Hidden Mask of a betrayed son-in-law

Chapter 3.

“Your wife is one month and three weeks pregnant!” The Doctor announced with a smile, as he sat down, pulling his chair close to his desk. 

“What?!” Derek screamed with widened eyes. “That's not true!” He added with shock written all over his face. 

“Why? Is she not your wife?” The Doctor asked with a confused look. 

“Yes…of course she is! I'm just a bit surprised. It's been four years actually!” He muttered bitterly, scratching the back of his head. 

“Doctor! Please, I'm just trying to be sure. Can you check the child's paternity?” Derek whispered to the doctor, with a pleading look. Just then his phone rang and it was Jaden. 

“Excuse me Doctor,” he said, raising a finger towards the doctor for a pause and turned slightly to answer the call. 

“Boss, just checked on a little information on this guy. His name is Nicole Calloway, only son with just his mom living. He came back to town about three days ago and it was your wife who welcomed him from the airport,” Jaden narrated while Derek waited patiently for him to conclude. 

“Okay, let's see in the next hour. I think there is a major problem!” He muttered and ended the call immediately. 

“Sorry doctor, that was uhm…. Nothing actually,” he stammered, running his hands through his hair. 

“Look Mr Derek! Your wife is stressed lately, her body is under too much stress. And she is being seriously affected. She needs enough rest for sometime to normalize her pregnancy hormones,” the doctor warned cautiously. 

“As for the paternity test…..” 

“Don't worry about the question I asked earlier,” Derek cut him off with a sad smile. “Do you suggest she stops work?” He asked curiously, to be sure of how to talk to Maureen. 

“If she can quit work for a few days and continue later, then it's perfectly okay,” the doctor suggested, and handed him a confirmed pregnancy test document. 

“Please doctor, I want to beg you dearly. I will summon the whole family, so you can say these things to their faces. Not like I'm scared to tell them but they will believe you more than anyone else,” he pleaded with the doctor and the doctor agreed. 

“Gosh! This was never part of the plan. How the fuck did this happen,” he thought to himself, trying to remember the first and last time they had sex. 

He remembered the previous month ago, which was Maureen's birthday, while they had some unresolved issues. Maureen hosted her party at a luxurious hotel and got wasted at the party. 

Her best friend Ella and one other girl brought her back home. One thing led to the other and he gave in to her advances as it had been a long time they touched each other. 

“Fuck!” He muttered quietly, hissing under his breath. 

Maureen was already up gisting with her mom, when the doctor entered with Derek. The look on the Doctor's face and that of Derek told everyone that something is probably wrong. 

“Does she have any health complications, doctor?” Mr Alexander asked the doctor, as everyone looked up to him anxiously. 

Except for Derek who knew what the problem was. Derek had determined to see to the end of this because his child was involved. 

The doctor handed over the pregnancy results to Mr Alexander and his jaw dropped in shock. He extended it to his wife and Maureen snatched it from her immediately. 

“What the hell? One month what?!” Maureen screamed in shock, with widened eyes. She looked up to Derek and then back to the paper she was holding. 

“How is this even possible? Look, If this is your plan to keep me with you then you have failed! Because clearly it won't work,” Maureen fired at him angrily. 

“Can you stop being dramatic, everything is basically not about you!” Derek retorted angrily at her, which got everyone surprised. 

“I don't know what issues you might have had with your husband, but your health is at risk. You are over-stressing yourself and it can cause early miscarriages, and you might end up getting badly affected” the Doctor pointed out and Maureen's eyes furrowed in anger. 

“You need to be under care at least a few days before you resume work again,” the doctor concluded and left the room quietly. 

Derek followed him behind, going to sit outside the room. His head was full. “How could she think of me that way,” he thought to himself. 

“If not for this pregnancy issue, no one would have seen me at the hospital by this time,” he muttered to himself, running his hands through his head over and over again. 

Meanwhile inside the room where Maureen is admitted, her parents were seen Pacing up and down. Thinking of how best to resolve this without public exposure. 

“I can't accept this pregnancy,” Maureen's mom blurted out angrily. 

“Me too,” Maureen added and her father glared at both of them angrily. 

“Your life is at stake and you still have the energy to run your mouth?” Her father growled painfully. 

“This is no longer about anything, but about where you will be properly taken care of till you give birth,” Mr Alexander muttered cautiously. 

“Nicole just came back, putting this responsibility on him will create an immediate public scandal,” he added, tucking his hands in his pockets. 

“Dad, I hope you are not suggesting what I'm thinking,” Maureen questioned eagerly, looking at him for a negative reply. 

“Hell no! My daughter won't remain with that poor man for another whole year!” Maureen's mom retorted angrily, “I can't accept this, it won't go your way this time again!” She included sharply. 

“Dad! I agreed to marry Derek because of you in the first place, and you still want me to get stuck with him even with Nicole returning back?” Maureen cried out painfully. 

“You want to jump to Nicole immediately without investigating his actual reason for disappearance?” Mr Alexander yelled at them both, instilling fear into them. 

“Don't you know people are watching, if this goes out to the public, the humiliation is worse than anything else,” he says, now more calmly than before. 

Just as they were still talking, Derek badged into the room and they all went quiet. 

“Look Derek,” Mr Alexander spoke up. 

“Due to this pregnancy case, every divorce arrangement is paused till she gives birth,” Mr Alexander concluded, glaring at Derek. 

Derek scoffed and stared at them one after the other, finally fixing his gaze on Maureen who rolled her eyes at him. 

“I have a condition then!” Derek muttered, walking close to them.