LOVE ME ONE MORE TIME

It's a Problem For Us

Alaia

I slowly got to my feet and walked to the door. My mother was already outside waiting for me since I still needed to make myself presentable. Her face was reflecting a silent question. I shook my head; I had no idea who he was exactly or what he was doing in our house.

My mom walked beside me as we went down the stairs. I still felt drowsy for some reason, so I descended slowly. When I reached the first floor, I found an older man standing near the door, observing our house. He was wearing an elegant suit, and I could already imagine why. Then I noticed his companions, two huge men standing to the side. The front door was still open, and I could see a black car parked right in front of our house.

"Alaia," the man spoke as soon as he saw me. I didn't like his look.

"Yes, who are you?" I asked, sensing the hostile atmosphere. Was it necessary for him to bring those men?

"A pleasure. I am Killian Garnett, Nick's grandfather." He smiled, but his eyes reflected something I didn't like. I nodded. I wasn’t expecting to see him here at all. I understood that Nick’s family didn't know about me; that's how we decided it. I scoffed, certain that he just wanted to keep me hidden, and the woman he showed off to his family was Barbara.

"How can I help you?" I said, crossing my arms and showing no emotion.

"Well, there are many things you could do for me." He looked at my mother and me, and we both lifted our chins and crossed our arms. "But for now, I want you to know that I am aware that you and my grandson were married and living together." His expression was serious. I didn't know what led him to discover it.

I gritted my teeth as I heard my mother inhale deeply. I looked at her and I could see that the news had surprised her. I bit my lip. I will explain everything to her later.

Nick’s grandfather continued. "Fortunately, he was able to rectify it in time. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having a wife and a lover, believe me, I speak from experience," he stated laughing and looking at his men. "When I found out about your marriage and that he was having an affair with Barbara, I came to understand my grandson." He laughed at his inside joke, but I didn't see the humor in it. I couldn’t help the uneasiness in my chest as I recalled the image of him marrying his mistress. "However, my grandson will soon be inheriting and managing our company. I couldn't allow the situation to continue, so... I gave Nick two options. I offered him to continue with you, maintaining your marriage and continuing to live in that apartment where you lived and he would, of course, lose the benefits and access to our money." He paused. "Or... he could choose Barbara, and with her, he would have the company and continue to enjoy all our fortune. And guess what? The clever boy preferred the money." He smiled, watching me and waiting for my reaction. I remained impassive, although his words were like daggers. I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me upset, especially not over his grandson.

"Was that all you had to say?" I asked, maintaining my composure.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't have come all the way here to inform you of something you were going to find out sooner or later." He waved his hand dismissively. "Let's get to the point. As you know, I have a wedding to get back to."

"Go ahead, we don't want to steal any more of your valuable time," I said sarcastically.

His dark laughter echoed again. His phone rang and he answered it. My stomach churned when I heard Nick's voice on speakerphone.

"Son," he spoke.

"Grandpa, have you resolved it?" he asked and the older man looked at me.

"I'm on it, don't worry, it will be resolved today. You can go on with your honeymoon without worry," his grandfather assured him.

I didn't understand what they were talking about, but my tolerance was already at its limit. Hearing Nick was not something I needed right now.

"Don't take too long," Nick laughed at something a female voice was saying.

"I'll be there in no time," the older man replied.

"Good, we're waiting for you." And they hang up.

"I think it's best if you leave, sir." I've heard enough, and I didn't want to put up with someone like him in my house any longer.

"No, no, dear, wait. I'm not yet finished. The matter that brought me here is that coincidentally today.” He walked to me a little. "I found out that you are pregnant." He stared at me, and I tried hard to hide the impact his words had on me. "I have the test result here," he said before I could even deny it. He took a sheet of paper from his pocket, and I could see the hospital letterhead on one end. My mother walked in quickly to snatch it from the man's hand. I took advantage of the distraction to swallow the lump in my throat. My heart was beating so fast. My mother read it and looked at me in disbelief. I silently mouthed "I'm sorry.” She returned to my side, although her face had already lost its color.

"Your pregnancy is a problem for us, you see. A child out of wedlock would put our family in everyone's mouth, and the scandal would affect us in more ways than one. Therefore, I come to 'persuade' you.” He made a quotation mark with his fingers and looked at his men who were displaying weapons in their pants. “...to terminate your pregnancy." He continued. My jaw clenched as I felt my stomach churning. "Think about it, this decision can benefit you. A child at your age would ruin your future and your plans. You’re still pretty early in the pregnancy so the level of risk is minimal," he assured me, and I felt nauseous. Now I understand what Nick was referring to in the call. My mother tensed up. I took her hand, not taking my eyes off the man in front of us.

Silence enveloped us. I was sure this was just the beginning. If I refuse, I must protect my babies from Nick and his grandfather. My mother looked at me with a question etched on her face. I squeezed her hand in assurance before turning to the old man in front of me. I fixed my face.

"You know... Mr. Garnett, I agree with you. A pregnancy at my age would only interfere with my plans, and I don't want anything to tie me to Nick, especially now that I know the truth." My mother's eyes widened as the man nodded in satisfaction. "I see that the person who provided you with my pregnancy test result did not inform you that I went to have an abortion this morning," I spoke confidently.

"Alaia, honey! What are you saying?!" My mother snapped. I turned to her.

"Mom, I'm sorry, but it was my decision." I bit my lip to show great conviction. I needed to look credible. She was holding her chest already so I had to hold her hand. She was shocked and upset with the false news. I’m sorry, mom. I’ll explain everything later.

"Good. You are a smart girl, after all.” Killian looks encouraged. "Then you won't mind if I make sure your words are true," he stated, looking at me suspiciously.

"Go ahead," I said confidently, looking him in the eyes.

The older man signaled to one of his bodyguards. The latter picked up his phone and walked away from the house. The old man stared at me, as I tended to my mom who was still in shock

"Sorry, Mom," I told her as I hugged her very tightly. I felt her hugging me back and kissing my forehead as if she was telling me that everything would be okay.

"It's true, sir," I heard the man say when he returned. He showed the old man something on his phone.

"Perfect!" the old man then said, pleased. "It's clear that there's nothing left for me here. We certainly won't be seeing each other again in the future, which is a shame." He looked at me from head to toe. I was about to say something when my mother went up to him.

"You are a pig!" my mother shouted after slapping him. My eyes widened and we were all surprised with my mother’s act. I gasped as the old man turned red as he touched his face. His companions moved to approach my mother.

"Don't you dare touch her!" I shouted, pulling her away from them. I could feel her trembling.

"Easy," Killian stopped them. "Leave them. I like women with character." He looked at us for a few seconds before laughing. "Let's go." He turned around and walked out with his men.

When they left, me and my mother went inside the house.

"My God, what's going on, Alaia?" My mother massaged her forehead and paced back and forth.

"Mom..." I began to say; however, we heard a knock on the door. When I opened it, I immediately saw Cedric. He ran towards me and hugged me tightly. I smiled and hugged him back "Thank you," I said to him.

I had to think fast. A while ago, when I saw Cedric approaching the house just as I was assuring Nick's grandfather that I had gotten rid of my babies, I just hoped that he would understand what I was doing. Luckily, he didn’t let me down.

"Are you okay? I hope I was helpful. As soon as I heard what you told Nick's grandfather, I called my father and asked him to make a record of an abortion performed today in your health record. I told him it was life or death," he explained. I sighed.

"I don't want your father to get in trouble for helping me and giving false information," I said worriedly, leading him into the living room. My mother listened to us, looking completely lost.

"Don't worry, he won't have any problems. The record will remain for a few days, then he can delete it, and everything will be back to normal."

"Thank you." I took his hands, and he kissed the top of my head.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" My mother paced back and forth again. I sighed once more.

"Mom, please sit down.”

I took a deep breath as I began to speak honestly about my relationship with Nick. I saw her getting upset when I told her that he asked me for a divorce and that today, only a week later, he was marrying someone else. I also explained about my pregnancy and that I did not have an abortion. I only lied to protect my babies. Her surprised face when I told her it would be twins was priceless.

"I had to do it, Mom. I'm sure they weren't going to leave us alone. Cedric and his father helped me make everything look real. My babies are safe." I touched my abdomen.

"Honey, you have to understand, all this has taken me by surprise. I have to digest all this news. My God, I'm going to be a grandmother, I'm too young," she muttered, covering her face. Cedric and I laughed. "Thank you, son," she said to Cedric. He nodded at her.

"It's okay, I understand." I took her hands.

"I will respect your decisions, honey." She sounded so thoughtful. "Your life will change from now on, but I will make sure to be here for you for whatever you need. You just found out you're going to be a mother, and you're already protecting your children. I'm not going to question you, my girl." She patted my hands. I moved closer to hug her.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, my girl. You have no idea how much I love you. This is... you should talk to Patrick." She flinched and looked at me.

I swallowed hard. I felt like my mouth just went dry, remembering that I had to tell my father the news. I didn't know how he'd take it. I have to prepare myself to talk to him; he'll be here in a couple of days.

My mother prepared dinner for us while my mind was still thinking about what happened earlier, remembering Killian Garnett's words.

****

"Thank you, that was delicious, Paula. I have to go, I just came to drop off your car, Ali. I'll be traveling to San Francisco very early tomorrow morning, I'm going to complete my graduation paperwork." Cedric got up to say goodbye to my mother, who thanked him again for helping us today.

"Thanks for being such a good friend." I walked over to hug him.

"I'll be here whenever you need me, Ali." We walked to the door. He looked for the keys in his pocket and handed them to me. He then left a kiss on my forehead before going out. I watched him as walk walked out of our house before heading back to my room.

The moment I got in my room, I immediately lay on the bed and closed my eyes; however, I couldn’t sleep. A lot has happened in just one week, and all I care about now is my pregnancy. Nick made decisions, and no one matters to him but himself. I couldn't believe that I fell in love with someone like him, someone who is capable of anything as long as no one ruins his plans. I have to do something so that Nick and his grandfather don't find out that I lied.

"Honey.” My mother entered the room. I got up and sat on my bed.

"Mom." She sat down next to me on the bed.

"We can't let them find out the truth. Your pregnancy is in danger," she said trying not to look worried, but I know she is.

"I've already thought about it. I think we should move. I'll talk to my father. I just hope he doesn't take the news of my pregnancy badly so can move to Chicago. Of course, we wouldn't live with him; we'll sell this house and buy one there," I said. She nodded although I noticed how she lowered her gaze, which made me wonder if what she was thinking was her relationship with my father. They never talked about it, not even once.