Chapter 18

RAINA

“Ronald is very lucky to have you. I’m sure he is going to be surprised,” Jemma smiled.

“I’m so blessed to have him too. But I feel a little guilty about not being able to throw him a proper birthday party,” Raina responded.

“You’ve not been feeling too well lately, so it’s understandable,” Jemma said.

“I know.” She looked down at her seven-month bump. “It wasn’t like this with Adrie. I remember working till the first few days of my nine-month pregnancy, but with Jayden, I feel tired without even doing anything.

“Ronald has been working from home since Monday to take care of me. He didn’t want to leave today, but something urgent came up, so he had to show up at the office.

“I just pray that everything goes as planned, and thank you for helping me,” she said to Jemma.

“Of course. What are friends for?” Jemma chuckled, giving Raina a side hug.

Jemma’s phone vibrated. She reached for it in her jean pocket. “It’s Gabriel. He said everything is ready. We just need to get our ass to the office and surprise him.”

“Okay, then let’s go. I’ll carry the cake.”

“No, you carry the cookies, and I’ll carry the cake,” Jemma suggested.

“I hope we are not forgetting anything,” Raina said as she and Jemma walked out of her restaurant through the back door.

“Not at all. The drinks and food are all loaded in the car, and I’m sure Gabriel would have received the pizza you ordered before we get to the office.”

An idea popped into Raina’s head as soon as Ronald told her he had to go to the office today. Since she was not well enough to plan a big party, she decided to surprise him the little ways she could.

Immediately after Ronald left for work, she called the head chef at her restaurant to prepare some delicacies, and then she called Jemma and told her about her idea to surprise Ronald with a small office party.

She thought it would be nice for him to celebrate with his staff.

Gabriel made the arrangement at the office while Raina and Jemma met at Raina’s restaurant. They both gave a helping hand to the chefs so everything would be ready on time.

As soon as Jemma pulled into the loading dock of Ronald’s company, two workers helped them carry the items into the building and to a conference room.

“I thought you guys had changed your mind already,” Gabriel said as he approached them by the car.

Raina smiled. “Sorry, the cake took time. I hope Ronald didn’t get suspicious of anything,” she said to Gabriel.

“No, ma’am. He has been in his office since morning, burying himself with work.”

“So, the conference room is all set. All the staff should be there by the time we get to the top floor. I will call him to say that his attention is needed in the conference room. Is that okay with you?” Gabriel asked Raina.

“That’s fine, except for the fact that I want some time alone with him in his office before the surprise.”

“No problem,” he walked toward Jemma and connected his hand with hers. “Jemma and I will be waiting for you guys in the conference room.”

While Jemma and Gabriel went to join the staff in the conference room, Raina made her way to Ronald’s office.

She was sure he would be very surprised to see her because he warned her not to leave her bed as she was on a seven-day bed rest based on the doctor’s instruction.

At the same time, she couldn’t wait to see the priceless look on his face when he found out about the little surprise party she had planned for him.

Raina decided to go into his office without knocking. She heaved a sigh before turning the handle. The smile she had on her face faded as soon as she saw the unexpected, then hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

Ronald was kissing another woman.

She could not tell who it was because the person’s back was turned to her, but from the expensive dress she was wearing and the purse placed on Ronald’s desk, she could tell the lady was a high-class lady.

Only when the bottle of fruit wine Raina was holding fell did the duo, who had their tongues down each other’s throats, notice her presence.

“Shit!” Ronald muttered. “Raina, I can explain,” he stated, taking slow steps to where she was.

“Don’t you dare!” she said with gritted teeth, stopping him from coming closer to her.

Raina’s heart broke when she got a proper view of the person he was kissing.

Annabelle Luca, his ex, Alessandra’s mom.

More tears rolled down Raina’s cheeks. “How long has this been going on?” she demanded.

“Raina, it’s not what you thin—”

“You bastard; I trusted you, I let you in, I told you my deepest secret, I showed you my scar, and this is how you repay me?

“You men are all the same.”

Ronald ran his fingers through his hair. “Raina, please let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you were kissing her because you no longer love me? Or because I don’t come from a high-class family?”

“You know that’s not true, Raina. You know I love you for who you are.”

Raina wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “I thought you did, but it turned out I was wrong.”

She glanced at Annabelle, who smirked at her, and said, “You are a disgrace to our fellow women. What mother, in her right senses, would abandon her child after birth?

“For heaven’s sake, you even sold your daughter in exchange for a fortune. Seven years later, you walk back into your ex’s life when you are aware that he is married.

“Words can’t describe how cruel you are. You both don’t deserve Alessandra. She’s too perfect for the two of you.”

“Raina, it’s not what you think. I swear on the life of our son,” Ronald said with a teary voice.

“Don’t bring my son into this. No wonder you were eager to leave the house. She is the emergency you had to attend to.

“I guess she’s the one that’s been calling you for the past few days whenever you give excuses that you have to answer an important call.

“We are done, Ronald,” she said, then tried to take off her wedding band, but it wasn’t cooperating. It was stuck to her finger like a second skin, making it hard to remove.

“Raina, don’t, please,” Ronald said with pleading eyes.

“I will send you the ring when I succeed in taking it off, along with the divorce papers.” She turned to leave, then bumped into Gabriel by the door.

“Damn,” Gabriel cursed as soon as he took in the scenario. Raina’s face was puffy from crying; Ronald looked confused, tears in his eyes, his shirt a bit rumpled; and Gabriel could see a lipstick stain on his lips.

Annabelle, on the other hand, stood beside Ronald’s desk without a care in the world.

GABRIEL

“Ronald is not picking up his call. Should I be worried?” Gabriel asked Jemma.

All the staff had gathered in the conference room. Gabriel had already explained what they ought to do. They were just waiting for Ronald to grace them with his presence.

“I don’t know. Maybe he and Raina got carried away. You know how lovey-dovey they can be. Perhaps we should give them more time,” she suggested.

“Maybe I should go and check up on them.”

Suddenly, Ronald’s secretary passed by.

“Alima, was Ronald busy when you left your office?”

“I can’t tell, sir, but he was with a visitor when I left my office.”

“Visitor?” he asked, confused. “But I told you to clear his schedule.”

“I did, but she insisted it was important, and Mr. Gidwani let her in.”

“Her?”

“Miss Annabelle Luca.”

“I knew something wasn’t right.” He handed Jemma his glass of wine and quickly walked out of the conference room.

RONALD

“Raina, please, wait,” Gabriel pleaded.

“No, Gabriel, I just want to go far away. Cancel all that we’ve planned and apologize to the staff, that we are sorry for wasting their time.”

“Whatever it might be, please hear him out,” he pleaded on behalf of his best friend.

“There’s nothing to explain because I saw them! I wonder how long this has been going on for,” she cried.

“Nothing has been going on between Annabelle and me,” Ronald said. “What you saw was just a misunderstanding. She forced herself on me.”

“Liar, that’s what you are! Just stay away from me and my kids.”

Ronald’s heart broke when she made that statement. By mentioning her kids, he didn’t know if it was Adrie and their unborn child she was referring to or Alexa, Adrie, and their unborn child.

He was sure Alexa would never forgive him. She had been deprived of a mother’s love for six years until Raina came into their lives and accepted his offer to be her mother.

Their marriage hadn’t even been a year long, and this was already happening.