Twenty-Five
July 18, Saturday
Emory
The back of my neck itched with beads of sweat, the sun hot on my skin, burning my eyes. My head swiveled around the crowded yard, searching for the source of my unease. Something was making my skin crawl, my chest ache with a pounding heart, and my breath come and go in short spurts.
There were too many people. Men. Women. All dressed in their Sunday best, chatting amongst each other, their laughter grating on my ears. A long table was filled with platters of food and cups of drinks.
My eyes caught on the cake.
Cake.
My mouth watered with a sick feeling in my stomach.
The white frosting was stark against the pink and blue writing.
‘Boy or Girl’
Something fluttered beneath my hand, and I looked down to find my dress pulled taught against the swell of my belly. The soft thump beneath my hand had my breath stilling.
I licked my lips, my heart flip-flopping like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to keep beating or not. I looked around me with a gasp and found him.
His head was thrown back in laughter as he faced away from me, surrounded by a group of people I couldn’t quite see. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and his blue suit would undoubtedly bring attention to his blue eyes. I watched as he suddenly turned his body to face me, his white smile bright and adoring as he stared at me.
‘Wife,’ he mouthed, his blue eyes holding me captive.
I swallowed, my hands covering my belly like I could stake a claim on the child growing inside of me. Like it didn’t have half of his DNA, a blend of our likenesses and forever a reminder of who exactly had created it, had brought it into this world.
Theo nodded his head towards my right, and I slowly turned my head, following his gaze. My eyes widened at the head of dark hair sat on the floor beside me. The long flowing waves of hair wiggled with the child’s movement as she played with a doll on the grass.
I flicked my gaze back to Theo and his eyes flashed with possessiveness.
A hand on my shoulder had me spinning in my chair. Brown eyes, tanned skin, soft brown curls. His gentle smile made my head spin. His hand caressed my cheek, leaving warmth in its wake as he dropped his hand. He crouched down until he was looking up at me. His hands rested on top of my own, holding my belly.
‘Mine.’
My head jolted up to find Theo standing several paces away.
His face twisted into a sneer, and he repeated his claim.
‘Mine.’
I gasped awake, my heart racing as I blinked the sleep from my eyes and sat up in bed.
Home. I’m home.
My hand traced the comforter beside me, and I turned my head to find the space empty. A quick scan of the room had my brow furrowing. I picked up my phone from my bedside table. There were no notifications. I rubbed my eyes, letting out a sigh as I waited for my heartbeat to return to normal.
I winced as flashes of the dream played inside my mind’s eye. I had to physically look down at my bare stomach just to confirm that it was a dream. That I wasn’t actually pregnant. Though I had never been pregnant long enough to see a change in my body shape, the dream felt too real, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
I shook my head at myself and climbed out of bed.
I opened the door to the living room and stared at the empty space. I frowned.
I wracked my brain trying to remember if Enoch had said he was going home last night, but the last thing I remembered was cuddling close to him in my bed before falling asleep. Had he woken me up and left and I was just too asleep to remember?
I unlocked my phone and shot off a short text asking where he was and if he was okay before locking my phone and stepping back into my bedroom. I waited a minute for him to reply, but when he didn’t, I left my phone on my bed and headed for my bathroom.
