Chapter 76: Chapter 76

"So, how many weeks pregnant are you?" Sasha asks excitedly, interrupting the fighting. Everyone focuses their attention on me again.

"About Nine weeks now," I say.

"Wow, so have you found out the gender yet? I'm I going to have a niece or nephew?" She sounds very excited.

I look at Noah. "We haven't found out yet,"

"And you've taken a DNA test I assume," his mom says.

"MOM!" both Sasha and Noah say at the same time.

"God, Nina," his father says, dropping his fork."

"What?" She asks. "It is a perfectly reasonable question. It is no secret that Noah comes from a very wealthy family. I just don't want to see my son being taken advantage of. Where are your parents dear?"

I look down. "I've never met my mother and my father died when I was six years old."

The room is quiet. They look at me, their faces showing sympathy and pity. Noah looks the most affected. I guess I never told him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," his dad says.

No one speaks. I think she's going to stop asking me questions but she doesn't. "Dear, how old are you now?"

Both Noah and his father give her a look as if to say be quiet.

"I am twenty-one, I will be twenty-two in May," I say.

"If I do say, twenty-one is quite young to be starting a family. Are you sure you're ready dear? Because I know with Noah marrying Devlin, they would be more suited to raise this child. You do know he's engaged don't you?" She takes a bite of her salad. "It's a shame she couldn't be here tonight."

"Actually, mom, Devlin has already met Ava."

"Oh has she now? Were you also aware my son was engaged when you chose to spread your legs to him?"

I go still. Noah chokes on his food. Eric looks like he's amused. And I thought Devlin was evil. I wish Dayna was here with me. I wish I could speak my mind like she could.

"Nina, that's enough!" Michael is standing now. He looks at her, his face displaying total disgust toward her. "Whether you like it or not, Ava is family now. She is having our first grandchild. This is a miracle that we should be celebrating. Our son, after surviving cancer, is having a child." He looks at me. "Ava, I'm sorry about tonight," he picks up the rest of the bottle of scotch and leaves the dining room.

Noah speaks now. "Dad is right Mom. Ava didn't have to keep the baby, but she chose to keep it for me. This may be my only chance of ever having children. She's the most selfless person I know, and if anything," he looks at me. "I owe her."

She picks up her napkin from her lap and places it on her plate. She looks at me and then at Noah. "I'm sorry Noah," she says before she walks out of the dining room.

After dinner, I find myself washing dishes with Sasha.

"I'm sorry about my mom. She can be quite..." She looks for the right words to say. "Difficult sometimes." I think difficult is an understatement. "She just really loves Devlin. She was really hurt when Noah cheated on her," she avoids my eyes. I understand why. Coming into the house, I was the homewrecker who came between Noah and Devlin. And not only did we just sleep together, but I got pregnant.

"Plus my mom really wanted Devlin to be the one to give Noah children." Now she looks at my stomach. "Honestly, for me, I can care less who is the mother of his child. I'm just happy I'm going to be an aunt." She gets excited again. "Plus, I actually like you." She looks around. "Way better than Devlin," she whispers. " She can be such a bitch sometimes. And evil. I was excited at first that I was going to have a sister, but she thinks she's too good to be friends or sisters with me for that matter. Ever since she was younger."

"How long have you and Noah known her?" I ask curiously.

"Since I was about three, Noah was seven. We practically grew up together. My mom and Devlin's mother have been planning their marriage since they were nine." She passes me a plate and I dry it. "You can see why she was so mad today. You're practically ruining what was supposed to be a perfect marriage." She snickers. "I would have loved to see the look on Devlin's face when she found out you were pregnant."

We finish washing the dishes and we sit on stools on the island in the kitchen.

"You are the complete opposite of Devlin. You are very nice and I like that. But if you want to survive in this family, especially against my mother, You're going to have to learn how to defend yourself. Don't let my mom or Devlin run you over."

She takes out a piece of chocolate cake from the fridge. "I wish I used this advice when I was younger. I used to always spend time with Noah. We'd do everything together. Eventually, when puberty hit Devlin, she was always over and always taking him away to have sex. And of course, Noah, being the horny teenage boy that he was, abided.

I'm not going to lie, he did try to say no sometimes and to spend time with me, But Devlin never took no for an answer. If you met her, you'd know that she still doesn't. Even now, when Noah is not busy with the company or with my father, or in meetings, he's always with her. There's always some event or party or gathering that Noah must go to. I barely get to see him." I can see the sadness in her voice and in her eyes. "She goes after what she wants and she always gets what she wants. She is probably the most selfish woman I have ever known."

She stops talking for a few seconds and I take this as my cue to ask to go to the bathroom. I've been holding my pee in for several minutes because I didn't want to interrupt her story.

"Where is your bathroom?" I quickly ask her before she starts another rant.

"The one downstairs. Um, Go straight down that hallway. Take a right then another right and it will be the second door on your left." I nod. Hopefully, I can remember these instructions. I go down the hallway and make the first right. I'm confused. Was it a right or left? I hear talking coming from a room. I could have sworn I heard my name. I press my ear to the door.

"Ava is a really nice girl and she didn't deserve that." The voice says. It sounds like his father. "These are the things she does that I can't take anymore. I'm sorry I know you may not agree with this Noah, but I'm divorcing your mother. She's irritating. She suffocates me. When I'm around her, I feel like I can't breathe. I've already contacted my lawyer. I just wanted to let you know before a war broke loose."

"Do Eric and Sasha know?" Noah asks him.

"I haven't told them yet. I know Sasha will be heartbroken," he sighs. " As soon as I get in touch with my lawyer, I will call a family meeting and I will let them know."

"I understand dad."

"Noah. Do not marry Devlin if you're not absolutely sure. I probably should have told you this earlier, before the engagement, but your mother had already planned it all out for you. I couldn't really get much say in. Marriage isn't easy son. Make sure she's the girl for you. Make sure she's going to make you happy and not suck the life out of you like your mother. Most importantly, be sure that you guys want the same things and that you love her."

They say something else that I cannot hear.

"All I'm saying is I like Ava. She may not be very talkative, but she carries such a light personality. She's got Sasha talking so much and excited. And you, She brings out this..." He's quiet for a moment. "humour and delight from you. Devlin, I haven't seen her do that in a while now."

I hear footsteps approaching me and I quickly take my head from the door and pretend that I'm lost. It's Sasha. "Ava you still haven't found the bathroom?" I shake my head. "Here let me take you." she leads me to the bathroom. I see a shadow reflection and notice Eric watching me. Has he been there the whole time?