by H. Q. Frost
"How absurd of you to let her believe that!"
"I didn't. I've assured her you'll be at the wedding but she doesn't believe it."
"Hasn't she received my gifts?" As if that means I'm still in the home.
"Yes. Sir, we need to focus on the right now. The girls are out…clubbing and she's avoiding my calls. It was just supposed to be dinner, but I received a text twenty minutes ago because she hadn't checked in in a while."
"Clubbing?" I squawk. I had assumed he meant they went shopping or to dinner, but then I realize it's one in the morning. "Get the keys."
"Sir?"
"I am going to find her!"
And my aunt will be blacklisted from our wedding! How dare she take my fiancée out. The woman is possibly carrying my child and she's taken her out to a club!
I'm shaking by the time I get in the car. Normally I'd have a driver but I need control tonight. When Lol is in the front seat, I hand him my phone.
"Dial her phone number." I don't even have my fiancée's phone number. How twisted my life has turned. When he does, I snatch it back and hold it to my ear.
"Hello?" The confused tone of her voice tells me she doesn't have my number either. She doesn't realize it's me calling. There is blasting music beating into my eardrum and I barely heard her answer.
"Magdelena," I say with so much threat I hope she can feel the blaze of my anger right now. "Where are you?"
"How'd you get my phone number?"
"I asked you a question, now answer. Are you drunk?"
"It's my bachelorette party. What's so wrong about having a little fun before I enter hell?" The giggle to her voice makes me grit my teeth.
"You are possibly carrying my child and you're out drinking?" The gradual increase to my tone makes my throat burn.
Lol gasps and the engine roars as I press down on the accelerator.
"I'm not pregnant, Callum. Slow your roll. Listen, I need you to fuck off and crawl back under whatever rock you surfaced from just to call me."
"If you hang up this phone, you'll regret it." I clench my jaw and my hand on the steering wheel tightens.
"You're all bite and no bark. I'm missing my song." When the phone line goes silent, I yank it back in disbelief that she hung up on me.
"Your Grace," Lol says and I know he's going to question her pregnancy.
"Get Gee on the phone." I hand him my cell.
"She wouldn't answer for me, sir, why would she answer for you?" He has a point.
"Get Adam on the line." When he hands me the phone, I start counting in an attempt not to snap on him. Adam probably had no idea his wife was taking out my possibly pregnant fiancée.
"Callum, how are you?"
"Where is your wife, Adam?" I try to speak calmly but it sounds more threatening than calm.
"She and your girl have gone out for the evening. They're in good hands with my security team."
"Where?" I bark.
"Why do you sound like you didn't know?" How pathetic he must find me.
"Tell me where they are. My fiancée needs to turn in for the night."
When he chuckles, I drop my phone to grip the steering wheel and keep from snapping the cellular device. Lol picks the phone up from my lap and hits speaker just as Adam divulges where the girls are.
"Callum, I can tell you after eight years of marriage I know trying to keep them on a leash will always end poorly for you."
My circumstances are significantly different than his. Refusing to acknowledge him, I keep my eyes on the desolate road.
"Thank you," Lol says before disconnecting. "Callum."
I glance out my side window, not ready for this conversation.
"You've impregnated Ms. Reif before the wedding? You've used her and are now ignoring her attempts to be with you?"
"She's not attempting to be with me," I snicker.
"That's all she's wanted these past three weeks and all you've done is shower her with pointless gifts."
"Close your mouth before you regret it, Lol."
"She was a virgin. It was a bond you should have shared on your wedding night. Not used her then ignore her."
"I didn't use her!"
"You're a lot of things, Callum. But this is beneath even you."
"I didn't fucking use her! She was artificially inseminated! I did not have sex with Ms. Reif!" I'm starting to sweat I'm so angry.
That's shut him up, but not because he's satisfied. If anything, I think he's more disgusted now.
Living this far from civilization has never been an issue before today. I can't get to this club fast enough. When we arrive, I pull into the line of waiting vehicles and get out. Lol can stay with the car. Walking to the door, a man stops me with his arm to my chest.
"No entry."
We stare eye to eye and I'm having to mentally explain to myself why it's a bad idea to swing. I shouldn't even be in this situation.
"My fiancée is inside getting sick." Maybe that tactic will work.
"No entry."
The next is explaining then proving who I am, but he doesn't look the type to care about that. I skip option two and go for three, pulling out my wallet. A ridiculous sum is handed over to him and he moves his arm, opening the door for me. Asshole.
Lights, music, bodies. It will take a lifetime for me to find her in this mess. With no options, I start stalking. I thought seeking out odd colored hair would be my easiest option, but there are tons of women with colored hair. Granted, my fiancée is the better looking of these people. That's still not helping me find her. Wishing I would have parked and allowed Lol in here with me, I'm starting to feel panicked. I do fine in large social gatherings, but not in a club setting. When I make it to one corner, I'm pulling my phone out to ask for Lol's assistance. I'll pay for his entry, because if I don't have his help, I'm not sure I'll accomplish anything. Taking a moment, I rub my hand over my beard, trying not to give up. There is no option of giving up before I find her but I've never been in such an anxiety enduring situation. I've been to a club, a bar, large parties, but not in years. It's not a life I lead anymore and to think Magdelena is enjoying this makes me clench my jaw. We're so opposite and we always will be. Relationships cannot be built on attractiveness alone.
Heading toward the door, I dial to call Lol but I spot my aunt. "Gee." I rush her. "Where is she?"
"What are you doing here?" She laughs hard enough to spill the drink in her hand. Before it sloshes onto my shoes, I take it and urge her to stop laughing.
"Where is Magdelena?"
"Callum, we're celebrating. Stop being so uptight."
"She might be pregnant," I grit through clamped teeth and watch her expression change.
"Oh god." Her hand covers her mouth and her eyes dart toward a table, pointing out Magdelena.
She's sitting amongst several men and women and the men are too close. There are drinks around the table and my heart sinks to think she would do this when we're trying to conceive. This is not a woman I need in my life, or my child's. Divorcing her and sending her on her way after a year is absolutely what will happen. With ease.
As I get closer to the table, I notice her hair is now mint green. She never ceases to amaze me. She's dressed as if she's here to pick up a man and with the way she looks, it wouldn't be a hard task.
"Excuse me." I pull on the arm of the first woman that's in my way, then the next. Getting to the men, I yank them away from her and when she finally notices me, her expression turns to surprise.
"Callum," bursts from her red lips and I want to take a cloth to this face full of makeup. She's beautiful without all this makeup shit.
"Let's go." I grab her hand and pull her to stand. She doesn't try to stop me, and I don't expect her to, but when Gee steps in front of us, I halt and glare at her.
"Mag, you're pregnant?" Gee looks like a mix between hurt and disgusted.
"No!" Magdelena shouts and her glare shifts to me. "You fucking asshole!" Giving me a shove, she moves around
both of us.
The confusion on Gee's face deserves an explanation, but I chase after Mag. When I grab her arm, she spins on me.
"How dare you tell her that!" She shakes me off.
"You may be pregnant, Ms. Reif," I grit out.
"No I'm not, Callum." That look on her face is surety and I don't understand how she can make that call. It's only been three weeks.
"I don't understand."
"Maybe if you came to the appointments with me, you would."
I snatch her arm before she can storm away and stare down at her with disappointment.
"It didn't take. I'm not pregnant. One hundred percent. I told you that on the phone. Dr. Chen told me a week ago. I'm not fucking pregnant, dickhead." She shoves my hand off her but I reach for her again until a man pushes me back a step and keeps his hand to my chest.
He's a large man, a bouncer here, but he's separating me from her so I push against him. Before I escalate this, Magdelena shoves between us.
"This guy giving you trouble?" he asks her but I don't take my eyes off him because when she tells him I am, he's going to physically remove me and I will fight.
"No." She takes my hand and moves closer to me. "He's my fiancé. No trouble."
I wrap my arm over her shoulders and glare at the muscle baring oaf.
"Take me home," she mumbles, turning into me more.
Wrapping my arm tighter around her, I shove past the man and we exit the building. Lol hasn't gotten far in the line of vehicles and when he sees us, he gets out, rushing for Magdelena.
"Mag." I allow him to take her hand and he helps her into the car while I get into the front seat.
She's not pregnant. It didn't take. The thought eats at me the entire silent ride home. When I look in the mirror, she looks asleep with her head back and turned out the window, but her eyes are open. She's wearing a few pieces of the jewelry I bought her. This outfit is definitely not from me. It's far too provocative and I would never encourage her out into the wild wearing something like this. My only saving grace for tonight is she was with my aunt who hopefully wouldn't allow her to give away what's mine.
Lol helps her out of the car and I almost allow him to take her inside and deal with her, but each step I take away from her becomes slower and slower until I'm turning around. He makes it up four steps but before he can take her any farther, I take over. When we're inside, I guide her down the hall.
"You didn't tell me you were going out."
"Screw you," is her response. And though I deserve it, it's not a response I'm willing to accept.
"You must tell me, just as I tell you."
"I haven't fucking seen you in three weeks. Go crawl back under your rock." She pulls away from my touch.
"We don't need to see each other. But you do owe me the same courtesy I show you."
"You don't show me any courtesy, Callum." Her anger is coming off her in heat waves.
"I…" There is no sense in arguing her so I stop. "Your body is mine until I divorce you. Your womb is mine. Poisoning your body when we're trying to conceive is not going to happen again. You will not drink. You will not go to a club. You will not leave this house again. You. Are. Mine," I snarl and allow her to pass my bedroom, but I stop. I shove open my door and almost slam it behind me but I pause and look back.
The woman is in tears, no surprise, and she's crying into her hand while she runs from me. My intentions were to bring her into my bed and allow her to sleep off the hangover I know she'll have tomorrow, but I don't want her near me right now.
Not only did I have a hangover to deal with, but Gee came to see me. She spent the day with me and I spent the day in bed. We watched movies and snacked all day, after I explained to her that I'm not pregnant. I thought about asking Callum what he wanted me to tell her, but I didn't bother. I told her we made a mistake and had unprotected sex. The thought of her knowing my fiancé hates me makes me feel shame, so I couldn't tell her the truth. Not only that, but she then assumed the reason I got my own room inside the house is due to that. We are abstaining until marriage. Little does she know.
Gee is nothing like Callum and I find it hard to believe they're related. Gee is fun, happy, and kind. She's only a few years older than Callum. I got a rundown of their family as well. Her mother, Callum's Grandmother, had her when she was in her mid-fifties, then Gee's dad died a few years later. Her and Callum grew up close like brother and sister. Not until Callum turned twenty did he start taking more after his father. Stringent, distant, cold, and they stopped being close. She assures me Callum's father was a lovable man, but when it came time to explain Qara, she couldn't really get into it. The details were too sketchy. There was no definitive answer about where the woman came from. The strangest part was there was no definitive answer what happened to Callum's mother either. She died, but the how or why wasn't there. Stress, I was told, but how does a person die from stress? Although, I could see myself keeling over if I actually had to deal with Callum for years. And if Callum is like his father, it's almost understandable.
Gee has picked up on the strange relationship between me and Callum, but I tell her she's wrong. I've convinced her we argue too much and that's why we're distant. I'm not allowed to tell anyone the truth and those that do know the truth about why we're together, don't want to hear the hardships of it. My sister would kill him. My mother would die of a heart attack. And Lol would continue to pity me.
When the house starts to fill with Callum's family, Gee begs me to get dressed and meet everyone. Of course I do, but even I recognize the oddity that it's not my fiancé introducing me to his family. I meet Gee's mother first and the women are two of a kind. It's refreshing to know not everyone in his family is an arrogant narcissist. She was married into the family; I can only imagine what Gee's father was like.
"Have you seen Callum yet?" Gee asks her mother while we go hunting for her cousin.
"No. Lol mentioned he's not here."
My ears perk up. He's not here. He didn't tell me he was leaving. Convenient. Maybe he's gone into hiding and won't show up for the wedding. I would still celebrate with all the guests.
"When does your family arrive, dear?" Gee's mom asks me.
"Tomorrow," I answer in excitement.
"I can't wait to meet them. My son would be so proud of Callum for marrying a woman like you."
Me and Gee look at each other and break out into laughter. That is not the picture Gee painted of Callum's dad.
"What?" Her mom giggles.
"Vic would have questions."
"Oh, Gee." She smiles fondly and seems to think about her late son a minute. "He was an autocrat at times, but very loving. He would have loved Mag and probably would find her to be the breath of fresh air Callum needs. That boy is suffocating himself and I'm happy you're the one he's fallen in love with." When she smiles at me, I beam a fake smile back at her.
It's not the first time I've been told I'm a breath of fresh air, but Callum certainly prefers things stuffy.
I wake with a purpose because I'm getting married tomorrow. I need to make sure everything is in order, even though I have people doing that. But also Gee keeps asking me what I bought Callum as a gift. I've giggled it off up until today. I don't have the means to get Callum a gift, but there's one thing I know I won't have to pay for.
Meeting with Dr. Chen, I find out Callum continues to ever so graciously donate a sperm sample every three days, so there is a fresh sample to use. When the doctor learned it didn't take the 'faked traditional way', he began a regime of pills and vitamins, the whole lot. Poor Lol thought I was deathly ill for a while. He accompanied me to a few appointments with Dr. Chen, but he never caught on to why I was actually seeing the doctor. Not until Callum spilled the beans that we started the artificial insemination process did he realize why I was getting checkups so often. It hasn't been long that I started doing things the medically sound way and not just have a syringe act as a penis.
It's a little more uncomfort
able and invasive than last time and I beg him to assure me it'll work, but he can't. I need to get pregnant now, that way in twelve months I can get the hell out of here.
"Why do you think it didn't take the first time?"
"There's no telling without extensive medical procedures. This process can take time. I can tell you there doesn't seem to be anything medically preventing you from conceiving the natural way. Perhaps you want to try love making for a few months before we go through all this?"
"No. Nope. This is good. Just do what you do and get it on up there. Pump me with those little guys."
He smiles with a nod. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?" I braid my hair while laying on my back, my legs positioned upward.
"I haven't seen Mr. Carbon since the first try. I see you almost daily and it is nice you have your assistant's support. But Mr. Carbon, he will be the father. I understand he's a busy man, but is he having second thoughts?"
Now how the hell would I know that?
"No." I shrug without meeting his eyes.
"And another question. Have you two even tried to conceive the traditional way?"
My gaze flies to his and his eyebrow is cocked in a way that tells me he knows the truth. But I don't know how he could.
"How do you know?" I quietly ask.
"You're a virgin, Mag."
"No I'm not," I blurt. I know for a fact I did that part right. I haven't done it again since, but there was definitely pain that day.
"I've been a doctor for many years." He pats my shoulder. "You're not engaging in sexual intercourse. It's a private matter, I understand, but I'm your doctor and you can come to me with concerns. I'm here to help."
If only he could help.
"We're waiting until marriage." The lame excuse flows but the look on his face tells me he doesn't accept it. I don't go on. What else can I say shy of the truth?
"I'm here to help you through concerns and questions."
"Thank you, Dr. Chen." I sit up. I've been laying here for forty-five minutes and I have to start getting ready for the rest of the guests who are staying in the house when they show up for the wedding.