Inseminated By Mistake

Chapter 4

Arya’s POV

I am in the clinic in my new consultation room. The happiness I feel today is indescribable. Hope grows in my heart to be able to hold my babies in my arms. Since they told me there were three, my excitement has grown. I have gone from feeling alone to feeling like I have everything. I feel like a complete woman, full of life. After trying for so long and undergoing difficult treatments, life finally rewards me with the best gift.

"Here we have a girl," the doctor confirms. "Yes, I can confirm that we have two boys and one girl from what we can see on the ultrasound. So you must be prepared, my dear."

"Have you heard, Arya? Three babies, two boys and one girl. It's the greatest joy of all. You're very lucky, my friend. Three on the first try. I'm going to be an aunt," Gloria says, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Remember that it's not just a coincidence. What you see here is the result of many women going through long fertility treatments. When exposed to such a potent donor, it often results in multiple pregnancies—in our case, a triplet pregnancy."

"Yes, it's the best, the best," says Gloria, helping me to stand up.

"What's next, doctor?" I ask, snapping out of my daydream. I'm floating in happiness.

I'm a little hungry. My daily life is like this: I eat and sleep several times a day. The little ones are making me a bit tired. Combined with the new designs, my stress is increasing. However, it's fascinating. These moments make me forget everything. Having Gloria in my life is like having that great support. Ashley is always taking care of me, and the guys from the company are also a good support.

"Well, just keep taking care of yourself, my dear. Everything else depends on how things unfold. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Upon hearing those words, I smiled happily, treasuring the image of my babies. Everything I desire is with me now. After finishing the appointment, we both went out to the mall to buy some things for the babies. We'll eat and go to the store where we started choosing some toys.

"Dad, Dad, I want one, I want one," the little one drags her father, and upon seeing him, I am paralyzed. I've avoided running into him all this time, and now he's here, as if fate brought him in front of me.

"Arya?" he says, surprised to see me.

"Arturo."

"Look, Arya, this one is beautiful for boys," Gloria is frozen upon seeing Arturo and moves angrily to protect me. "Stay away from her," Arturo can barely react to seeing me pregnant. He looks at my belly ironically, completely ignoring Gloria.

"Are you pregnant? Is it real?" I move in front of Gloria to look him in the eyes.

Upon seeing me, Arturo moves without hesitation and touches my belly, very surprised. "Arya, how is this possible?"

"It seems I wasn't the one with the problem," I say, and Arturo steps back, looks at his daughter, and then fixes his gaze on me. His expression clearly shows me the way out, as I don't want to see him. He's ruined my day. "Have a good day, Arturo."

"Imbecile," Gloria says, flipping him off.

I walk away from him, and it feels like my breath is taken away. I feel like I'm not necessary, although it didn't seem relevant to me. Showing him that I wasn't the one with the problem satisfies me.

"Breathe, friend, are you okay?" Gloria asks, a little scared.

"Yes, calm down. I wasn't expecting it, especially not today, but I can't deny that seeing his expression makes me very happy. God, did you see it?"

"Yes, his expression was epic, the way he looked at the girl was amazing."

"No, no, the girl is not at fault. The fault is yours for being an i***t. What can you do now? You have the family you so wanted, so enjoy it and live deceived. Whatever that little one is, she is your daughter; at least that's how she feels. I think this is the best thing that could have happened to me, getting him out of my life. Now I can see that he is where he should have always been. Let's go get some ice cream."

"Of course, yes." Gloria smiles happily, grabs the cart, and rushes me to the cash register before we leave.

***

Arturo’s POV

I can't breathe, I can barely process that Arya is really pregnant. What does this mean? I can't come to my senses until I hear her.

"Daddy, Daddito, please, I love her, I love her." Her words unsettle me and without thinking further, I grab the doll she's asking for and hold her hand, taking her to the cashier to pay for it.

When we reach the cashier, I can hardly react to the girl who speaks to me. I can't understand it, my heart stops. I think of Eliza's words: I'm in love with her, she's my daughter, a blessing in my life. The thought that she might not be mine, that I might be the one with the problem, is driving me crazy.

"Sir... sir?" The girl speaks to me, and I barely come to my senses. I look at her very distantly and lost.

"Yes, tell me, I'm sorry."

"That'll be $99."

"Fine," I say, taking out the money from my wallet.

After paying the bill, she takes the little girl and leads her to the car, where I stay unable to move. Ice cream, all these years living deceived. I still can't believe it. I can't process it. She touches my cheek, noticing that I don't respond, and brings me back to reality.

"What's wrong, Daddy? Don't you like my doll?" she asks while taking it out of the packaging.

"Yes, yes, sweetie, it's very pretty."

"Are you like this because of the ladies and their baby? Who are they, Daddy?" she asks without looking at me, just like her mother does.

"They are old friends, sweetheart, from school."

"Ah, okay."

The little one is very smart and curious. I can't stop watching her. I observe her for a few minutes and then proceed to start the car. I drive back home while deep in thought. My heart hurts just thinking that her thoughts might be real.

***

Upon arriving home, Eva is waiting for us. Seeing her causes me great conflict. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but my thoughts don't stop. It's even difficult for me to greet her.

"Are you okay, my love?"

"Yes, I'm going to the office."

I leave her with the little girl who shows her new doll.

I stay in my office for the rest of the afternoon, trying to review some documents. Since we returned from England a few days ago, I haven't been able to catch up. And with what happened today, I still can't concentrate. Thoughts about everything I did to Arya come to my mind. These years have been tough. I'm not saying that things haven't gone well with Eva, but I can tell how controlling she is. She pays attention to everything; she even comes to the office with me. The thing is, all of this disappears when I'm with Eliza. However, things look different from the perspective that she may not be my legitimate daughter. That's why I asked Arya for a child of our own. This can't be. I shouldn't entertain these ideas. Maybe it's just a coincidence.

***

Dinner has arrived, and it's the first time there's so much silence in the room. I can't help but study Eliza carefully. For the first time, I search for my physical traits in her, but I find none. She doesn't even have my eyes—nothing. This really disturbs me. I've never felt like this before. The fact that Eva saw my face doesn't leave my mind.

"Are you okay, my love?"

"Yes, I'm just a little stressed."

"Maybe it's the return to the city?"

"Dad met an old friend today. He felt sad when he saw her pregnancy," Eliza says, betraying me.

"Like that? What friend, darling?"

"A friend from Dad's school."

Eva looks at me, and I ignore her.

"Don't start. I'm not in the mood."

"Do you want me to stay quiet when you've taken our daughter to see your mist..." I silence her with my gaze.

"Shut up. I told you it's not the time or the way to speak in front of the girl, haven't you heard?" I say, very serious and angrily, silencing her.

The tension at the table is palpable, so without enthusiasm, I get up, give Eliza a kiss, and once again retire to my office. My heart feels pain, but I can't stop thinking about the fact that Eva hasn't gotten pregnant all this time. I sit in my chair with a strong sensation in my chest; it hurts a little. Now I can understand the pain of betrayal. I can't stop thinking about this situation. Determined, I don't plan on pondering the matter further. I get up, look for my cellphone, and sit back down to investigate the DNA test. I am determined to do it. I have nothing to lose anyway, so I can dispel all these doubts.

***

After doing a little research, I find out that there are several ways to do the test, with blood, saliva, or a hair strand. So I get up and search for a pair of scissors in the drawer. I put them in my pocket and walk back. I want to make sure both of them are in bed. I go straight to Eliza's room, where she is already resting. Determined, I approach her and take a bit of her hair, the tips. I clean everything so it doesn't show and give her a short kiss on the forehead. I leave the room with the hair in my fist. As I pass by, I can see Eva checking her cellphone. Seeing her distracted, I enter my office without a problem, where I store the lock of hair in a piece of paper and keep it in my safe. I know Eva checks all my things.

When I wake up, I get ready to go to the office. Today Eva is a little late because she has to find someone to take care of the girl and the school, which gives me the opportunity to go to the clinic. When I arrive, I am attended by a lady.

"Good day, sir. How can I assist you?"

"I want to do a DNA test."

"Yes, can you provide me with the patients' information?"

After giving Eliza's and my own information, I hand the sheet with the strand of hair to a girl wearing gloves. She takes the sample and puts it in a container. Then, the girl takes a bit of my hair and proceeds to do the same operation, identifying the containers.

"It's done. We will call you as soon as we have the results."

"Thank you very much."

"Good day, sir."

***

After leaving the clinic, I head to the office, where my best friend and ally, Rubén Peralta, my longtime partner whom I trust, is already waiting for me. As soon as I see him, I start telling him about Arya.

"That's right, as you heard, she's pregnant, with a huge belly. I don't know what to tell you. How the hell did this happen?"

"Well, old friend, maybe the treatments did work. What's wrong? Why does it affect you so much? I thought she was part of your past."

"She is."

"So? I can't understand it."

"Neither can I. I can't understand how she got pregnant. Years with me and she didn't get pregnant; she goes with who knows who and gets pregnant. Doesn't it seem incredible to you that Eva hasn't gotten pregnant again to this day?"

"What are you saying, old friend? Are you doubting Eva? Is that it? Are you admitting that you were the one with the problem?"