Labor

It was midnight when the first wave of contractions hit Janice.

She had ignored the previous one, thinking it was just a minor pain, and had tried to sleep through it.

But now, it came back stronger, and she realised she was going into labour.

She had believed she still had a few days left because she regularly checked the calendar. She was sure she hadn't missed anything. Even Jules wasn't around yet, and the thought of having a child without him being present made her panic.

"I am not prepared," she mumbled. Running her hand through her dishevelled hair, she let out a breath and waddled towards where her robe was hung.

Returning to the nightstand, she snatched her phone and dialled Jules' number until another contraction hit her.

Doubled over, she dropped the phone, which clattered onto the floor, and clenched her teeth while groaning in pain.

"No, no, not yet!" she repeated. But that didn't stop her from experiencing more contractions. Jules wasn't picking up, and she cursed, wondering where he was.

He had never been so late in answering her calls. Perhaps he was asleep, but he never slept for too long. He often woke up at the slightest noise. Maybe he was in an important meeting.

Janice wondered what kind of meeting he could have at midnight.

When it seemed like she couldn't bear it any longer, she shrieked in pain.

"Grace!" she yelled, her hand going to her tummy. It felt as if the baby was trying to rip itself out.

She had thought that period pain was worse, but this was terrible. She didn't want to experience it anymore.

Having seen many videos of what women went through, she believed they were exaggerating. She never knew it was this real until now.

"Oh, God," Janice breathed out as she tried to move towards the door.

She could barely control her legs. They trembled and almost gave way halfway to the room. But she didn't give up; she urged herself to keep walking.

"Grace!" she called again.

She didn't care if it was midnight and making loud noises in the castle was strictly prohibited by the dowager queen's orders.

In pain and need of immediate attention, Janice desperately wanted someone to attend to her.

Jules jerked awake from his slumber, startled by the continuous ringing of the alarm. He rubbed his heavy eyes and winced as his head pounded.

"Oh, darling."

He turned to his side, hearing a murmur. A gorgeous brunette was curled up beside him, completely naked.

Naked?!

His eyes widened, and he checked himself to see that he was also bare.

What happened last night?!

He could vaguely remember having a few drinks with some friends, as it was the last day of the meeting, and they typically celebrated with a few drinks.

But he couldn't recall being at home with any woman.

"You're awake," the brunette slurred, obviously still high. She slowly rose from the bed, went behind him, and wrapped her hands around his shoulders.

Her ample breasts pressed against his back as she planted kisses from his neck downwards.

Jules grunted and removed her hands from him.

"What the hell, darling? I thought you enjoyed it because you didn't complain last night."

He turned to glare at her.

"Why the f**k are you here?"

"You invited me, duh," the brunette said. "And maybe I need to remind you of my name. It's Tricia." She rolled her eyes.

Jules mentally berated himself, got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom with his clothes.

A few seconds later, he emerged fully dressed in the tuxedo he had worn the night before.

"I expect you to be out of here in..." He glanced at his wristwatch, then back at her. "Two minutes. That's enough time for you to get dressed."

He pulled some notes from his wallet and tossed them on the bed before heading towards the door.

"I never believed it when they said you were this frigid. You truly are a prick," she mumbled.

Jules shook his head and stepped out of the room. It wasn't the first time he had been referred to in such a way, and he believed it wouldn't be the last.

But what haunted him was what he had done. He had f**king slept with a slut!

Not even a classy one who would keep their encounter a secret. Just an ordinary tramp, he would never give a second glance.

He wondered if it was a setup. Maybe his friends had orchestrated it because he had made it clear he was only interested in his wife-His PREGNANT wife, and he had freaking cheated on her.

He doubted Janice would be happy if she found out, especially in her current condition. He hoped she wouldn't.

His ringing phone snapped him out of his thoughts. He stared at it and noticed he had missed several calls from Janice.

While glancing at it, he realised it was just a few seconds before he had jerked awake. It must have been the alarm he mistook for a phone call.

"Mother," Jules answered the phone, using his free hand to unlock his car.

"Thank goodness!" she breathed out.

Jules's heart skipped a beat. Whenever his mother spoke in that breathy tone, he knew something was wrong with Janice.

"What's wrong?"

"You might need to come here before your child is born. Since it's her first, I believe she still has many hours to go."

"Child? Born?" Jules repeated before letting out a string of curse words.

He heard his mother wince, but he didn't care to correct himself. His wife was in labour, desperately trying to reach him, while he was busily entangled with a cheap whore.

Damnation!

Jules kicked the tire of his car, retrieved his phone, and made a few phone calls before driving to the nearest airport.