The Love of Lies

Shelter

Ashton’s POV

I was a fool for the way I reacted, so being invited back into the room with Cori was actually a relieving experience that I didn’t even know I wanted to have.

We’re having twins; two babies who will undoubtedly be difficult for their mother to handle alone, not that I plan to let her do anything other than focus on her health now that I know what’s at stake, but in the long run, I’m not sure how Cori is going to continue being a nurse.

I may have to find something she can do within the family company the way my parents intend to do with Julia, but knowing the people we work with, they’ll likely run the woman into the ground trying to get back at me for agreeing to take over for my father.

“I’m really sorry to have frightened you earlier,” The tech randomly says. “Your doctor didn’t mention anything to me, and this is my first set of twins; I had to double check.” The technician is really a novice, but her enthusiasm is much needed right now, especially since Cori hasn’t uttered a word since I’ve come back.

“When can we tell if they’re girls or boys?”

“Well, I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling you what I see right now, but I think I can tell you their gender at your next visit.” I nod at the woman, looking at Cori whose face is still flat.

“Are you okay, Hun?” The woman seems to snap out of her daze and looks at me with a fake smile, but I know better than to think that she’s fine.

The scan is rounded, and at the very end, the tech hands me an envelope with several printed pictures in it. I don’t know what to do with them, but I hope that Cori will, so I slide them into her open purse and silently help her remove the gel from her stomach.

I thought the appointment was over, but just as we were about to leave the back area, the doctor called me to her office, so I sent Cori to sit in the waiting room.

I’m not stupid; I know what the woman wants to talk about, so when she starts prying, I remind myself not to get offended, lest the woman fulfill her obligation to report suspected domestic abuse cases to the police.

“I like Cori, but she was struggling with the idea of having one baby with you, and two may actually push her over the edge. I think she needs counseling.” I know that, but when I asked Cori about it in the past, she shut me down by saying it was a waste of time and money. However, I keep that information to myself.

“I’m not sure being pregnant is the problem,” I admit, bashing myself because all of this started with me. “We were fine a few days ago, but she doesn’t trust me, so my advice will only make her more worried right now.”

“Mr. Lewis, I know the backstory, so you can save the fluff, and while you may not have wanted to be a father, those babies are yours too. I’m telling you that Cori is depressed, and you should be concerned. She feels lost right now, and not having a family to lean on is probably exasperating the issue.” The woman sounds like she’s talking from experience, and given her age, she probably is. “I found out I was pregnant during my residency. I was in such a dark place that I wanted to just give up, but the father kept pushing me to continue.”

“And what happened?”

“It wasn’t love, but we remained good friends for the sake of our child.” I knew it.

The woman came from a background extremely similar to Cori’s, so I slump my shoulders and pretty much beg for advice. I tell her practically everything that happened between Cori and I, and she listens quietly, giving me the impression that she doesn’t care.

“You’re expecting her to guess what you want, but Cori has no dating experience.” It’s my fault for not taking that into consideration, but I feel like she and I are past the point of dating already. “Perhaps it would be better if you found Cori her own place. Stress isn’t good for the pregnancy, and I don’t mess around when it comes to my patients.” I nod at the woman, standing because I don’t want Cori to wait any longer than she already has, but I understand.

“If she’s not feeling better by our next appointment, I’ll do what your last email suggested.” The information that Cori’s doctor had sent to me was very complete, and it provided me with information on how I could legally compel her to submit to treatment.

I have no intention of forcing Cori into a conservatorship on behalf of our unborn children, but if her doctor sees a need, I may have to.

“Cori isn’t a bad person, but I know what I see in her, and I’m worried.” Without words, I step out of the office and into the waiting room, slightly panicking when Cori isn’t anywhere around. The receptionist sees my look of worry and tells me that the woman I came with already left, so I run out, hoping to find her, which I do.

“Cori!” I run toward the woman who hasn’t walked too far away, but she doesn’t respond to me at all. Her posture looks defeated, and it’s almost like she didn’t hear me because, when I turned her body, she looked shocked. “Why did you leave?”

“Ashton,” the woman whispers, looking at her feet instead of my face. “I just need some time alone. You can go back before me.” I know what it’s like to need space, and I’ll give Cori room to breathe, but…

“I won’t leave you here alone, but I won’t bother you either.”

I head back to my car, quickly driving to where Cori is still walking around as though her entire world has collapsed. After some time, she climbs into the back of a familiar vehicle, and I follow it back to my house.

My car is blocking the old man from leaving, so it gives me a chance to figure out who he is, and I’m not at all shocked to learn that Cori got his personal contact and agreed to pay him the same rate she would pay through the rideshare company he works for.

“It’s not illegal,” the man adds, misreading my question.

“I won’t report you, but my girlfriend isn’t doing very well right now. If she calls you to take her anywhere suspicious, please contact me immediately.” I give the man my business card before moving my car out of his way.

When I’m finally inside, I have to use a key to unlock Cori’s room, but it doesn’t look like she’s inside. I almost leave, but then I hear a slight sniffle coming from the bed, so I walk around the mattress to find the woman hugging a pillow on the floor.

I can’t think of what to do, so I lay behind her, and wrap her in a hug that I hope brings her some comfort.

“Why are you laying here?” Cori shrugs, but eventually she responds.

“My mother and I used to sleep like this all the time. It just feels safe to me now.” I’m not an i***t. I know what the woman means, so I’m not going to ask her why.

“You don’t need to do that in this house. My father personally threatened to hang me by the toes for your sake.” I expect at least a slight smile, but Cori gives me nothing at all. “Listen, I didn’t mean to have such a strong reaction, okay? Please forgive me.”

“I already forgave you. Besides, if I were in your shoes, I probably would have reacted the same way to finding out I was having twins with a complete stranger.” My body tenses, and I tug on the woman’s shoulder, making her look at me.

“You aren’t a stranger. You’re my-”

“Ashton!” Cori cuts me off with such a sharp tone that I don’t even get to finish my sentence. “I need more time to collect my thoughts. Please leave me alone.” I can understand that, but I don’t want to leave, so I try to coax her out of the corner by asking her what I should tell my mother, not expecting to scare her. “I-I-I’m not ready to talk to anyone. P-please don’t say anything yet.” I reluctantly agree, but before leaving, I swipe the envelope from Cori’s bag, wanting to look at the images for myself.

“Twins,” I whisper, feeling my cheeks become wet with fearful tears, and I suddenly wonder if I’m feeling what Cori’s been feeling all this while.

What if I’m a bad father, and what if she and I become so toxic toward one another that our children suffer? I don’t want that to happen, so I roughly wipe my face and become determined to show Cori that we are in this situation together.

Cori’s POV

I woke to a text from Mrs. Lewis, reminding me that I need to log at least twenty minutes on the treadmill. She doesn’t know that I’m short winded because I’m carrying twins yet, and the guilt of that forces me out of bed, and into the athleticwear that she bought me.

I wasn’t expecting Ashton to be awake so early, but he was sitting in the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee while silently reading. The man is wearing a suit, so he must be going to work, and panic hits me when I remember that I’m responsible for breakfast.

“Sorry I didn’t make anything. I thought you were still suspended.”

“No need to apologize. I don’t have much of an appetite, and Cori, you no longer work for me.” I frown, feeling like a fool for thinking that Ashton would keep his word when he hasn’t paid me once, but he seems not to notice. “I’ll be home before four.” The man stands, looks at me with an expression I can’t place, and leaves.

I’m so frustrated that I want to cry, but that won’t help me, so I retreat to my room where I get lost in a job search before I start looking for shelters meant for pregnant women.

Time gets away from me, and feeling hungry, I stop to eat before I get a picture message from Mrs. Lewis. Julia and Troy look so happy in the photo that my only response is a heart emoji because no words can describe the scene.

[Miss you. Love you!] The woman replies, and the text hits me straight in the heart, but because I don’t want to spend another minute crying, I head to the gym, where I set a timer and walk on the treadmill as I stalk Julia’s social media account.

I’m not really sure what’s going on, but one of the woman’s last posts was of herself photoshopped in front of a pair of angel wings with the caption ‘patiently waiting to find out about my godchild.’

Under the photo is a comment from Troy, telling his fiancé not to be greedy because she was already the baby’s aunt, and I start wishing that Ashton was as receptive of me and our babies as his family.

I haven’t forgotten how he treated me, I just chose to ignore it, but his reaction at the doctor’s office reminded me that to him, I’m just a mistake that he’s trying to make the most of.

On top of that, I’m really unemployed now, and my stomach is much too obvious to hide, so all I can do is grin and bear it until I find out if I’m qualified to stay at the shelter I contacted earlier.