Winter's Love (HFTB Book #2)

[1] Clear Reading

I have long since given up on William ever coming back to the manor, ever since I heard that he moved back to his apartment with Brittany. That's right: Brittany. The bitch he slept with one night 7 months ago when he thought I was sleeping with his dad and blah blah blah! Apparently, Claire was right when she announced to William and I that Brittany was expecting, and we didn't believe it. I didn't believe it until I saw a tabloid with my husband on the front page cradling Brittany's stupid pregnant belly.  The tabloid read: Recently Wed William Winters is Expecting a Baby! But Who's the Baby Mama? It's Certainly Not His New Wife!

The only thing the stupid paper got wrong was that I too was pregnant with William's baby. Of course, next week's tabloid corrected that mistake: Recently Wed William Winters is Expecting TWO BABIES! One From His New Wife and Another From His MISTRESS! And in smaller letters: Both babies conceived before marriage! Scandalous!

And there I was, standing alone, looking out the window of Winter Manor, looking completely devastated, and there she was, with William by her side, shopping for baby clothes, looking like the happiest fucking couple in the world.

I threw the tabloid across the room. It slammed into the wall and caused a few vases around the room to shake before settling. Still angered, I threw a pillow, then a blanket, then a book, and everything within reach all around the room, and threw it has hard as I could.

That was supposed to be me! He was supposed to go shopping with me for clothes for our child, picking out furniture, baby proofing the whole manor. That was supposed to be us...

I collapsed to the ground but refused to cry. I had already cried too many times these past few weeks. I could fill a damn pool at this point.

A tentative knock on my door caught my attention and I rose to my feet, cringing as the child inside kicked in protest. I waddled over to the door, a hand over my belly and another on my back. I just barely unlocked the door when the person on the other side sped inside.

Daniel Winters surveyed the room before resting his eyes on me. His face turned relieved as he saw me standing by his side with an annoyed look on my face.

Daniel cleared his throat before asking, "Are you all right? We heard shouts and...much thumping."

I waved my hand around the room and declared, snarkily, "Yeah, I was... coping."

He rolled his eyes and pulled me out the door, stating, "You and your tantrums. You're becoming worse than Charlotte when she was twelve."

I huffed," I thought you didn't take care of your children. I thought you sent the twins away to England when they were much younger, so how would you know what they were like?"

Daniel glared at me and didn't say anything for a beat before he said, "You don't know what you're talking about. And I would suggest not angering me further, Anna, don't want your blood pressure risen for Dr. Maya."

We didn't say anything all the way until we reached my ob-gyn's office.

Dr. Maya smiled at me as we walked in, eyes lingering a bit longer on Daniel. "Good morning Anna, Mr. Winters. How are we today?"

"Fine."

"Temperamental."

I glanced darkly at my father-in-law before restating, "I'm fine. The baby's fine. We're all fine. There's no need for worry because everything is fine, Dr. Maya, Daniel is just exaggerating."

"Uh huh." She glanced at Daniel, "Is she fine, Mr. Winters?"

"I just said---"

"Truthfully, she's not. She's anything but fine. I caught her in a tantrum earlier, throwing things around like a child--- and it wasn't the first time either. She's been eating less these past few weeks and has been in a sour mood for four. Anna refuses to leave the house unless it's for these appointments and she only showers when absolutely necessary, Doctor. She's lingering in the past and refuses to catch up to her present, to her reality."