“What if you find out that you're pregnant?”

The question sank deeper than it should be, slicing her thoughts in pieces that left her praying inwardly with words of rejection. Janice squeezed her eyes shut to dismiss any positive thoughts surrounding that suspicion.

"I won't force that thought in me, Dian. I'll never wish to be pregnant with Nelson's child." Janice declared, her voice firm and resolute.

She remembered the pains she had passed through during her first child birth. She remembered the few times that Nelson's love began to dwindle, unknown to her that another woman was in the picture.

She foolishly used to trust him whenever he complained of the stress at work. She lost her first baby. She expected Nelson to cry along with her, but he seemed unbothered. Even with that, she kept on persuading him to let her have a second baby, but he refused the idea, claiming that he hates seeing her in pain. She had to normalise taking contraceptives just as a woman who's done with child bearing.

Well, the era of wanting to have a child for him has passed.

She doesn't want anything that will constantly reflect his image in her life.

“Hey, are you okay?” Dian suddenly whispered, waving her hands around Janice's face to jolt her out of her thoughts.

"By the way, have you heard anything about the Lancaster's Corporation in California? Are they still looking for partnership? I saw it somewhere in the recent news." Janice asked, trying to switch the discussion to another topic.

"Yeah. But what I heard recently is even more devastating. The President of the group was involved in some fraudulent activities that has caused the company to almost fold up. Now, they're no longer looking for partnership, but they're placing it out on sale. But I'll make more inquiries." Dian replied.

"Wow! Please, don't hesitate to do the research. I really need to make the investment.” Janice huffed with her lips twitched in a smile.

"It's quite unfortunate. But it's to my own advantage. You know what, just  remind me to discuss this in a better way once we get home. It will be bad if I miss this opportunity." Janice suggested, her voice calm and steady.

“I'm sure your guest must have started getting exhausted from waiting for you,” said Dian.

Mr Lucas had been seated for almost thirty minutes before Janice walked into the restaurant at 3:00 pm.

The contemptuous and flippant look he wore melted away as soon as he sets his eyes on her, but he flinched instantly to replace it with a calm expression before meeting her gaze.

"You look stressed, Ms. Capuno.” He commented, his voice laced with a tinge of mockery as he curled his lips.

“Is that how much you fear my wrath now? Because the Janice I knew before now would never inconvenience herself in this kind of condition just to honour a meeting." He scoffed.

“You think so?”

“I don't fear humans, Lucas. I can only fear an alien. Or…are you one?” Janice scoffed back, her voice devoid of fear with an unreadable expression.

Lucas's face darkened immediately. The anger he had been trying to suppress seemed to be threatened by this statement. He shook his head and bit his lower lips, keeping his fist clenched in his palms to suppress the urge to do what he might regret.

"About the deal with the Smiths Corporation,  why did you ask me to pause?" He suddenly breaks the silence.

"It's nothing serious. Just that I have a better proposal for you if you really intend to invest in the textile and manufacturing industry." Janice admitted, her voice firm and resolute while she kept her eyes fixed on him without a flinch.

The unfazed look on her face only reminded him of her strong determination in the past–an attitude which had earned her great respect.

He flinched so as to dismiss the thoughts of their past as he curled his lips in a wicked smirk. "Janice, are you trying to play tricks on me?" 

Instantly , his expression got replaced with a deadly glare, and before Janice would reply, he stretched his hands across the table and held her wrist tightly, his nails almost digging into her flesh. 

Janice wanted to withdraw from his painful grip, but it was too tight, and she knows screaming will only draw the attention of other occupants towards them.

Besides that, Lucas was so smart, so he ensured to  maintain a faint smile across his lips, that nobody would suspect him to be hurting or threatening her.

"Oh, you think I don't know that you're married to Mr. Nelson Smith, huh?" He raised his brows.

Those words sent chills running down Janice's spine. “How did he manage to know that I'm married?" She cursed under her breath, yet she still managed to pull herself together before his eyes caught her fragile face.

"Tell me, Isn't Nelson the main reason why you never cared about what we shared in the past? You chose to abandon me in prison to get married, Janice!” He snapped, hitting his hands on the table.

“For your information, Janice. I have been following up with your life since when I left the prison. And for your husband, you'll only be deceiving yourself if you think that I don't know all the evil atrocities committed by him and Smith's family that he's concealing with his money!”

Janice widened her eyes. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she could only gasp.

“I'm finally here Janice. I'm here to make sure that I bring down that man that made you abandon me. And when I'm done with him, then I start with you." Lucas threatened before releasing her wrist with an evil smirk.

“So, tell me, why do you think I would be so stupid to believe a wife who used to worship her husband like a god is now interested in turning me against adding value to her husband's success?” he asked.

"We're divorced now, Lucas.

 Nelson and I are no more. So, you need to believe me!

"If you need evidence, this might explain better." She argued, taking out a copy of their divorce from her bag and slammed it on the table.

"And for the investment, I'm planning to relocate to California. I heard that the Lancaster's are putting up their textile and manufacturing company for sale, so I intend to buy it and I think it'll be great if we can partner together. What do you think, Lucas?” Janice proposed.

The silence from Lucas as his eyes scanned every alphabet on the divorce papers only deepened her fears.

He raised his brows, slightly drawing his dark glasses up after hearing her submission. "I still don't trust the divorce, Mrs. Capuno. Besides, you can't bribe my intentions with a partnership. I'm here for revenge and nothing can stop me from doing that.” Lucas countered.

"I'm not trying to bribe you, Lucas!" She argued.

"Then what are you trying to do?" He asked.

"It's because I still..." Janice stopped midway and swallowed painfully, closing her eyes to avert his dangerous gaze.

Once Lucas noticed the fear in her, he  loosened his tight face with a faint smile. "Because you still love me?" He raised his brows

"I never said so." Janice objected.

Lucas couldn't take his eyes off her slinky pink lips which never fails to accentuate her stunning beauty. Even though it's been years of them being apart, he never fails to blush and feel a wave of relief whenever he sets his eyes on those defined features that she's endowed with.

"So, can we call it a deal now?" Janice asked, her mind racing back and forth.

"Not so fast, Ms Capuno." Lucas cut in.

"Wait, are you trying to use me to get back at a husband that betrayed you while you also avert my anger?" He added, raising his brows.

Janice flinched and remained silent, different thoughts running helter-skelter down her mind.

"Even if I agree with your proposal, it has to  come with a price." Lucas declared.

"Fine. What is your price?" Janice replied casually, her mind skipping as she prayed earnestly for his request not to have any connection with the past.

“Are you afraid already?” He scoffed at her silence, rolling his eyes from her head to her toe as if trying to see through her heart.

“I want nothing but the truth about your evil father. Are you ready to testify against him?” he finally announced.

The truth! 

Janice blinked as the word sank deeper.

She knew that Lucas offered that option on purpose. She decided to steal a glance at him to see his expression. But he seemed firm in his opinion.

She parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't say a word.

Her father's diary has been something she never wished to revisit till her last breath.

"Don't you have an alternative option?" she asked with a soft voice.

Lucas widened his eyes and curled his lips in a smirk.

"Is anything wrong with my opinion?" he asked in return.

"Once you're willing to talk about that incident that you and your evil father thought would've been buried long ago, then we can discuss business further." He declared and attempted to stand up as if he wanted to leave.

"Alright. That's fine, Lucas." Janice responded with a sharp blink.

"Now, what truth do you want?" The words flew out of her mouth before she could retract them, her eyes blinking continuously to avoid his gaze.

"The truth about the murder case. The truth is that you willingly concealed and allowed me to be locked behind bars, and not only that, I almost got killed, if not..." He paused and took a deep breath, his deadly eyes swollen with anger as he pressed his lips together.

"You know what? I just need justice, Janice. And to get that, you must come out of your shell and speak the truth, not minding whoever might be affected. And if you don't do that, I'll be forced to address the issue in my own way."

 He threatened, his voice firm and indifferent.

His voice was getting louder and beginning to draw attention to their table when Janice forced a faint smile to dismiss the assumption of the people who might be perceiving them as having a misunderstanding; yet,  her body began to quiver in fear.

She clenched her fork tighter, feeling a mix of fear and regret.

 "I know how hurt you are, Lucas, and I'm really sorry for that." She said, her tone calm and apologetic.

"Lucas, you need to know that I did my best to clear your name. I had all the evidence to prove to my father that you were never involved in the fraud case, let alone killing his assistant." She paused and lowered her head to force back the tears that were threatening to fall as past memories flooded her head.

"I don't need those tears of regret, Janice. Are you in or not?" Lucas snapped.

"I don't know how Frank overheard our conversation that night, Lucas. Before I knew it, he was quick to find ways to destroy every piece of evidence I ever had. He even went as far as fabricating more evidence against you to make it look real that you killed the assistant. And you know already that once my stepmother is involved in anything, my father would never want to doubt Frank.

 "I know you deserve justice, Lucas. And if you still insist on me testifying against my family, then so be it. I'll make sure you get the justice you deserve." She assured, her voice breaking down in tears.

His expression that was once calm changed instantly with a deep breath as he frowned.

"Emotional blackmail won't work on me, Janice." He dismissed, his face tightened with disgust.

***

Six years ago, at Capuno's Oil and Gas enterprise, there was a crime report of huge embezzlement, which almost cost the company to shut down.

When the CEO's assistant started investigations and began to find evidence linking to Frank Capuno, the company's financial assistant as well as the CEO's only son, he planned to unfold the truth to the CEO, Mr. Williams Capuno, before he got attacked and killed by a group of hoodlums on his journey home after the day's work.

Somehow, Janice was driving behind him when she saw the attackers enter a familiar car and zoom off. 

It was Frank's car.

As soon as she saw this, she picked up her phone, her hands trembling as she placed a call to Frank.

She claimed her car was damaged and needed his help to drive her home.

 "I'm sorry, Janice. Maybe you'll need to get a cab to take you home for now. I'm out of town for an emergency meeting to discuss a business deal," Frank replied, his voice laced with confusion while he ended the call abruptly without giving her a chance to press further.

Janice frowned.

When did he leave town?

Wasn't he complaining of mild weakness and having to leave the office earlier than usual to see the doctor?

 Different thoughts spiraled over her mind.

When the news of the assistant's death reached the company in the morning, all hands began pointing at Lucas Montenegro, the company's head of audit, who was involved in a little misunderstanding with the assistant shortly before the embezzlement discovery by the external audit bodies.

Somehow, Frank found means of fabricating some evidence to prove Lucas 

guilty.

Knowing how merciless and deadly her father could be in dealing with anyone who was involved in crime, Janice, in her unsettled mind, decided to dig deep into the investigation and got CCTV footage from the nearby company, the Greenfield management, which was able to capture the crime scene from afar.

From all investigations, the car was proven to be Frank's. Aside from that, Janice and Lucas had parted ways not long before the murder scene took place.The moment Frank learned about her discovery, he immediately paid tech gurus to hack into her devices and deleted every piece of evidence linked to him, while he also made his way to Greenfield management to take down the footage after bribing them with some cash.

Lucas was innocent, yet he has no evidence to counter the charges against him.

He was locked behind bars for years and subjected to hard labor until one of the prison staff helped secure his escape when he saw how he almost got killed by other violent inmates in the prison.

However, reports showed that he might have possibly died during the fire outbreak that took place at the prison.

****

"It's been six whole years, Mr. Lucas. How did you still expect me to get back the evidence that has been destroyed?" Janice pursed her lips in a worried manner.

"That shouldn't be your problem. But will you be ready to stand for the truth when the evidence is provided?" Lucas snapped.

Before Janice could say a word, a great wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to rush to the bathroom before she'll puked in public.

She almost got herself messed up before she could turn the bathroom doorknob. She couldn't hold back the retch anymore and had to throw up on the floor.

'Maybe this is the perfect time,' she thought, and without hesitation, she pulled out the test strip from her purse to confirm her suspicions.

As she pulled it out of her thighs, the small white stick felt heavier than a stone in her trembling hands. She placed the test strip on the edge of the sink and immediately stepped back, squeezing her eyes shut as if it could change what her eyes had sighted earlier.

Then, she opened her eyes slowly, her throat tightened as her gaze fell on the two lines.

"Please...don't let this be real." The words slowly escaped her trembling lips as if she were gasping for air, but nothing changed. 

It was the reality of life that has come to stay–her whole life is messed up.

Her breath ceased and her feet got rooted at the spot. Before she could process the whole thing, the bathroom door suddenly flung open.

She had forgot to lock it after she entered.

"Who the..." she wanted to scream but stopped midway when her eyes met the woman standing at the door.

The woman wore a smug smile, her eyes scanning Janice's confused expression and the messy floor.

"T...Tricia?" Janice stuttered, her eyes widened in shock as she quickly tried to hide the test strip.

"Surprised?" Tricia raised her brows, her face carrying the weight of an evil smile just like her wicked mind.

She took a step closer, her eyes scanning the object in Janice's hands 

"No need to hide it anymore, Janice. I've seen everything!" She scoffed.

"You've seen nothing, Tricia." Janice objected.

"Eww no!" Tricia screamed irritably, squishing her face with disgust while trying to cover her nose as the unpleasant smell from the messy floor hit her nostrils.

"Wow! You really think I've seen nothing, huh? You're pregnant, miss Capuno." Tricia scoffed.

"That's none of your business even if I am." Janice replied wittingly and went ahead to spill the water on the floor which almost splashed on Tricia's legs.

"So, tell me. Is the pregnancy Nelson's?" She asked impatiently and continued to rant even without waiting to get a reply.

"Well, I bet not. That's because Nelson told me of how he hasn't touched you in months due to his sickness. Which means, you've been cheating on that innocent man all this while, huh?" She snapped and pouted her lips, her hands wrapped over chest.

"Oh, my poor Nelson. See the same woman you always sing praises of her faithfulness! But not to worry, I've already gotten a clear picture of you and your lover while seated at the table. And I think that's exactly what Nelson needs so  that I can prove my point to him when I always insisted that no woman stays comfortable without sex from her husband for up to a month! In fact, I need to get a picture of you and this mess you've created on the floor as evidence as well."

She continued and took out her phone to point the camera at Janice, but before the light flashed, she felt a sudden grip on her wrist.

"Don't you dare, Tricia!" Janice roared, seizing Tricia's phone abruptly as her hands rushed to hold the collars of her shirt, almost choking her to death.

"If you try any nonsense with me, I won't hesitate to hit this phone on the floor and match it with my heels!

Now, give me your password so that I'll delete every picture you've taken or I'll be forced flush it down the toilet sink."  Janice threatened, her eyes filled with rage. 

Tricia struggled to get herself out of Janice's grip, but she couldn't.

With the way Janice was looking pale and weak at the table, Tricia never expected she'd suddenly get all the strength to fight her.

With no option than total surrender, Tricia did as instructed and watched with utmost despair as Janice deleted not only her pictures, but every picture she had snapped with her phone for the past three days.

"I'm done." Janice growled, her voice stern and indifferent as she  forced the phone into Tricia's hands.

 "One last warning, Tricia. I didn't do this because I am afraid of Nelson or anyone.

Yes, we're divorced already and there's nothing he can do about it even if he sees me in bed with another man, but I just want to tell you to trade me with caution, because you might not always get away with everything. You stupid home wrecker!" She ranted and shoved away.

"I am not a home wrecker!" Tricia didn't know when those words escaped from her lips, but when she met Janice's deadly gaze, her mouth went silent instantly.

"Wow! You're not a home wrecker huh? Then, tell me, who are you?

"A home fixer? A commercial sex worker, or a  prophetess and a marriage counselor? Which of them, Tricia? Because only a woman practicing such occupations can have a deep discussion with a married man that can lead to him revealing all his marital and sexual affairs to her!"

"Now, excuse me." Janice hissed and shoved Tricia out of the way to pass, almost making Tricia to slip to the floor.

Back to the table, Janice sat down quietly, her eyes almost swollen with fake tears just to calm Lucas's rising temper.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Lucas. I don't think I have much strength to sustain this discussion further. I'll just drop you my conclusion via WhatsApp and I'll expect yours as well." She explained politely, and for the first time, Lucas nodded in agreement without complaint.

****

Returning to the small but exquisite penthouse with Dian, Janice heaved a deep sigh of relief and threw herself into the long couch.

"Com'on Janice. We've been out all day under the scorching sun. Shouldn't you at least take a bath before jumping to sleep?" Dian queried.

Immediately, Janice jumped up as she remembered the second test strip in her bag. 

"Please, let this one not be true." She cursed beneath her breath as she lazily walked herself to the bathroom, carrying the test strip along.

Deep down her mind, she prayed and hoped earnestly for the result to counter what she had first confirmed at the restaurant, but...Oh–my–goodness! Fuck!

Janice became utterly disappointed when she gazed at the two lines staring at her.

The result is still positive! She is truly pregnant– with Nelson's child! 

She squeezed her eyes shut to dismiss every weight of resentment she's starting to develop towards the unborn child in her womb.

Janice's strength almost left her immediately as she struggled to scrub her body for a proper bath due to disappointment.

She placed her hands on her belly, caressing it gently while she whispered, "dearest baby, I know you're innocent in all this, but you know, the coming of every child is supposed to be a thing of joy to the bearer, right? If truth be told, I can't tell how I feel about your coming. And I don't want to say you came at the wrong time, but all I want to tell you is to please, pray for mummy to make the right decision. I don't want to hurt either you or myself by any decision." She concluded and smiled weakly before grabbing the towel to clean herself up to join Dian at the dinning shortly after she was done dressing.

****

"I made your favourite. Egg and cheese sandwich. I hope you still like it as before." Dian said with a smile as she set the plates before Janice.

"Of course I do.  They're still my favourite up till today." Janice replied happily, and went ahead to get a bite with much enthusiasm.

The moment the food landed on her tongue, she began to retch and had to run to the bathroom to throw up before she returned.

"Janice, are you sure you're okay?" Dian asked, her voice laced with concern.

"The test strip, you need to check yourself quickly." She suggested.

"I did already." Janice replied, her expression unreadable as her voice tinged with sadness.

"So, what's the outcome? Are you pregnant?" Dian asked.

Janice maintained silence and only nodded weakly.

"Oh my goodness, Janice! So what are you going.." Dian exclaimed, but Janice cut her short before she finished expressing herself.

"I don't know what to do, Dian. I'm more than confused right now. But I can't draw conclusions yet, until I get myself checked at the hospital."

Before Dian could say anything, a knock came at the door persistently, startling the peace of the two women as they looked at each other.

"Are you expecting someone?" Janice asked.

Huh? Dian frowned. "Not at all. Besides, nobody knows that I live here aside from you and my parents." She said and lazily walked towards the window to peep who's at the gate.

The moment her eyes landed on the huge figure standing outside, her breath ceased.

She turned to Janice. "Guess who's at the gate?"

"Who?" Janice asked.

"Your husband. Sorry, I mean Nelson, your ex." Dian revealed.