My dear little broccolis💚💚💚
💚 So, a couple of things I want to make clear. Christian did not push Ana on purpose. I know I am playing with the line here, but intent is always important. And Ana made a point on saying he was frozen after she fell. As for the chin, I have put it here on purpose.
💚 Also, something a lot of people seemed to miss is that Christian was happy at first. He smiled first, then decided that his wife was unfaithful. I know we know the pullout method isn't 100%, but no contraception is. And you have to put the story in its context.
💚 For those saying Ana should have gone to the doctor before saying she's pregnant ... You are aware that pregnancies and deliveries are where medicine has the least evolved in millennia, right? You are aware that until the early 1900s, doctors referred to older women who had children when it came to pregnancy, right? You are aware that still today, doctors know very little about the miracle of life, right? Just to be clear, I am not bullying anyone, but you guys need to remember that this story does not happen nowadays, with the technology we have.
💚 Now, I have to say that I was anxious about the last chapters, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that most of you do not agree with Christian and his behaviour. Half of you guessed what happens next, and ... I love you all, so don't hate me ^^
💚 If you want pictures of the story, just check out my Facebook group, Mina's Broccolis, and you will find pictures as the story unveils. And a few sneak-peeks here and there as well.
💚 From Duty To Love💚
Chapter 17: Farewell (1,8K)
Anastasia's PoV
When Sunday morning comes, I have no idea how I fell asleep. I remember coming to my room and sitting on my bed because I was feeling lightheaded, but nothing afterwards. In fact, I am still wearing my dress from yesterday. I try to get up, but my stomach and my head do not agree with that notion. My head is spinning as I feel blood rushing to my head and my ears ringing, so I lay back in bed, caressing my aching stomach and praying that there is nothing wrong with me. I refuse to think that there is anything wrong with the baby.
For a good hour, I struggle with my upset stomach, feeling my nausea become stronger and stronger as cramps become harder and harder, and I know I won't be able to go to church. I don't know if this is normal. I am the last one of all my cousins, and Kate was living in Seattle when she was pregnant. But I've heard of women being sick when they were pregnant, so maybe I am just a little too weak. Mrs Jones did say I should eat more, and I barely ate yesterday.
With difficulty, I get up, my belly and my head telling me that I should lay back down and I struggle to change into my nightgown. It's not comfortable to lay in a dress. Then, I get back in bed after emptying my stomach in a pot. My head feels so … light and heavy at the same time, it's frightening.
I lay back in my bed, doing my best to ignore all the aches in my life. My tummy, my head, my heart. I'm still hoping that Christian will calm down and understand, but at this point, it seems like a lost cause. Christian doesn't want to listen to me. Who wants to listen to someone you respect as much as a prostitute?
I am so lost in my pain and in my thoughts that I don't hear Mrs Jones knock on the door, and just see her come in with a tray of food. I struggle to sit up, noticing that she doesn't close the door. She looks at me suspiciously, before putting the tray on the bed and slightly opening the window,
"Mr Grey would like to know when you will be ready to go to church," She lets me know, though it is clear that she doesn't like Mr Grey right now. I shake my head, taking the tea in my hands as I let her know,
"I don't think I will be able to go to Church today, Mrs Jones. If you could apologise for me to Mr Grey."
She frowns and comes to me, touching my stomach without asking me first, "How are you feeling, Mrs Grey? Have you had any pains?"
I look at her, panicked by her tone. Women have had children for millennia, she shouldn't be worried by a little bit of pain. I thought pain was to be expected for pregnant women. "It's normal, right?"
She reassuring smiles at me, telling me to eat and rest well before she leaves. But I can hear Christian's muffled voice asking her as soon as she closes the door,
"How is she?"
"You should get Dr Cassidy to pay her a visit after Church."
"How's her head?!" Christian questions, his voice sounding a little bit worried, but Mrs Jones doesn't seem to appreciate his concern.
"That was a nasty fall, Mr Grey! Didn't you see how she gripped her stomach and limped back to her room? If Dr Cassidy comes, he will be more worried about the survival of that baby than her head?"
"This is none of your business, Mrs Jones. You're forgetting your place! The only reason I'm not letting you go for leaving my wife alone in my house so she can entertain other men is because you've been in the family for so long!" Christian threatens, and I move the tray from my laps. I can't let Christian treat Mrs Jones like that. She has done nothing wrong.
"Go ahead, give me my leave. I will gladly ask to work for your father again and tell him how you are treating that poor girl. We both know how your father will take that news. And we both know Mrs Grey has been nothing but faithful!"
Christian doesn't say anything for a moment, but I suppose he is glaring at her. To be honest, I think Mrs Jones is quite bold speaking to him like that, but then again, she has known him since he was five years old.
When she speaks again, I am in my robe, ready to open the door but I never do.
"Have Dr Cassidy come and check on that child, Mr Grey."
"I'm not spending a dime on that bastard. If you're so worried, track that Sawyer and have him take care of it, since he was so keen to take care of my wife."
I hear him walk away and just stare at the door. Christian will never come back to his senses. He will never believe that our baby is his and he will take it out on our child. He will make sure that our child knows he is hated by his of her own father. He will make our baby's life a nightmare. And I won't allow that.
I go back to bed, listening carefully until I am sure that he has left for church. I refuse to let him mistreat our child like that. Not when he has no reason to. So I bite down on my pain and move as quickly as I can whilst no one is at home.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
When Christian comes back from Church. I am back in my room, looking at the wardrobe hoarding my secret. I have planned everything meticulously. Tomorrow, I will go to the orphanage where I know a young doctor comes to see the girls every Monday. If Christian does not want to pay for his child, I will do it. I have a few dollars I have brought with me from the few errands I used to run in towns. It's not much, but it will do for what I want.
I barely sleep of the night, because I want to leave as soon as the sun is up. I don't want Christian to catch me and forbid me to leave the house.
I have everything planned. In just a few weeks, Christian will go to New York, and I will not go with him. Obviously, now that I'm a whore, he has no business taking me with him. As soon as he will be on the train, I will be on a train of my own, pretending that I miss him, but heading to San Francisco. There, I will say that I am a widow (Ms Ana Williams) and that my sweet and loving husband died at sea, leaving me and our child alone. I will sell his silly necklace, and his ring to have a little bit of money.
I saw in Christian's newspaper that San Francisco is looking for a schoolteacher in their brand new school. I don't want to risk sending a telegram as an answer, but I have written a letter proposing my services, and I will ask the orphanage to write me a letter referring my teaching to the girls. I'll say it's to show my parents but I will use it to find a job.
And I will raise our child away from Christian. I don't care if it's going to bring a scandal to his name, but I do feel bad that Kate and my parents will probably be shamed for my actions. I just don't want my child to grow up with so much hatred aimed at him or her. In fact, I will never tell them all the awful things Christian has said. That is for me, and me only.
It is my shame to bear. I have obviously failed somewhere in my duties as a wife for Christian to mistrust and hate me so much. But I will not fail as a mother.
As soon as the sun is up, I make my way out and I walk to the orphanage, which is quite a spell away from where Christian lives. Shortly after eight o'clock strikes, Mrs Cole is surprised to see me on a Monday, and so early but she welcomes me, and so do the girls. The doctor is not due for another couple of hours, so Mrs Cole asks me if I mind taking the girls to the park next door with her.
Just like I did yesterday, I ignore my cramps, praying that the doctor comes quick and accepts to see me and I focus on my plan. Just a few more weeks of name-calling and hatred, and then, Christian Grey will be history. I idly wonder if he will even mind my going. He'll probably assume that I ran off with Mr Sawyer for whom I so easily spread my legs.
Just a few more weeks.
I look at the girls playing. Some are skipping the rope, whilst others are playing with a ball. They are all so sweet, and I am definitely going to miss them. Coming to the orphanage has always been the highlight of my week because the girls are always so happy to learn something. And I often learn with them as Reverend Lincoln teaches them things I didn't know about religion. In fact, I was very surprised to find that the Reverend knew so much about other religions, and when I told him about that he simply joked that he had to know about 'the concurrence'.
As I feel another cramp that makes me bite my lip to not whimper, I see little Georgina run after the ball as it rolls to the street. Behind her, two horses are pulling a car much faster than they should in town, and so, without thinking I run after Georgina and push her away from the horses just in time so she is not trampled.
The horses rear at my sudden presence and I only realise my mistake too late, just as everything turns to black.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
💚 So, finally, you will get you Christian's POV in the next chapter.
💚 But Ana is planning to leave when Christian goes to New York. And as I said, it's a different time, the trigger for her was her child, not the rest. She grew up loved and in a safe environment and she doesn't feel safe around Christian as of now.
💚 And Christian and Mrs Jones have alluded to something here ... (I know you hate me with my hints, haha)
💚And something new, artists & flowers 💚
💚Well, let me know what you thought of this chapter. What was your favourite part? What do you think will happen next?
💚 E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise. Everything else is mine.
Love, Mina💚💚💚