The Divorced Heiress

Positive

I had in my hands a home pregnancy test kit. I didn’t want to take the test just because of a few slight nauseas, but my mother practically forced me to, and I had no choice but to obey her. The result appeared in minutes and my heart started beating uncontrollably in my chest.

It can't be.

It's impossible.

I'm pregnant!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If this had happened six months ago, I would undoubtedly be jumping with excitement before running to shout it to the world, but at this moment, my marriage to the great fashion industry entrepreneur, Alexander Lancaster, was hanging by a thread.

After two years of marriage, he became indifferent, cold, he treated me as if I didn't exist, and he rarely even touched me, so I know perfectly well the day it was conceived. That night he came back from a cocktail. I hadn't seen him so fired up in a long time, and when we finished, he fell asleep next to me in bed. I thought everything would go back to normal, but I was wrong. The next day he barely greeted me.

Tears dripped from my eyes and my mother wasted no time in wrapping me in her arms.

"Sarah, this is good news. You don't have to be depressed; it is what your marriage needs. I'm sure Alex will change when he finds out he's going to be a father." My mother made an effort to comfort me. I have always been of the opinion that a child would never be the solution to marital problems and I doubt that the child I carry in my womb would magically restore my marriage.

"I have never bought into that idea, a child cannot be used as a tool to make everything return to what it used to be." My voice came out fragmented, but understandable and mother looked at me as if I was speaking gibberish.

She approached the closet and took out my travel suitcase, along with all my neatly arranged clothes.

"Come on, pack your things so you can leave on the next available flight. Go back to your husband and inform him that you are going to be parents, and you'll see that everything will get better. You love each other, you will be a happy family, and you will give all your love to my grandchild". I would love to have my mother's enthusiasm. Even though she had never met Alexander in person, she had so much faith that he could become the loving husband he used to be.

"Leave now? My departure is in four days." I said, staring at my mother, who was meticulously folding each garment into my suitcase.

"You will leave with the jet, which will be more comfortable and relaxing. So, you can think about what you will say to Alexander when you arrive. Continue packing, I will go and inform the pilot to prepare the jet for your trip". She left the last garment she had folded and walked out of my room with her cellphone in hand, leaving me alone with my half-filled luggage.

I wiped the tears off my wet cheeks while pondering over the positive side of my pregnancy, and it didn't take long for me to feel good about it. I touched my flat belly, as if I could feel the life growing inside of me and, at that point, all the bad feelings disappeared. I am going to become a mother and the best part is that I will have a child with the man I love.

I will be a mother.

I repeated it over and over in my head, and with a smile on my face, I started packing the clothes I brought for my little vacation and one-week visit to my mother in Orlando.

***

When I arrived in New York a few hours later, I took a deep breath to calm my quaking nerves and legs that wouldn’t stop shaking. What if my mother's idea turned out to be a complete disaster? I couldn't relax or think about how I would break the news to Alex. I kept on touching my belly whilst thinking about the worst possible outcome.

I boarded a taxi that would take me home. On the way, I called Alexander a couple of times on his cellphone. I wanted to know where he was, so I could surprise him, but the call did not connect, it sounded as if his phone was switched off.

Well, I didn’t consider that a problem, he's probably at the office right now; it's only two in the afternoon after all. So I decided that I would go over to the company instead of waiting at home. I’ll drop my bags and go along with the pregnancy test in a gift box that my mother got for me. My mother is good at planning surprises. I wouldn't have thought of such a thing myself.

My plans were well-thought-out, and I was ready to implement them accordingly. However, when I entered the house, I saw Alex’s sister - Gina. As soon as she saw me arrive, her countenance changed to that of annoyance, as if my mere presence irritated her.

“The one who isn’t needed has arrived”. She spoke, flippantly. She rolled her eyes and continued what she was doing; trying on dresses from the new collection that Lancaster Collection is going to launch in a month’s time.

The living room was a mess, with clothes strewn everywhere, while a couple of designers from the company worked with her. She seems to have forgotten that she is in my house and therefore an intruder here.

Who gave her permission to enter the house?

“Well, I'm sorry for coming to MY house.” I emphasized the word "MY", and she looked at me with a mocking smile, as if she found what I just said amusing.

“Your house? It's my brother's house and I have more right to be here than you, you should know your place, you're nothing but a gold digger.” She said with so much arrogance that I almost wanted to slap her in the face, but I preferred not to give her any attention and walked away.

She doesn't even know what she's saying, she can't see past her own nose.

Gina never liked me, neither did Alexander's younger sister nor his mother. Whenever they had the chance, they did everything possible to humiliate me, always with the same subject; that a pauper like me would never have a place next to a successful man born into a wealthy family, like Alexander.

I tried not to pay attention to each of the attacks by the Lancasters, as I preferred to avoid future conflicts. I didn't even tell Alexander about it because the last thing I wanted was to create a bigger problem where his family would be the villains of the story, and although they are, I wouldn't hesitate to defend them tooth and nail, in front of him. All I could do was put up with the mistreatment of both women and keep as much distance as possible from them.

And now more than ever, that I just found out that Alexander's child is growing inside me, I have to stay calm for my health and that of the baby.

What they, and even Alexander, didn't know, is that I come from a popular, powerful family, even wealthier and more influential than the Lancasters. But I left my family behind when we both fell in love in college and I decided to take the next step with him. After graduation, we got married and vowed to love and respect each other for the rest of our lives.

My family never supported my relationship with Alexander, nor did they want to meet him. He gave me the option of marrying Alex or taking my place in the Doinel Fashion House. My mother was the only one who grudgingly gave her consent, although she preferred to keep her distance because she didn't want to contradict my father.

I saw my mother twice a year and hadn’t seen my father since I got married.

Unconsciously, tears came out of my eyes as I remembered the last day I saw him. He was not happy with my decision, because he wanted me to follow in his footsteps and be as important in the fashion world as he is. However, I remember the last thing he said to me.

"Fly, fly high, but don't let them clip your wings and if that happens, remember that I will be waiting for you with open arms to mend your wings and teach you once again to wait for the right moment to take a long flight."

I miss my father so much, especially in the moments when Alexander treated me with such indifference and coldness, as if he felt nothing for me, when I feel he no longer desires me and barely looks at me before going to sleep. I can't remember the last time he professed his love for me.

In those moments, I miss my father, because he wouldn't allow his daughter to be treated that way, he couldn't allow me to settle for so little when he gave me everything.