A GAME OF REVENGE

Chapter One.

WHAT IN THE WORLD!

Emily's POV.

“I,” I paused, biting down my smile, while rubbing my palm against my stomach. “I am pregnant, Marcus. I'm carrying our child!”

The excitement pitched my voice to a scream. “I–I can't believe this.” I stuttered, blinking my eyes in surprise as I covered my mouth with my hands. “We are finally going to carry our own child; I'm going to be a mother, and you'll be a father.”

“I don't understand,” he said, shaking his head with a serious look on his face. “What are you talking about? Who's pregnant?”

“I am pregnant, Marcus.” I said, taking my words slowly. “The doctor just confirmed it earlier today; you can take a look at the report yourself.”

I opened my bag, and handed him the report as an evidence. Before receiving it from me, he looked at me for a few seconds as if trying to ask if I had an idea of what I was really saying.

While he went through it, I kept fanning myself with a hand. The room suddenly felt hot. Perhaps, it was because I'd been under the sun for so long. Or maybe, my body couldn't contain the heat of my excitement, which I didn't expect it to.

I mean, it's been three years since we got married, and now I'm just months away from carrying my own child.

A bubble of laughter escaped my mouth. I just couldn't wait for him to put down the report and give me a hug. But then, it was taking too long.

“You want me to believe this?” he dropped the report on the center table, and righted himself from the couch. “You really want me to believe that you're pregnant for me?”

“What are you saying right now?” I asked, blinking my eyes in confusion. “You should be happy for us. After three years we are finally…”

“Going to have our own child?” he cut me off with a furrowed brow. “Three years Emily. Three good years,”

He indicated with three fingers. “After three years, you suddenly walk in here and tell me that you're pregnant for me? Really? You want to believe that child is mine?”

As his words upon my ears, my heart sank.

“I–I don't think I understand what you're trying to say.” I closed my eyes to process his words. “What do you mean by after three years I walk in to tell you that I'm pregnant? You should be happy that I've finally gotten pregnant. Why are you suddenly acting weird?”

I took a step forward to close the distance between us.

“Don't.” he warned, with ice in his voice. “Not another step. After all these years, you're suddenly pregnant?”

He narrowed his gaze at the words. “Does that even make any sense to you, Emily?” he added. “What were you expecting? That I would bounce from foot to foot round this house? Or better still, spread my arms to give you a big hug? Really?”

“Why are you suddenly acting this way, Marcus?” I asked, blinking back tears. “We have been looking for a child of our own for the past three years, and now that I'm pregnant, you're choosing to act weird? What's come over you? What's with the attitude? What's all these for?”

“Why don't you tell me, huh?” he asked, his voice matching the hardness of his gaze. “As far as I'm concerned, that child isn't mine.”

A cold chill ran down the length of my spine.

“What do you mean, Marcus?” I asked, shaking my head. “What do you mean by the child isn't yours?”

“Drop the act, Emily!” he yelled, a flash of temper lighted his eyes.

I flinched at the sound of his voice. At the same time, my skin crawled with sparks of dread as I met his gaze. He was a completely different person from the man I knew.

“What's going on, Marcus?” I asked, a wedge of pain and tears breaking my voice in two. “Did I do something wrong? Why are you suddenly angry with me?”

I tried to take a step towards him.

“I said not another step!” he yelled, anger and nerves shook his voice. “Don't you get it? I'm not going to accept that child because it's not mine; you know the father of the child. So go celebrate with him.”

He turned to leave, but I gripped his arm and held him back.

“If there's something going on, don't you think you should tell me?” I asked, my eyes burning with tears. “I really have no idea what you're talking about. Did I do something wrong?”

“You are going to act like you have no idea what you did, right?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. “Of course, what was I expecting? You would choose to deny it all you want. But I'm not surprised. Let go of me.”

His voice was hard as steel.

“Don't do this to me, Marcus. If there's something going on…”

“Of course, there's something going on!” he yelled, and turned to me. “For goodness’ sake! There's something going on! Would you care to explain this!”

He slammed some photos on the center table, and turned his back to me. I glanced at him with tears in my eyes, and then turned to the photos on the table. With trembling hands, I picked them up. However, as I went through them one by one, I crinkled my face in shock.

“I guess you understand what's going on, right?” he asked. “Would you care to explain to me what those photos mean?”

“You are getting things wrong here.” I said, lifting my pain darkened eyes to him. “Nigel has been my childhood friend; there's nothing going on between us.”

“Oh really?” he scoffed. “You want me to believe that he's your childhood friend, and nothing more? You've been seeing him lately. You visited him at his place four times this week, and you want me to think that there's nothing going on? What do you take me for? A fool?”

“Come on, Marcus it's not what you think.” I said, taking his hands in mine.

“Just let go of me!” he took back his hand from me. “I bet you must have thought that I wouldn't find out about your little escapades with him. You keep saying that he's your childhood friend, but that's just a facade. The both of you have a thing going on.”

“No, that's not true Marcus.” I said, trying to suppress the tears in my throat. “Nigel is just a friend. He's being going through a lot lately because he lost his mother who happened to be the only family he'd left. He needed someone to be there for him.”

“My point exactly!” he yelled. “Why does it have to be you? I'm sure he'd other options on who to call, why did he have to call you? Besides, why did you go to him if there was nothing going on between the both of you?”

“He was there for me too when I lost my father.” I said, my voice husky with tears.

“More lies!” he said, with a cold gaze. “You will only keep telling more lies.”

“No, you've to believe me, Marcus.” I said, holding his hand as a tear trickled down the side of my nose. “There is nothing going on between us; I can't cheat on you.”

“I know that. But you know what? I'm done.” he said. “I can't continue with this marriage, so let's get a divorce.”

“You… you don't mean that, right?” I stuttered, blinking back tears. “Please, tell me that you don't mean those words.”

“Just stay right here, I'll fetch the papers.” he said, looking over his shoulder.

“Marcus, you can't do this to me.” I said, going after him as he walked towards the bedroom. “It hasn't gotten to a divorce; the child is yours. I haven't cheated, and I'll never do so.”

“You heard me right?” he stopped in front of the door to the bedroom. “I am done with this marriage.”

He opened the door, and walked in. I went in with him too.

“Marcus, please…” I pleaded, watching as he pulled out a drawer and took out some papers from it.

He turned to me. “Here, sign it.” he said with a firm voice while holding out a hand to me.

“I have no idea…”

The rest of the words died in my lips as I noticed an underwear almost falling off from the side of the bed. I narrowed my gaze, and took a step in that direction.

Picking it up with my left hand, the scent of a familiar cologne hit me. I tilted my head from side to side, trying to figure out where I'd perceived something similar, but I just couldn't. However, as I turned to him, he turned his face away.

“Again?” I asked, in a low, pained voice. “How could you do this to me? Why are you cheating on me, Marcus!”

“Sign the papers.” he demanded, turning to me.

“Is that all you have to say right now?” I scoffed, my eyes burning with tears. “You cheated on me and all you've to say is that I should sign those papers? Can you even listen to yourself now?”

“You are only making things difficult for us.” he said. “Just sign the papers and let's get this over with.”

As I opened my mouth to speak, I noticed that the wardrobe was slightly opened. It shouldn't have been open. Curious, I began to walk towards it.

“Emily, what do you think you're doing?” he asked.

But I ignored him. I lifted a trembling hand, gripped the handle, and opened the wardrobe. My heart sank.

“Abby?”