By Michelle Harris aka Lady M. Harris
Copyright 2001 Michelle Harris
Warning:
Self-edited, you've been forewarned.
Part 9
"Come
on over tonight after your class gets out. I'll cook something up for us and then we can talk." Darien had
whispered into her neck, sometime in the early predawn hours of the following
morning. He lightly kissed the back of
her arched neck, his hands moving slowly over her body sending tendrils of
languorous heat over her warm skin. When she would have said more to the entreating words of promise, he
rolled her over onto her back and plunged deeply into her, provoking an
incoherent cry from her. Any thoughts
lingering in the back of her sleepy, morning mind was effectively cut off, her
body tuning into the persuasion of the powerful body moving in her, and to the
man who continued to trail heady kisses along the dark enclosure between her
heaving breasts and to the hands that continued to worship the rest of
her. Oh how wonderful would it be to
wish, to dream of waking to such passionate delights of desire with the same
man every morning her mind whispered silently, softly, as the husky, throaty
moans erupted from her, her fingers digging deeply into the darkness of his
hair. Someday, her mind promised as her
hands drew Darien's face down to hers for a deep kiss...she would tell him,
tell him how she really felt about him…
The
new day dawned sunny and bright for Serena. Her students noticed the difference in her and had decided to take
advantage of her good mood. She didn't
mind, for she enjoyed their enthusiasm and efforts to please to her. Her attention in class drifted quite often
towards the night before of her and Darien together. She had mentioned to Darien about Terrence's wedding coming up
this weekend and had asked if he would be willing to escort her to the
event. He had relented, if somewhat
reluctantly and mumbling under his breath about something he didn't like about
the singer.
When
her class finally ended, Serena rushed through grading her students'
papers. Having finished early, she left
class and made her way to the bus stop. On the bus trip to Darien's flat, she mentally counted how many days had
passed since her last menstruation. A
frown creased her forehead as she furiously recounted the days again in her
head. Somehow the week had come and
gone for her due date. How could she
have forgotten about her menstruation due date, she mused to herself. She shrugged off the worry, again recalling
that she had been late before. Of
course, she reminded herself, you weren't sleeping with anyone either. I'll worry about it later; she mentally
shrugged off the persistent thought of being p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t.
She smiled a
gracious smile to the doorman, who in return winked back at her as he hurriedly
opened the door to the prestigious, residential flats where Darien resided
during the week. Serena hummed a
tuneless melody as she rode up the elevators, wondering what Darien was going
to cook and what he was doing at the moment. She smiled ruefully, thinking of him standing before the hospital
boardroom full of executives or talking quietly to a patient. She wondered briefly if he was going to
bring up their charade tonight, she wanted nothing more than to end it as
quickly as possible. But she was also
reluctant to end the type of intimate relationship they had going at the
moment. She also knew that somehow, they
needed to bring their feelings to the light about each other and the sooner the
better for the both of them. Serena had
a dreadful feeling of something bad happening, but couldn't quite put a finger
on what it could possibly be.
Serena got off
of the elevator and walked down the hall, halting abruptly as she came to
Darien's door, confusion marring her face. The door was slightly ajar and someone was moving around in the living
room. Her body clamped still, her
stomach suddenly knotting with wrenching pain, unable to hold back the stifled
gasp of shock and disbelief. Not even realizing
what she was doing, she shook her head in silent denial as sudden tears welled
up in her eyes. She blinked them
frantically away. This can't be true,
Serena's mind wretched in numbed shock as she recognized the woman moving about
in the room. He wouldn't do this to me,
she thought desperately. Would he? She couldn't believe what she was seeing,
her mind didn't want to acknowledge the obvious before her eyes.
Beryl went
still, her fingers in the act of buttoning up her silk blouse as she became
aware of a presence standing outside of the cracked, opened door. Her burgundy hair was in abundant disarray
about her as if she had just gotten out of bed. Beryl's eyes went hard as their gazes met; clashing in twirl of
tumulus emotions, one in startled dismay; the other in smug satisfaction. A slight, perceptive twitch of a tiny smile
appeared on Beryl's lips as she noted Serena's gaze trailing in disbelief over
her apparent dishabille.
"Could I
help you with something, miss?" Beryl asked Serena, pretending she didn't
know who she was. "If you're
looking for the owner, he's in the shower. But if you'd like to come back at a later time…" She let the
sentence trail off, leaving the speculation of what had just taken place for
Serena to piece together.
"No…no,"
Serena croaked, her voice sounding even strange to her own ears. "I-I think I may have the wrong
address," she lied, backing away from the door as her body shuddered with
the force of her emotions. Her entire
chest seemed to blossom with pain, like sharp knives slicing away at pieces of
her vulnerable heart. She whirled away,
clasping a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out at the pain that stabbed
through her as she ran towards the elevators, the tears already falling
silently from her eyes, despite her commanding them to stop.
Beryl closed
the entry door with a malevolent sneer on her lips. She straightened her hair, paying close attention to the
individual in the bathroom. Darien's
maid was running the tub's water as she cleaned it. Beryl had slipped into the flat while the young woman cleaned the
bedroom bathroom. It had been far too
easy, especially since the simple girl had left the door unlocked. This was the maid's regular cleaning
schedule and so without anyone noticing anything out of order, Beryl had
slipped in quietly into Darien's flat. To her up most satisfaction, the young woman Darien was currently seeing
happened to arrive at his doorstep. The
young lady could not have had better timing, allowing Beryl to slip quite
conveniently into the role of the mistress of the flat, she mused
inwardly. Of course, the woman, Serena,
had no idea that Beryl had only come to collect her items that Darien said he
would send with the maid earlier this week. The maid hadn't sent her items to her yet, and seeing as she spotted
them in a small bag by the maid's cleaning cart. At that time, Beryl had spotted Serena from the window as she
entered the building, a malicious idea forming in her head to get back at
Darien and his little blonde canary.
Earlier in the
week, Darien and her had dined at her favorite restaurant. With degradation and something akin to angry
hurt, Beryl recalled their last conversation. She should have known something was up with him especially when the only
thing he ordered was a cup of coffee…
"I'm
going to get straight to the point, Beryl, " he began, sipping from his
steaming cup of coffee. As usual, his
gaze was hard and direct, the blueness of his eyes igniting her insides with
the familiar heat that she had grown to love and hate at the same time. Was it any wonder that she had managed to
manipulate her way into Darien's time, effectively shutting out her rival,
Melissa. It was only now that she was
beginning to realize that all those times she had called Darien for their
regular dates, did she notice that he was becoming quite unavailable for
her. She realized too late it seemed,
that this other woman, who was not Melissa as she had previously thought, but
none other the young woman at the hospital! The spineless one that she had dismissed as a mere irritation to her
main goal.
She paused
from lifting her fork and looked up at him, her attention focused on him. Her hand had trembled slightly, as she
recalled his answer to her on Christmas day when she had called his cell
phone. She had asked him if someone
else was with him that day and he had said yes, not elaborating to her.
"I'm
sending the maid over with some of the items you left at my flat."
"Okay,
spring cleaning, darling?" She began, smiling slightly. "Or perhaps you're seeing someone else
other me? Important enough to make sure
that there aren't traces of you're other women? Don't worry overmuch, Darien, nothing has to change," Beryl
stated sublime, throwing her long hair over her shoulders as she tried not to
glare at him. "I'm more than
willing to share. I did with
Melissa," although, I got the better half of the share, she thought to
herself, crudely.
His smile was
sardonic, his gaze piercing in the din of the restaurant. He shrugged his shoulders, leaning back
against his chair, "You know, I used to think that we were completely the
same in our thoughts and in our actions," he stated quietly almost to himself
and as if he had come to a startling conclusion. His half-grin was quite brilliant as her breath caught, wishing
for once that those handsome smiles were exclusively for her. But she knew deep down in her heart or what
was left of one, that he would never allow her to see the real Darien.
She tipped her
head back slightly, disdainfully ignoring the pounding of her heart. "We
are. You and I. I don't see where this conversation is
going."
"Perhaps
we are. Perhaps not," he agreed
and disagreed at the same time. "You know perfectly well where this conversation is going. However, I'm glad that you're not going to
make an issue out of this."
"Of
course, I won't. I don't cause scenes,
" Beryl replied calmly as seething anger exploded within her. "Besides, when you tire of her, I'll
still be here," she smiled, her green eyes hard and glittering at the same
time.
Darien's eyes
narrowed slightly and then a chilling smile made its way across his lips. He knew she could already sense the
difference in him and still, even until the end, she thought he would change
back to the way he was. He could never
go back to the superficial person that he used to be, not when she, Serena had
brought something into his life that he never thought he could dare to hope was
buried within him, the chance to love again. "Don't bother waiting for me, Beryl," he stated quietly and
called for his check.
Beryl
continued to stare at the spot where Darien had vacated after he left her. She burned with silent hate as the image of
Serena swam before her eyes. She was
determined that she would make tiny blonde pay for taking the Darien she knew
away from her.
Serena did her
best to ignore her answering machine the next day. It constantly rang her caller ID indicating an unknown name and
private number. She knew exactly who
the unknown caller was. After getting
her answering machine more than three times, Darien left an exasperated message
on her machine. Telling her to call him
and that he was worried about her. Worried about her, yeah right--she thought to herself as she remembered
how provocatively, beautiful Beryl had looked standing inside of his flat. After he had just made love to that-that
despicable woman! How dare he say that
he's worried over her, she thought to herself as more tears welled up in her
eyes and spilled down onto her cheeks. She couldn't even recall how she made it
home the night before. Her eyes seemed
to be permanently swollen red and puffy from crying all night.
Determined not
to speak to Darien, Serena got up early the following day. Blurry-eyed and feeling wretched, she threw
on some sweats and left her apartment. She made her way to the Tenth Street Park and generally spent the entire
day there, walking aimlessly around in a depressed daze or sitting by herself
on a quiet bench, crying silently.
It was just
beginning to get dark, when she finally left the park. With her stomach growling loudly despite her
inward protest at her state of depression, she made her way slowly back to her
apartment. When she got home, she was
surprised to find Wesly standing on her doorstep.
"Ah, so
there you are, Serena, my dear," Wesly greeted her, his sharp eyes not
missing her puffy, red eyes and dark frown.
"Mr.
Shields," Serena bowed respectfully and addressing him more formally. She looked up into his lined face and said,
"I'm not marrying Darien."
"Whoa,
Serena! Could we discussed this in your
apartment?" Wesly asked, his hand coming up as if to ward her anger off.
Serena stared
at him for a moment, complementing whether or not she should hear what he had
to say. After a moment she turned away,
sighing at the same time as she unlocked the door to her apartment. She left the door wide open as he followed
her in. She walked straight to her
kitchen and opened the cabinets, reaching in to pull out a container. Wesly followed after her slowly into her
living room, looking around the sparsely furnished apartment with curiosity.
"What is
it that you wanted to talk about that was so important?" Serena began with
more hostility than she intended as she measured some cocoa into her cup and a
cup for Wesly. After all, it wasn't Mr.
Wesly's fault that his grandson was a two-timing jerk.
"Well,
I'd like to know what happened between the two of you, first of all."
Wesly asked as he watched her warm some milk on her stovetop.
"Perhaps
you should ask your grandson. He would
know more than I," she said, stiffly.
"I don't
know. He spent most of the day at the
estate with my lawyers and I the day before last and then he said he had to
meet with you at the flat. He came back
to the estate a couple of hours later and promptly got drunk. What happened, did you two argue?" He queried, watching her intently.
"I didn't
see him. Beryl was his flat," she
said, her voice cracking. She didn't
elaborate on Beryl's appearance.
Wesly's face
went hard as he heard Beryl's name mentioned. Why that rat-faced bitch, he stated quietly to himself. He had a feeling that she was somehow
involved. His brain ticked away trying
to figure out exactly what happened. "What time did you get to Darien's flat?" He asked, carefully. By God, if that witch caused any more
problems for him and his grandson. He
could think of more ways than one to bring to Beryl down from her high-horse
pedestal. She had interfered too many
times in his plans and he wasn't going to tolerant anymore from her.
Serena
shrugged her shoulders, stirring the milk to keep it from congealing in the
saucepan. "What difference does it
make? I probably got there about three
something."
"Well,
then that doesn't make any sense. Darien didn't leave the estate until after five. It was already after dark and he said that
he tried your apartment to get a hold you because he was running late. I had asked him if he wanted to join us for
dinner not knowing about you and Darien's earlier plans." Wesly said
nonchalantly, glancing over at her stiff shoulders.
Serena's hand
covered her mouth, thinking rapidly. It
was still daylight when she arrived at Darien's, as the possibility dawned on
her that maybe nothing had really happened between Beryl and Darien. Perhaps that explained the tiny smile that
had hovered on Beryl's lips before she had turned away from the vindictive
woman in pain. Her heart began to race
rapidly, feeling as if it was turning upside down within her chest. "You said that Darien got drunk?"
She asked, wondering why he would do such a thing. Of course, she had thought of doing the same a couple of
times. Perhaps, not to get drunk, but
to forget about him and the last couple of wondrous days they had spent
together.
"Darien's
never been one disclose his feelings very well. That was mostly due to his mother," Wesly volunteered,
watching her carefully under the cover of his lowered lids.
"His
mother?" Serena asked with surprise as she poured the hot milk into two
mugs. Despite her rapid heartbeat,
Serena was intrigued to learn more about Darien's mother and why he never spoke
about his immediate family members.
"Yes,
Elena was a nothing more than a cold-hearted bitch." He sighed, accepting
the hot cocoa from Serena. "Like
any other child, he expected someday that she would return his love. It never happened. She told him and me the day her and my son died in the car crash,
that he was nothing more than unwanted accident."
Serena gasped
with sharp pain. "I don't
understand, how-how could a mother do such a thing to her own child?" How many times had she dreamed of having her
own child? To love, nurture and protect
a child of her own womb. How could a
woman be so-so…? She couldn't even describe the words. She thought briefly of her mother's warm and
loving touch. So many selfless
sacrifices they had made for her and her bother, so many countless cherished
moments in her life, of her mother and her father always being there for her,
loving her, unconditionally.
"It still
doesn't explain why Beryl was at his flat, as if she lived there." She
stated, sipping her cocoa.
"Beryl
doesn't like you, Serena," Wesly stated matter factually. "Darien fired his maid the day you were
supposed to come to the flat. He had
left specific orders not to allow anyone in his flat, except for you. At least, that's what the girl told me, when
she begged me for her job back. She
didn't know that Beryl had been in his flat. The maid began to piece the puzzle together about what had happened when
she called Beryl's residence and spoke with Beryl's maid. She learned that Beryl already picked up the
items that she had left at his flat that day you arrived unannounced. They were things that Beryl had left awhile
back before Darien had met you," Wesly added the last statement as an
afterthought as he noticed Serena's stiffening shoulders.
"She knew
I was coming?" She mused out loud, slowly.
"Perhaps,
but I really don't know. You need to
talk to Darien. Although, he's no good
at the moment." He half-laughed at Serena's hopeful and confused
expression. "I think you should
wait until tomorrow. He's still passed
out.
"How do
you know that?" She asked, curiously.
"Well,
he's been locked up in the library most of the day and I could hear him cursing
at the phone. I haven't been able to
concentrate on my own work with him in such a rage. After I spoke with the maid, I came straight over here after I
checked on him before I left." He
said, finishing up the cocoa. His
stomach was now pleasantly full and he had, to his own satisfaction for the
moment, managed to deliver his message to his grandson's fiancée. And it seemed as if there was still hope for
grandson and his fiancée after all.
"Maybe-just
maybe, he didn't know about her being there…." Serena whispered, finally
giving Darien the benefit of the doubt.
"Well, I
should get going. Thank you for the cup
of cocoa. Please, talk to him. I want his happiness more than anything in
this world. I love him with every fiber
of my being, Serena," his voice cracked at this point. "And I know you do, too. There's a certain peacefulness and harmony
within him whenever he's with you. He
may not have said it out loud, but he loves you." Wesly stated his blue
eyes now soft and gentle as they bore into her wavering soul.
Wesly walked
beside a now silent and thoughtful Serena to her entry door. He said his good-bye to her and added
another comment that blew her mind away. "By the way, Serena," he said as he opened the door.
She looked up
at him, "The will… there's no stipulation on Darien marrying for
love." Serena's jaw dropped, stunned. "I told him that last week," he continued, smiling
mischievously. "He's known the
entire week and hasn't broken off the engagement…" He trailed off,
straightening his coat and winking at the same time. "Sleep on that, my future daughter-in-law. You're not getting rid of us so
easily." He cocked a smile at her and then he left her staring after his
retreating back in the hallway.
Serena
searched the crowded church entryway. The church was full of people arriving for Terrence and Mina's
wedding. She sighed wearily and flicked
away some imaginary lint off of her silk, cream dress. Although she had asked Darien if he would
escort her to the wedding, she wasn't so sure if he would arrive, considering
how things had turned out. She tried
this morning to get a hold of him at the estate and at his flat. His cell phone wasn't picking up and she
sighed, frustrated at her efforts.
Serena was
supposed to meet with Raye and Molly before the wedding started. She was told that they were already inside
of the church. Amy was one of Mina's
bridesmaid in the wedding ceremony. She
straightened her skirt and took a couple of steps up towards the church.
Her gaze
touched on the news vans that were quickly pulling up. She recognized FEN (Far East Network), TEN
(Tokyo Entertainment Netowork) and some of the other more popular news channels
covering the event of the year. There
were even a couple of entertainment magazines such as the popular Japan E-Pop
and EntertainTV news crews arriving to the cover one of the largest weddings of
one of the most popular music entertainers of the Japan. Serena noticed that the security guards were
barely able to keep the press from entering the church to get an exclusive.
Crowds of fans
of the Three Holidays swarmed like bees trying get a look of their favorite
singers. Serena curled her lip with a
chuckle and wondered if she had ever been so childish as to worship an idol
singer. Especially when her glance
skimmed over some of the girls in the audience who seemed to be on the verge of
weeping over the fact that their favorite singer would no longer be a
bachelor. Oh yeah, she laughed to
herself out loud and knew that at one time, she had been exactly the same.
Suddenly,
there was a loud commotion to the right of her and she turned her head in the
direction of the news crews and the sudden rush of people forming in a large
group. It was literary impossible to
see through the large crowds of heads as Serena tried standing on her
tiptoes. A huge surge of people swept
her towards the church entry. Once
again, as Serena made her way inside the church, there was another shout from
one of the side church doors.
Inside the
church, Serena made her way towards the back of the church only to be called to
the next building where Raye and Molly were waiting for her. Mina was in the dressing room there and had
asked for Terrence's presence before the wedding. The bridesmaids were in a huff, muttering about how it was bad
luck to see the groom before their wedding.
Darien gaze
locked for a moment on Serena standing before the church. His hard gaze softened perceptively as he
noted the dark circles underneath her usually bright eyes. Then there was a rush of people crowding before
her and she was swept into the church. He looked back over at the crowd of newscasters suddenly spotting him by
himself. They rushed forward towards
him and he sighed with exasperation. He
wondered where the hell the security guards were hiding. He spotted Terrence coming out of a side
door and his eyes grew hard as the man rushed towards the next building next to
the church. Unfortunately, the news
people caught sight of the handsome groom and nearly ran the poor guards over
in their haste to get an exclusive interview of their favorite music
entertainer, Terrence Holiday and the handsome bachelor of the year, Darien
Shields. Darien turned sharply away
from the crowds of newscasters and followed Terrence into the building.
"Serena,"
Terrence smiled warily when he spotted her standing by the group of
bridesmaids. Most of the ladies were
standing in the waiting room, while Mina's mother and her aunts attended to her
in the next room. They glanced
anxiously at him entering the building when the bride stood in the next room
with only a door to separate them.
"Terrence,"
Serena smiled slowly back, her eyes clouding with worry. She tried not to think about their last time
together and the disastrous kiss.
"I know what
you're thinking," he began lowly.
When she
opened her mouth to answer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the
rest of the women. They ended up
standing before two double doors.
"I don't think
that this is appropriate-" Serena protested, her eyes darting back in a slight
panic.
"Don't worry,
I'm not going to kiss you again," Terrence answered contritely.
"Do you think
we should be even discussing this?" Serena snapped back unable to contain her
anger at him. "How can you even stand
there in that suit and-and-"
"Terrence? Serena? Is that you?" Said Mina on the other side of the double doors.
Serena gasped
in dismay, hoping that Mina hadn't heard what they were talking about.
"Yes, Mina,
Serena's here with me," Terrence answered.
"What are you
guys talking about? God I wish I didn't
have stand behind these Godforsaken doors! Aarrrgh, blasted tradition," Mina replied, her voice sounding muffled
and almost distant.
Terrence took
Serena's limp hand and smiled so brilliantly at her that Serena felt the moment
of panic race back to full speed.
"I was just
telling Serena that I'm about to become the luckiest guy on the face of this
earth," He began, gazing back at Serena with sincere earnest written on his
face. "And that I was a sick fool to
think about what happened in the past could even compare to what I have now,
Mina," Terrence stated raggedly towards the doors.
"Oh
Terrence—I" Mina whispered back, barely audible.
"I know what
you were thinking Mina, but—" And he turned back to Serena, grasping her hand
at the same and pulled her close to him. Serena came, not sure where he was going with this, but trusting him all
the same. "Thank you for understanding
Serena, for knowing even before I did where my heart really belonged," then he kissed
her on her cheek and whispered softly into her ears, "good luck with Darien."
And then he released her with a small, teary smile on his handsome face.
Serena nodded,
her gaze glistening with unshed tears. "Mina," she choked, "take care of him."
"I have been,
Serena," Mina laughed and cried at the same time, her sparkling, white-gloved
hand on the other side of the door. "I
will."
Darien turned
silently away from the intimate scene before him. His heart felt constricted, as if someone were squeezing the life
out of him. He hated himself at that moment,
for even allowing himself to be weak, for allowing her to creep between the
crack that she had opened to his heart. Well, the slit was now firmly closed. How was he to know that Serena still harbored unresolved feelings for
the singer-artist. And that even on his
wedding day, there Terrence was, bold as you please, giving Serena a kiss that
didn't look anything like it was an innocent kiss. Perhaps, that explained part of the reasons why she didn't answer
any of her phone calls from him or the reason why she wasn't home the last
couple of days. Although he knew to a
certain extent that Beryl had tried duping Serena into believing that her and
Darien were still an item. Which was
impossible considering how he had broken it off with her the last couple of
days. That was one of the reasons why
he was here at this blasted wedding was to get things straight between
them. Now he wondered why he was even
here in the first place. Darien was
disgusted with himself and so with his heart heavy, he turned away from the one
woman who had nearly captured his weary heart.
Serena didn't
understand it. She was sure that she
had seen Darien at the wedding, had certainly felt his brooding presence among
the hundreds of guests wishing Terrence and Mina the best of luck in their
years together. She could have sworn
that she had felt his dark, blue eyes staring holes into her back, but whenever
she glanced about she didn't see him anywhere. When the crowds cleared and there were only a few people left at the
church, besides the janitors cleaning up the mess left behind on the street and
courtyards, she was still standing there on the front steps of the church
waiting for Darien to appear at her side. The some of the janitors had stared at her, her striking beauty clashing
against the late morning sun, her long, blond hair like a golden halo about her
curvy figure. Her long legs peaking
from under the slit of her silk dress and the men had to wonder if some daft
man had left this golden treasure behind on some bad jest or mistake.
Finally, after
standing around for nearly an hour, Serena gave up and left the church, her
shoulders drooping in the process, her heart desolate.
"Mother,
I think that in a couple of days you'll be able to get out bed," Serena smiled
softly into Irene's face.
"God! I hope so, I think I'm going to go crazy if
I'm stuck in here for another week!" Irene proclaimed exasperated, staring at
her daughter's face for a long moment.
"Well,
Dr. Hamilton said to give it another couple of days before she felt it would be
safe for you venture out of the room. I'm just thankful that you didn't have stay in the hospital that much
longer." Serena sighed, folding a piece of the laundry by her mother's bed.
"I
know, I'm just grateful that you were here to help when you could. You know that your father and brother aren't
very good with domestic chores." Irene half-laughed.
"Yes,
I know." Serena smiled. Her smile died slightly when she looked out of the
window and into the spring day. It had
been nearly three months since that day on the church where she had waited for
Darien to appear. Since then, her
mother had fallen gravely sick with Meningitis. They had very nearly lost her. Sick with worry, Serena couldn't even begin to think about herself when
her mother had been at the brink of death before surprising everyone with a
sudden turn around that was short of miraculous. She was hospitalized for nearly two months and then finally
released to home care for the rest of the month.
"Look,
I know you haven't had a chance to tell him, Serena, but you can't put it off
any longer," Irene prodded gently, her hand coming to rest on Serena's wrist.
"You're
right," Serena said, "I just would have thought that the way things had been
that we could have at least talked it out. But he never showed up, mom," Serena sighed, willing the tears
back. "No phone calls, no nothing, just
nothing…"
"It
takes two, sweetheart, to make things work," Irene stated softly.
"I
know, I know…" Serena stared back at her mother, the grief evident in her gaze
even to her mother.
A week later…
"That'll
be 56.78," the grocery clerk stated.
"Oh,
there's more. I have a pick up from the
pharmacy," Serena pointed towards the pharmacy as she reached into her purse.
"Okay,
what's the last name?" The clerk agreed and reaching toward the intercom to call
the pharmacy clerk with Serena's prescription.
"Ashton,"
Serena stated, pulling out her wallet. The clerk called out her pick up while Serena wrote out her check,
automatically calculating the cost of the prescription into her grocery bill.
"Prenatal
pills, Serena? When were you planning
to tell me?" The deep, husky drawl accused her.
"Darien!" Serena gasped staring up into the handsome
face that had haunted her nights and tortured her days, in flustered shock; she
dropped her pen in wary dismay.
Stay tuned for Part 10! Lady M. Harris.
For those of you who have read this
before, sorry about the shock I might have caused you. Yes, this is an alternative ending to the
original and quite different.