MY EX WANTS ME BACK

Erika's Pov "Why am I here in the hospital, Raven?" I asked my friend weakly as I regained consciousness. My friend's tears started flowing, making me furrow my brow. "Why are you crying? Am I sick? Am I about to die?" Raven quickly shook her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks before speaking. "You're three weeks pregnant, Erika." "Erika? David is already outside your house. Hurry and fix yourself now." My flashback to one of the events in my life was interrupted when my friend entered my child's room. I simply nodded at her, and then she quickly left. After Raven left, I looked at the face of my sleeping child again. And once more, a wave of memories I had tried to forget suddenly flooded my mind... "Can you please stop spinning in front of the mirror, Erika? I've been getting dizzy watching you," my best friend Raven couldn't help but complain when she saw me spinning in front of the mirror for the tenth time. I was nervous and at the same time, very excited. I wanted to look my best tonight because this night was very important in my life. Tonight is my engagement party with Charles Evan, my boyfriend of almost two years. I've been looking forward to this night so much. Finally, he'll be introducing me to all his friends, acquaintances, and relatives, and announcing our engagement to everyone. I can't wait to become Mrs. Erika Evans. It feels so good to hear my name with Charles' last name. "Do I look good, Raven? Is my makeup too heavy? Will Charles like my black dress?" I asked my friend anxiously as I turn to face her. I want to look perfect for this perfect night. I chose to wear a black evening dress because it's Charles' favorite color. My friend objected to the black dress, saying it's unlucky. She even said it might bring bad luck to my relationship with Charles. But Charles loves the color black, and for me, black is elegance. Besides, I don't believe black is unlucky, so I didn't follow Raven's advice. "Look at yourself, Erika. You're beautiful even with the very light makeup I applied on your face. Don't doubt your beauty because you're still beautiful even without makeup." I stared at myself in the mirror. Raven was right. I was beautiful, and the light makeup and backless dress with its modest neckline that subtly accentuated my cleavage suited me perfectly. Even though I looked good, I couldn't shake this feeling of self-consciousness. Maybe I was just nervous because this was the first time I would be meeting and interacting with people connected to Charles. "I hope everything goes well." I don't know why I said those words. They just slipped out of my mouth, even though I wasn't worried about our engagement party. "Of course! Everything will be okay," Raven readily agreed. "Let's go now, because if we stay at your place any longer, you might suddenly back out of your engagement party with Charles because you're being too self-conscious." That wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't back out of my engagement party with Charles because it was something I had been looking forward to for so long. But I didn't say anything. I just followed my friend who had already left my room. Raven drove my car to Charles' house. As we approached his huge house, I became increasingly nervous. I was sure that all of the guests were already arrived. They were all his acquaintances, friends, and relatives because I don't have any friends except for Raven. I'm very introverted, so Raven was the only one who bothered to befriend me. "It looks like Charles' house is already full of guests, Erika," my friend remarked, noticing the cars parked near Charles' house and right in front of the gate. "I'll just call Charles to meet us at the door." I pulled out my phone from the pouch that matched my dress and dialed Charles' number. There was no answer. I dialed his number several times but he still didn't answer my call. "He must be busy, that's why he's not answering my call," I said to Raven. Antonio, the butler, greeted us as we got out of my car. "Good evening, Ma'am Erika. You look absolutely stunning tonight," he greeted me with a smile, complimenting me. He guided us inside the house because all the guests were only in the spacious backyard. "Thank you," I replied curtly. "Could you please call Charles? Tell him I've arrived." The butler's smile vanished abruptly, and his eyes became shifty. He seemed hesitant to follow my instructions, which made me furrow my brow. "Sorry, Ma'am Erika. Sir Charles isn't here yet. He hasn't returned since leaving the house this morning," the butler replied. "What? It's his engagement party, and he's not here?" my friend reacted angrily upon hearing the butler's words. "Let it go, Raven. He'll be here soon. We know he's really busy," I defended Charles. It's true, Charles is very busy as the CEO of Evans Industry. He talks to a lot of people and handles tons of paperwork every day. We stepped out of the house and mingled with the guests while waiting for Charles. The guests who looked at me just smiled and nodded because they didn't know me. But it's okay. After Charles introduces me and announces our wedding, they'll definitely know me. We've been waiting for more than half an hour, but Charles still isn't here. The guests are starting to get impatient and are asking the butler why my boyfriend isn't here yet. I've called Charles' phone number several times, but he's not answering. I'm starting to get worried. Something might have happened to him, which is why he's not here. "What's the matter with your boyfriend, Erika? We've been waiting for ages, but we haven't even seen his shadow," Raven said to me in an annoyed voice. I was about to speak up to defend Charles, but then the gate suddenly opened and he walked in. But he wasn't alone. He was with a beautiful woman. The famous actress, Jane Watson. My heart sank when I saw them holding hands and walking towards the guests, looking so sweet and affectionate. I stood directly in front of Charles, but it was as if I were just a gust of wind passing through his eyes. I didn't like this feeling. My instincts told me something bad was going to happen tonight. "Charles," I whispered his name. My eyes were clouding over, and a chill seemed to be creeping through my entire body. "What's going on, Erika? Why is your boyfriend with another woman?" Raven's face was full of bewilderment. "I-I don't know." My voice trembled. I saw Charles escorting the woman to the center of the room, which served as the dance floor, and then he gave the guests a sweet smile. I was so worried that something bad might have happened to my boyfriend, but I will just see him with another woman. I felt very pathetic. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I'm sorry for my late arrival and thank you for coming to this very important event in my life. We arrived late because it took a while for the beautiful woman beside me to get dressed," Charles said to the guests with a wide smile. "It's okay, Mr. Evans. We were getting impatient earlier, but now that you're here, we'd like to know what this party you organized is for?" one of the guests asked Charles. Charles looked at the beautiful actress and brought their clasped hands to her lips. Smiling, he kissed the back of the actress' hand, who was also smiling, which made the guests envious. Then he turned back to the guests. "This party is my engagement party with my fiancee, Jane Watson. I'm happy to announce to you all our upcoming wedding. And all of you here are invited to our wedding," Charles announced to the guests with a smile. The words I heard from Charles' mouth in front of the guests were like a bomb exploding in my face. As my tears started to fall, my surroundings began to spin.