TRAPPED BETWEEN VOWS

CHAPTER THREE

Shantel’s pov

After that incident that happened Bryan and I lived a very separate life but we were the perfect couple in all of the county

The press and public adored us.

We graced magazine covers with bright smiles, the image of success and love. But behind closed doors, our home was as cold as a mountaintop in winter.

We didn’t eat together. We didn’t share a bed. We barely spoke.

Bryan often stayed out late, coming home reeking of alcohol, his shirt smeared with lipstick. I should have cared, but I didn’t.

The months flew by and I found out I was pregnant and my heart dropped to my stomach.

I sat on the bathroom floor, letting the weight of reality settle over me. Then, I wiped my tears and faced my reflection.

"This is probably for the best," I whispered, trying to convince myself.

That night, I waited up for Bryan and as usual he stumbled in, drunk. He paused when he saw me

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“I have something to tell you….” I said and handed him the pregnancy test result, “I'm pregnant.”

His eyes went dark, he was silent for a while

and then he spoke up, "Get rid of it. I don’t want a child with you."

He threw the test at me and walked out leaving me speechless as tears rolled down my eyes.

I curled up on the couch as I fell asleep after taking a decision to keep my child.

*******************************

Weeks turned into Months turned into a year and my child Melbourne was finally born

Bryan was still cold as ever but still showed up for some important dates, like the birth of our daughter.

Beyond that, our home was a hollow shell, filled with empty rooms and cold glances. Bryan’s presence was fleeting, reduced to brief appearances between business trips.

When we got to meet it was short, cold and distant, where he would kiss his daughter and buy her expensive gifts and then disappear for the next month.

I poured my time and energy into doing more charity work and taking care of my child as I tried to give my life a sense of purpose but no matter what I do, I still couldn't get over the fact that I was trapped in an unhappy marriage.

Waking up one morning to a very boring house. I did my morning routine and tried to find something to distract myself and that's when my phone rang.

I picked it up, “Hello, Shantel speaking.”

“Good day ma, I am sorry to inform you that your father in law, Mr. Bocares is dead.”

The news came as a shock to me as I never even knew he was sick in the first place.

“What!”

I screamed loud, not only because of the death of my father in law because of my frustration climbing out of me.

Bryan’s father is dead! That was a huge hit to me because I had been left in the dark about his condition.

Bryan had returned home for the month but didn't even pass me a glance. He walked past me and slammed his room door shut.

No information or nothing……just plain silence.

I calmed myself down and rushed to my father's house—knowing my father would be depressed by the news.

**************************

The following weeks were nothing more than preparing for the burial of my father in law

Afterward, Bryan inherited his father’s shares in the Alang Group, making him the primary stakeholder. But with that power came a side of him I had never seen before.

One evening we both sat down to eat dinner while I took care of Melbourne who was in her stroller.

Bryan dropped his fork down, wiping his mouth “I need to talk to you.” he announced.

Without looking up, “I'm listening, Bryan.”

“Good.” before he began “You should sell your shares to me!” Bryan said coldly to me.

The dinner which was a rare occasion suddenly made sense to me.

I looked up from my plate and my brows furrowed, “Excuse me, what?”

“Don’t pretend like you did not hear what I said.” He said as he leaned into his chair, “If I have the majority shares I can actually run the company without the interference of anyone else and that’s what our fathers wanted.”

My hands formed into a fist, “our fathers wanted us to work together and not for one of us to be power drunk and try to overpower the other. If that’s your idea of running our company, then I am not selling.”

Bryan narrowed his eyes, “Don’t be foolish, Shantel, this is not about teamwork and it has never been about that. If you don’t sell yours to me, someone else will sell to other shareholder they try to overthrow us and you don’t want that power to go to an outsider.” Do you?

“I rather take that risk than sell my shares to you.” I said with a shaking voice laced with anger.

Bryan let out a chuckle, he stood up and adjusted his dress, “I love challenges Shantel.”

He walked out the table leaving me alone. I felt all types of rage.

I sat there, seething with anger, my mind racing with thoughts of how I could protect my shares and my position in the company.

Bryan's words echoed in my mind, "I love challenges Shantel." I knew that he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and I was determined not to let him win. Not this time.

As I sat there, trying to calm myself down, I heard the sound of Mel's stroller moving. I looked up to see that she had woken up and was looking at me with big, curious eyes.

I forced a smile and got up to attend to her.

As I changed her diaper and fed her, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in my stomach. I knew that I had to be careful, that I had to protect myself and my daughter from Bryan's wrath.

After putting Melbourne to bed, I went to my room and locked the door behind me. I took a deep breath and tried to think clearly. I knew that I had to come up with a plan, a way to protect my shares and my position in the company.