MONICA POV

THE NEXT DAY

my stomach growled as I looked at the cakes from the opposite side of the street. They looked delicious and I craved to have a taste but I knew that wasn't going to be possible.

I had a chance of making my life better yesterday and I messed things up. I regret everything. I regret not going to college, I regret marrying Ethan, and I regret ever trusting Mia.

Remembering everything that happened fee says back just made tears gather in my eyes "No Monica, you don't have to cry for that asshole. He doesn't deserve you" I muttered under my breath but my eyes and heart seemed to disagree with what my lips were saying.

I'm grateful that I'm wearing a hoodie that can cover my face so no one can see that I'm crying. I walked to a corner and rested my head on the wall as I sobbed heavily. I just couldn't control myself and my emotions were all over the place. "I'm a failure" I muttered to myself, accusing myself of not being able to convince Mr Nicholas to accept my proposal.

"Hey you" I heard a sharp voice from across the street and I looked over the road to find the same man who took me out of the restaurant yesterday calling out to me but my heart began racing in fear.

I took three steps backward and I hit a hard wall or so I thought "Ouch" I turned around to see a huge tall man standing and looking at me "What do you want from me?" I asked in a panic, seeing I was caged by two men in an empty street.

"Come with us"

"Why?" I asked, crossing my hands in an X pattern on my chest intending to defend myself.

"Because Mr Nicholas wants to see you" his response made a glimpse of Hope flick in my eyes.

★★★★★

"Sir she is here" I heard the man announce the instant we entered into a huge well well-furnished study.

"Leave us" I heard Mr Nicholas's deep voice and for some strange reason, it sent chills down my spine. I looked at his eyes and his piercing gaze just made my hands tremble slightly. I instantly hid my hands behind my back so he didn't notice my hands shaking. "Sit down" he ordered and I instantly complied.

He brought out a paper and pushed it towards me."what's this?" I asked in confusion.

"Read it" he replied and I instantly began to read it and my eyes popped out at the words on the paper. "A contract?" I asked surprisingly.

"You will not share the same bed with me. You will not share the same room with me. You will not interfere in anything I do in this house. Don't try to act like a good wife because your duty here is to pretend to be my wife and my baby's mother. The child you're carrying will be mine. I'm responsible for this child till when he is old but I'm not responsible for you"

"But that is impossible. You can't_" I tried to say something but he just cut me short.

"I'm not done talking," he said and I instantly fell silent. "I will only be responsible for you as long as you're pregnant but once that baby is out, I'm no longer responsible for you but the baby. That child will be mine forever and everyone will know it as my child"

"So what if you get married or something " I asked, trying to understand him clearly.

"Don't worry about that. I have no intentions of marrying anyone in forty years so claiming your baby as my child is a very big advantage to me" he responded. "The contract is just for a year and after one year, we're out of each other's life for good"

I read through the contract carefully and I saw something that made me almost jump for joy "Thirty thousand dollars a month?" I asked in shock, trying to contain my happiness.

He smirked "Thirty thousand dollars as long as you're pregnant with that child"

My smile instantly dropped as I looked at the paper again and realized he was saying facts. I continued reading the paper and got bored of reading it so I just sighed in the space that needed my signature and handed the paper over to him.

"Good so now let's go to the hospital" Mr Nicholas's words made me frown slightly as I couldn't understand what we were going to the hospital for.

★★★★★

"Okay, Mr Nicholas the results are out" I heard the doctor as he reached out to Mr Nicholas with a neatly folded white paper in his hand.

"Open it" Mr Nicholas ordered with a serious gaze.

"Sir I think it will be preferable if you opened it yourself" The doctor's constant curious gaze towards me made me uncomfortable as I shifted in my seat.

"Open it or lose your job" Nicholas's response made the doctor's eyes widenened as he instantly retracted his hands and opened the folded paper.

"Mr. Nicholas, according to the test carried out on_" He looked at me and didn't know what to say but turned the paper and looked at my name " on Ms Monica, the result shows negative" My heart instantly stopped beating as the world around me seemed to pause.

"What does that mean?" Mr. Nicholas asked his eyes brows already furrowing

"It means she is not pregnant sir "Nicholas's gaze landed on me and it suddenly felt cold in the room. I started shaking like someone who was poured a bucket of cold water.

"Explain yourself" he ordered and I just fumbled with my hands as confusion took over my mind.

"I_I I don't understand what he is saying" I blurted out slowly.

"He said you're not pregnant. Is that true?" Mr Nicholas clenched his fist and I knew he was just trying to keep himself from exploding.

"No, it's not true. You have to believe me, sir. I'm pregnant" I uttered with uncertainty. The test result from Jason showed I was two months gone and now, I don't know what's going on but I knew that this new piece of information wasn't going to favour me.