Bounded by His Betrayal

CHAPTER 4

What is he doing here?

Does he work here?

Is that him?

Maybe it's someone with an uncanny resemblance to him.

Behind the Mahogany desk sat the man I shared a passionate night with! Memories of the night with him came flooding in. How I begged for him to go faster and harder. I was so embarrassed that my cheeks burned red, I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.

His eyes met mine and for a split second, I saw the recognition and it was gone in a flash and his expression hardened. He leaned back in his chair, giving me a stoic look, and his demeanor unwelcoming.

“Ms Julie,” he said in a clipped voice. “Take a seat”

What was I thinking when I slept with a stranger?

What does he think of me now?

That is a valid reason to chase me away from these premises!

“Are you done staring?” His question jolted me back to reality and I composed myself. He motioned his hand to the seat and I realized he told me to sit down.

I swallowed hard and gave an awkward smile, “Thanks for seeing me, Mr. Alex” Alex Volkov, Heir to the Volkov group. I have never seen his face before, I’ve only heard of how ruthless he is. The Sinclair Company and the Volkov group are big business rivals.

He didn’t return my smile, instead, he studied me with a gaze that made me feel self-conscious.

“What makes you think you are qualified for this position?” He began giving me a pointed look.

Trying my best to not get distracted by the situation, I took a deep breath and prepared to answer my question. I was expecting this question so I practiced a lot for the best answer.

“I have an extensive expression in project management and a proven track record of success-“

Cutting me off “What success Ms. Julie?” I could see the disgust in her eyes which made me squirm in my chair.

“I have gained-“

“Ms Julie,” he said sharply. Alex leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m not interested in hiring someone with your….. background. You can leave now” he said in a cold voice. His face lacked any form of emotion.

I felt like I had been slapped in the face, my heart ached so much from the embarrassment. I tried my best to hold back my tears as they blurred my vision. How could he be so….cruel?

I tried to maintain my composure as I stood up. “Thank you for your time,” I managed to say before walking out of his office, with my head held high despite the tears threatening to spill.

The moment I heard the door close all the toughness displayed in front of Alex vanished. My shoulders dropped and tears flowed down my cheeks. From the betrayal to the divorce to the embarrassment and losing my job. Everything came crashing down on me. I thought I could move on but it's so difficult.

After crying for a while, there were no more tears to flow. I just want to go somewhere and sleep, maybe I might forget everything.

I finally left the office and I headed home. I need to sleep forever and forget everything that has happened.

Jane was seated in her living room, watching TV. She noticed my gloomy expression and rushed to my side immediately.

“Hey, what's wrong?” Her face was etched with concern.

“My one-night stand is the boss,” I sighed facepalming myself.

“What! Omg,” Jane squealed but stopped immediately when she saw I wasn’t smiling.

“What happened when he saw you?”

“Well he didn’t give me the job, he asked me to leave the office after embarrassing me,” I sighed. The disgust on his face is still stuck in my mind. I almost died of embarrassment right there and then.

“I’m so sorry, Julie,” she hugged me, my eyes blurred with tears but I quickly cleaned it.

Suddenly, I began feeling dizzy. I felt suffocated, I raised my hand to rub my chest to relieve the tightness but I struggled to breathe. I began gasping for air but my chest tightened more and more. My vision blurred and everything suddenly went blank.

~~~~~~

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I was trying to understand where I was but my eyelids were too heavy to lift.

My hands rested on my head. My head was throbbing too much making it difficult to think. I can’t remember what happened to me.

I finally opened my eyes and I saw a middle-aged man in a doctor's rob standing beside me. I saw a “Legacy Hospital logo” on his robe. Why am I at the hospital?

I can’t recall what happened to me. The last thing I remember was having a conversation a conversation with Jane. “Doctor, why am I in the hospital?” Worry was etched in my voice.

“Ms Julie, you are finally awake” the doctor greeted me politely. The two nurses standing beside him also smiled at me politely.

I smiled back at them. I finally remember everything.

William

The divorce

The one-night stand

The rejection and my joblessness

The pain that had faded away came back in full force. I am now a Jobless divorced woman. My breathing became erratic and my chest started hurting.

“Doc, the person who brought me here….” I trailed

“Yes! I guess she’s your friend. She had to go to take care of something important. I guess she’ll be back soon” a short-haired nurse answered.

“Ms Julie, congratulations,” the doctor said.

My face twisted in confusion. Congratulations?

“Doctor, what for?”

“You are pregnant Ms Julie”.