Forever My Love Ch. 10

Forever My Love Ch. 10

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***

"I am pregnant?" he echoed, disbelief and shock painting his features.

The room fell silent, and Amber's eyes widened in shock. Ben's mind on the other hand was a whirlwind of emotions, ranging from disbelief to fear. He couldn't believe he was pregnant again, and the father of that child was David, again. He slowly moved his eyes from the ultrasound to his exposed tummy, staring at it without blinking. Memories started playing in his head once again and he felt so scared.

"But... how?" Amber stammered, staring at Isaac. "How's this possible considering that he's a man? There has to be a mistake."

"I have been with you the entire time." Isaac said with a shrug. "It's a rare but possible occurrence. Ben has a uterus and I think he has what we call persistent Mullerian duct syndrome." He could see the confusion from Amber's face. "He has a womb and ovaries inside of him."

Amber was still confused. She stared at Ben who was now in tears as he touched his belly, rubbing on it softly. He couldn't believe it. The moment he had laid his hands on that belly, he had felt something, some excitement that made his heart race. He was filled with lots of hope, and in that moment, he was happy. He was being given another chance.

"Ben!" Isaac called softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? I know this must be a lot to process but how do you feel about all this?"

Ben raised his head, his eyes darting between Isaac and Amber. "I am supposed to be very scared, shocked... maybe you expect me to. But I feel so strangely excited right now, a baby..." He chuckled, tears of joy rolling down his face. "...the thought of being a father, having a child that will call me dad... how can I be scared of that."

Isaac tried to smile but was obviously scared.

"I know, Ben..." He sighed. "...but, as much as you're excited, this is gonna be an intense period. I would suggest..."

"That I abort it!" Ben chimed in, losing the smile on his face. "That it is gonna be dangerous as it grows because my body is not designed to carry a child?"

"Yes, but..."

"I am willing to risk it." His mind was once again on that belly. "Even if I lose my life in the process, I am gonna make sure that this baby survives. After hearing that heartbeat... the thought of a life growing inside you, how could I kill that?"

There was silence in the room. Amber and Isaac stared at each other awkwardly, none saying anything to the other. Then they were back to looking at Ben.

Amber, still processing the news sat on the edge of the bed close to Ben.

"I understand you, Ben." She took a deep breath. "I just don't know what to think of this? If it is dangerous then your life..."

"No!" He should his head. "This child must survive no matter what. I have had worse and I am not gonna let anything happen to this child."

Amber nodded. "Okay!" She combed her hair with her fingers, trying to come her nerves. "This is insane. David is never going to believe this!"

"What?" Ben gasped, panic in his eyes. "David?"

"Yes!" She nodded. "I know that is his child. Ben, you're six weeks pregnant and if my calculations are correct, that is the exact time you and my brother spent the night out."

"Still, that was a mistake." He shook his head. "It was a one-night stand and both of us regret it. This is my child and besides... David is married and..."

"What?" Amber couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But what about my brother? He deserves to know you're carrying his child. And do you know what this shows, that you guys are destined to be together." She chuckled excitedly. "You're expecting a child."

Ben was quiet for a number of seconds before he spoke.

"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that we are not together."

Ben took Amber's hands and stared at her. "I know how much this means to you, Amber. But, please, don't tell David anything. I don't want him to know."

"Ben, if you're gonna keep this baby, David needs to know." Isaac suggested. "He needs to be responsible for this pregnancy and be with you throughout. Like I said, it's not gonna be an easy one."

Ben was reliving all the moments he had lived six years after discovering he was pregnant. He didn't need David then and he didn't need him now. He was capable for it.

"I understand that both of you are trying to do what you think is best for me, especially for David." He sighed, staring at them. "But I am telling you what I think is right. At whatever cost, I need to protect this child. There are lots of people that might try to harm me if they find out that I am carrying David's child. I cannot take that risk." He sighed.

Of course, it was a lie. He wasn't gonna bring David in his life like that.

Isaac nodded in understand. "'ll respect your wishes, Ben. It's important to prioritize your well-being and the well-being of the baby. But what happens when it eventually starts showing? How are you gonna explain that?"

Ben took a deep breath. "Right now, the most important thing to me is my child."

"Ben..." Amber rubbed on his hands. "...please, reconsider. It's not fair that you're gonna hide this pregnancy from him. You can't keep something like this from him. He has a right to know about his child."

"I can't." He shook his head. "And you're gonna have to respect my decision, Amber. Please!"

After careful thinking, Amber gave up. She nodded although she didn't know how she was gonna be quiet around her brother knowing that she was hiding a very big secret from him.

"I'll agree on one condition!" Isaac spoke, getting the attention of both Amber and Ben. "I'll need to personally take care of you throughout this pregnancy. That means regular checkups to make sure that nothing goes wrong. If you don't agree, I am gonna have to tell him."

Ben chuckled, nodding. "Fine! I agree to that."

He took a deep breath, covered his tummy and got off the bed. He was still feeling a little weak but the dizziness was gone. Against the request to rest some more, Ben needed to get out of there. He left the office, his hand never leaving his belly and the excitement it brought to him.

For Amber and Isaac, they knew that it was gonna be a difficult road ahead facing David knowing they were keeping a very big secret from him. What were they going to do? Were they going to manage?

***

"Jerome!" Elena chuckled nervously. "Honey, what are you doing here?"

She wore a nervous smile and began rushing to him.

"Honey, I was just talking to the doctor about our son." She laughed, holding his hand sweetly. "He said he's gonna take care of it. Why don't we..."

"Don't touch me!" Jerome snapped, furiously withdrawing his hand. "What the hell did I just hear you tell the doctor? Did you just threaten him?"

"No, I... I... I..."

"You can't even say a thing."

"I am just so scared, honey!" She said with tears welling in her eyes. "Our son... he... he..."

"Don't even give me those crocodile tears, I need answers." He barked. "What the hell was that for?"

"Honey, calm down."

"Calm down?" He chuckled bitterly, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to calm down? For what exactly? After finding out that our son, the boy I raised for 23 years old, isn't really my son?"

Elena's eyes widened, panic setting in. But she knew in that moment that she couldn't afford to be weak.

"W-what?" She stuttered, her hands trembling. "Who lied to you? Jim is your son, your flesh and blood."

"My flesh and blood!" Jerome whispered, overboiling with anger. "You think I am joking? I heard everything you told him, every threat you gave him."

"No... I..."

"I was the one that put him to this." He snapped, raising his trembling finger. "I came here worried that my son was in a very critical condition and had lost lots of blood. But what do I find? That my blood does not match with his. I tried to find out how possible this was since you and I share the same blood type. I was like no, Elena can't lie to me. She loves me. But I have been delusional all this time because you've clearly been lies to my face."

"No!" She shook her head. "No, I love you, Jerome and you know that. All these are lies. They're just trying to destroy our family. This could all be Ben's..."

"Don't you dare bring my son into this!" He sneered, his jaw shaking uncontrollably. "That boy is the only reason Jim has a chance of survival right now. Ben was generous enough to bring him here even after he tried to kill him."

Desperation etched across her face, Elena struggled to find the right words. She knew that she had to work her magic on her husband, try to reason him, seduce him if she had to. In that state he was, she knew he was gonna snap if she wasn't careful.

She slowly took her hands and held his, rubbing on it seductively.

"Jerome, look at me honey..." She said and when he looked at her, she raised a hand and caressed his cheek. "...all these things that are in your head must be because you're angry. But listen to me, Jim is your son. Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise. Remember all those times we were happy, just the three of us... we..."

"Don't touch me!" Jerome growled.

Elena's eyes widened in fear as she realized how far Jerome had fallen in his anger. She had never seen him so mad before, that look in his eyes. She tried to back away, but Jerome had lost all control. In a fit of rage, he grabbed Elena by the neck and pinned her to the table, his fingers tightening around her neck.

Elena's eyes widened in shock as she struggled to let herself loose, but he had such a tight grip on her. She gasped for breath as she felt her air supply being cut off. She hit his hands but he was too strong and he had his weight on her, his eyes red from anger.

"Who is the father of Jim?" He hissed as he added more power. "Tell me right now!"

"Je-rome," She managed a word.

"Who is Jim? Tell me the truth." He demanded.

Elena knew that he was gonna kill her if she didn't do something fast.

"Fine... I'll tell you the truth..." She gasped. "...he's... not your... son."

Jerome's grip loosened on her and she fell to the floor, gasping. She looked at her husband who looked down at her with so much rage. Not even in her wildest nightmare had she thought that her husband would do that to her.

"Now tell me, who is the father of that boy?" He demanded. "Who?"

Elena's body shook in fear as she slowly got up, gazing into the eyes of the man.

"Jerome..."

"Who?" His hands hit furiously on the table and Elena jumped out.

"I don't know!" She said abruptly as her heart pounded so hard in her chest.

Jerome looked at his wife in shock, a frown appearing on his face. "What the fuck do you mean?"

"I don't know." Tears welled up in Elena's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Please, understand me, I made a mistake, Jerome."

"A mistake?" Jerome's fists clenched, and his knuckles turned white. "This is not a mistake, Elena! You've been lying to me for over two decades! And you cannot tell me you don't know which man you fucked to get pregnant. Who is the father of Jim?"

"I don't know!" Her voice rose like a storm. "I have no idea because he's not even mine!"

Silence hung in the room like a heavy cloud. Jerome stared at Elena in disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend her words. Elena's eyes widened, realizing the gravity of what she had just said. Her world crumbled right under her feet and she felt a shiver go down her spine.

"What... what did you just say?" Jerome's voice was low.

Elena's tears finally found their way down her cheeks, making her face wet. Her hands and mouth trembled. She couldn't remember the last time she was that scared.

"I was scared, Jerome. Scared of losing you, of losing our family," Elena pleaded, her voice cracking. "You were expecting a baby with your secretary and she couldn't get rid of it even when I threatened her to."

Jerome's face became pale at the revelation. He looked at Elena like she was a stranger.

"When you found out about it, you were happy. You were about to leave me." She cried. "My world revolved around you and you were about to leave." She took a nervous breath. "I was at the bar drinking when I met this lady woman crying that she had been impregnated by one of her clients and she wanted to get rid of it. I gave her an offer. She would keep the baby and I would pay her a huge sum of money after she gave birth."

"What-what about all those ultrasound pictures you showed me?" He gasped. "The pregnancy test? I was there with you at one point during your ultrasound test."

"It was... was..." She stammered. "...was one of the arrangements I had made with the doctor. I wasn't pregnant but I saw how happy you were after I told you that. I knew that you were gonna come back to me. I couldn't lose you, Jerome!"

"All those months you went away..."

"I had to make you believe it." She stuttered. "I had to go away from you."

Jerome stood there, feeling the strength leave him. He remembered Elena going away for almost 6 months and only came back after she had given birth. Now he felt like an idiot, a fool for years. His sister had warned him against her and now her words rang in his head.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I was young, scared, and I made a mistake. Please, don't let this destroy our family." She pleaded. "Please, let's find a way to move past it. We can work through this together. We can go to counseling, rebuild our trust."

Jerome's anger intensified, and he took a step closer to her, his breath hot with rage.

"Trust?" He said menacingly. "What trust? You built our entire life on a lie. I've raised that boy, loved him, thinking he was my own blood, and you've been deceiving me from the start. You knew that Jim wasn't my blood, not even yours and Ben was the only true son. And yet you mistreated my blood, made me treat him unfairly."

Elena shook her head, putting her hands together. "I am sorry, Jerome, but what was I supposed to do? You cheated on me and worse, you even got her pregnant. That boy reminded me of that all the time. I didn't mean to hurt you, I loved you. My love..." She spoke softly. "...it's me, Elena, your soulmate. You know you love me so much. Let's just move past this."

Jerome's anger intensified, and he slammed his palm against the table. "Move past this? You've shattered everything, Elena. Our marriage, our trust - it's all a damn facade. You talk about betrayal but have you forgotten what led me to cheating on you?" He asked angrily. "You pushed me away with your attitude, always fighting with me. I was scared of coming home, so don't you dare put this on me." He warned. "And if you wanted a baby, why couldn't you get pregnant like any damn woman? You're a deceitful woman, a snake."

Elena hesitated, her lower lip trembling. "You think I would have wanted this if I had that option?" She said harshly. "Which woman would wanna go through that..."

"A snake? And that's what you are." He yelled. "You were so concerned about the changes your body would go through once you..."

"No!" She yelled. "It's because I couldn't get pregnant even if I wanted to." She was now breathing fast as she spoke. She was both angry and scared. "I had an abortion while I was in high school and it ruined me. My womb was so damaged and they had to remove it. I couldn't conceive anymore."

Silence hung between the two of them as they stared at each other, so many unspoken words between them. Elena had to do her magic. She quickly grabbed Jerome's hand but he retaliated.

"My love, I am so sorry." She pleaded. "We've been happy and you know that. Jim is still your son no matter what. We can look past this and we can be happy. We can still be a family. Let's talk about this calmly. We can figure it out."

But Jerome wasn't listening. His anger had reached a boiling point, and he grabbed Elena's arm forcefully. "You've destroyed our family, Elena. You've destroyed everything!" he spat, his face inches away from hers. "Does Jim know about this?"

"No!" She shook abruptly. "And he cannot know about this. He is innocent and this will only destroy him, please. He is your son."

Jerome shook his head.

"I did what I did to keep our family!" She blurted. "I did what I had to do to keep you satisfied and to keep this family intact."

Jerome chuckled bitterly, nodding. "All I have ever wanted is to live peacefully with my children. And here I have been living with a deceitful woman who has been trying to kill the only offspring I have." He raised his trembling finger. "I have forgiven you for so many things, but not this time, Elena. played with my life, with our family. I won't let you get away with it."

"What?" She gasped. "What do you mean by that? You know how much I love you."

"Love? You don't know the first thing about love, Lisa. You've destroyed us, all of us."

In a menacing tone, Jerome continued, "I want you to get out of my sight. Go back home, park all your belongings and get the hell out of my house and most especially, my life. I don't want to see you anywhere near me or my company, Elena. We're done!"

Those words hit Elena like a storm and she felt strength leave her. At first, she laughed but when she saw that serious look in her husband's face, she stood there and stared at him like he'd grown another head. Fear crept in her soul, rendering her cold and helpless. The tears she felt building in her eyes felt like a mixture of chili and fire.

"You can't be serious." She cried as tears made their way down her face. "After all these years, you're just gonna let it go like that over a simple mistake?"

"Mistake?" He snapped. "You call this a mistake? Elena, this isn't a mistake because you knew what you were doing. I was the one that was trying to fix our family, hurting my son just to please you. But I have had it. You've tried to hurt him on several occasions but it all makes sense now."

"No!" She dropped to her knees, gripping his knees. "Please, baby, I'll do anything to make it right. Please, just give me a chance to fix this. I'll apologize to Ben, I'll be nice to him, I swear."

"Stay away from my son!" He warned, angrily moving away from her. "If I see you an inch close to Ben, I'll kill you with my bare hands and that's not a threat. It's a promise. I don't ever wanna see you again. We're done here, Elena."

"Jerome, please..."

Before she could say anything, he stormed out of the room, leaving Elena sobbing in the wreckage of the shattered truth. She sat on the cold floor, hitting her face to wake up from that nightmare. But it was the truth, Jerome had ended things with her. When the reality kicked in, she screamed at the top of her voice, crying like a child. Was this it, she thought?

***

As Ben cautiously pushed open the door to the hospital room, a whirlwind of emotions churned within him. His heart raced as he stepped into the sterile, fluorescent-lit space. His brother, Jim, lay motionless on the bed, several bruises, cuts and bandages on his face, a stark reminder of the horrific accident that had nearly claimed his life.

Seeing him, Ben felt concerned. He had never seen Jim in that situation and it made him so scared. He slowly walked towards him, his hands trembling as he approached the bed, his stomach knotting with anxiety.

He couldn't shake the memories of the moment he had almost lost his life, and the chilling realization that his own brother had tried to harm him.

Ben's conscience gnawed at him as he stood beside Jim's bed, staring at his brother's still form. He couldn't understand Jim's hatred, which had driven him to such extreme measures. Regardless of their differences, Jim was his flesh and blood, and seeing him in this vulnerable position triggered a complicated range of emotions in Ben.