A few minutes later, Alexa and Sean got out of the car. Sean walked behind Alexa. Their hands were intertwined as they entered the OB-GYN's room. There was no long queue, everything had been taken care of by her personal assistant.
Sean watched Alexa's movements. Only silence accompanied them on the way to the hospital. Before he could say anything, Alexa's eyes were already staring intently at him, like someone ready to devour their food.
Sean sighed deeply when the doctor who usually handled Alexa's checkups suddenly had an urgent matter to attend to. Liora was now replacing that doctor. Of course, Alexa refused at first. However, Sean begged Alexa because he was very excited to see his child's development.
His gaze was fixed on the ultrasound screen in front of him. He almost forgot to breathe. A small shadow moved slowly, faintly visible. His heart was beating fast, his eyes filled with tears that blurred his vision. The world seemed to stop. All that remained was the reality that he was looking at his child for the first time.
"Do you want to know the gender?" said Liora, who was currently focused on showing the child's body parts.
Sean smiled broadly. "What?"
"Don't tell." Sean's face turned sour in a matter of seconds.
"Let it be a surprise when the baby is born," explained Alexa.
After the examination was over, Alexa rolled her eyes lazily. Sean had been listening to Liora's words the whole time. Alexa stood up, and moved her chair to make room for herself to walk out. She left Sean and Liora in the room.
Alexa leaned her body against the waiting chair located right in front of the OB-GYN room. Her hands were busy eating ice cream. Her legs swung back and forth, her eyes darting from right to left. She waited quite a long time for Sean. Her hands gripped the chair for support to help her stand up. She wasn't sure if they were discussing the results of the examination, but most likely they were discussing their relationship.
Before she had a chance to open the door, Sean and Liora were already standing in front of her. Alexa stared at them both with a cold gaze. Then, her gaze stopped at the red mark on Liora's neck. Alexa snorted; she wasn't stupid enough not to understand what that mark meant. Without wasting any time, Alexa turned around and walked forward. Her body was still very beautiful even though she was currently pregnant.
Sean immediately ran and caught up with Alexa. His arms wrapped around her waist, but she quickly pushed him away. Sean closed his eyes before speaking.
"Liora said you need to get enough rest. Watch your diet. Don't forget to take your vitamins. In the second trimester, you'll experience more difficulties than before."
Alexa glanced at Sean briefly. "Then?"
"She also said you should monitor the baby's movements frequently if you feel..." Before Sean could finish his sentence, Alexa cut him off.
"Did she not mention your duties as a husband?" she said sarcastically.
Sean was startled. He felt guilty for leaving Alexa alone during her pregnancy. He should have been there for Alexa and been a support system for his wife.
Seeing Sean silent and motionless, she spoke up. "How could a lover say such a thing? And you don't need to pretend to care about me. Just go date your girlfriend."
***
"Here." Sean placed the fruit on Alexa's plate. She turned to the man beside him.
"You have to eat a lot of fruit." he said again.
"Are you eating wrong? I think your brain isn't working properly today," She said sarcastically.
"Don't start again, Lexie." Sean said in a low voice that was almost inaudible.
The corners of Alexa's lips lifted for a second, but she quickly neutralized them and started eating.
With calm movements, she placed her fork and knife on the plate in a parallel position. Her gaze shifted to the restaurant, which was starting to get crowded, with seats filling up one by one. Perhaps it was because it was lunchtime. Her body froze instantly when she felt a hand gently rubbing her stomach. This was the first time Sean had greeted his child.
"Dad's child is full, huh?" Sean looked up at Alexa's face. All he got was a cynical stare. Sean straightened his body.
"Lexie, I know our relationship hasn't been good lately. Even though I know our relationship started on the wrong foot, that doesn't change the fact that we're still husband and wife. I want to ask you how important honesty is in a relationship. As husband and wife, can we have secrets from each other?" Sean looked at Alexa. It had been a long time since he had asked her such a profound question.
"I don't think it's that important for this marriage. Besides, everything will end when this child is born, right?" Alexa drank orange juice to neutralize her feelings. She just didn't want to get her hopes up and be disappointed again.
Sean sighed, knowing this would be difficult. "I know, if not as husband and wife. I'm your friend, Lexie. Never hide anything from me. I have the right to know about your life. At least respect me as your friend."
"I don't have any secrets. I think you know all my secrets." Alexa didn't want to argue.
Their gazes locked, delving into each other's feelings. Then, Sean embraced Alexa. Why didn't you tell me?
***
A few hours earlier
After Alexa left, his hand reached into his pants pocket. He showed her some pills that were in his room. Sean had caught Alexa several times when he wasn't in his room.
"What do you mean?" Her brow furrowed, Liora looked at Sean, then her gaze shifted to the pills in Sean's hand.
"What are these?" Sean asked, handing the pills to Liora.
Liora took one pill and examined it, shaking her head slowly. "Whose are these? Are you sick? Why didn't you tell me?"
Sean noticed the worried look on Liora's face.
"I'm fine. It's just a regular vitamin, right?" he said, trying to convince himself. Liora's reaction was too extreme if the capsule was just a vitamin.
Liora sighed deeply. "Thank goodness. Where did you get this?"
"Answer my question first, Liora. What's wrong with this medicine? This medicine has Alexa." Sean asked curiously.
Suddenly, his body felt cold, and he swallowed hard before speaking. "A-ALEXA?"
"Explain what this medicine is. WHY ARE YOU REACTING LIKE THIS?" Sean pressed.
Sean, I hope this is just my worst case scenario.
Liora shook her head slowly, "Sean, this medicine is for..."