Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 113: Chapter 113

DEMI

"Are you okay?" Anna asks, coming in after Ashley leaves my room. I dry my eyes and sit upright. "What did Ashley say?"

"What else would he say? He’s livid that I didn’t tell him about the baby and partly blames me for his pain." I sniffle and wipe my nose. "This can’t be real, Anna. My baby is gone. I have already lost too much at the hands of this family and now my own child was taken from me." Anna’s arm wraps around me while I choke back my tears.

"Asher did this. He overheard me that night. I felt it in my gut. I thought the worst thing he could do was reveal my pregnancy to the family or at the very least, blackmail me with exposing it." Tears clog my throat. "I didn’t think he hated me this much. How could he kill my baby?"

Anna sobs with me. "I’m so sorry, Demi. You were right all along. He isn’t a good person. He’s a liar and a cheat. I’m so sorry he hurt you. If I hadn’t let him into my life, he wouldn’t have had a reason to come into my house. He wouldn’t have found the pregnancy sticks or overheard our conversation that night. This is also my fault."

"No, don’t blame yourself. It’s ALL my fault. I shouldn’t have been so reckless. Pregnancy was never part of my contract. That child suffered because of my mistake. If I hadn’t gotten drunk, I wouldn’t have allowed Ashley in my bed. I wouldn’t have conceived. I brought this upon myself."

We hug each other and cry some more.

"How am I supposed to move past this? It took a lot to pull myself together and focus on my revenge. Now, I feel broken and weak all over again. They’ve literally taken everything from me."

"You have to be strong. You can’t give up now. You have one more reason to follow through with your plan; your dead child. Find the strength to move on as fast as possible because your problems are far from over." She stares deadpan at me.

"W-What do you mean by that?"

As I stare at mother and Ashley now, I can’t believe Anna had been right. She had overheard Ashley on phone talking to a woman who is undoubtedly his ex. She had heard him mention that the woman was carrying his child.

I don’t know if I would have been more shocked to find out that Nicola is pregnant if I was still carrying Ashely’s child. How devastated would I have been to feel betrayed and played like that? Probably as devastated as I feel now.

Mother’s role in this only worsens my feelings. She always made me feel like I mattered. She convinced me that I was special just for being me and marrying into the family. For that reason, she always tried to take my side instead of Nicci’s. I am shocked to discover how quickly she is switching camps because Nicci is going to bear her long awaited grandchild now. I guess mother is not particularly attached to me but only fancied me when she thought I would help bear her son’s child. Now that another woman’s womb is carrying her heir, she couldn’t care less about me.

Liam is right about this family, about mother. They don’t care about me and never will.

"Nicci is having your baby?"

Tears stream down my face. My body is hardly healed from the loss of my child and here I find my husband and mother-in-law celebrating his ex who is having his baby.

"Demi." Ashley breathes. His eyes dart to his mother’s for support. Typically, mother advances towards me. I stand my ground and give her a burning look.

"Demi, I’m so sorry you had to find out like this. You’re not fully recovered. Please, don’t do anything to aggravate your health."

"What do you care? Your son Asher just ripped my baby out of existence. My husband chooses to blame me for the loss of our unborn baby rather than his brother who orchestrated my attack. Father is probably relieved that I won’t be birthing his grandchild and while I am trying to get past this traumatic experience, I find out that my husband not only cheated on me as usual but he’s now expecting a baby with his ex. You, mother, you are supposed to have pity on me but instead of chiding him for his betrayal, you’re more focused on helping him keep everything out of the press? I can’t believe this."

"Demi, like I said, I am truly sorry for everything that you’ve had to go through at the hands of my sons but I can’t be unjust to Nicci’s innocent child who also happens to be my grandchild simply because Nicci is going to give birth to him/her. The deed has already been done. I can’t change what Ashley has done."

I stagger backwards and close a hand over my mouth to stifle a moan of pain.

"Demi." Ashley calls, coming to touch me but I slap his face.

"Did you also conveniently forget to use a condom or pull out? Did you plan this to punish me when you thought I wasn’t prepared to give you a child?"

down my face more. "I thought you were one of the good guys, Ash. I didn’t think you would hurt

"Please Demi..."

slap him

Ashley warns her

I fucked up. I shouldn’t

"How could you? I turned a blind eye at first because of the nature of our contract but when you asked me to give you a real chance, I thought having your loyalty would be a given. You snuck back in her bed and got her pregnant to get back at me for what? Tell me, Ashley? Tell me why

"Calm down, Demi."

at mother. Again, Ashley ranges himself between us so mother will let me air my feelings. I am not the least bit impressed by his protection right now. I wish he had

let your jealousy consume and blind you to the reality which is that neither Ashton nor I are willing to pursue whatever feelings we might have for each other. We have moved on with our different lives. I expected you to trust me on that but no, you ran to your exe’s bed to stroke your manly ego and this is the result. I hope you’re finally happy. You’re going to be a dad after all. And mother, this must be a dream come true for

says nothing in

didn’t set out to hurt you. The pregnancy

difference between Nicci and I is that Asher won’t be going after her child like he did mine." I swipe the tears in my eyes. "I don’t think he would have done it even if he found out about

will say about this

whirl to exit the room, mother’s hand shoots

to say

I kept him in the dark about it. Why then is he

to remember the innocent child in this. I will tell everyone in the family everything eventually but the timing isn’t great right now. You just lost

"I

From the corner of my eye, I notice how mother grips Ashley’s hand when he tries to come after me. My blood is boiling and I

murderer! Come

I bang on Asher’s door once more and yell for him to come out again. Mother tries in vain to get through to me but hers is the last voice I’ll listen to right now. When Asher steps out,

How could you?" My whole body shudders with sobs. I slap his face and fist my hands in the lapels of his shirt. "The child you killed was your own blood! How could you hate me so much that you were

"Demi, please stop."

shrug off the hands trying to

it? Are you satisfied now or do you still want my

hands and breaks my grip. Gently,

it burns and scream at the top of my lungs

should have stuck with our original contract terms but you didn’t listen. Now, your brother has killed my child

thunders from the far end of the hall. A sudden chill goes up my spine but I ignore it. I am

what Asher did to me. He is responsible for my miscarriage. I lost your grandchild because of him." Fresh tears roll down my face as I gesture towards Asher who hangs his head low in front

a heavy slap knocks me down on the floor. Loud gasps of shock follow. Through the curtain of my shaggy hair, I touch my sore cheek and look up at my father-in-law’s

and squats to place

a monster!" Father warns

I mutter, still holding my cheek

happened was an accident. Get over it. Besides, it’s just as you said. Having kids wasn’t part of the agreement you signed with my

Mother scolds him while helping me up.

in head as I continue to retain my heartbroken

shrugging off her hands and shutting my door. Inside, I want to rip my own hair out of my head or break everything on my dresser but I don’t even have the energy to do anything. I just sink on my bed

to find the strength to move on very fast. It’s almost like a switch flips in my head. I dry my eyes and

And somehow, I know it won’t stop here. Well, sentiments be damned. I’m coming

fact, you don’t, pretend to be nice when you’re a mean, hateful woman rooting for their downfall. They won’t see me

family and when I fail to answer, he uses a spare key to unlock my door and enter. I have barely slept a wink. He personally delivers my meals to my room and begs me to eat when he finds my breakfast and lunch