THE WIDOW WHO NEVER WAS

ALIRA'S POV

"It's Alec." Betsy bit out.

At that moment, it felt like I was being poured ice water and I instantly started shivering.

"Which Alec??" My mother asked.

"How many Alecs do we have mother??"

"Wait, are you trying to tell me that you are pregnant for your sister's husband??"

"He was mine first before he met Alira...and as far as I am concerned, I don't acknowledge that sham of a marriage." Betsy said.

I was patiently waiting for my Mother's response....I was waiting for her to say something...to defend my honor...to call Betsy back to order.

"Well, if that's the case then it's fine...i'm glad you could give him what Alira couldn't give to him." My Mother said as I almost dropped down to the ground.

"Well I kinda have a secret to share with you Mother but promise you wouldn't say anything to anyone." Betsy said.

"Tell me anything dear... I am all ears."

"When Alira was pregnant for the first time, Alec told me about it and said he didn't want his child coming from her and he said Alira was too stubborn to take it out and so I suggested that he did the job himself...he switched her vitamin pills with the wrong drugs which caused her to have a miscarriage." Betsy said.

I didn't breathe.

The moment I heard it, my lungs locked up like they didn't belong to me anymore.

I didn't even move...I couldn't.

My back stayed pressed flat against the wall and my spine was too rigid to bend, too fragile to bear the weight of what I'd just heard.

Every part of me was shaking, but from the outside, I must've looked like a statue molded in disbelief.

I wrapped my arms around myself without realizing it, like I needed something...anything... to hold me together.

My eyes just stared, wide and dry, fixed on nothing.

I couldn't cry too....The tears were there, but shock had wedged itself between me and the ability to feel them fall.

My own heartbeat became the loudest thing in the room and still, I stood there....silent, hidden, unraveling inch by inch.

"As much as that is too extreme, it still serves Alira right for always acting like he knows it all...but what about Liam?? What are you going to do about him??"

"Liam is a fool Mother....he will do whatever I tell him due to his love for me.. he's like my puppet." Betsy said as her and my Mother burst into laughter.

I turned around and went back back slowly into my car parked outside.

"Where are we headed madam??" My driver asked.

"Home." I said.

The drive back home was quiet...but the noise in my head was loud...too loud that it could make one go crazy.

As soon as we arrived, I came down from the car, walked into the house and headed straight to Alec and I's room.

He wasn't around and so I freshened up and sat on the couch in the room waiting patiently for him.

I didn't cry, I didn't get mad...I just sat down still and wallowed through the storm raging inside of me.

Three hours later, I was still in the same spot..I didn't move and I didn't change position and then Alec walked into the room humming a song and smiling like he won a lottery...he definitely just won a lottery indeed.

"What's with the excitement?? Heard some good news??" I asked with a blank expression on my face.

"Oh Alira?? You are back...you didn't inform me you were coming back today." Alec said.

"You haven't answered my question Alec...heard some good news??"

"You are acting strange Alira."

"Am I??"

"Hmm...Anyway I did hear some exciting news but I will share it with you when the time is right." Alec said.

"Our mistress is pregnant right??" I asked with a smile on my face while the smile of Alec's face dropped.

"What?? I..I...d..do.. don't understand." Alec said, stuttering.

"You don't understand??? What part of what I just said do you not understand Alec?? The mistress part or the pregnancy part??" I asked.

"Both."

"Okay, let me carefully explain to you...but before then I have some good news for you." I said as I stood up.

"What good news??"

"I was at the hospital In the UK yesterday and was told by the doctor that I wouldn't be able to ever carry a child...in other words I can't bear children."

"How is that good news??!!" Alec bit out.

"Oh it is for you because that's what you have always wanted."

"Alira..."

"No, let me finish....so after hearing the bad news, Betsy called me and informed me that she was pregnant and so I headed straight to her house from the airport to celebrate with her but I heard something very interesting from her and my Mother's conversation." I said as I began laughing.

"Stop acting like a maniac and tell me what you heard!!"

"Betsy said she was pregnant for Alec and the only Alec I know of is you." I said as I gazed intensely at Alec's eyes.

At first I saw a shock in his eyes and it was quickly replaced by anger.

"That's a bloody lie from the pit of hell!! I am not responsible for her pregnancy!!"

"Oh relax Alec..the party's just getting started...I thought that was the most interesting part of their conversation but she said something else that was more interesting...she said when I was pregnant with our child, you asked her to replace my vitamin pills with something else which led to my miscarriage.... very interesting."

"Alira...Alira..listen to me...I can explain."

"Of course you can...so please explain to me Alec because my ears are itching to hear it." I said with a smile so deadly but full of pains and scars.

Alec opened his mouth severally but empty words flew out.

" I just have one question for you Alec."

"What??"

"Why did you marry me?? Why did you propose to me if you were in love with anyone?? Why??"

"I am not in love with Betsy!! I only fell victim to her desperation, Alira..that is the truth."

"Interesting...so you tricked one sister into marriage and the other into being a mistress even while she's married."

"Alira...wait...that's not..."

"You are free to be with your mistress...I only have one thing to do and that is to report a case of murder to the authorities because you murdered my child and you will pay dearly for it." I said as I walked out of the room.

"Alira...please listen to me!! I swear I didn't mean to hurt you....Alira?? Alira??"

I shut down my heart, my head and my ears as I walked down the stairs because I didn't want to hear anything from Alec's mouth.

I was halfway down the stairs when I felt it.

A presence behind me and then, a shove.

Not a stumble and not a mistake but a push by the hands I knew and force I didn't expect.

My balance snapped out from under me as the world tilted violently.

I didn't scream...there wasn't time.

My breath caught somewhere between my throat and my terror.

The first impact was thunder, the second, a bolt of white-hot pain up my spine and the third... I didn't feel.

Everything slowed as I felt my body crumple at the base, limbs twisted in angles that didn't feel like mine.

I blinked once, maybe twice.

Then... nothing.

Only silence and as I welcomed darkeness.