Valerie
I decided to take Angie to visit her grandparents before catching my flight home. Staying with Mom and Dad proved to be more than I could handle. Stephanie wasn't there to take the abuse from Mom. What did I do wrong?
Mom was never mean to me before. Did Stephanie tell her about the incident at the bachelorette party? I didn't think my sister would say anything about it to anyone. Stephanie was like a vault with secrets. She never spread gossip or rumours.
The visit with Steve's parents went quite well, except I felt his dad, Paulo, was judging me. Amy, Steve's mom, was pleasant as always. She was the perfect Burg woman. I was surprised when Amy offered to change Angie's diaper. Amy never offered when she visited us in LA. It seemed odd, but I let her change the baby. I went to follow her, but she declined assistance. Not wanting to cause issues, I let her carry the baby upstairs to the nursery.
It took Amy fifteen minutes to change Angie's diaper. I shrugged it off and gathered Angie's bottles from the fridge. Dad was waiting outside to drive me to the airport. It was time to return to sunny LA. I couldn't wait to get out of the cold climate.
"Thank you for bringing our beautiful granddaughter to visit," Amy said. She wiped a tear from her eye. I didn't think much of the action despite Amy not being a crier. Her reaction was probably because I was going home with Angie.
"We enjoyed ourselves. Thank you for letting me drop by without calling," I replied.
Paulo wrapped his arms around Amy as they watched me walk down the sidewalk to get into Daddy's car. I waved after putting Angie in the car seat.
Looking through the side mirror, I watched Paulo and Amy enter their car. Amy was carrying a baggie. They were too far away for me to see what she had.
"Good visit?" Dad asked.
"Mmhmm," I replied. "It felt strange to visit Steve's family without him." I couldn't understand why he had to work. He was supposed to get the time off. Amy had Steve's room prepared for the visit. She even converted the guest bedroom into a nursery for Angie. Why would she do that if we weren't supposed to stay with them? I didn't say anything to Daddy about my suspicions. Maybe I'll call Mom while waiting for the flight to board.
Dad helped unload the luggage from the trunk. He walked with me into the terminal and left when I went through security with Angie. I waved at Dad before going to the gate to catch my flight.
Angie was sleeping, so I called Mom. She answered on the second ring. "Hi, Mom. It's Valerie." Mom sounded happy that I called before boarding my flight. I told her everything I witnessed at the Corelli's home and surmised why Amy and Paulo left the house within a few minutes after me.
"Valerie, you know better than to drop in unexpectedly. Amy and Paulo had plans. You disrupted their evening. I raised you better than that," Mom admonished. She was right. It wasn't polite.
"Oh. I never realized. Should I apologize?" I asked.
"I'll talk to Amy. She'll understand that you had to visit while Angie was awake," Mom replied. I sighed in relief, knowing Mom would smooth everything with Amy and Paulo.
My flight to LA got delayed twice. We managed to leave after waiting for five hours. Thank goodness Steve would be available to pick us up from the airport. He should be finished work for the day. I was relieved when he was waiting for our arrival. Steve never responded to the text message I sent regarding the delay.
"How was work?" I asked, buckling Angie into her car seat.
"Busy," Steve replied. He wasn't allowed to discuss his clients with me. It would breach confidentiality, and I respected his job. "I've been thinking about saving for a house. We must reduce frivolous purchases like getting manicures and visiting expensive hair salons. I will start saving forty percent of my net income for a house. It's best to have most of the cash saved for a down payment."
"Really? Are we going to buy a house? I'm so excited. I can't wait to decorate," I replied.
"Valerie, we can't afford the kind of decorations you're thinking about. I'm sure we can find suitable furniture resembling what you want in our home. Real estate in LA is expensive. We need to save at least three-quarters of a million dollars for a down payment," Steve said.
"That much? Wow. Okay. I can find a cheaper place for my hair. Our neighbour cuts hair; maybe I can get her to do mine," I offered. Steve nodded, agreeing to the compromise. I hoped he didn't suggest that I get a job.
"When Angie starts school, I want you to find a part-time job," Steve announced. I was devastated. Why would Steve ask that of me?
"What if we have another baby?" I asked.
"Then you get a job once he or she starts school," Steve said, smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes. He was too affectionate for me to think of the reason why. I was pleased he wanted another child. Hopefully, I was already pregnant with his son. "How soon would you know?"
"In six days," I replied. My cycle was a perfect twenty-eight days. How many babies could I have before Steve gave up the notion of me working?
"I can't wait," Steve said. He took me to bed to have sex. I never noticed he used a condom until he dropped it into the trash can. "Shh. Let's sleep while Angie's asleep."
Why did Steve use a condom? Does he know I slept with Joe? Did someone tell Steve? My mind wandered with the questions, trying to determine why Steve used a condom while we were trying to have another baby. I reasoned it was outside the days I was fertile.
Steve woke me up a few times to have sex. Every time, he used a condom. It was the most we had sex during the night, which set off the warning bells. Was Steve having an affair?
I don't know why I'm upset. I never considered Steve's feelings when I again climbed into bed with Joe Morelli. I had too much to drink. Joe took advantage of me. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it. I prayed Joe didn't get me pregnant again.
Steve went to work the following Monday. He returned and immediately took a shower, then washed his clothes. It was the same pattern. Every Monday, Steve washed his clothes. The pattern started shortly after he travelled for work during our first summer as a married couple. I was pregnant with Angie.
He washed his clothes once before then, but I found the coffee stains on his shirt and boxers. Steve must have spilled his coffee. I had to rewash them to get rid of the stains. At first, I thought Steve was cheating on me. I was relieved to see that wasn't the case.
"Why are you washing your clothes?" I asked when Steve exited the laundry room.
"I spilled my coffee," Steve replied sheepishly. I couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or a lie. Steve was an excellent lawyer. He got paid to lie. I chose to believe Steve was telling the truth.
~~~~~
Steve
Did I spill my coffee? No. I had to wash away the stench of Betty from the accounts receivable department.
What happened to Sally? She was in the hospital getting an abortion. Sally tried using her pregnancy to get me to divorce Valerie. I had a plan and didn't need Sally interfering.
Lennox was one of the senior partners at the law firm. I explained my situation with Sally. She was an excellent secretary but a horrible woman. Sally received multiple warnings for attempting the same shit with the other junior partners. I wasn't the only man Sally seduced to improve her importance within the firm.
The hospital was taking a DNA sample from the fetus to compare with mine. I knew Sally lied about me being the baby's father. We needed proof before terminating her employment. Lennox and the others refused to have Sally causing issues with the partners.
Why was Valerie asking about the laundry? I'm entitled to wash my clothes. Mom taught me before I went to university. Valerie bought my excuse. She took my deception as embarrassment.
I took Valerie to bed that night. When she went to the washroom to clean herself, I disposed of the condom. We had to use copious amounts of lubrication. I removed the paper from my wallet and marked another tick on the page. Three more times, then I can get my sperm count checked. I counted the times I ejaculated during solo showers.
Valerie took the pregnancy test on the first day of her missed period. It returned as positive. I could potentially be the father, but I had to know for sure. Raising another man's children didn't appeal to me. Whatever the result, I would not be having more children.
Two days later, I received the results from the doctor. My motile sperm count was negligible. I could have sex without using condoms and worrying about a woman trapping me with a pregnancy. However, I would continue using condoms with other women to prevent the spread of diseases to Valerie and the innocent child. The baby didn't deserve the fate awaiting Valerie.
I almost felt guilty for the punishment I was about to unleash. Then I imagined Valerie's moans as Joseph Morelli buried his dick into her body. That mental image tortured me for many nights. It fuelled my desire to return the favour in kind. I never would have slept with another woman besides Valerie, but she paved the path. I'm following her lead.
Valerie suspected I was cheating. I could see it in her eyes whenever I washed my clothes after fucking random women. She must have realized why I was showering whenever I got home. Valerie was careful not to call Helen when I was home or coming home. The phone bill indicated Valerie was talking to her mother between one and two o'clock on weekdays during Angie's nap.
Mom called while I was busy fucking Betty. I returned the call during my commute home. It seems my mom collected a cheek swab from Angie during a visit at Christmas. Mom compared the sample to hers and Dad's DNA. Angie was not my daughter. I could have told her that without running an independent test. "Did you hear me, Steven?" Mom asked.
"Yes. I heard you loud and clear. Mom, I have to tell you something, but it has to wait until the baby's born," I replied.
"Valerie's pregnant again? Is it your baby this time? Sheila said Valerie left the nightclub with Joseph Morelli the night she arrived in Trenton. Mabel Markowitz said Valerie didn't come home until four in the morning. Valerie was obviously doing something she shouldn't have been doing," Mom explained.
"Mom, there's a chance the baby is mine. I won't know until it's born. Talk to Dad. We have a plan. Before you admonish me, I talked to my lawyer. I'm not legally responsible for Angie. Lennox got the judge to remove me from Angie's birth certificate as the biological father and release me as Angie's legal guardian. I'm biding my time. Lennox and Dad are helping me get on top of this situation. Valerie is receiving the appropriate allowance to spend on herself. She isn't receiving a cent to support Angie. I'm covering the housing and other bills," I replied.
"Did Lennox tell you that was your obligation?" Mom asked.
"Yes. He said it was classified as financial abuse if I didn't give Valerie money to spend on herself. She's mindful of the budget I assigned for the house. I noticed she stopped purchasing name-brand items. It gives her cash to spend on her bastard daughter."
"Don't get yourself into trouble, Steven. Listen to your lawyer," Mom said. She excused herself to watch a television program. I smiled when I checked the time. Mom had to watch Criminal Minds.