Chapter 63
The two of them woke up late the following morning. They were both turning and tossing until the early hours in the morning.
Helen was the first to open her eyes, but she laid there on the bed, not making any effort to get up from the bed.
When Darin opened his eyes later, he greeted Helen, knowing she was already awake, though she was still turning her back on him.
She grunted a reply to him. He reached out and placed a hand on her arm. “Please darling,” he pleaded. “Stop taking those pills, please. Let’s have at least one baby for now.”
“It’s my body,” started saying with her back still turned to him. “When I’m ready to have a baby, I will tell you.”
“Okay… okay, I know,” he ran his hand down her arm. “I know it’s your body, but this is our marriage. What about what I want too?”
“You have no right to decide whatever happens in this marriage just by yourself!” His voice had gone so high with his rising anger. Helen was just so happy that their bedroom was soundproofed, so no one could hear him.
“Yes,” she turned around and faced him with unusual defiance, “in this matter, I can. I am the one that will carry babies in my belly, the one that will go through all the stress of pregnancy all alone!”
“Even at that, you can’t just decide on your own!” He insisted. “What are we doing in this marriage if we can’t have children?” He shot back at her.
“So you are saying you married me just to make babies?” She said at the top of her voice. “No one can force me to have children when I’m not ready. You forced me to marry you when I’m not ready, no you can’t force me to have babies until I am ready!”
“I never forced you to marry me.” It surprised Darin to hear her talk to him like that. “You know that deep down in your heart.” He sat up on the bed and studied her face for a few seconds, leaning his back on the headboard.
He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he asked, “do your parents know about the pills?”
“Of course not,” she sat up on the bed and leaned her back against the headboard too. “This has nothing to do with them.”
“So this funny idea is entirely yours.” He smiled sadly and stood up from the bed.
He went to the bathroom to have his bath and dressed up quietly without saying another word to her till he left. She heard him leave immediately, meaning he didn’t eat breakfast.
Helen stayed in bed almost all day. She didn’t have the energy to get up and had to call in sick to the school.
She was just thinking, sleeping, slipping out of sleep, and sleeping back again.
There was no mention of contraceptives and babies again in the following days. But the emotional distance between them was so palpable. They only talked to each other in monosyllables when it was compulsory.
Two and a half weeks later, Darin returned from an outing at around four in the evening on Saturday, holding a small brown bag. “I got this for you,” he dropped the bag beside her on the bed. Helen sprawled out on the bed, watching a documentary show on TV.
“What is this?” She looked into his face and then peered into the bag. To her dismay, it contained two different brands of prenatal vitamins.
“Those are the drugs you should be taking.” He spoke as one would to a stubborn child. “Not any contraceptives. We need children in this house.”
“I don’t need these!” She flung the bag farther away from herself on the bed. He came to sit beside her.
“Please, sweetie, stop taking those pills,” he cuddled her to his side. “I will do everything within my power to make your pregnancy period a stress-free one. You know I always do everything to make you happy.”
“I am not ready to have a baby,” she said, pushing his hand away, her voice firm. “I beg you too. Let’s wait a bit more. I want to concentrate on my career for now.”
He loved her so much, but he wanted children, too. He had determined not to accept her idea of postponing childbearing. He was so sure that if he didn’t soft-pedal, she will finally agree.
“I am not happy about this at all,” he said sadly. “You are just being selfish. You are thinking about yourself only.”
She didn’t like what he said, “just like you were thinking of yourself alone when you and my family members forced me into this marriage.” She shouted back at him. He didn’t even know what to say about that.
“It’s not as if you don’t have any kids,” she said when he said nothing for a long time.
“You said I have kids,” he lowered his eyebrows, “which one of them is here with me now?” His two kids; a boy and a girl from his previous marriage, were living with their mother in the UK. “I want kids in this house. I want to have babies with you.”
“I am not ready,” she insisted.
“Let’s have one for now,” he raised a finger, “think about it, please.” He patted her on the back and stood up, mumbling something about a business phone call, and he left the room.NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.
Helen went downstairs to eat dinner two hours later. Darin was already there, dishing his food on his plate and being assisted by the Steward.
They both sat and ate in silence. As they were finishing their dinner, the doorbell rang. The housemaid, Beth, rushed out from the kitchen to get the door. It was Darin’s friend cum protege, Roberts.
With the way Darin responded to him, they’ve had a prior arrangement to see that night.
“Good evening, ma’am,” he greeted Helen as he walked further into the sitting room.
Helen returned his greetings with a smile and asked after his business and well-being.