Chapter 35.

Holly generally hated sitcoms but she found that she enjoyed The Good place and binge watching it was a way to drown her sorrows and get her mind off a lot of things.

She was lying on her couch in her oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants while eating a large tub of cookies and cream ice cream and some chocolates. She knew it was unhealthy but she couldn't help herself. She had not left her apartment for about three days except to restock on more junk. Watching The Good place had turned out to be more philosophical than fun and Holly was starting to vaguely think on most of the choices she had been making the past few days.

She had also not been picking any of her calls. Most of which were from Charlie and her bakers.

She didn't particularly feel like doing anything. Occasionally her hand would shift to her belly and she would imagine that in a few months she would be carrying a little boy or a girl. She wanted a girl, she wouldn't be able to bear if it was a little boy who looked like Ryder. How was she going to deal with him?

She thought as she rubbed her little tummy.

Her mind involuntarily went back to Ryder and she imagined him with his new Bella Hadid look alike girlfriend with him curling up with her on his bed and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Just like he always did when they were in bed.

The times they spent together kept flipping in her mind like the pages of a book and Holly couldn't take it anymore as she picked up her phone. She wondered if he got the letter and pregnancy test results. She wondered if his silence meant that he didn't want to be with her.

Would she have to take care of her baby alone? She asked herself as she called Ryder on her phone.

It went straight to voicemail and the voice of his answering machine made her flinch.

She hesitated to leave a voice mail, but she couldn't help herself.

"Ryder? I just wanted to know if you got the envelope. And I also want to know your answer. I know it might come off as a shock to you, suddenly having to be a father, but I'd like to hear what you want to say. Do you want to raise this baby with me? Because I'm going to keep it, I know we're not in a good place right now but I don't want our baby to suffer for our mistakes. Please."

Holly ended the voicemail the moment she was done and wiped her teary eyes.

She was about to take another scoop of ice cream when a persistent knock on her door disturbed her.

She rolled her eyes thinking it was Darren her neighbour. He stopped by at least three times a day to check up on her.

"Darren! For the tenth time I am fine! And no! You can't borrow my mixer!!!"

She shouted at the door but the knocking continued.

"Ugh! It's me Holly! Open up you dope!!"

Charlie shouted out of frustration.

Holly sighed and slowly got out of her couch and opened up her door. Charlie was staring at Holly with surprise as she walked in holding a Tupperware.

"You look like a mess! I leave you for a few days and you turn into a couch potato. What are you eating?"

She asked as she examined Holly's table filled with all kinds of junks.

Charlie gasped with each item she held out.

"Holly! You can't be eating these. You're pregnant, it's not healthy for the baby."

"Charlie don't go all vegan on me, it's not that bad."

Charlie scoffed.

"Not bad? Potato chips are bad for you, they raise your cholesterols, it's not good for you. And pineapples? Number one fruit you shouldn't eat when you're pregnant."

Holly stopped and turned to Charlie.

"Really?" She asked suddenly feeling like throwing up every single thing she had eaten.

"It's true. Half of these things on this table increase your risk of a miscarriage."

"Oh my God! I had no idea!"

Holly shouted as she started throwing out the junk.

Charlie helped her with it.

"Yup, throw it all away because it's all bad for you. I brought you something healthy to eat. I made you a healthy salad, with broccoli, avocados and leafy greens. You're going to love it."

Holly was positive that anytime Charlie said that she was going to love something she made something vegan that Holly wasn't going to like it. But she needed to make better food choices too, because she wasn't only eating for herself but for her baby too.

"Okay, I'll try your salad."

Holly said as she took a bite out of the salad. She wasn't much of a eater of vegetables, but she was going to try, if it meant keeping her baby safe.

"I hear you haven't been in the bakery for a few days. I stopped by yesterday and you haven't been picking your call."

Holly shrugged.

"I didn't feel like going to work."

"You didn't? Does this have to do with Ryder? What did he say when you told him about the baby?"

Charlie asked with growing interest.

"Nothing! He said nothing! I went to his Condo and I met some lady in a lingerie."

Charlie gasped.

"That shameless bastard! It hasn't even been two weeks!"

"And, I just couldn't deal with all of that! I dropped the letter and I just left...I haven't heard from him since then"

Charlie placed her hand on Holly's shoulder as she tried to comfort her friend.

"Have you tried contacting him?"

She asked softly.

Holly dropped the salad and ran a hand through her hair.

"I have. I left a voicemail today. I guess he doesn't want to see me anymore. I'm going to have to do this all alone."

Holly said and Charlie shook her head.

"No you won't! You have me! You have your family..."

"And after that? No one else! No matter how much I try to deny it, I want Ryder. He's the one I need Charlie."

"I miss him much. I know this started out as some kind of pretense and all, but what I feel for him is real and I can't even live with myself knowing that I would never be able to feel the way I feel with Ryder with another man. Because, I don't even want anybody else, I just want him."

Holly added as her eyes become blurry with tears.

"Holly, Ryder Bates will always be Ryder Bates. He has moved on so quickly, what you felt for him, It was one sided. That's how he is, Ryder doesn't fall in love, he breaks hearts."

Holly shook her head.

"That's not true. I refuse to believe that. Have you forgotten that I hurt him too?"

She asked Charlie as she remembered the look on Ryder's face when he found out that she was working with Kim to seduce and humiliate him.

She would never forget how hurt he looked. He looked like she had broken him.

Catalina found herself more frustrated and pressed with every passing minute and day.

Ryder had arrived home early after working overnight. He had been so tired that he didn't even take off his work clothes as he landed in his bed and he left his phone on the living room table.

His phone was locked and Catalina had to try out a variety of passwords before she finally got his. Ryder was a creature of habit and his password had been none other than his mother's birthday. It used to be her birthday, Catalina remembered with a pang of pain in her heart.

There were a lot of messages, but the one that stood out was the one from Holly, it was a voicemail and Catalina hastily opened it.

Catalina hissed with jealousy as she saw the voicemail.

After listening to the voicemail, she only became more irritated by how persistent the woman was. She knew she had to act fast, Ryder's bad mood and evasive ways towards her were all due to whatever he had with Holly. And if she wanted any chance to get him back, she had to make sure he never heard from her again.

It was easy to see that he had fallen in love with Holly and that was a rare, Catalina didn't think Ryder would be able to fall for another woman apart from her. That was how much he loved her.

And it also showed how much she had broken him.

She deleted the voicemail.

She thought long and hard on how to make sure that Holly would never message Ryder again and an idea popped into her head.

She had to try and seduce Ryder all over again and this time, she had to get it on camera.

Catalina silently went into Ryder's room, he was still sprawled out on his bed and snoring softly. He was also sadly still in his work clothes something that might serve as an hindrance to Catalina's plans.

Catalina got naked as fast as she could and slipped into bed with Ryder as she tried to get him under the covers with her. But it was hard and Ryder was a lot heavier than she anticipated. There was no way she could position the picture that wouldn't show Ryder passed out sleeping and she had to try different angles to get a shot.

Finally she settled on one shot and gingerly placed Ryder's hand across her naked breasts as she started taking a few pictures.

She was so engrossed in getting the perfect shot she didn't notice that Ryder had stirred from his sleep and frowned at her in his bed with sleep filled eyes. His muddled brain still not comprehending what the hell was going on.

"What the fuck are you doing in my bed Catalina?" He asked with his voice gruff and deep from sleep as he snatched his hand from her naked breasts.

Catalina froze while a seething Ryder snatched his phone from her hand.