Being his wife

Chapter One

"Nina, come to mommy, come on!", Gina called, her hands outstretched, eagerly waiting for her daughter to take her first steps.

Nina wiggled, still gripping the edge of the chair. She kept her eyes fixed on her mother's hands as if trying to figure out how to move her legs towards her. She let go of the chair, still looking at her.

"Come on, baby," Gina said gently as the baby hesitated for a moment, then took a shaky step forward. Just as Gina's heart leaped with excitement, the door burst open, and Marcel came running in, slamming it shut behind him, startling the baby, who stumbled and fell to the floor.

"Marcel Junior!" Gina shouted and scooped up the crying baby.
"Shhh...I'm sorry, Baby, it's okay," she said, holding Nina close, trying to make her stop crying. She dropped her in the tub and turned the water on.
"Shooo!" Marcel played around with his water gun. 

"Stop that, Marcel! I've told you to play outside with those," she scolded, and got Baby ready for bath.

Marcel came and touched her cheeks. "Baby, Baby," he cooed, making Baby giggle through her tears.
"Do you want to join Baby?" Gina asked.
"No!" he said, running off again. As he reached the door, Joseph caught him and lifted him up, making him burst into laughter.
"You have to take your bath first," Joe said and played with him.

"What is Seth doing?" Gina asked Joe.
"He's with Uncle Liam in the study."
"And Rosa, is she back?"
"Not yet."
"Alright," Gina said, wrapping Nina in a towel. "Give him a bath and take yours too. We should be ready before Rosa gets back," she added, leaving the bathroom to dress Nina.

...

Gina glanced at herself in the mirror, holding up two different earrings to see which matched her dress better. Just then, Seth walked in, papers in one hand and his phone pressed to his ear. Gina turned, waiting for him to finish his call.

"We're going to be late," she said as he hung up, and Seth stopped and looked at her.
He had been battling on how to tell her that he wouldn't be able to attend the kids' birthday party.
He placed the papers on the bed and walked over to her, kissing her softly on the cheek. "You look beautiful," he murmured.
"Take your bath and get ready," she said, turning back to the mirror. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't be coming, but she still held on to the hope that he would.

"I can't," he finally said. Gina picked the other earring and cuffed it. She didn't say a word or smile.
"But I promise I'll come once I'm done at the office, hm?"
Gina checked herself and stood up, ignoring him. He reached out and gently took her hand.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I really tried, but I have so much to do, I promise I'll come",
"I've heard you," she said, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes before walking away.

In the car, Gina fumed silently. He had made them shift Marcel's birthday to Baby's because he was busy on that day. And now, once again, he was prioritising work over them.
Marcel is two and Baby is turning one, he should always be there for them.

Throughout the party, she kept glancing at the door, hoping he would walk in. But he never did.

Doubts and regrets crept into her mind, as they sometimes did. Maybe she shouldn't have left home, maybe she could have endured her mother's constant nagging. Maybe she shouldn't have listened to Nicki about the surrogacy deal. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have met Seth, and she wouldn't have Marcel and Nina.

But then, this was as far as those thoughts went. She knew Seth loved them, but it was becoming clear that something else mattered more to him—something that always came first.

That night, Gina pretended to be asleep when Seth finally came home. She heard the door open, the soft rustle of his movements, but she didn't stir.

The next day, she avoided him. He tried to make amends, bringing gifts for the kids, trying to be funny, but Gina wasn't having it. And he knew he had crossed a line that simple apologies couldn't fix.