God was punishing .
That’s the only explanation for what was happening.
He was punishing for being an to Richard. He was punishing for considering murder when I found out I was pregnant again. And now, as so divine retribution, He was taking the baby away from .
I wasn’t even in pain, but sothing felt off.
Of course, the nanny had gone ho, so I had no choice but to take Queen with . I sat in the living room, heart lodged firmly in my throat, hoping Richard would get to fast.
A few minutes later, I heard the violent banging of the gate, followed by hurried footsteps.
Richard stord into the house, eyes wild with worry.
"Co on, babe, let’s go," he said, scooping Queen out of my arms and helping up.
I caught the panic in his eyes, the sa panic I felt but refused to show.
Martin was already waiting outside the gate. They had all gotten community service for their last tangle with the law. I know he would want to try that stunt again if he thought I needed to be at the hospital in seconds. I said a small prayer. Dear God, please don’t let him break every traffic rule again.
"Martin," I said the mont I got in the car, "kindly drive like a normal human being. My baby is in this car, and I won’t forgive myself if you get arrested again on my account."
"Yes, ma’am," he replied, straight-faced.
I gasped. "Really? Martin?! After everything we’ve been through, you still call ma’am?"
Richard chuckled as he buckled Queen into her car seat.
The drive to the hospital was rcifully smooth. Martin actually listened to and didn’t turn the trip into a Fast & Furious sequel.
Once we arrived, Martin offered, "I’ll keep an eye on Miss Nuro. You two go in."
I blinked. "Miss Nuro? Really? She is barely eight months old!"
I turned to Richard, arms crossed. "Did you hear that?"
Richard smirked. "I an... he’s not wrong."
"Unbelievable," I muttered, shaking my head as we rushed inside. "How do you deal with soone so stubborn?"
"Sheesh. I have no idea. I am currently dealing with one at the mont but if you have any tips, I wont mind if you share so."
"Oh shut up Richard!"
*****
Dr. Sanders, in all her calm and wise doctorly wisdom, told I needed bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy.
Apparently, getting pregnant back to back is draining.
Who knew?
If only we had considered protection instead of going at it like a couple of sex-starved rabbits.
I sighed dramatically. "Dr. Sanders, I am not staying in a hospital for the rest of my pregnancy. There has to be another way."
She tilted her head. "Well, if you have soone who can stay with you, help around the house, take care of Queen while you put your feet up..." she trailed off looking at Richard.
Oh no.
No, no, no.
I could already see the wheels spinning in his scheming little head.
"No," I snapped, pointing a finger at him. "No, no, no. You are not staying with ."
Richard grinned. "Doesn’t look like you have much of a choice, sweetheart."
Dr. Sanders imdiately looked busy shuffling her papers, choosing peace over getting involved.
I turned back to Richard, my blood pressure rising.
He was already standing, way too pleased with himself. "Thank you very much, Doctor. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of."
He reached for my hand. "Co on, let’s go."
I yanked my hand back. "Go where?"
"Ho," he said simply. "Our ho, Nita."
My jaw nearly hit the floor.
"What do you an our ho? We don’t have a ho together."
Richard exhaled. "Yes. Yes, we do. As much as you try to deny it, we do."
He took a step closer, lowering his voice, making it more intense.
"You are my wife, Nita."
I swallowed hard, but he wasn’t done.
"You are the mother of my children. How can you think there is any other place for you to be but with ?"
Damn it.
Damn him.
He wasn’t wrong.
But if Richard thought he was going to waltz back into my life and play knight-in-shining-armor just like that, he had another thing coming.
"I’ll give you guys a minute," Dr Sanders said, exiting.
The mont the door clicked shut, I whipped around to face Richard, arms crossed, rage bubbling just beneath my skin.
"First of all," I snapped, "I didn’t deny us. You did."
Richard opened his mouth, but I raised a hand to silence him. Oh no, he was not interrupting mid-rant.
"Second, I am not your wife. I may be your baby mama, but that’s all that I am. You made it this way."
Richard’s face fell.
"I made a mistake, Nita," he said, voice thick with emotion. "Even when I lost my mory, I knew deep down that you were the one. Even if you won’t forgive , at least let take care of you. I didn’t do much during Queen’s pregnancy, but please... give this. Let be a part of my child’s life."
Damn it.
I hated when he said stuff like that.
It made my chest feel tight.
I swallowed hard, arms still crossed.
"Richard," I exhaled, "you know we can’t be in the sa house, in the sa room."
I pointed at my stomach for emphasis.
"That’s what got us in this ss."
Richard grinned. "I an... is that so bad?"
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my past life.
Of course he would say that.
"This is exactly the problem," I groaned.
Richard just shrugged, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "I can’t be with anyone else except you anyway."
I blinked.
"What?"
He hesitated for a second, then continued, "While I was away, I tried to get into bed with a prostitute—"
"OH MY GOD."
I shrieked so loud that if Dr. Sanders was still in the hallway, she probably considered calling security.
"Oh my God! Get away from !" I stepped backward.
Richard looked frantic, waving his hands. "Nita, nothing happened! How co everything I say cos out wrong?!"
"Maybe because you are a certified idiot!" I snapped, getting off the bed and marching toward the door.
Richard groaned, running a hand over his face. "Well, fuck ."
*****
Walking back into our house—well, his house now—felt... weird.
It looked the sa. Slled the sa. Even felt the sa in a way that made my stomach do an uncomfortable flip.
But I wasn’t the sa.
I was here as his ex-wife, not his wife.
That distinction was very, very important.
Richard exhaled beside , running a hand through his hair.
"I, uh, don’t have a nursery set up for Queen yet," he admitted. "But she can stay with tonight, and you can use your old room. Everything’s still the way you left it."
I nodded stiffly. "Right."
Richard hesitated. "Nita?"
I turned, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
I blinked. "For what?"
"For agreeing to stay here," he replied, his voice soft.
I narrowed my eyes. "It’s only temporary."
He nodded, but there was this... look in his eyes.
"Yeah, I know," he said. Then, stepping closer, he added, "I will win you back, Nita. I will marry you all over again. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy."
I felt that declaration in my bones.
"I love you, Richard."
His eyes widened slightly.
"That... that fact is never going to change," I continued. "I will always love you. But I have to protect myself too. So, let’s just focus on co-parenting and see how that goes."
His jaw clenched, but he nodded. "I can be patient."
I raised an eyebrow. "Can you?"
He swallowed. "Yes."
I stepped closer, tilting my head slightly, watching his body go rigid.
"Tell you don’t want to take to your bed right now," I whispered.
Richard took a step back, his eyes flicking away.
"That’s..." He cleared his throat. "That’s cheating."
Oh, I was going to have fun with this.
I smirked. "You know you want ."
His jaw clenched.
I winked, reached for my blouse, and slowly undid a button.
Richard gulped.
He was fighting a losing battle, and I loved it.
"I have missed you," he admitted, finally stepping forward, eting halfway.
He leaned down, his lips just inches from mine, his breath warm against my skin.
I grinned.
Then, right before he could kiss , I pressed a single finger to his lips and leaned in to whisper, "Why don’t you call a prostitute instead?"
I felt his entire soul left his body.
I grinned and walked away, leaving him standing there.
"You know there’s a special place in hell for you, babe!" he shouted after .
I just laughed.
Oh, this was going to be so much fun.
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