growing up so fast?” Mishka played with his finger as his grey orbs stared at her.

Angela smiled, “How have you been?”

“I am fine, we have a book launch next week, so I am very excited,” Mishka answered.

“That’s great! And how’s your married life?” Angela inquired, her facial expression slowly turned serious.

“Fine, nothing exciting!” Mishka smiled as Alan clutched her forefinger.

Angela turned silent as she was hesitating before opening her mouth but she felt responsible for the woman that once saved her life not caring about herself once. “If you don’t mind, c-can I say something?” Angela said cautiously and Mishka gazed at her, nodding her head.

“A few weeks back, I had an appointment with my doctor and there I spotted Christian at the hospital,” Angela said.

“Yeah, I know, his friend got into an accident,” Mishka said.

“His friend? Are you sure?” Angela knitted her brows and Mishka looked confused.

“What do you mean?” Mishka asked.

“Christian went to meet Lia Smith, his ex-girlfriend,” Angela spilled the truth and Mishka looked at her with slightly parted lips, feeling numb for a spit of seconds, and her face turned red.

“No, that’s not possible!” She smiled and abruptly stood up from the bed. “He went to meet his friend. There is no girlfriend.” She said, but Angela shook her head.

“Mishka, I spotted them together. That’s why I felt I should inform you. I don’t want to hurt….”

Mishka cut her off, “No, Angela, it’s not possible! You might’ve mistaken him for someone else.” Mishka said. Her heartbeat was racing inside her chest and she tried to get away from there, but Angela held her wrist to stop her.

“Wait, I have proof. Stop, please listen to me,” Angela tried to show her a picture of Lia and Christian on her mobile phone, but Mishka didn’t spare a glance. She jerked her hand away and exited from her room.

She gulps an invisible knot in her throat and rushed outside, bumping into Dylan while Angela followed Mishka outside the room, calling her name.

“What’s going on here?” Dylan looking back and forth from Mishka to Angela for explanation and Mishka finally lost it. Her anxiety kicked in again and she could feel her face heating.

Angela moved forward and held Mishka’s shivering hand. “Please, let me explain!” She pleaded, but Mishka freed her hand and snapped.

“What have I ever done wrong to both of you? Why you both are hell bent on destroying me? Why don’t you just kill me for once and all?” She screeched loudly, and the couple looked at her, stunned.

“Killing my child wasn’t enough that you guys yet again planning a new conspiracy?” Mishka shouted, the empty hall echoed with her voice.

“Mishka?” Angela was stunned.

Mishka clutched Dylan’s collar, “You!!! You wanted to avenge Diana’s death, and you used Dan’s designed plot to kill Christian? You really think I’ll hear a word against my husband from the man who killed my child!!” She was shouting at the top of her lungs.

“I DIDN’T KILL YOUR CHILD!!” Dylan shouted, jerking her hand off from his collar.

“Yes, you did!! You astray Sean’s team, you delayed our rescue, that day you were about to kill Christian, and who knows, you’ve had killed him if Jake didn’t confess. Either way, you were going to snatch something from me and you succeeded.” Mishka shouted, leaving Dylan speechless.

“Three times!! Three times, I saved Angela and your son, but see, this is how you’ve paid me back. I’ll never meet my child again because of you. Do you know how fucking painful is that?” She was shouting, tears streaming down her cheek.

Mishka turned to leave but Dylan gripped her forearm, “I didn’t know you were pregnant, I didn’t intend to hurt you,” He tried to explain but Mishka cut her off.

“As if I wouldn’t be hurt if you had killed my husband. Honestly, I don’t care what your intentions were. It’s crystal clear that you’ll never have good intentions for us.” Mishka sneered. “It’s just shocking that your wife is your partner in crime.” Mishka gave a heinous look to Angela, who was on the verge of crying.

“Leave my hand!” She removed Dylan’s grip and started walking away, only to turn back and say one last thing.

“I saved your child, and you killed my child. We are even now.” Mishka pointed her finger at them. “Let’s not cross each other’s path after this day.” She said in a high pitch and left.

“Is she the same woman we met before? What the fuck just happened here?” Dylan looked at the door from where Mishka went out and turned to Angela. “I told you not to interfere in their personal matter but you never listen to me,” Dylan spat and left while Angela continued to cry.

Mishka hailed a cab, and the driver spotted her sweating profusely. Her face was red, and it appeared that she was in immense pain. “Madam, are you alright? Should I take you to the hospital?” The driver asked.

“No, I am fine. Just drive and take me away from here,” She said, throwing her head back, trying to calm her, but her eyes were burning and she felt a sudden pain in her head.

“Do you have some water?” Mishka asked. Her eyes were drooping, and the driver handed a fresh sealed mineral water bottle to her.

Mishka quickly opened the bottle and emptied the water on her head to calm her and, slowly, her breathing normalised.

***

“Hey, mom! How are you doing?” Christian asked, sitting beside her on the bed while Vera was scrutinising his red eyes.

He caressed the back of her hand. “Mom, I am trying really hard to survive this, but I don’t think I’ll be able to manage this for long. Things are getting out of my hand. Dan may have died, but he is still very much haunting our lives. Mishka is not like before, she is in depression, and just a few days back, she tried to kill herself. I am dreading breaking the news that she might never conceive again. I don’t know how to settle everything back like before.” He said, his voice choked as buried his face in her hand, and cried.

Vera’s heartbeat picked a race. She was in tremendous shock finding these details about Christian’s life. Now she understood why he always appeared tensed. Vera slowly tried to caress his cheeks while Christian looked at her with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t want to trouble you, but I’ve no one to share this with. Please come back, mom. I’m losing it. I can’t handle this anymore.” He ended up pleading, while Vera only cried in response. He was asking for something she had no control over.

***

It was late at night when Christian came back to the apartment. He first opened the door of Eric’s room and spotted him sleeping peacefully on her big comfy Peppa pig bed. The nanny smiled at Christian politely and the latter slowly closed the door again.

He then opened the next door and walked into their bedroom. The room was pitch black, and he turned on the lights, only to spot Mishka sitting on the recliner with her eyes pinned at him.

“Hey!” He said and walked in her direction, throwing his jacket on the couch and Mishka smiled in response.

“What took you so long?” Mishka asked.

“I was spending time with mom,” He said and Mishka nodded her head in understanding. “I’ll just take a shower. It was a tiring day.” Christian disappeared into the washroom, closing the door with a thud while Mishka stared at the closed door.

Tears burned her eyes, and she felt her chest grow heavy. She continuously rubbed her chest to get rid of it before Christian emerges out, but the heaviness only increased. She quickly stood and opened the second drawer of the nightstand to take her antidepressants. She took out a pill with her shivering hands and gulped with water, but the pain didn’t fade.

“Are you okay?” Christian asked as he walked to where she was standing. “You’re not looking good,”

“No, I am fine. Just stressed about the upcoming book launch.” Mishka replied, and Christian sighed in relief.

“Don’t tire yourself so much, sweetheart. Come on, let’s sleep.” He gently kissed her cheeks, and they quickly got into the bed, facing each other.

“Christian?” Mishka mumbled.

“Yup,”

“Are you hiding something from me?” Mishka asked and Christian gulped, fearing that she already knows about her real reports, but it was impossible as he specifically asked James to change the reports and it will be always between them.

“NO,” He replied bluntly, “Why do you ask suddenly?” He gazed at her.

“Just I felt like you were hiding something from me. Never mind, let’s sleep. Turn off the light, please,” She said and turned to face the other side.

“But darkness scares you,” Christian said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

“Not anymore,” Mishka choked as tears started flowing from her eyes freely, disappearing into the pillow while Christian turned off the light, but stayed wide awake thinking about their future.