You've not seen her in seventeen weeks. You realise this because after your husband came home from work and told you that his brother went to comfort her, you took a pregnancy test as he slept and found out that so soon after having a baby, you're expecting another.
You're both happy, ready to bring on the storm of another pair of feet running around the house in the future, but you can't stop thinking about your best friend. The one who went back to her husband. The husband you didn't even know she had.
You twirl the wedding ring in your fingers, the one she gave your daughter. By accident, you don't know. Either way, it's an atrocious ring and it definitely doesn't suit her.
Mary sighs, placing the ring down onto the table. "Have they finished the works at the company?"
Francis nods, handing her some juice. "Two weeks ago. The contractor spoke on Kenna's behalf and well, everything went according to plan. Everyone's happy with their new office spaces and we told the contractor that we'd give Kenna her pay ourselves. As in physically, in cash. But then he told us that it would be better to send it to her account."
Mary groans, sipping her drink. "I've tried her mobile but it's been disconnected. I went to the apartment but it's empty. What if he's killed her and is trying to cover it up?"
"Mary," Francis says with a soft chuckle. "I highly doubt that."
"How's Bash doing on his forced sabbatical?"
Francis's face falls. "I don't know," he says. "He stopped answering my texts and calls. I can't believe Papa checked him into a clinic... Papa said he's stopped eating entirely."
"He did turn up to work drunk out of his mind many times," Mary states. "I'm not surprised." She then frowns at his last statement. "Oh, God, has he?"
"Yeah."
"I've never seen him this bad. Drunk, yes. Hungover, yes. He's always been good with knowing his limits but..."
"He hasn't drunk that much since Kenna left the first time. Even after Delphine's death, he was a sober stone-cold wall."
Mary gets up from her seat and wraps her arms around Francis. "Promise me you'll never hurt me."
"I promise," Francis says, kissing her and placing a hand on her bump. "Do you really think we can handle four kids? Our youngest right now is eight months old."
"Well, blame yourself for getting me pregnant," Mary replies coyly. "We're going to be fine. We had two babies at once, remember? Now won't be any different."
Francis grins. "You're right," he says, kissing her deeply.
...
"I hate it."
"What if we turn-"
"I hate it."
Antoine sighs, rubbing his face. "Kenna. This is the third option for the nursery that we've chosen. For the love of God, we are not buying another set!"
Kenna raises her eyebrows, rubbing her bump. "I'm sorry. It's just that... The colour's more suited to a boy, isn't it? We want something neutral."
"I know," he says, coming over to kiss her cheek. "But we're sticking with it."
"Fine," she mumbles. "Can you help me do the bed up in the guest bedroom?"
"Why?"
"My parents are coming," she tells him. "This will be their first grandchild from me."
Antoine bites his tongue and nods. "Fine."
"Do you not want them here?"
"It's just that... I thought we could do this ourselves," he tells her softly. "We found out a few weeks into my therapy and... it wasn't what we needed then but I've grown to accept it as I've always wanted. A family with you and I want it to be the three of us."
Kenna cups his cheeks. "It will be, the three of us. But we shouldn't reject help when it comes."
"I won't," Antoine says.
Kenna beams. "Why don't you get me something to eat. That restaurant place I like?"
Antoine smirks at her. "Extra pork balls?"
"You know me well, Tonie," she replies happily, watching him leave.
Her smile leaves her face and she slips her new phone out of her pocket. It's a secret phone, her original one being locked up or disconnected, she doesn't know. All she knows is that when he promised her that he'll try, he got her to leave her old life behind. Their old life behind.
She hears the front door slam downstairs and she quickly dials a number she remembers.
"Mary?"
"Kenna?! Oh, my God, where the hell are you? How have you been? Francis said-"
"I can't talk much right now but remember that place we went to when we were at uni?" She asks, heading to the master bedroom. "The one that Bash showed us and well, got to know each other better in certain ways..."
Mary chuckles softly. "I know. Of course, I do. Deauville beach, the place you and Bash fell in love."
"Well, we didn't fall in love there," Kenna whispers. "We just got closer."
"Sure," Mary replies. "Yeah, what about that place?"
Kenna swallows. "I'm actually close to it right now. Can you meet me in two hours there? The bar across the road?"
Mary gasps a little. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. I'll tell Francis-"
"Don't," Kenna quickly says. "Just come. Alone."
"I'll meet you there then."
"Alright. Thanks. Bye."
She hangs up and sighs in relief, quickly putting the phone away in its hiding place underneath a floorboard under the bed. She gets ready and writes a note, explaining that she's gone to see a client who emailed her with 'emergency' as it the header.
Biting her lip, she leaves the house.
...
"You're-"
"Pregnant!"
"Oh, my God-"
"Mary, wow!"
They both giggle, hugging tightly and rubbing each other's bumps with large smiles on their faces. Kenna apologises for the cloak and dagger-ness of the situation, even explaining that her phone had broken and she had forgotten everyone's number save her mother's and hers eventually.
"How far along are you?" Kenna asks, sipping her water.
"Seventeen weeks. You?"
"Same!"
"Oh, my God!"
"Did you conceive on a Monday?" Kenna asks coyly.
Mary shrugs. "Might have."
They burst into giggles and Mary sniffles, tears watering her eyes.
"We thought you were dead."
Kenna's eyes widen. "Oh. Not at all. Uh, things have been wonderful lately. Antoine's good and he's excited to be a dad. He went and bought a house immediately, with the white picket fence and enough space for a dog too. He wants to give me the dream, you know?"
"T-That's good," Mary says, strained.
"What is it?"
Mary bows her head a little. "Well, Bash... He, uh, didn't take you going back to Antoine too well."
Kenna's heart clenches. "No?"
"He had a meltdown at work, in front of everyone. Smashing everything to pieces, cursing everyone and everything and well... Henry booked him into a clinic for depression and alcohol abuse."
Kenna gasps, her eyes watering. "Oh, God. It's all my fault-"
"Kenna-"
"I didn't mean to... I... I love him, he knows that but I love Antoine and I'm married to Antoine and he's my future and Bash is... my past. I..." She's sobbing now, covering her mouth as she closes her eyes in pain. Not physical pain but emotional pain. "Bash..."
Mary reaches out and grabs her other hand. "Kenna, stop. It isn't your fault," Mary breathes out. "He knows that. It's everything over the years that have built up into this. You're not the only reason."
"He hates me-"
"No," Mary assures her.
"No, I can feel it," Kenna says, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "I know it in my heart. I've gone and broken him. All for what? A dream that I could have had with him if... if I hadn't have walked away?"
Mary gets up. "Let's go for a walk."
...
"The baby's not Antoine's," Kenna confesses as they walk near the sea, their feet on the sand. "I'd been on the pill with Antoine. That day we got married, I... I didn't take the pill and slept with Bash. I wanted it to happen and now that it has... I'm terrified because everything has been going so well and this will destroy my husband. And he'll destroy me."
"Well, Antoine and Bash are cousins," Mary begins. "Perhaps you'll get lucky."
Kenna scoffs. "If the baby comes out with green eyes, Antoine will know who their father truly is. We've both got brown eyes."
Mary clicks her tongue. "I dare him to hurt you. Francis and I will be there for you. So will Catherine."
"Catherine?!"
"I know," Mary says lightly. "Of all people. Ready to summon an army of lawyers to get you a divorce from Antoine."
Kenna smiles at this. "Wow. Wait until she hears I'm pregnant with her step-grandchild."
"Oh, she'll be bringing the army and the bulldozers to destroy that pretty, little house Antoine bought you."
"Mary, I'm sorry-"
"Don't be," Mary says, holding Kenna's hand. "Anne and James miss you. Even Rose is becoming aware and we show her pictures of us from our younger days... You were missed at the company, everyone wanted to applaud your great work but we had to thank the contractors instead."
"Everyone loves their offices?"
Mary nods. "Francis's has a baby/kids area, thanks to you," she says. "And Catherine's enjoying her very, laid-back office. Henry... Well, he can't stop gushing how cold everything is, matching his heart."
They laugh and Kenna leans into Mary's side.
"I can never come back," she says to Mary. "This is my home now."
"And are you happy?"
Kenna nods. "I am," she whispers. "I will be."
"Kenna-"
"This baby is going to change everything if he doesn't find out the truth," Kenna tells Mary. "This baby is my new start. Even if he hurts me, he'll remember exactly why we're here today because he promised to stop and he'll check himself in to see a therapist because we're filing for custody of his son from his ex-wife's family."
"Oh."
"Yeah. A proper family," Kenna says. "All I've ever wanted."
Mary smiles sadly. "Well, I wish you all the best." She digs her hand into her purse and gives Kenna a ring. "Anne had it."
Kenna sighs, slipping it on. "Well, I guess I'll need it after all..."
"You gave it to her on purpose?" Mary asks.
Kenna shrugs. "I don't know. I hate it but he spent a lot on it, thinking it would make me happy. I'll tell him I found it at the bottom of my handbag or something."
"Alright," Mary replies. "Just... stay safe?"
"I will," Kenna tells her with a bright smile. "Shopping spree?"
"Shopping spree."
...
"Francis," Mary starts. "Do you think you can get someone to find out the people who have moved into the vicinity of Deauville beach within the last seventeen weeks?"
Francis frowns deeply, looking up from his computer. "Why...?"
"I think that Antoine and Kenna are living there now," Mary says. "Bash refuses to eat or do anything and she can help him. More so that she's..."
Francis turns away from his work fully, brought down by the fact that he's got to do his brother's work now, to turn to his wife. "What, Mary?"
Mary perches herself on the side of the desk, looking down at him. "She's expecting Bash's baby."
"What the...-"
"I know," Mary quickly says. "And she's hoping that Antoine won't find out because her being pregnant means that they're happy. They really are for this family idea and we can't ruin that for her."
"Did she seem happy?"
Mary nods. "She took me shopping and when we were in the changing room, I didn't see any bruises or anything and she told me that ever since he promised to see a therapist, he's stopped hurting her."
"Abuse isn't always physical," Francis states.
"I know," Mary mutters. "He might be manipulating her but they've been talking about custody over his son and it seems that all his attention is on, is being a good father. In turn, that makes him a good husband to Kenna. She's right, he's completely turned around after the baby news."
"But this baby isn't his."
"She's happy-"
"Bash deserves to know-"
"I wasn't even meant to tell you," Mary tells her husband.
Francis shrugs. "Bash is my brother. His happiness matters to me. If Kenna wants to play happy families with that arsehole, then she can go for it. But one thing she won't do is keep my niece or nephew away from my brother, their father."
He grabs his phone and dials his brother's number, shooing his wife from the room.
You sigh, leaving the office as you hear that the call has been declined once again. You know he won't be able to get through, going off what he's told you about your brother-in-law being uninterested in his family as he's recovering. You feel your phone buzz in your handbag and you retrieve it, smiling when there's a text from Kenna's new mobile.
She thanks you for meeting up with her today, promising to do it soon and requests that you let her former husband know how sorry she is and that he will always be in her heart, but she has to let him go.
Sighing, you enter said former husband's office and find the pictures he kept of her and him together in their halcyon days shoved under files in the top drawer. When everyone was happy and no hearts were broken.
A tear leaves your eye and you put the photos in your bag to give to him. Remind him what he's fighting for.
...
"Where did you go?"
Kenna jumps and faces Antoine, closing the front door behind her. "Shopping for the baby," she says, lifting up a bag. "I needed to get some air and ended up even trying on maternity wear."
Antoine nods and comes over to help her, pressing a chaste kiss on her lips as he heads upstairs and says, "I've redone the nursery. Come and see it."
Kenna follows after and enters the newly rearranged space. "Oh, my God," she mutters, Antoine turning to her nervously. "I love it."
He grins and slips an arm over her shoulders, admiring his masterpiece. "I thought repainting the furniture would be better. Completely safe for babies and everything, don't worry!"
Kenna beams, kissing his cheek. "Tonie, you're so thoughtful," she tells him softly. "You've been really good, Antoine and I'm proud of you."
"I don't need your pride," Antoine snaps. "I'm not a child. Don't treat me like one."
"I-I wasn't-"
"You may be pregnant, Kenna," he begins, leaving her side to put the newly bought things away. "But that doesn't stop you from thinking stupid thoughts or saying stupid shit."
Kenna nods shakily. "I'm sorry. I won't say anything like that again."
"Go and make me dinner," he throws over his shoulder. "You made me wait for hours."
"Yeah, I'll just get started on dinner right now," she tells him, turning and heading to the door.
"You're not eating with me," Antoine replies, making her freeze. "I know you ate outside."
Kenna swallows deeply. "I only had a snack-"
"A friend of mine told me that you saw Mary," Antoine continues. "Why?"
She closes her eyes. "She and Francis came to the beach, to get some private time away from the kids. We bumped into each other and Francis went off to give us some privacy to talk about girl things. She's pregnant too and well, we went shopping together."
"Why did you lie the first time?"
"I didn't-"
"Keeping things from me is lying," Antoine says from behind her.
She can feel his breath on her neck and she shakes, her eyes watering. She shakes her head and turns it slightly.
"I knew you'd be upset if I mentioned them so I didn't. I'm sorry."
He grips her forearm, pressing a kiss to her neck. "I forgive you. This time. The next time, I don't even care if you're carrying my child."
Kenna closes her eyes and he leaves the room, leaving her to release a quiet sob. He was doing so well, she thinks. What the fuck?
She really doesn't understand what has just happened. All she knows is that this baby won't even stop him from hurting her, given the fact that her arm is bruising up now.
Seventeen weeks. Seventeen weeks since he promised her that he would change and fourteen weeks when she took the pregnancy test out of curiosity and found out she was pregnant. Fourteen weeks since he last laid a finger on her and now, the days had restarted.