In love with my Husband's brother

CHAPTER 1 Azure’s POV ‘Positive’ One word, packed with so much promise and so many good tidings that I couldn't help but smile and pump my fist into the air. Yes! Checking my wristwatch for the umpteenth time and drawing my legs on the white tiled floor, with my right hand tightly clutching my stomach, I felt the presence of the little one inside me but I couldn't help but wonder what my fate would be this time. A boy or a girl? Maybe a set of twins or triplets? Ten minutes later, the door opened and the familiar face of Doctor Matilda peered into the room. "You can come in now, Mrs. Pemberton '' Gingerly, I jumped on my feet and rushed into her office. The painstaking waiting hour was finally over. "Dr Matilda" I looked up at him with a glad expression when I entered her office. She acknowledged me with a tiny smile and a nod. "You may have a sit" she pronounced curtly before taking her glasses off. On her table, in front of him was a white envelope holding my fate. "Thank you, but I’d rather stand," I said with a curious yet worried expression. I knew it was a rather uncultured thing to say but I was eager and anxious. Sitting down meant I had all the time of the day and I didn't. So I stood. "Your test results are out, Mrs Pemberton…" I cut her off. She brought her palms together and interlocked her fingers. The corners of her mouth kicked up into a bright little smile confirming my suspicions. "How is it, doctor? What does it say?" "Your test results are out, Mrs. Cole, and I would like you to sit so that we can discuss it" Now she didn't ask, she instructed and I had no option but to obey. "I'm seated now, Doc. What does the result say? Am I pregnant " After losing my child the previous year, Cole, my husband had been drifting away from me. He no longer looked at me the same way and he stopped eating my food. Sometimes he came home very late and other times, he didn't even come home at all and when I asked what was wrong, he either said nothing or just ignored me like I wasn't there. Somehow, Cole and his entire family thought it was my fault that our child had died. That was how I confirmed that having another child would fix my problems not with my husband alone but with my In-laws too. Swallowing my fears, I approached Cole and begged him to try again with me. After much persuasion, he agreed and we started having fixed s*x for about one month. It’d been a dry and fruitless attempt but these past weeks, I found a ray of hope- a whisper to my request. My period was three weeks late and I was feeling nauseous, feverish, and lightheaded. Cole and his mother had also mentioned something about me gaining weight recently because I ate a lot more than before. For others, a complaint from their husband about eating too much and gaining weight might be a call for workouts, so they could burn the excess fat or cut down rations or go on diets to make sure they are in shape but to me, it was the second best news I've received in my life. The first was when Cole asked me to marry him. To me, it was everything I'd prayed for. A child. My child. Subconsciously, my palm wormed its way to my stomach, and a feeling of warmth radiated through my body. I smiled. A child of mine was my hope of getting back the love and attention Cole once had for me. A confirmation from the doctor after all the symptoms I’d seen this past week was all I needed to start getting roses, chocolate, and cards from Cole. Not to mention the delicious breakfast in bed and the glorious s*x in the bathroom that comes right after. Oh, I couldn't wait for the news. "I'm sorry to inform you, Mrs. Pemberton, that you've tested negative for a pregnancy. I did a series of tests but they all came out negative" Dr. Matilda's news came upon me heavily and knocked all the air from my throat. "What? No way!" I shouted and frantically stood up causing the chair to screech on the floor. "You are mistaken. I have been having these mad pregnancy symptoms for three weeks now. Something is definitely wrong with your lab equipment or whoever it was that did this test. I demand that another one be carried out now" I barked and hit the polished mahogany desk with my palms. Dr. Maltida didn't even flinch or show any form of fear. Her expression remained calm and certain. She fixed her gaze on mine sympathetically “I agree with all the signs you said you have been having, however, they are not of pregnancy" "Rubbish! I ran a test-tube test and it showed I was pregnant. I'm only here because I want a result to show for it" I placed my hand on my forehead and began to sob. I was so frustrated, tired, and angry. How could my hope just dash away like this? Dr. Matilda came to hold me. She patted my back and drew lines in my hair while I broke down and cried on her. "I know how much you want this pregnancy but pregnancy is not something that happens because you want it or because you had s*x with your partner and he releases his sperm inside of you. I highly recommend using a pregnancy test tube but sometimes, they give a false result. " Dr Matilda said after I managed to pull myself together. "Just tell me what the result says, Doctor," I said weakly, running my hand through my black curly hair that was now a bed nest. I was tired and frustrated and didn't have the heart to listen to her lectures. If it didn't take s*x and orgasm to get pregnant what else did it take? Alcohol and weed? "From the blood work and result of your test…” she trailed off, leaned closer to her table, and swallowed. “ I don't know how to put this but Mrs. Pemberton, you have a rare form of stomach cancer” Silence! Silence was all I heard as I let the doctor's words sink in. "Cancer? I asked, looking at the doctor like she had two heads. "I think there's a mixup somewhere?" "No dear, you have a rare and aggressive type of cancer that has eaten deep into your stomach. Your immune system is strong and fighting tirelessly which is why you are still seemingly able to carry out your daily activities” I felt my heart shatter in a million pieces and all hopes to make my marriage work with it. Just this morning, Cole had smiled when I told him I was going to the doctor's office. He even hugged me and instructed his driver to bring me to the hospital with so much hope and glee. How do I go back home and tell him that all along it had been a false alarm; not only was I not pregnant but I was sick and would die soon. Memories before I married Cole consumed me and I caused my stomach to plummet. My siblings were expecting me to visit them after Thanksgiving. I’d hoped I would break the news to them after dinner. I was all they had. How could I die and leave them alone in this world like my parents did to us? My brothers sacrificed all they had so that I could graduate college and have a nice degree. Richard had to sell his car to fund my last year at school and Michael had to drop out of school and even take up three part-time jobs just so I could finish college and have a good life. I’d promised to repay all their kind gestures once I got settled but now, all their efforts had been rubbed in the mud. Without any words to Dr. Maltilda, I grabbed my bag and result and weakly began to walk out of the office, dragging my feet along. "Mrs. Pemberton, I understand how frightening this news might be for you but I want you to understand that there is still hope. With the right treatment, we could buy you more time. You could be among the lucky few that get cured….." More time? How much time was more time? More time to do what exactly? To get pregnant and give birth to a child or to live long enough to repay my brothers? I was already on my deathbed; and there was no resuscitation.