It was written clearly on all the three pregnancy tests Althea took.

We stared at each for a long moment, unmoving. Before I picked her up in my arms and twirled her around in the air making her chuckle.

"We are going to have a baby, Al!" I exclaimed, not able to control my happiness and excitement.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and dropped her forehead to mine, smiling widely. "Yes, Calix. We are going to have a baby."

I carried her out of the bathroom and placed her on the bed gently and climbed over her. "We are going to be parents? I am going to be a father?"

She grabbed my palm and placed it over her belly and kissed me softly on my lips. "Yes, idiot."

I chuckled loudly and kissed and her deeply, my hand slipping inside her dress to touch her belly.

I knew she will get pregnant considering how we had been going at it like rabbits since the past one month but nothing could have prepared me for this moment, the moment of confirmation. It was all I ever needed. I had everything now. My wife, whom I fucking loved with my whole life and our baby which will be here in nine months time.

The only thing left to do was to pour out my heart. To tell her exactly how I feel, that this is beyond the obsession and madness that started it all, it was pure love now.

If she agreed to have my baby then that must mean she loves me too. And even if she doesn't, I wasn't scared anymore of rejection. She was bound to me now. Forever.

"Calix." She moaned softly into the kiss, her fingers tracing my jaw.

As we were running out of breath, I pulled back and climbed down and lifted her dress to reveal her belly and I started to place several kisses all over it.

"Stop." She chuckled. "I am ticklish."

I smiled against her belly and continued kissing her making her laugh.

When I finally stopped a minute later, I rolled off her and laid beside her, facing each other.

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey, baby."

"Yes, idiot?"

Those three words were on the tip of my tongue so, I leaned closer until our breaths mingled together. "I lo--"

The sudden ringing off my phone startled me and I jerked away, cursing underneath my breath. Who the fuck interrupted me?

I sighed in exasperation seeing Mason's name flash on my phone and I picked it up. "What is it now?"

"It's ten in the morning and you aren't here, sir. You have an important meeting--"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll be there in twenty minutes." I hung up the call and gave a sheepish look to Al.

I will confess later. In the evening, maybe in a much better way, maybe I will take her out on a dinner or a picnic date. She would like that.

I got up and picked up my suit jacket and wore it. "I'll see you in the evening, hmm?"

She sat up straight on the bed and I leaned in and pecked her lips. "And you better take care of yourself. No more trainings from now on."

"So, this is how it's going to be now? You are going to be so demanding?"

I kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger there. "Yes. You are carrying a freaking baby inside you, our baby."

"I still can't believe it..." She admitted, glancing down to her belly.

"I know. I can't believe it either. Now give me a kiss so that I can leave."

She rolled her eyes but got on her knees and kissed me on my cheek making me frown. I pointed to my lips. "I wanted it here..."

Chuckling, she pushed me away. "Go or you will get late."

Before she could protest, I kissed her lips one last time before leaving.

.

.

.

It was afternoon and I was working in my office but my thoughts kept drifting off to Althea every minute and I had already messaged her at least ten times since morning. I just can't get enough of her.

And instead of focusing on the work before me, I was planning about the evening, where I would take her and what not.

The door to my office was suddenly slammed opened and Mason burst in looking horrified. In all the years he has worked for me, this was the first time his clothes looked unkept. His shirt and tie were wrinkled and his hair messy and his spectacles were about to slip off his face.

"Calix!" I was once again shocked when he used my first name instead of sir. "You have to see this."

He rushed to my table and placed his iPad infront of me, a video playing on it. More like a CCTV footage. Of me. And Carsten of that day when I had a fight with him.

The video was tampered with and it showed only that part where I hit him or more like beat him up and left him lying on the floor.

"What the fuck is this?!" The colour drained from my face.

"Sir...tell me you--"

"Leave." I ordered him and he paused for a second before leaving me alone.

This can't be happening right now. The video was on the social media, on every platform. How the fuck that happened?

I dialled Lucian's number and he picked up on that first ring. "What the fuck is the meaning of this, Lucian? I thought you and Adrian had got rid of every evidence!"

He sounded frantic as well. "I don't fucking know what and how this happened. I am trying to figure it out myself."

"Who the fuck did this?"

"How am I supposed to know?! Only Adrian and me knew about this? Just give me an hour, I'll fix this. I promise."

If he said an hour then he means it. I knew he would fix it. But the video was out there anyway, the whole world has already seen it. What could I do now?

I hung up the call without responding and rubbed my temples. Who the fuck did this? I swear to God, they are so fucking dead the moment I find out.

Mason burst in once again. "There is a lot of media outside. They have surrounded the whole building. You can't stay here, you need to leave. I have called security."

I need to leave. I need to go home only then I will be able to calm down. I nodded and followed Mason out of the office and down to the front gates of the building and I almost gasped seeing such a huge crowd out there.

Adrian came in my line of vision. "We need to get you out of here. Just don't bother answering their questions."

My jaw clenched and I fixed him with a cold glare. "Only you and Lucian knew about it. Tell me, are you behind all this?"

He leveled me with a glare of his own. "My loyalty lies with you and Lucian. Don't ever doubt it."

Fuck. I seriously needed to calm down. I just can't go about lashing on everyone.

Adrian led me out of the back doors but it was of no use, the amount of crowd was just the same. With the help of Adrian and other bodyguards I was guided to my car while a thousand questions were thrown at me.

I tried not to pay attention on anyone of them, tried not to show any emotions but I failed when one particular question reached my ear.

I was about to enter the car but I paused and looked at that reporter who asked me the question again. "You both were rivals since school but that didn't give you the right to kill Carsten King--"

I couldn't hear the rest of it. I became numb. "Carsten is dead?" My shock was genuine. No. He can't be dead.

All the other reporters brought down their voices when I spoke. "Carsten is dead?" I repeated.

The reporter looked baffled. "You can't be oblivious to the fact that you beat him to death."

"What the hell does that mean? I didn't beat him to death. And that incident happened months back then why is his death brought to light now?"

"Because he was in coma for those months." Another reporter answered.

What the--

This can't be true. I stumbled back and Adrian steadied me and made me sit inside the car and sat in the driver's seat and with great difficulty, drove out of there.

I met Adrian's eyes in the rearview mirror. "I...I... didn't kill him...I swear I didn't..."

"Someone is trying to frame you. I believe you, Calix. I know you are not guilty." His voice was soft.

"I did...I did hit him but it wasn't anywhere fatal, that couldn't have landed him in the coma. I hated him, yes but not to the point where I would kill him...I didn't--"

"You didn't kill him, end of the story. I believe you and I am sure Lucian and your family does too. Now, take a deep breath, you are about to have a panic attack."

I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply. He was right, I was about to have a panic attack. I need Althea. I hope she does believe me.

I didn't kill Carsten. I swear I didn't.

My phone rang and my heart clenched seeing dad calling me. What if he doesn't believe me too?

With shaky fingers, I picked it up. "Calix?"

A lump formed in my throat. "D-dad...I didn't...I didn't...I swear I would never do anything like that. You didn't raise me to be a killer."

"Hey..." His voice was soft and assuring. "I didn't say you killed him or anything. I was just making sure you were safe. Are you going back home?"

"Yes..."

"Good. And I trust you, son. I know you didn't kill him and I will support you no matter what, understood?"

I almost broke down hearing the warmth in his voice. "Y-yes, dad...thank...you."

He assured me once again and hung up.

The moment I reached home, I received a notification. A picture to be exact.

Now what the hell is this?

I opened it and my heart fucking broke. It was dated to the time when Althea went to England. It was her picture with a man in a cafe. And...she was kissing him. On the lips.

My grip tightened on the phone to the point I feared it might break. But it didn't matter. What mattered was who the fuck was this guy, why was she kissing him and who the fuck sent me the picture?!

With determined steps, I marched inside the house and found her in the living room watching the news.

Her wide eyes met mine. "Calix--"

"What the fuck is this?" I shoved the phone in her face and her eyes widened to their full extent.

"That's..." She trailed off, her face paling.

"Go on, give me a fucking excuse about why you were cheating on me."

"That's not--"

"I gave you my everything, Althea. Every fucking thing and yet you didn't think it was enough? What else do you want? My life? Is this what you wanted to do? Break my heart?"

She stepped forward. "Let me explain --"

I slammed the phone down on the floor, breaking it. I was breathing heavily. I had the perfect morning of my life and then all this happened.

She was my everything. She has been my everything ever since she was born and tried so hard for her, to make her like me at least only for her to go and kiss some fucker.

"I don't want any fucking explanation from you." Tears fell from my eyes. "Was I not enough? How much do you fucking hate me to break my heart like this?!"

She flinched at my tone and shook her head, crying.

"I loved you, Althea. I fucking loved you and it wasn't enough." I whispered in a broken tone.

Her eyes widened and she said, "I love--"

"Don't you fucking dare. Just leave."

"What?"

"Leave, Althea. I don't want to see you right now."

"Calix--"

"LEAVE!" I yelled.

She wiped away her tears hastily and grabbed her phone. "You are making a mistake."

"I made a mistake when I thought you could love me back."

We stared at each other for a long moment, our relationship breaking infront of us yet none of us made the efforts to reach out to mend it. My mind was too fucked up for that.

And then in another moment, she brushed past me and was gone.