Chapter twenty two
Chapter twenty two
Pre... Pregnant?" Stephen stuttered, nearly falling off his chair.
I nodded. "Yes."
As I nodded, Stephen's face went pale. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened, but no words came out. After a long pause, he forced a smile then let out an awkward chuckle. "You must be joking, right? I know you are joking."
"I'm serious," I said, my voice shaking. "That baby in her womb is mine."
I swallowed heavily and rubbed my palm against my forehead. Stephen's frustration was palpable. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and punched the air.
"Please!" he begged, panic in his voice. "We need to be serious here. What are you saying, King Oregon? You can't be serious. This must be a joke. Did you hit your head? Or was it one of those girls who cast a spell on you?" His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief and dismay.
"No, Stephen, I'm completely serious about this," I said firmly. "No one enchanted me. I'm the father of that child, I'm certain of it." He studied my face, his eyes searching for any sign of doubt or deception.
"But... that doesn't make any sense!" he protested. "How can you be the father? You're not! There's no way this is possible." His voice cracked as he spoke, and I could see the distress on his face.
"I will explain things to you. Just sit down and stop exaggerating," I breathed, and he reluctantly took his seat. I could see the disbelief and skepticism in his eyes.
"I'm not sure I understand a thing because it still doesn't make any sense to me, no matter how I think about it. You met Vivian for the first time with me, and I'm sure you never had sex with her, or did you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
I just sighed and took my gaze away.
Stephen blinked and nodded slowly. "All right, let's pretend for a moment that you did sleep with Vivian," he began, his tone still dubious. "How is it possible that she became one and a half months
pregnant in less than a month's time? It doesn't add up." He raised his voice, practically shouting at me.
I remained calm and waited for him to finish. I wanted to make sure he felt heard, so that he might be more open to hearing what I had to say.
"Are you finished?" I asked, keeping my voice soft.
Stephen sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm finished," he said, his tone calmer now.
"Good," I said. "Now it's my turn to talk, okay?" I waited for him to respond, my eyes searching his face for any sign of disapproval.
He nodded again, his face solemn. "Okay, I'm all ears."
"I first met Vivian somewhere else," I began, but Stephen cut me off before I could continue.
"Where?" he asked impatiently.
"Please, let me finish," I said, a hint of frustration in my voice. "I promise I'll get to that part."
"Do you remember?" I asked again, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he stared deeply at me.
"What is this? Can't you hear me now?" I asked, sweeping my hand across my face.
His eyes blinked as a result of the stimulus, and I scoffed.
"So, you can hear me. Why aren't you saying a thing? I thought you were a statue for a second there," I smirked.
Stephen sulked and carried his face away. "I thought you told me not to say a thing," he said.
"Yes, I did tell you that, but since I asked you a question, it doesn't mean you have to ignore me. You ought to answer that since I'm permitting you to," I said, and he rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Wait, is that why you are upset?" I asked with a small smile.
"I'm not upset," Stephen pouted, and I chuckled.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? But you need to understand me. I'm explaining myself to a confused and inquisitive you, and I deserve your attention with no interruption. That doesn't mean that you should ignore my questions. Anyway, I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings," I said.
"Nah, It's fine. I totally understand you now. What childish behavior I have. I shouldn't have sulked," he sighed.
"I guess we are good now?" I asked.
"Sure," he smiled and hugged me.
I returned the hug as well, then he disengaged.
"Anyway, I do remember then. You said an unknown person had added wolfsbane to your drink at that party," he said.
"Yes... That made me strange. I felt so different and my beast felt weak. I couldn't do anything or feel myself, so I decided to rest a bit. However, the room I entered, there was a girl there, and that person was Vivian," I said.
"Vivian!" he gasped shockingly, and I quietly nodded.
"So... So, you both slept with each other?" he asked, his lips quivering in shock and his eyes widely opened in awe.
"Yes," I nodded.
"Wow! What an unbelievable twist. You have got to be kidding me," he said and scattered his hair. "Hold on though! How are you sure that baby could be yours? Didn't you use protection or even pull out?"
"I didn't use either. Like I said before, I was too weak to even do anything. Besides, she said that was her first sex. She has never been in a relationship, neither has a guy come to her," I replied.
Stephen only hummed and rubbed his chin.
"Uh... So now, what do you think? What do you think I should do now that you know everything? Should I bring her in or just throw her out like I wanted to do before?" I asked.
Stephen ran his pinkish tongue between his lips. "I want to ask a question first," he said.
"Yes, go on," I replied, nodding.
"Does she know that you are the owner of that baby she carries?" he asked, and I chuckled. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
"Actually, she doesn't even know that she is pregnant yet," I said, and his jaw dropped in surprise.