When The Wrong One Loves You Right

Bird in a Gilded Cage

From that moment on, I vacillated between panic and happiness. Between worried pacing and radiant smiles. I couldn't have explained myself if I had tried. All day long I caught myself placing a hand over my lower belly, even though it was absurd. It was too soon, too small, to feel any real difference. Two months ago this would have been a total disaster. It probably still was. But I wasn't seeing it that way. Now...I found myself smiling without really realizing it, thinking about the chances of this happening now. I wondered which of us it would resemble...

"I'm meeting with some constituents this afternoon, babe," Marvin commented strolling suddenly into the bedroom. "After that, a few old friends of mine who have deigned to join my little game tonight are coming for dinner."

We were staying at the large estate of a friend of Marvin's who was presently out of the country. Marvin said he liked the seclusion and charm of the English style manor tucked away on Long Island. Perfect, he said, for "entertaining."

I quickly closed the open pregnancy calendar on my phone. According to the calendar my due date would be May 17th. Three days before my father's birthday. But I didn't have time to wrap my head around that; I began rifling through my overnight case with shaking hands. "Oh?" I said in a voice that I prayed didn't wobble.

"You didn't think I'd come back up just for the game, did you, Cam?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

Jesus. The game...

I looked over my shoulder briefly, trying to stay casual, before turning back to my task. "No, I...I just guess I didn't think about it. You still wanna do that?" I asked, scrunching my nose and grimacing as if I thought it was beneath him.

Marvin had crossed the room and was standing right behind me when he next spoke. "If Altman can hold his own against you, he must be pretty good and you know I love a challenge." His hand came up to touch my cheek. "You're not well, Cam. Your mind's been muddled these last few days."

I slowly turned my head to meet his cool blue gaze. I managed to make my face melt into a smile. "A lot's been happening, lately."

Marvin's eyes were like an X-ray, staring through mine as if he could read my thoughts. "It has, hasn't it? Especially for you, babe." 

I almost started when Marvin slowly dragged his hand down my neck, over one of my breasts, to my stomach. My heart rate tripled. He couldn't know, could he? I closed my eyes and feigned tiredness. Turning my head away I yawned.

"I'm just so tried from all these long hours, Marvin. I think I'll lie down."

"That's not like you, Cameron," Marvin stated, his voice hard as steel. He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me up against him. "You wanna tell me what's going on, babe?"

The smile had faded from my lips and I knew I had failed at hiding my fear. Marvin smelled it like a shark scenting blood. I swallowed hard.

"N-nothing, Marvin," I said in a quavering voice. 

He stared at me hard. "You sure there's nothing you wanna tell me?"

I shook my head no, not even trusting my own voice.

His face seemed to turn to stone and he slowly began to nod his head. "I see. How disappointing of you, Cam," he said, calmly and coldly. "I was hoping you'd open up to me. As I'm to be your husband in a couple weeks, it seems only fitting we be perfectly honest with each other. In light of my mayoral run and your rise to first lady status..."

I tried to wrench out of his hold but that was a mistake; he only tightened his arms around me, those iron-like wiry arms clamping me to him. Like a boa constrictor, I knew struggling would only make it worse.