Once, my paranoid love

“Derek.”

He turned to me, his eyes locked onto mine, searching for answers. “Is there something serious?” he asked, his voice quivering with concern.

“I’m sorry,” I replied in a low voice, unable to maintain eye contact, my jaw clenched with tension.

Derek’s confusion deepened, and he gently took my hand in his, seeking to reassure me. “Why are you apologizing? What’s the matter?” He spoke with a softness that only intensified my internal struggle.

I knew there was no turning back now. The truth had to be shared, and it would undoubtedly change our lives forever. With a deep breath, I mustered the courage to speak the words I had been dreading.

“I’m pregnant,” I declared, my voice filled with a mixture of fear, vulnerability, and a hint of resignation.

Derek’s response was immediate, his eyes widening in shock as he processed the revelation. “What?” he said, startled, as if the ground had shifted beneath him.

As I watched the myriad of emotions wash over Derek’s face, I couldn’t help but wonder how he would react to this life-altering news.

Derek’s Pov.

My world shattered when Elena uttered those two life-altering words: “I’m pregnant.” It felt as if the ground had crumbled beneath my feet, leaving me in a void of disbelief and anger. I couldn’t fathom what I had just heard. It had to be a mistake. She couldn’t be pregnant, not now, not like this.

My immediate thought turned to that jerk, the man who had woven himself into Elena’s life, leaving his indelible mark. The realization that he had left his existence in Elena, the woman I loved, was a wound that cut deeper than I could have ever imagined.

A torrent of emotions engulfed me, and anger surged through my veins like a raging fire. I wanted to lash out, to destroy everything in my path.

**

Derek’s silence was deafening. It hung in the air like a heavy cloud, casting a pall over the room. We sat there, two people in the same space, but emotionally miles apart. I struggled to find the right words, to bridge the growing gap between us.

I couldn’t predict how he would react to this life-altering revelation, but one thing was certain: I couldn’t bear the thought of aborting our child. It was a choice that weighed on my conscience, a choice I wasn’t sure I could make, even if he asked it of me. If that was the path he wished to take, I feared it might be the end of us.

Summoning the courage to break the silence, I said his name, “Derek,” my voice trembling with uncertainty.

Yet, he remained silent, as if wrestling with his own thoughts and emotions. It was a painful silence, one that seemed to stretch for an eternity. I yearned for him to speak, to share his perspective, to offer some reassurance or understanding.

“I didn’t know it would happen,” I began, my words filled with regret and vulnerability. “I wasn’t myself at the moment. I’m sorry.”

The weight of my confession bore down on me, and I needed him to know that this situation had taken me by surprise, too.

The most critical part of my message, however, was yet to come.

“If you ask me to abort this baby, I’m afraid I won’t be able to,” I admitted, my voice quivering with a mixture of fear and determination. The line had been drawn, and I couldn’t cross it, no matter the consequences.

“I don’t want to give you false hope, but…” I began, on the precipice of unveiling the truth about my feelings for Paul and the child that would soon be a part of my life. My emotions were in unrest, and I struggled to find the right words to convey the depth of my inner conflict. But before I could continue, I bit down on my words, choosing to withhold the truth for now.

He interrupted my unspoken thoughts with a brusque question, “Are you done?”

I couldn’t remain silent any longer.

“I will not stop you from divorcing me,” I asserted, my voice weighed down by sadness and regret. “I don’t deserve you. Even I didn’t know you would accept this marriage…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Derek’s anger flared up, and he seized my arm with a furious grip. His physical reaction was startling, and I could see the intensity of his emotions etched across his face.

“How dare you?” he exclaimed, his voice filled with both anger and hurt. His grip on my arm tightened, conveying the depth of his emotions.

**

Paul’s POV.

As I sat in a moment of solitude, my eyes closed and my thoughts consumed by Elena, I found myself lost in the whirlwind of emotions that had gripped my life. The weight of the situation bore down on me, and I couldn’t help but wonder how I could escape.

In the midst of my reverie, a whisper broke the silence. “Sir,” someone murmured, and I instinctively turned to see the ward boy standing before me, a hint of determination in his eyes.

“I spoke with your mother,” he revealed, a smile gracing his lips.

I leaned in, eager to hear more, to understand the plan that was unfolding. “What is it?” I inquired, my voice laced with a sense of urgency.

With a hushed tone, the ward boy continued, “I’ll help you in escaping tonight. Please put on this dress. No one will be able to doubt you after that.” He held out a dress, a simple yet effective disguise that would allow me to slip away unnoticed.

Gratitude welled up within me as I accepted the dress. It was a lifeline, a chance to break free from the chains that bound me.

In my mind, I spoke directly to Elena, even though she couldn’t hear me. “Elena, I’m on my way,” I vowed silently. “We’ll leave after that. It’s just you and me. No one, not our mother, nor our father, will be able to stop us.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

**

William’s voice thundered, his face contorted in fury as he demanded, “How could you agree to give him one million dollars, Anne?”

Anne, equally steadfast, met his rage with steely determination. “I don’t give a damn. He’s also your son,” she declared, her voice unwavering. “You’ve never taken any responsibility for him. It’s now your turn to pay.”

William, desperate to understand and make amends, beseeched Anne, “Anne, please give me his phone number; I’d like to speak with him. There are numerous ways to bring Paul back.”

Anne’s resolve, however, remained unyielding. She raised her voice, her words cutting through the air like a blade. “Certainly not. Tonight, my son will come,” she declared with finality. Her determination to secure her son’s well-being was unshakable.

As the tension escalated, Anne resorted to a shocking ultimatum. “If you don’t pay,” she threatened, her voice a dangerous edge, “I’ll tell Ron that you killed his mother and brother.”

William’s reaction was immediate and furious. “Shut the fuck up, Anne!” he yelled, his face reddening with anger. Inwardly, he couldn’t believe the audacity of her threat.

“This woman has gone insane,” he thought, grappling with the shock of her words. “How can she threaten me in this way?”

The heated confrontation between William and Anne showed no signs of abating. Anne’s defiance only escalated as she retorted, “You can’t tell me to quiet down!” The room seemed to reverberate with their animosity, and the tension in the air was palpable.

William, barely containing his anger, gritted his teeth as he contemplated his options.

‘I wish I could grab her neck right now,’ he thought, his fury simmering just beneath the surface. ‘But I’m not in a position to do so.’

The exchange of harsh words continued, each accusation and retort pushing them further apart. William couldn’t help but express his exasperation, “You and your son are both insane.”

Anne, stung by his words, wasn’t about to let his accusation go unanswered. “What makes you think I’m insane? Am I mad to you?” she yelled, her voice a mixture of frustration and anger. Her fierce determination to protect her son was unwavering.

The standoff escalated further as Anne issued a chilling threat, “Just wait, I’ll tell Ron everything.”

William, desperate to maintain control and prevent the situation from spiraling further, seized Anne’s hand and yelled, “Anne! I did everything for you, selfish lady, and now you’re threatening me.”

Just as the confrontation appeared to be at its breaking point, a new voice shattered the tumultuous atmosphere. It was Ron.

“What does she want to tell Dad?” Ron asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

“Ron!” William murmured.

**

“How dare you, Elena, to say you’ll leave me?” Derek’s voice trembled with a mixture of shock and hurt as he confronted my earlier statement. I had made a rash comment, driven by my fear and insecurity, and I immediately regretted the words that had escaped my lips.

As I cast my gaze downward, consumed by guilt and apprehension, Derek’s response surprised me. He didn’t react with anger or reproach. Instead, he drew me into his arms and held me in a tight embrace. His words were a soothing balm to my wounded heart.

“Don’t ever say that, Elena,” he warned, his voice filled with a protective tenderness.