𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

Chapter Fifty-Four

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Imani couldn't have thought she was pregnant in a million years. Initially, she thought it was fatigue because of lack of sleep or stress, not pregnancy. If Mrs. Fernandos hadn't insinuated it, she would have bought over-the-counter sleeping pills.

Now she was pregnant. Her heart raced each time she thought of it, which was frequent.

Having Matthew's baby while they were estranged was not ideal, but Imani thanked the gods because now she had a reason to approach him.

She should be frightened, Imani argued, but she wasn't. Her body was at that moment naturing Matt's body, and she couldn't have been happier.

She was to be a mother again at twenty-four, she smiled, and then it disappeared as she remembered how much she'd hurt Matthew to the point of him blocking her from contacting him. She couldn't blame him.

She had no choice but to go through father Josè, which was one of the most awkward and embarrassing conversations she'd had.

When her phone rang the following day at barely seven in the morning, Imani knew it was Matt.

"Hi." one word, but her heart filled with joy hearing him.

"Hi. Thank you for calling," she responded, burrowing further into her beddings. There was tension in their conversation. Like they were strangers other than two people deeply in love with each other.

Matthew exhaled slowly, making sure she wouldn't hear it. This was the reason he'd blocked her. The mere sound of her voice almost brought him to his knees. That is how much he loved and craved her.

"Father Josè called me." awkward silence followed.

"Are you really pregnant?"

What did he really think? That I would lie to a priest. Imani inwardly raged

"Do you think I would lie to him and you?"

"I don't know, would you?" Matthew asked. Even though he had been ready to start a family with another woman, it didn't mean he had fallen out of love with Imani.  He was still desperately in love with her, but he no longer trusted her.

"I'm not lying. I have confirmed with a doctor."

"An Obstetrician?"

"No. A general practitioner." Imani mumbled, almost to herself. She hated that she couldnt tell how he felt about the baby, and especially that she couldn't read from his tone."

She missed how close they use to be. She couldn't blame him for the distance between them.

"What time would you like Pete to pick you up?"

"To where?"

He didn't respond for a while and then said, " to see a specialist."  he said it as if he was speaking to a slow person. Like it should have been obvious.

"Why do you I'm lying?" There was bitterness and disbelief in my voice.

"No. Why would I when you've already said you aren't lying?"

"Then why do we need a specialist?"

"To check both you and the baby. You need medical care."

Imani's breath hitched when he said that. it sounded like he cared; she felt like a cat needing attention.

"I will be ready at ten." once she said that, Matt hung up.

He felt mixed emotions when he hung up, joy, fear, and uncertainty.

He didn't know how Imani felt about the baby, and he couldn't ask if she detested it. He knew how worried she had been about the idea of not being able to provide for Jamie, but with his baby, she would never have to work a single day in her life.

Matthew put the thought in the corner of his mind to retrieve later as he dialed Olivia's number. He wanted to break the news in person, so he called her for breakfast.

She picked on the last tone. Olivia liked to have the men in her life on tenterhooks, wanting her more.

"Would you have time to have breakfast with me today?"

"Sure, Matt." while he considered her to be a good partner, Matthew hated it when she called him Matt. It didn't sound the same as Imani. Hers sounded so forced, while Imani sounded sultry and friendly.

Their breakfast was like every other meal they had together. Tedious. Matthew had realized in the early stages of their relationship that Olivia liked to talk about herself and name-dropping. In hindsight, it was crazy to have imagined such a woman to be his wife.

"I called you because I have something to tell you,"  Matt began; Olivia smiled coyly, thinking the time had come for him to propose. She had wondered why he hadn't pushed her into bed. Every straight man wanted her; they got off with images of her.

"I'm sorry we have to break up." Her eyes widened as if the pupil would pop out. She expected a ring, not a breakup.

She was one of the most popular, highest-paid models in the industry today. Why would he break up with her?

What had changed? Olivia was convinced Matthew had wanted to marry her. She had seen the signs.

"Why?"

"There is a woman pregnant with my child." she heard pride and joy in his voice.

"You were seeing another woman?"

"Before I met you." he didn't know why he had to explain himself, yet he did. He owed her an explanation.

"Do you love her?" Olivia asked in a breathy tone.

He didn't answer. It wasn't her business.

"She is the reason you couldn't sleep with me." it was more a statement than a question. Matthew knew it was. He couldn't bring himself to sleep with her even though he had told himself a hundred times that Imani did not deserve his love.

Even though Olivia was graceful at that time, she carried a grudge within her that pushed her to sell that piece of information to the highest bidder to mean Matt cheated.

Imani's joke became a premonition.

Billionaire secret baby became a headline. When Pete picked her up, he said Matthew had instructed him to tell her to pack up a few things they would need for a long while.

Jamie was delighted to see Matt again, however they couldn't stay with him. He wanted Imani safe from the media, so he called Rom for help.

"Sure. They can stay with us as long as they need.

They didn't have time to talk about the pregnancy in that time. Imani hope they would soon because she couldn't take the tension.

She wanted to know how he felt about it.

"Are you ready?" Matt asked her, looking into her eyes. It was the first time he'd looked at her in the short hours they had been in each other's company.

"Yes." she breathed, and then Matt gave his pilot the go-ahead.

    Imani about to meet the girls.
♦️
    Xoxo