Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 153: Chapter 153

ASHLEY

"What the hell are you saying, doctor? How did this happen?" My heart is thudding in my chest as I try to make head and tail of what Nicci’s doctor is saying to me right now. Tears cloud my eyes when he explains Nicci’s sudden sickness and strange bleeding on the island. With shaky hands and a shakier voice, I ask him the hardest question.

"And my baby?"

"I’m sorry, Mr. Ashley. It was miscarried."

My vision blurs for a long minute and every other sound drawls to silence around me. I neither hear my phone clatter to the floor or my brothers rushing forward to check on me. After a few violent shakes, I snap out of it.

"Ashley, what’s wrong, man? You’re tearing up." Ashal pulls me into a hug while Ashton grabs my phone and redials the doctor’s line. He listens quietly to him with a somber expression on his face. Asher descends from the stairs and joins us.

"What’s going on?"

"Nicci lost the baby." Ashton reveals to everyone. A fresh stab of pain lances through my heart. I never thought I was already attached to my unborn baby, never thought its death would hit me this hard unlike my experience with Demi’s. I guess the promise of a new life and new status as a father has been the one good thing about my fucked existence lately.

"Calm down, Ash." Asher pats my shoulders. "Get a grip on yourself."

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" I snap at him. Suddenly, memories of his planned brutality towards mine and Demi’s child fills my head. "You know nothing about how I feel." I scratch my head roughly while a sickening laugh spills off my lips. "I wanted that baby! I needed...how could you understand? Huh? How could you ever understand, Asher? You demand yours be aborted in two heartbeats because having a child would cramp your ambitious goals. We’re not the same. How could you possibly expect me to just get over such a huge loss?"

"Whoa, Whoa, that’s enough." Ashton and Ashal circle me while Asher stands stunned into silence by my sudden harsh accusation. "Cool it, Ashley. We know you’re hurting right now and we are deeply pained by it but there’s no need to be vindictive."

"Vindictive?" I ask Ashal. "Have you quickly forgotten who tipped father off about Demi’s pregnancy? I lost my child because he craved to please father. Nicci’s miscarriage was clearly an act of God but Demi’s? She could have carried the baby to full term if certain people hadn’t gotten involved." Pain wracks my soul as I recount Demi’s attack. Tears blur my eyes. "Maybe, just maybe I would have found solace in that baby given the eventual loss of Nicci’s. Why can’t anything go right for me?"

I sink to the floor and bury my head between my thighs.

"Why am I cursed?"

My brothers wrap their arms around me and console me for the next few hours.

***

"Are you okay?"

I look up from the swimming pool as Asher enters with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He sits next to me with his feet dangling in the water.

"I’ve been better." I accept the glass he offers but set it aside when he attempts to pour me a drink. "I’m sorry but I don’t want to numb the pain. I need to feel my child’s loss. It’s the last thing we can share."

Asher puts away the

"How’s Nicci?"

under supervision." I sigh deeply. "Mother can’t find

"Say no more."

earlier. I didn’t mean

His eyes drift over the pool, to the grayness that lies just beyond the towering walls. "Yeah, I’m not ready

We laugh a bit.

you might actually desire parenthood. I was too engrossed with getting rid of Demi that I shelved your own feelings about her pregnancy. I just want you to know that I am not that guy

"Thanks, Ash."

though it’s going to be a slow, tortuous process for him. I am glad

crane our heads as Ashal comes jogging

you guys need to

he doing here? If his smug expression is any indication, father must have brought him along. My eyes dart upstairs, hoping mother

his eyes raking the faces of the men and women. The sight of the family lawyer makes my

present when I tackled this matter once and for all. I’ve got too much going on to be sidetracked by flimsy lies fed to my gullible son. You want to know the details of your adoption? These elderly gentleman and lady over here work for the orphanage where your mother and I adopted you boys as babies. They have records of all the meetings we had with your biological parents before signing the adoption papers. There are

"Ashton, why

then walks forward to sample

"Won’t you join him?"

us not

or tries to draw us into the conversation. He knows the risk he is taking and carefully

to know if they left any records of a next of kin, an emergency contact,

head. "They seemed to be going through a hard time financially

you know

know that?" Father queries

small town. I’m sure lots of people knew about things that happened

Ashton. "Last I heard, they died in

look at the photos, slips one featuring our

you. That

breath hitches as father straightens

been clarified,

my anonymous texter lied about the details of our adoption. You

"I bet you are. You only had to trust me or at the very least, believe me after I answered all your questions. However, I guess it was easier to brand me as anything but a

track the anonymous texter to uncover their identity..." Father’s raised hand

now. I fulfilled my end of the promise. I went out of my way to fly these busy people into the country just to clear

chant but he yells at