Hell & Heaven | Yoon Jeonghan

XLII. Deception

Flashback

Almost 30 years ago

"Where are you off too?" asked a young Claude Riva who was in the early phases of his married life.

"I can't seem to reach Kade, you are not the only one with a significant other, brother" Catalin replied annoyance, evident in her face. She knew her brother was just looking out for her, she knew Kade was not in the good graces of her family but nevertheless she loved him. Her brother just nodded and went about with his business.

Kade proposed to Catalin after a year of courting her, and she said yes but lately he felt a little distant and she wanted to know why. Her worries led her to confide in her friend Abigail, who comforted her and gave her encouragement. Now she was driving to his place and talk to him, if only she knew what she would witness.

The sight she was greeted with left her in shambles, she used to be someone who could see all the possibilities from good to bad happening but she never thought of this betrayal. She caught her best friend and fiance in a position that she shouldn't have. Kade pushed off Abigail as soon as he saw Catalin but it was too late, she wanted to get away from all of them in that moment.

On one side she had her mother who was doting on her to be the perfect heir, and on the other hand she had the love that she wanted but not anymore. Telling her mother that she needed a break was not difficult, she even granted it but not knowing when she would return was the question. It was a hasty decision at first, she didn't wait for an explanation from Kade or Abigail, it was all clear but deep within she still cared about them so she kept what she saw to herself. She knew what would happen to them once her family knows what would happen.

Six months passed after she came to Germany, she came to know she had become an aunt, her nephew Kaius was born, her family was getting worried and questioned why she was stalling her own marriage, whenever they had that conversation, it would only end in arguments. Kade tried to reach out to her but she didn't reciprocate, she was liking being alone, being just a grown independent woman with no pressure of running a growing business empire on her shoulders.

But then she got to know from an informer, that Abigail might be pregnant, it was no question that whether Kade was the father, maybe that's why he was desperately trying to contact, even to beg for forgiveness and spare them both to raise the child. So she decided to finally meet him but he wasn't alone, her once best friend with a visible baby bump was also with him. Shameless, she thought, just how can a person stoop so low and have no conscience at all. None of them spoke as it was evident from Catalin's face the anger she was hiding but the way she was terrifying calm scared them more.

"Did you just come here to stare at places or what?" She questioned uninterested.

"I'm sorry....we're sorry" Kade stuttered, unable to look the other in the eye.

"Well I'm pretty sure you both are not, you even knocked her up and she feels so proud of that I bet, really transparent" She knew them long enough to read them, the comment threw off Abigail, her eyes widened upon hearing it. "Where you going behind my back to warm his bed when you said he was only mine? I bet you were smirking internally like you won in life or something, so low of you Abigail, you just reminded me that humans are indeed untrustworthy vicious beings" Catalin went on. "How did it feel to get my leftovers?" At this point Catalin didn't care about anything, whether the other was with child or what she just couldnt care.

"Catalin!" Kade exclaimed while Abigail stared at her in fury, eyes brimming with tears, she never thought she would be in this situation, two people not her blood but who she considered family, breaking her heart.

"Stop yelling and get to point before I say more hurtful words, don't want the negativity to get to the innocent child" She replied, cold looking him right in the eye.

"It just happened, We never thought it would get to this point, I'm sorry but we're having this child" Kade said apologetic.

"Don't tell me you came all the way to get my blessings or something" She scoffed, the audacity of these two, she thought. Abigail stood up and went away, leaving the two.

"Nobody else knows what happened, even your family, but if they do then you know what will happen" Kade reasoned "the pregnancy is also a secret, but what I wanted to say is if you could call of the engagement then maybe we can solve all this" He carefully answered. Catalin laughed in return.

"The more you speak the more I'm questioning my own past choices, just what did I see in you? were you always like this?" She couldn't believe what he was telling her, it was a solution, yes, but it will be evident what transpired between the three.

"I'm sorry for what I caused but I still love you, it's selfish but the child, we never could have a child and it just" At this point he was just blabbering.

"Kade are you even hearing yourself?!" Catalin asked in disbelief.

"When she told me she was pregnant and I'm the father, I was still trying to get to you but I decided to support whatever decision she makes and she decided to keep the baby, what me and Abigail had was not love and we both know that, it's just we both know you are not able to conceive so I was thinking if we could put all this in the past and move forward, we could adopt the child but I realized there is no going back" He looked at her with sad eyes. And Catalin was speechless.