Life

Episode 16

For a while, Scarlett was confused and didn’t know what to do or who to tell her predicament to as her wedding day shifted closer and she carried another man’s baby. She’d promised to keep herself till her wedding night but one man had been able to break that resolution and that man had been Josh Riley.
The first guy she’d fallen in love with and the guy who she’d told to wait for her years ago.
He was the same man who had gotten access to her and she’d put her guards down wherever he was concerned.

But now, she carried his baby and he was so ignorant about it and hoped he wouldn’t know anything about it yet, because if he did, she would do as he told her to, most especially now that she didn’t know how to think on her own anymore.
Rea didn’t gloat but tried offering her whatever help she could offer and Scarlett couldn’t be more grateful for a friend like Andrea. She had developed a new relationship with this Mike of a man and he seemed to be a nice man. Rea made him know his limits though and Scarlett knew Rea was far better than her.
She had been so foolish to allow herself to get carried away.

So what if she’d been married to Gabe? She thought. Was this how she was gonna be having an affair with an ungodly man outside marriage? Was this how much she was capable of unfaithfulness? Had she pretended all those 10years to be over Josh whereas, it lurked somewhere in the hidden part of her heart.
She needed time alone and she needed to talk to her mother, but what would she tell her parents who had tried helping her all through her years in college to forget Josh. All the money and love they’d shown her when they moved away from Naperville only to return back to square one
Josh wanting to marry her wasn’t the issue because as much as she loved him and was crazy about him, she wasn’t going to marry him just like that.

But firstly, she knew she had to tell Gabe that they couldn’t go on with the wedding and she was so sorry.

She just hoped she had the courage to tell him at their next outing.

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Rea tried as much as possible to look composed when Mike sat beside her and Ryan and Emilia sat opposite them.

This double date wasn’t a good idea but she didn’t want to sound weird to Mike. The poor guy didn’t have any idea about how much she still had feelings for the guy sitting opposite them who looked too good to be true. He wore a black blazer and a tieless shirt inside making her wonder why he didn’t opt for a modeling career. His dirty blonde hair was neatly trimmed and combed while his blue eyes just stood out in his magnificent body.

Who would have known she could still feel this way even after giving her life to Christ.

She had to caution herself and her thoughts or she would have a sleepless night.

His finely chiseled face stared back at her when Mike asked what she would have on the menu and she hoped he would remove her piercing gaze but he didn’t.

Didn’t he mind that Emilia could suspect there was something between them?
“same thing you’re having.’’ She resigned inhaling deeply knowing she wouldn’t enjoy a single bit of this dinner date at all.
The waiter took their orders and Rea shifted closer to Mike, hoping that would make him realize she wasn’t in the mood for eye contact games or footsie either.

The last time they had played footsie, it was at an annual dinner where his uncle had been given a humanitarian award. He’d invited Ryan and Ryan had brought Rea along as his date. And then he knew trouble was brewing when she began teasing him with her toes.

She snapped out of silly thoughts that made her suddenly feel uncomfortable in the restaurant.
Rubbing her palms on her skirt nervously, she tried to focus on something else apart from the distracting figure sitting before her.
‘’so Rea, Mike tells me you went to Evergreen high school.’’ Ryan chiped in with an air of confidence not taking his eyes away from her. ‘’if I do remember clearly, i attended the same school.’’
Rea cocked her eyebrows. He was putting the ball in her court and she wished she could slam it against his face hard! He wanted to play games…, well she was up to it!
“wow!.., you were?’’ she faked a confused look. ‘’and what set was that?’’
‘’same set as yours I believe. Football team’’
“hmmmn, so what role did you play in the football team?’’ she added with spite. ‘’water boy?’’
Mike choked on his water and Rea could only smile when she saw the amused look on her boyfriend’s face, whereas, Ryan’s eyes were filled with anger.
Well, he had started it all in the first place.
“that’s Rea for you, you need an extra pair of sneakers to keep up with her.’’ Mike chipped in still laughing at her previous response to his best friend.
“it’s okay.’’ Ryan’s lips curved into a smile. ‘’I heard you dated someone in the team. You must have known how to pick guys.’’
Emilia’s eyebrows were raised. ‘’why do I think you two know each other so much more than hi and hello?’’
Rea ignored her.
“well, at that time, I didn’t know he was a block head till he proved to be one.’’ Rea smiled at Ryan sweetly and turned to her boyfriend. ‘’you know how it is for a guy to date a bimbo, I guess that’s how it was for me. you never know what you have with you till the true colours start revealing itself.’’
Mike responded. ‘’True’’ And continued proudly. ‘’but my friend here was the hot one in the team. That reminds me, I need to check out your year book. I missed out on so many old friends when I traveled to France.’’

“sure. At least you’ll get to see lots of pictures of my high school years, including the girl I took to Prom.’’ He smiled at Rea
Rea swallowed knowing he had her right where he wanted her. she had been the one he took to Prom, she had been the one he dated in their final year in high school and so many pictures including graduating ones that they had both snapped together.
She still even had the pictures back at home.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply jerking from her seat. She couldn’t hold it anymore, neither could she pretend anymore. ‘’you can tell him if you’re up to it, at least you’re best friends, but I can’t.’’ she turned to look at Mike and the tears came down. ‘’I’m sorry. You deserve someone better than me and I don’t think I can stay here one more second pretending everything is okay when it isn’t.’’
She picked her purse and set out to leave the restaurant. She noticed it had begun to rain and didn’t hesitate to step out not caring what was gonna happen to her or if she was getting soaked. She pulled off her four inched sandals and started walking with her bare feet hoping she would get a taxi that would drive her home.
All she wanted to do was go home and cry into her pillow, telling God she had tried all she could but didn’t succeed.

“Rea!’’ she heard her name in the rain but didn’t look back. She just kept on walking
Someone pulled her by the arm and at first instance, she thought it was Mike but her heart raced faster when she saw it was Ryan.
“baby…’’
“just let me go.’’ The rain mixed with her tears and she doubted Ryan noticed how weak and vulnerable she felt right now.
But instead of releasing her, he lowered his lips on hers and she hesitated. When he deepened it and lifted her off her feet, she couldn’t object and surrendered completely to him.
When he broke free, she looked into his blue eyes, his wet hair and the fact that her sandals still dangled in her hands.
“I love you.’’ He mumbled and she could say nothing more when he kissed her again.

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Gabe Morrison looked at Scarlett for what seemed like hours and couldn’t bring himself to mouth any words that wouldn’t hurt her. For seven years, he’d imagined her as the woman of his life. the one who he’d spent his life loving and serving. The one he could go extra miles for even without her asking. The girl who had been an angel the first time he met her. the sweet girl who had told him she was keeping herself for her husband.
That woman was the one who sat on his couch presently, looking like a stranger. Like a w—e who prostituted herself to another man’s fantasies and he hated her so much. All she even had the guts to tell him presently was that she couldn’t go on with the marriage but with everything her colleague dished out to him not to talk of the suspicions he’d had about her ever since she moved back to her hometown, he knew there was so much more.
He’d been stalking her, no doubt and whenever he saw her going out with a particular guy, he turned away knowing he couldn’t bear to watch her rip his heart out.
And then it was worse when she spent the night at his place almost every Friday.

It took him self-control not to strangle her even though she sat crying beside him and begging him that she was sorry.

What would he tell his family and friends? All his college friends and colleagues who’d envied him that he was marrying Scarlett were going to make fun of him and confirm such a loser that He was. His company would offer their pathetic sympathy for his cancelled wedding and he would return to his lonely and miserable life.

He didn’t know when his hand cracked across her face and her body jerked hereby making her land on the floor.

He stood up and reached for her hair while she screamed in tears. “Gabe please, I’m sorry.’’
He hit her again and she struggled to get back to her feet but that was before he pushed her to the floor again but she crawled to the door while he reached for her legs and pulled her underneath him.

“where do you think you’re going huh?!’’ he cried angrily and reached for her blouse. ‘’you think I don’t know how you made yourself a cheap little w—e every Friday night! You think I’m gonna let you go that easily.’’

“Gabe!’’ she screamed fully aware that if he raped her, she would lose her baby. He wouldn’t care less if she mentioned it. in fact, he would most definitely want her to lose the baby with the way his anger took over him
Never had she seen this side of Gabe before
The struggle was intense and when she managed to poke his eyes when he tried covering her mouth, she was able to break free but not for long as she felt her head bang against the door.
And then she sank to the floor unconscious.
“Scarlett?’’ he touched her but she didn’t budge.
“Scar?’’ Gabe grew scared and tapped her face but there was no response. He pulled her close to himself but she didn’t respond. ‘’oh my god!’’ he muttered and hurried over to the phone. ‘’what have I done?’’
He called for an ambulance and hoped they were not too late by the time they got to the house.
‘’I never knew you could cook so well.’’ Scarlett praised accepting the glass of red wine hand over to her by Josh while settling unto the couch beside him. in her wildest dreams, she had never suspected Josh as a better cook.
The alarm bells in her head had gone off immediately she decided to come over to his place for dinner.

“so you don’t mind about the change of plans that we’re having dinner at my place?’’
“I like it here.’’
“then why don’t you move In with me?’’
Scar found it hard to swallow. Move in with Josh Riley? He was asking Her to move in with him. this was so against what she believed in.
But hadn’t she permitted it all in the first place? She was the one meant to be pulling him towards God but He was doing a good job moving her away from him
But wasn’t this what she wanted, what she’d dreamed of in the past?
She shook her head. ‘’I cant. Gabe…’’
He looked into her eyes then. ‘’if you loved him, you wouldn’t be here with me.’’
She closed her eyes and felt the conscience p—k her again. ‘’I can’t believe I’m doing this with you. I have to go.’’

She stood up immediately and headed for the door when he placed his hands on them making her trapped right under him.
“we’re selfish, and what we’re doing is so wrong. Gavin needs you now more than ever, and I’m his teacher who should be helping him in all ways possible. He loves you so much and that’s all I want to witness. But this thing that happened between us, if we continue like this, it’ll ruin everything.’’
“Gavin loves you…’’
“I know. But I haven’t been living up to my reputation.’’
‘’when are you going to tell Gabe about us?’’
Scarlett’s eyes widened. ‘’us?’’
Josh frowned. ‘’is there no us?’’
“I cant. I’ll break his heart.’’
“and so you’ll rather break mine?’’
“you came late Josh. Right when something could have worked between us, you walked away. Right when you should have stood up for me, you didn’t say a word and right when I was humiliated in high school and expected you to do something, you just acted like you knew nothing.’’ Her eyes were beginning to mist but she didn’t struggle to wipe away the tears when they came strolling down. “and now you tell me you love me when you have a girlfriend and a son and moved on ahead in life.

don’t you care that I want to be happy too, that I want to live life too, and life doesn’t revolve around you alone?’’
“baby, I’m so sorry.’’ He tried holding her hands but she broke free. ‘’I would never hurt you and when that thing happened back In high school, I called you, I tried everything I could, I searched for you. I opted out of the football team and forfeited the scholarship all because of you. I felt everything was my fault and I wasn’t myself for days.

Your parents wouldn’t even allow me near your house and my parents didn’t make things easier. I never knew what we had was Love till now. I felt it was just my heart playing tricks on me but you are the only woman who has this strange effect on me I can’t explain.’’
“I never knew you opted out of the football team…’’ she felt guilty. Sheila had done all she could to separate them and the kiss they’d shared, she thought he was in all of it.
And she had left hating him and hating herself knowing she would never fall for his type again.
And here he was looking broken and wanting her so badly. Why couldn’t she give herself to him when that was what they both wanted?
He began kissing her tears away and she weakened when his lips finally found hers, claiming them for his own gently at first and then deeply till she broke free for air.

She knew the wine had little or nothing to do with the way she was feeling presently
“we cant do this here, Gavin…’’ she managed to say before she went into his arms willingly.

He was strong enough to carry her upstairs.

Two hours later, Josh lay exhausted beside Scarlett and kissed her firmly on the lips. She didn’t resist this time but rested her head and her hands on his bare chest loving how solid he felt against her.

“I don’t know what you’re doing to me Scarlett, but you’ve got me falling head over heels for you.’’ He played with her hair absent mindedly. ‘’I don’t know how I’d survive the rest of the day without you.’’
She looked up at him and her eyes began to mist. This was wrong but it felt so good. He broke her walls and shattered every obstacle she’d created and she knew he had her right in his palms. Right now, he could crush her or he could mold her presently.

Josh Riley had the key to her heart and as they lay together, she knew this was just the beginning of something deeper between them.
“tell me about Gavin’s mum.’’ She propped her head on her elbow to be able to look fully into his eyes. His hand slipped away from her back and she was glad for the less distraction. That way, she could realize the truth in time.
“she was a colleague.’’ Was all he said
“and you don’t feel I deserve to know so much more about you and how much you’ve moved on.’’
“I don’t want to fill your head with something that never really happened. It was just a case of two adults fooling around.’’
Scarlett sat up pulling the sheet to her body. ‘’so what are we doing now?’’
Gavin looked at her then, the feeling of trepidation crawling up his spine. Scarlett had come to him whole keeping her word to remain a virgin and he’d taken that from her whereas he didn’t wait. He knew she was bound to ask him how much he’d been faring without her.

“its much more than s-x you know that.’’
“so you forgot all about me and moved on.’’ she managed to get the words out though the tears were already stuck in her throat.
He rose to move closer to her. ‘’not for one second did I forget you Scarlett. For a while, I thought I couldn’t do without you. If you know how hurt I felt, how I tried looking for you, how I even came over to your house the day before you moved out and tried to hold you and comfort you, but your parents thought I was the one who had hurt you and wouldn’t even let me get close to you. And then I heard you had gone just like that.’’
“whatever happened between Ashley and I wasn’t meant to. It just happened cos I was trying to move on without you. And then she wanted to get rid of the baby but I couldn’t allow her do that. I felt like I had a responsibility and was gonna stick by it even if she didn’t want to. I got her to sign a contract that she wouldn’t try anything funny in the future against Gavin and she was more than ready. She’s no more in my life.’’

‘what about your new girlfriend?’’
“she can’t even stand a chance in places where you’re concerned.’’
He started to kiss her and she surrendered to him. when he pulled away, it was to smile into her eyes with desire.
“I have something for you.’’ He mumbled against her lips.
She smiled. ‘’really…’’
He stretched his hand to his bed table and snatched the velvet box that lay beside him.
Scarlett’s heart beat wildly in her chest and her eyes widened on full realization of what was about to happen.
“I know I’m meant to plan the perfect proposal for you, being the special woman in my life but I just can’t hold it in anymore.” He opened the box and got down from the bed to get on his knees. ‘’Scarlett Rose Ruby, please do me the honour of being my wife.’’
She covered her mouth and let the tears flow easily. This was what she’d ever dreamed of and it was happening presently.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s all too much for me right now.’’
“I can give you time. I’m a patient man, and I can wait.’’
And she reached for him and kissed him passionately.
“I love you Josh Riley.’’ She managed to say as he rose to join her on the bed once more, forgetting everything else apart from their passion for each other.
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For a while, Scarlett found it difficult to say anything to Gabe but the tension In their relationship was palpable enough to detect that something was wrong and not as before anymore. She kept postponing the date but Josh didn’t mind most especially since they spent almost all their time together and sometimes Gavin joined in the fun, making Scarlett wish he was hers.

Josh dropped hints on how to make that possible and so she knew she most definitely had to tell Gabe.

Most Fridays were spent in his place after their poetry reading at the café or sometimes after dinner. She told him she couldn’t invite him to her place since she didn’t live alone and didn’t want Rea to get mad at her.
“that would be a good idea, y’know.’’ He said jokingly one time when they were in the kitchen together and she’d been preparing dinner for him, wearing only his Shirt.
She cocked her eyebrows. ‘’oh really…’’
He came close and slid his hands around her waist pulling her close nuzzling her neck in the process. ‘’in that way, she’d send you packing and you could come over my place. Then you can answer my proposal question in time.’’
“you’re not gonna give up are you?’’
“I can’t lose you again.’’
She smiled remembering the second surprise he’d given her the night after he proposed to her. He’d come to snatch her away from the house with the pretense that he just wanted to take her out.

But when they drove closer to the harbor, she knew it was much more than a lunch date.
He got down from the car and he urged her to come out and join him.
It was when she stepped out from his car she saw the surprise and gasped, covering her mouth in shock
“oh no!’’
She looked at him and saw him grinning like a boy in love. The boy she’d fallen in love with years ago and looked at the big boat her name was boldly scripted upon.
“The Scarlett.’’
“Josh, this is all too much.’’
He came and pulled her close to his side, kissing her hair. ‘’anything for you baby.’’
They walked into the boat together while Josh greeted the engineers behind the whole ordeal. Their rapport had been so natural and then she saw the captain smiling at her and excusing them as they looked around.
“wanna check out the cabin?’’
She could only nod as he reached for her hand and led her inside closing the door behind him.
“it’s beautiful Josh, I don’t even know what to say’’
“anything to make you make up your mind about marrying me.’’
‘’you’re serious aren’t you?’’ she looked into his eyes then.
He came closer to her and caressed her face with his fingers, raw desire in his eyes. ‘’ I want you to be mine.’’
She swallowed when he traced his fingers on her lips. How in the world did he have so much authority over her this way? ‘’I’m yours already.’’
“we could take time out and set sail on this baby when you’re ready. And then when we get married, we could spend time at my beach house together.’’
‘’hmmmn..’’ she closed her eyes when his lips settled on hers and could do nothing else when he peeled off her clothes.
And now, she couldn’t figure out how many times she’d allowed him into her body and into her life but she didn’t care anymore.
With time, she couldn’t hear her conscience speak again.
She laughed basking in his scent and not wanting him to let go ‘’I’ll give you an answer at the right time and I bet you it wouldn’t be a no.’’
‘’you smell good, delicious in fact.’’ He trailed kisses down her bare shoulders.
“you’re distracting you know that don’t you?’’ she tried to stop him but didn’t succeed and gave up.
The food had gotten burnt with Demi had walked in on them and the look on her face was enough to remind Scarlett of where she’d placed her before she had been reduced to Josh’s bedmate.

One afternoon while he was still away and she was teaching Gavin his lessons, she interrupted rudely and told Gavin to go to the neighbour’s house sweetly while she had a talk with Scarlett alone.
“I don’t need to be a rocket scientist before I know what you’re doing with my nephew.’’ She began looking right into her eyes. ‘’and the fact that you’re sleeping with him without any guilty conscience when you read those stories to Gavin amazes me.’’
Scarlett blushed and tried averting her gaze. The woman knew where to hit her
“I know I don’t have the right to judge you or anything, but I expected so much more from you than this. I trusted you and brought you into my family. I told you everything about us hoping you would work your way into his heart and bring him to Christ but it seems to me like you’re working your way into his bed instead.’’
“Demi…’’
“you’re not the first woman he’s going to have s-x with, but for your sake and mine, I hope you qualify being the last cos you’d be losing on both sides.’’

And she was gone.

And for the first time in weeks since she’d been going out with Josh, she began to see what she had been doing and broke into tears.

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When Scarlett started throwing up and feeling queasy, she didn’t know what to pin it to and thought it was probably something she’d eaten and took a sick leave. When she noticed a little awkwardness in her sleeping habit and her irritation for things she normally liked, she grew scared.

Was she suddenly having allergic reactions? That was so odd.

But she suspected it was so much far from allergic reactions when after the second month, her period stopped visiting.
Oh no, this was all too much to bear and she prayed it was something else. Something far from what she suspected could be the reason.
She couldn’t handle another surprise in her life right now while she was still trying to sort her life out.

Rea was suspicious but tried not to show it most especially when Scar didn’t mention anything about herself and Josh, never talked about the weekends she didn’t sleep over, and the reason why he’d brought her home so late at night some weeks ago.
She knew it right from that moment that her friend wasn’t the same anymore and she grew worried for her.

But she decided to go with her to the hospital to confirm her suspicion and look Scar in the eye to start spilling out everything if it was true.

She didn’t know who her friend was anymore. She felt more like a stranger lived in the house with her.

When Scar was told she was six week’s pregnant, she was in shock for a while and didn’t speak. And then she burst into tears after the doctor left the room
Rea did what she could do best. Comfort her.

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For a while, Scarlett was confused and didn’t know what to do or who to tell her predicament to as her wedding day shifted closer and she carried another man’s baby. She’d promised to keep herself till her wedding night but one man had been able to break that resolution and that man had been Josh Riley.

The first guy she’d fallen in love with and the guy who she’d told to wait for her years ago.
He was the same man who had gotten access to her and she’d put her guards down wherever he was concerned.
But now, she carried his baby and he was so ignorant about it and hoped he wouldn’t know anything about it yet, because if he did, she would do as he told her to, most especially now that she didn’t know how to think on her own anymore.
Rea didn’t gloat but tried offering her whatever help she could offer and Scarlett couldn’t be more grateful for a friend like Andrea. She had developed a new relationship with this Mike of a man and he seemed to be a nice man. Rea made him know his limits though and Scarlett knew Rea was far better than her.
She had been so foolish to allow herself to get carried away.

So what if she’d been married to Gabe? She thought. Was this how she was gonna be having an affair with an ungodly man outside marriage? Was this how much she was capable of unfaithfulness? Had she pretended all those 10years to be over Josh whereas, it lurked somewhere in the hidden part of her heart.

She needed time alone and she needed to talk to her mother, but what would she tell her parents who had tried helping her all through her years in college to forget Josh. All the money and love they’d shown her when they moved away from Naperville only to return back to square one
Josh wanting to marry her wasn’t the issue because as much as she loved him and was crazy about him, she wasn’t going to marry him just like that.

But firstly, she knew she had to tell Gabe that they couldn’t go on with the wedding and she was so sorry.

She just hoped she had the courage to tell him at their next outing.

He called for an ambulance and hoped they were not too late by the time they got to the house.