EIGHTY-SIX

Three years ago

I watched on as my son slept soundly next to me. He was a few months old away from being three and I hadn't spent a day without him by my side.

She was named after my father like I told Don Ethan if the baby happened to be a boy. I was probably speculating but I saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes when he found out about my decision despite his earlier protests against the child being named after him.

Our story was just starting and judging from how fast our relationship has progressed during the last few months, I wouldn't rule out having a son for him in the future.

Tiffany never left my side either, she was always doting on me and baby Blake much to my delight but I knew it would have to end soon. I would have to get back into the real world and carry on with my daily routine while Tiffany who had anointed herself as godmother would look after Blake whenever I was incapable of doing so.

I was on track to becoming a medical doctor and making a name for myself through my own experiences and I wanted to do it all by myself much to Don Ethan's annoyance.

It had taken a long time for him to realize that I didn't want to be solely dependent on his status and wealth, there was a void I felt that wouldn't stop gnawing at me. I felt this need to feel the glorious taste of satisfaction and happiness. He didn't understand this at first, he thought I was only being difficult and strong-headed, it had taken a toll on our relationship but we managed to reach a compromise. If I ever needed his help, I would inform him immediately, and in return, he would give me the space I needed to grow into my own woman.

Getting into school had been the easiest part but having to go through the ordeals that came with it whilst being pregnant was something I wasn't prepared for. I thought about quitting severally but I couldn't bring myself to do it majorly because I would hate myself forever.

Don Ethan had warned that college would be a different experience and he wasn't wrong. I was visibly pregnant but it didn't stop the catcalls and whistles I got from the male students much to my disgust, all signs of anger and frustration didn't seem to have any effect on them and quite frankly, the majority of them found it to be an attractive feature and they tripled their efforts to get into my pants.

The first time I complained about the unwanted attention I was getting on campus over dinner, Don Ethan had quite a laugh at my expense much to my irritation. In a fit of anger, I hurled my plate at his head and I didn't miss by much. His eyes widened at the realization that he had hurt me and he regained his composure.

"You're the last person I expected to make a joke about this whole situation." I was struggling to put a lid down on my anger.

"Hey, hey." Don Ethan raised his hands in surrender, pointing towards the broken plate on the floor. "Your message was clear enough, I'm sorry for laughing."

"I want to have my peace. How difficult can that be?" I whined, feeling my frustration get the better of me.

"You made me promise not to interfere with your school life." Don Ethan began slowly, reminding me of my actions. "I can't do anything without your permission."

"If I give you the liberty to do whatever you would like, what would you do?" I asked.

A small part of me regretted having asked him that question knowing how complicated our story was I wanted to give him the benefit of doubt.

I've known Ethan for nearly a year now and I could tell whenever he had something up his sleeve. He wasn't particularly good at hiding his motives from me like it had been before. I knew he had something he wanted to say to me so I decided to give him the platform to air his opinions and be done with it.

Don Ethan had been mad at me since I decided to work as his bodyguard instead of accepting fat checks from him every two weeks. The thought of what happened with Alessandro had yet to leave my memory and I didn't want to be shackled to another man with no plan for myself.

I wanted to be independent and standing on my decision was the only way forward.

"I have a couple of ideas in mind," Ethan replied, dropping his utensils on the table as he dabbed at the sides of his mouth with the napkin.

"Are you going to keep me in suspense for the rest of the night or are you going to let me in on your plan?"

I was having crazy mood swings faster than I could snap my fingers, the doctor said it was normal and due to the hormones. Right now, all I wanted to do was strangle Ethan with every fiber of my being.

"Tell them we're dating," Ethan began. "I know we promised to keep our relationship discussion on the shelf to avoid the attention until we were ready to talk about what the future holds for both of us but if you tell them who I am to you, I figure they'd leave you alone."

I smiled inwardly. He was going to be in for a big surprise. "I should've told you earlier but telling them I was your girlfriend is the last thing that came to my mind once the catcalls became excessive. I told them that I was part of your bodyguard team and if they kept distracting me, they'd end up in prison for trespassing."

Ethan's eyes widened and I saw a hint of disappointment in it. "Okay. I knew you were hellbent on being your own woman but I never thought you were this-"

"Ethan," I began in a warning tone, he was trailing off track again. "Let's not do this. Right now, the only person I can afford to care for is my unborn child."