ENTANGLED IN DESIRE

CHAPTER FIVE ;THE RIVAL’S HEIR

Loretta experienced just how fickle life can be, and just how a situation can go from bad to worse in an eye blink. She certainly was on the Titanic right now, as Loretta could see her marriage sink in real time as all three persons in the roomed had varying levels of shock on their expressions.

“What did you just say?”

Chris expression rapidly twisted into a glare of feral rage as he stared at the doctor in front of them. To his credit, the man looked just as confused, but he forcefully kept the expression professional, but his eyes kept glancing between them three as he read the paternity test results again.

“Well Sirs, neither of you are the father of the boy.”

“How’s that possible?!” Damien roared, betrayal thick in his voice as stared not at the doctor, but at Loretta, his feeble attempt at posturing next to Chris came crashing down hard. His eyes reddened in seconds and his ego took a massive hit.

“Give me that!”

Chris snatched the test results directly out of the doctor’s hand with surprising speed, staring at it himself, his eyes scanning the page and soon his brows rose in confusion as he muttered,

“This is very similar to... Whitmore. But how? How?! That bastard, he played me!”

Loretta, Damien and the doctor all looked at him in confusion, and all three asked as if in sync, “who?”

“Lloyd Whitmore!”

Chris Blackwood screamed in anger, his hands crumpled the result and he walked out of the ward, rage oozing off him in waves. Loretta had never seen him lose control this much before, and for a moment, she shivered in fear, so much that her question died in her throat.

Loretta was beyond confused, her head spun and her vision went blurry for a moment, what cruel joke was the universe playing.

“Who is Lloyd Whitmore?”

Damien’s voice was broken in betrayal and almost despair. He watched her as she struggled to find words, her arms frozen around her baby. He cleared his throat and turned to the doctor.

“Well, thank you doctor.”

The doctor nodded his head briskly as he walked out the ward in professional silence, Loretta had never felt more shamed in her life as she did in that moment, holding a baby whose father’s identity was suddenly up in smokes, her heart was filled with shock.

The standby nurse took him from her, placing him in a cot next to her, she didn’t have it in her to struggle or fight back. The nurse helped her lie on her back, covering her with the duvets to her chest, while being careful with the IV lines. Loretta was numb and unresponsive the entire time, Damien watched her in silence until he was ushered out silently by the nurse, he struggle either, simply letting himself be let out.

Loretta didn’t know how long she laid there in stupefied silence as tears ran down her eyes, but perhaps it was a short time, or maybe hours, she cried herself to sleep.

The universe after playing her a couple of bad rounds right after childbirth, from having two men contesting ownership of her son, only for them to be told the baby didn’t being to either of them. Cruel fate decided to give her a peaceful slumber as she fell into deep sleep.

Chris Blackwood came back three days later, his expression a mask of cold rage, and his eyes filled with a promise of vengeance. He walked into the ward as though he owned it, his eyes found her and he stared at her with such intensity Damien had to clear his throat to get his attention. Loretta blushed a little as she looked away.

“Why are you here Chris?”

Damien asked from where sat peeling an apple, his hands had stopped motion and he stared unflinchingly at Chris. Loretta breastfed her baby in silence.

“I’ve come to enlighten you on who the father of the baby is. I’m certain you’re dying to know.”

Loretta looked up at Chris when he began speaking, disdain dripping from his tone like venom. His eyes bore into Damien with predatory intensity, and his lips was curled in a cruel smile.

Damien jaws clenched in and shame, but he didn’t react, he simply nodded slowly, taking his eyes off Chris and focusing on the apple in his hands as he went back to peeling it. Calmly, he asked Chris, his voice light, but laced with something deeper,

“Your said his name is Lloyd Whitmore, who is he?”

Chris went silent for a moment, suddenly a lot less chatty. Loretta felt the temperature in the room plummet, she shivered, hugging her baby closer to her.

“My rival, in every sense of the word, both in business and without. I’ll destroy him, he crossed a line he should never have.”

Loretta listen quietly, finally getting a little more knowledge w towards her baby’s mystery father. She wished she could put a face to the name though, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak, Chris radiated a dangerous pressure.

“Bold words, like you didn’t cross a line sleeping with my wife.”

Damien sneered, his glare meeting Chris’. Loretta interrupted them, her voice barely above a whisper, but it got their attention nonetheless.

“What does he look like?”

Both men turned to stare at her, she gulp silently as Chris clenched his fist, Damien eyes held an emotion she couldn’t quite describe.

“I think I deserve to know. After all that has happened, I deserve to know.”

Loretta concluded, holding Chris stare as long as she could before breaking it. Damien returned to peeling the apple, just a small section was left. Loretta bit her lips as anxiety tore in her as she stared at Chris suit, unable to meet his eyes but expecting a reply nonetheless.

“He isn’t someone you should care about...”

Chris spat coldly. A voice cut him short, coming right from the other side of the ward door.

“Aren’t I?”

Walking into the ward was an arrogant looking man, one hand in the pocket of his trouser, the other shutting the door behind him. A cavalier smirk hung from his lips like he didn’t care about any other opinion but his own, his eyes scanned the two men in the room, disregarding them as they settled on her.

“Hello there my princess, I see we made a baby.”