by Loni Ree
I had a wonderful time last night with your husband, it was too good not to share. Let me know what you think!
The curiosity is too much, and I regrettably watch the video. In it, Marta is wearing the same slinky black teddy I watched her buy yesterday at La Femme. The worst part is, I get to watch her having sex with my husband. I can't view the video for more than ten seconds before I lose all the contents of my stomach in the toilet. Once I finish vomiting, I find myself getting so mad at Lukas. How can he be so sweet and loving to me one minute and then stab me in the back with that viper the next? He had sex with her last night and then came home and made love so passionately to me this morning. The thought sickens me, and I vomit again.
It is well known; Lukas is always upfront and honest in his relationships. Because he has been treating me so well, I assumed he no longer meant what he said in the beginning, about being free to see women outside of our marriage. I call Annie to let her know I won't be in today. I'm crying so hysterically; I can barely get the words out. She keeps asking what's wrong and I tell her I'm not feeling well, and I have to go. I hang up on her mid-sentence.
My phone starts ringing within minutes, and I see Lukas is calling. Right now, I refuse to talk to him, so I send the call to voicemail. He starts texting me over and over again and I ignore all the texts. He can go fuck himself. I stay seated on the bathroom floor with my back to the wall, hugging my knees and rocking myself back and forth. I'm absolutely devastated.
I hear Marcy knocking on the bathroom door, "Madison, Lukas called, and he is worried about you. He said you're not answering your phone and he wanted me to check on you. Are you okay?"
I try to clear my voice enough so I can answer her. "Please leave me alone, tell Lukas I'm not up to talking now and to leave me alone."
I can hear her talking to someone on the phone outside the door. I sit there on the floor and concentrate on not falling apart.
L ukas
What the fuck is going on? When I left earlier, she was well-loved, had a satisfied smile on her face and was getting ready for work. Now both Annie and Marcy say she's absolutely hysterical and locked in the bathroom. Something has happened, and for the life of me, I have no idea what it could be. I was supposed to meet with the prosecutor and detectives working on the case against Marta this morning, but I told Max, Drew and Thomas to reschedule the meeting. It will have to wait until I figure out what the fuck is going on at home.
Of course, the traffic would absolutely suck today, and it's taking twice as long to get home as it usually takes. Marcy keeps checking on Madison for me, and she says Madison is still in the bathroom with the door locked. Marcy hasn't heard any noise coming from inside the bathroom for a while. All the possible causes of her distress are running through my mind and scaring the fuck out of me. If someone has done this to her, there is going to be hell to pay when I find that motherfucker.
When we finally get to the house, I jump out of the car before Wyatt brings the vehicle to a complete stop and I take off running for our rooms. I get to the bathroom, and I find her curled up in a ball, up against the wall, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. What could have her so upset? I kneel down on the side of her and gently push her hair back from the front of her face and ask her, "Sweetheart, what's going on? Why are you so upset?"
When she picks up her head and looks at me, she looks like a pitiful little mess and my heart breaks. Her poor little face is all red and tear-stained, and her eyes are bloodshot. All of a sudden, the tears start flowing nonstop down her face again, she picks up her phone and pulls something up on the screen. Then she hands it to me and screams, "How could you? With her of all people, she's always so mean to me and rubs it in my face how much prettier she is than me and how much more you prefer her. You came home last night after being with her and then had the nerve to have sex to me this morning. How could you?"
I'm absolutely shocked. Madison's hand is shaking so hard, I have to take the phone to see what is on the screen. After I watch the video, I want to throw the phone across the room, but I control myself because I know we are going to need it for evidence. I grab her face, and I kiss her as hard as I can. As she tries to pull back. I shush her and beg," Madison, please listen, I swear to you the video is a fake. I'm going to take it to Drew and have it investigated. But I know for a fact, whoever is in the video is not me. I have not been alone in a room, much less had sex, with Marta in over five months. I have never preferred anyone, to you. No one in the world is prettier than you. I would never do anything to hurt you. Marta was fired from Sterling-Ryan, recently. We are investigating her for stealing company secrets and selling them to a competitor. Her deception is part of the reason I have been so busy at Sterling–Ryan, lately." She's staring at me from her position on the floor with a shocked expression on her face. She looks hopeful and whispers softly, "Really?"
After shaking my head yes, I kiss her on the forehead, pick her up off the floor and carry her into the sitting room attached and sit her down on the sofa. The time has come for us to have a long talk. "Madison, I want you to know you can disregard all of the trash I spouted off before we were married. I could never hurt you by having other women outside of our marriage. You will never have to worry about me being unfaithful to you. I know I'm working ungodly hours right now, but I'm hoping once your brother is up to speed, and I can get a handle on the damage Marta has done at Sterling–Ryan, I will have more time to spend with you. I know we can have a great marriage, we only need to get to know each other a little more. I do promise, no matter what, to be faithful and I expect the same from you."
Now, she has a relieved smile on her face, and I can finally take a deep breath. She leans over and gives me a soft kiss on the lips and says to me, "You have no idea how shattered I was when I received her awful video. I never want to go through something so terrible, again. When we first got engaged, I worried you would continue to see other women. I could never handle being in a marriage where both people weren't completely faithful to each other. We became so close, I stopped worrying about it until I saw Marta yesterday at La Femme, and she claimed she was going to spend the night with you. She was very rude to me, and she made sure I saw her buying the black outfit she is wearing in the video. She really planned her move, well. Now that I understand how much stress you're under at work, I will do whatever it takes to help you. I am willing to be patient while you deal with your work problems. I want you to know, I'm always here at home waiting for you."
"I'm going to take your phone and turn it over to Drew's security guys, and I'm sure they'll be able to find how she faked the video. I was supposed to have a meeting with the prosecutor and detectives on her case this morning, but I had to cancel to come home and check on you. It is too much of a coincidence that she pulled this shit on the same day as that meeting. We are concerned she still may have someone within Sterling–Ryan helping her. Her little stunt today proves she is not working alone because she must have had prior knowledge of that meeting. Maybe she also thought the video would cause serious damage to our marriage and she saw the damage as a bonus. It is hard to comprehend how that evil bitch's mind works. But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to protect you from her viciousness in the future. I will also make sure she never steps foot in La Femme, again."
Our first, well maybe second if you consider the day without her answering my texts and calls, major incident in our marriage and we came through with flying colors. We are starting to get the hang of this marriage business.
CHAPTER 9
MADISON
I t's been two weeks since the whole Marta at La Femme/video incident have gone by and Lukas has been home every night. It is a mystery who is working with Marta and Lukas is frantically trying to figure it out. Lukas has promised to be faithful, and I believe him, so I no longer worry about Marta destroying my marriage. I only hope they find her soon to relieve some of Lukas' stress.
Drew was able to show how the video was d
igitally changed and an old video of Lukas was placed on top of a new video of Marta. I'm still angry because she has a real video of Lukas, but I have the real thing. So in the end, I win.
Today, I feel too sick to go to work. Lukas got up and left about a half hour ago. I barely had the energy to tell him goodbye. I am debating staying home today, my stomach is rebelling at something I ate for dinner last night. I barely make it to the bathroom in time to empty my stomach, and now my decision has been made for me. Yep, I'm going to stay home in bed. I text Annie and let her know I won't be in today but, hopefully, I'll be able to work tomorrow.
I'm almost asleep when the ringing of my phone wakes me up. Lukas is calling, so I know I have to answer. Before I can even say hello, he's already going off. "You should have called and let me know you are sick."
"I'm not really too sick, something I ate last night has upset my stomach." I try to assure him but he is talking over my explanation.
Apparently, he does not like my answer, because he still going on and on. He's talking so fast, and I'm only catching about half of what he is saying. "...taking you to the doctor. Be ready in twenty minutes."
"Wait. Wait. Wait. I'm not sick enough to go to the doctor. I told you something from dinner last night upset my stomach. If you would listen for two-seconds, instead of talking over me and please calm down. Everything is fine. Going to the doctor is a waste of time." I try again futilely.
It appears I'm going to the doctor. That's great, I freaking hate doctors. He continues as if I haven’t even spoken. ”I will be there in twenty minutes, and your tiny ass had better be ready, or I will dress you myself."
An hour later, we are sitting in the doctor's office waiting to be seen, and you would think I am dying or something, the way Lukas is pacing up and down the waiting room. The lady behind the desk went in the back five minutes ago probably because she's afraid of him. If we aren't taken back to an examination room soon, the top of his head may blow off.
Finally, a sweet little nurse calls my name, and we are taken back to a room. The doctor who comes in is a nice-looking middle-aged man which seems to piss off Lukas for some reason. I figure once the doctor hears all of my symptoms he will agree with me and we will be out of here quickly. Of course, I am too optimistic. The doctor wants to run a few tests to make Lukas feel better. The cheery nurse comes in to draw blood and asks me to give a urine sample, and then we wait for the doctor again.
When the doctor comes in, I am ready to be done and go home. He's all smiles, so I figure he has good news and we are good to go. "Well, Madison and Lukas we have definitely figured out the cause of Madison's nausea and vomiting from the urine test. We are going to go ahead and send off the blood work to check everything. Congratulations, you are, in fact, pregnant. Since you use the birth control shot and have irregular periods, we will have to use an ultrasound to determine the gestational age of your fetus. I can recommend a wonderful OB/GYN. You should set up an appointment for an ultrasound as soon as possible."
Lukas and I sit there in stunned silence, staring at each other. Then, he gets the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face, and I know everything is going to be okay. We leave Dr. Christopher's office with the name of an OB/GYN and some information on early pregnancy.
L ukas
We get home from the doctor, and I take Madison to our room and proceed to show her how happy I am she is carrying my child. Once she has recovered and we have both showered, I lay there with her head on my chest and think about the day. I had been so worried about her all morning, and when the doctor said she was pregnant, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
I fell in love with Madison a long time ago, but now I feel like my heart is going to explode in my chest. I'm so excited to see her tiny body grow round with our child. I know she is going to be the most beautiful little mother in the world.
"Madison, baby, I want you to take it easy from now on. On the way home, we agreed not to tell any of the family about our baby so soon, but I do want to tell Marcy so she can be extra careful in her food choices from now on for our family."
Madison smiles at me and says, "Of course, we can tell Marcy if you want. I want to do whatever is best for our baby."
I continue on, "I also want you worry-free. If something stresses you, you let me know so I can worry about it. Okay?" She smiles and shakes her head for me, and I relax.
We lay on the bed for the rest of the evening, making plans and discussing all the things we need to do soon. I keep running my hand over Madison's flat stomach over and over again. I look forward to it expanding. I can't wait until I can see proof of our child. In the back of my mind, I know I have to get the situation at Sterling-Ryan over quickly, I am already missing way too much.
M adison
T oday is our appointment with Dr. Smith to see how far along I am. Over the last week, my pregnancy has hit me pretty hard. I feel sick every morning, my boobs are hurting, and my emotions seem to be all over the place. We haven't told anyone, except Marcy, because we have no idea how far the pregnancy has progressed.
Lukas has been acting so happy, and his excitement comforts me. We get to Dr. Smith's office are taken to a room right away. The nurse tells me to put on a gown, and they'll be right in with us.
The technician comes into the room, explains everything she's going to do and proceeds with the ultrasound. I see the screen, but nothing makes sense and hear little heartbeats chugging away, but it still seems so unreal to me. I look over, and I swear I see tears Lukas' eyes. The technician laughs and tells us, "I have a surprise for you guys. Do you see right here?" She points at the two black blobs on the screen and continues, "Two little munchkins are playing around in there. I need to get some measurements, and then Dr. Smith will discuss the results, from the ultrasound, when you consult with her in a few minutes." Lukas and I just stare at each other stunned for a moment.
"You are saying, we are having twins?" Lukas asks the technician.
"Yes, I would start preparing for two of everything." She responds to Lukas. She finishes the ultrasound and takes us to an examination room to wait for the doctor.
While we are waiting, Lukas keeps looking at my stomach and rubbing it gently. He has a smile that stretches across his entire face. "Wow, you have no idea how happy I am right now. I know the though of two babies is scary, but I promise to be with you every step of the way. We are getting two for the price of one. I can't wait."
I'm a nervous wreck waiting to hear from Dr. Smith; I want to know everything is okay with our babies. When Dr. Smith walks into the room, she has a big smile on her face, and her smile goes a long way to reassuring me.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, it looks like everything is going really well with your babies. From the measurements we took on the ultrasound, your babies look to be around nine weeks gestation. I'm going to estimate your due date to be around October 10. Kelly, my nurse, will be in with information for you to take home and go over. She will also help you set up appointments for the next several months. Because you have two babies, we will see you little more frequently. All of the info is in the packet. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions or if anything new comes up. You may soon start experiencing more morning sickness and more signs of pregnancy. These are all normal and explained in the information Kelly will give you, there will be some tips on how to lessen the severity of all of these. Congratulations again and please feel free to give the office a call with any concerns you have."
After the nurse comes in and gives us all of our information, we are ready to leave, and I think we both feel a lot better but are still way overwhelmed.
When we get to the car, Lukas opens the door for me, and as I'm stepping in, he grabs my face and gives me a soft kiss. "You have no idea how happy I am right now. I know two babies are quite a surprise to both of us, but I really cannot wait to have these babies with you." Here come the tears.
Lukas looks over at me questioningly when he
gets in the other side. I try to smile through the tears. "Damn pregnancy hormones, I really am so happy, too. You have seven more months to look forward to weepy old me."
"I think dealing with weepy old you will be well worth it and I love dealing with you." I melt a little bit right there on the spot. "Now let me take you out to lunch somewhere before my munchkins make you sick to your stomach again. We need to go celebrate." I'm so happy and so in love. Things couldn't get much better.
M adison
Ever since we found out about the babies, Lukas has been extra sweet, but he also seems to be so preoccupied with the whole Marta situation. He is gone early in the morning until late at night almost every day of the week. We've been spending the weekends making plans to turn my old suite into a nursery and play area for the new babies.
One afternoon Saturday, Lukas takes me to shop for the babies at a new baby store called Baby Chic. I'm overwhelmed with everything we're going to have to get for our little ones before they come. Lukas assures me we have plenty of time and we will be more than ready. I wander through the adorable outfits, and I lose sight of Lukas. When I turn to show him a cute set of twin outfits, he's nowhere to be found. I take the clothes and go search for him. Lukas is looking at a twin stroller, and a saleslady is trying to get his attention. Of course, she looks like she could be a supermodel and she keeps trying to brush up against my husband while he ignores her.
I walk up to Lukas and hold up the outfits and ask, "Don't you think these would be cute on the babies?" He takes the sleepers out of my hand and holds them up in front of my stomach and looks at them for a minute. Then he looks up at me with his smirk and says, "We will have to wait until they get here for me to give you my honest opinion." I start laughing, and I smack him on the shoulder. He laughs with me and gives me a big kiss. He looks over at the saleslady, and she has an annoyed look on her face, and he asks her, "Was there a reason you are standing by us?"