Lion's Pride

Chapter 8 (Part 3)

D . a . n . i . e . l . l . e

"HEY JANICE," I GREET.

"Long time no see?" She says with enthusiasm. I take the moment to look over her glowing skin and beautiful protruding belly. I could tell that she was happy, happier than one would or could imagine. She had this radiating vibe coming from her wide smile and chinky eyes that just couldn't be put into words. Being pregnant was a beautiful thing for all women around the world. Pregnancy is one of the toughest things a mother could go through besides losing her child. Maybe Kane really was happy now or at least he made it seem that way with how Janice looked and presumably felt. She wore a white frame fitting dress, complimenting her baby bump. A seamless part in the middle of her straightened hair looked elegant to compliment her features.

"You could say," I smile. The way that I held in the pain behind those words could have me at the Oscars in no time. I was dying inside but you just couldn't tell by the way I smoothly played off. "And how are you?"

"I'm okay, just trying to live my life day by day actually." Janice sighs a dramatic one. "Your looking great though Danielle."

"Thanks, you do too." I say in all truth. Janice nods her head and looks down at her stomach, running a hand over it. I look too, almost wanting to hurl the breakfast from earlier all over the pretty marble floors. I never had any ill will towards the woman before me. My problem wasn't with Janice in all honesty. Kane held more loyalty to me than she did. Hell, I barely even know the girl.

"We're having twins, two boys actually. Kane mentioned once that he has always wanted a son so when he found out that he was getting not one but two of them, he couldn't have been any more happier." Janice says when she finally catches my gaze as it stays focused on her stomach for a little longer than I had originally thought. I cough a little, clearing my throat. Tank rolls his eyes, sending snake activity behind those words.

"Congrats," it feels like I've said that one too many times than I should have.

"Thanks. It means a lot coming from you." At that moment, I still couldn't tell if she was really being genuine by saying that. There was something off about the way she spoke the sentence that didn't resonate well with me. I push that thought to the side, not really forgetting it.

"By that you mean?" I ask seriously confused.

"Well," Janice moves in closer to me, putting her small hand on my shoulder. I furrow my eyebrows, wanting to shake her hand off of me, but I didn't. I wasn't too keen on people touching me without my permission. Especially people I didn't particularly know. "Well, I just think that any woman that has a calm mind towards the girl that stole her man from her and stole the opportunity to have his children first, is an amazing, strong woman."

At first, I didn't react to what she had said until it sunk into my brain for a while. Tank had caught on to what was meant and scrunches his face up in a disgusting manner. He could see the jealousy written all over Janice's face. The amount of offense, shade and disrespect she had just hit me with was almost numbing to me. My body wanted to lunge itself forward so badly but I refrain. My mind wanders aimlessly as it is telling me to walk away from her and continue on with my life like she never even existed. It seemed to baffle me that Kane spoke of our matters to Janice in a deeper way than he had even spoken of them to me.  Sooner or later I gather myself and my mind before I finally decide to speak up.

"You did what now?" I squint my eyes.

"I stole your man, right?" She says again with pride as if I hadn't heard her the first time.