Christopher
Bonn, Germany

Incomprehensible it was to my reasoning that a day would come where I would have to spend time with Irene.

It was a sick plan.

And it was even sicker that I didn't have a single minute to myself to curse out loud. All I did whilst driving was ruminate over the plan, again and again, and to remind myself of the importance of getting it done. It was a whole lot of mental stress for me.

I didn't want to do it and I was glad to tell Yemisi that I didn't know where Irene lived with hopes that she would find a more suitable alternative but she immediately insinuated that I find her workplace. 

Which was very easy.

Yemisi: 1 - Christopher: - 0.

Truthfully though, I knew I couldn't complain too much because it must not be easy for Yemisi to walk through the fish ponds on a rainy day like this where she could be exposed to so much harm but this was what we both essentially had to do and there was no time to waste at all.

We are both uncomfortable which makes it even because we are collectively fighting to save our relationship.

Yemisi: 1 - Christopher: 1

Irene's company had to be the tallest glasshouse in the outskirts of Bonn with numerous trimmed flowers aligned by the sideways, extending to the entrance even. The torrential rain had subsidized into faint drizzling, giving a refreshing view of the naturally watered flowers.

I wore my navy blue coat immediately after spraying a little extra dose of cologne by the sides of my neck. Radiating a titillating, spicy aura was the objective.

I pulled out my umbrella and walked briskly into the company. Right in front of me sat a sallow-faced secretary with grim eyes. I cleared my throat, holding my umbrella firmly, in case there was a need for it to be weaponized although I highly doubted that I would want to hurt a lady at all.

"Good afternoon. I'm here to see Irene—"

"Oh my!" she gasped, scanning me for a good minute. I swallowed. "You are—"

"Christo—"

"Madam Irene's husband! Yes, you are him, aren't you?!" she squealed and suspended her finger movement on the keyboard in front of her.

"Err. I—"

"Follow me, sir, " she rose immediately, arranging the stack of papers on her desk into an awful space. She tucked her frizzy hair behind her ears and nearly tumbled on her heels even. "T–this way please!" embarrassed, she motioned with her arms to an elevator a few doors away.

She started to walk fast whilst I followed slowly behind, trying hard to stay cool.

Once we got into the elevator, the secretary resumed her chatty ways, and this time, I didn't bother to say a full sentence knowing that most of my words wouldn't make it past my lips before she interrupted them.

"Madam Irene has said a lot about you. So immediately knew you were her husband the minute you stepped in. She always talks about how she has been expecting him to come by recently since she's currently expecting a baby and now you are here!" she rambled on and on. "Goodness gracious, I'm so happy for her! She deserves all the happiness in the world because she's been so good to us!" she squealed, positioning her hands in a heart shape as she cupped her face.

I tried very hard to wear a smile on my face when on the inside, all I wanted to do was growl and set everything ablaze. That damned, cunning wench knew I was going to come. She knew. She knew I was going to show up and fight her or perhaps, even try to reach a compromise or suggest something as silly as aborting the baby.

Seeing her staff welcome me so warmly frightened me even more. It all felt like a set-up like I was walking into a deep, dingy ditch. If I had to tread with caution earlier, now I had to walk on thin ice.

I had to carry out this plan very, very properly. I should surprise her even. Anything to stay on the winning side was what I had to do otherwise, I would be in serious trouble.

"Actually, " I ground my teeth hard, and after letting out some hot air, I smiled again. "we plan on tying the knot once she conceives the baby. So...I'm here to...discuss the nuptial matters."

"Aww! You're such a shy man, " she squealed, throwing playful fists at my shoulders. "Aren't you so cute?!" she giggled.

How dare this bloody—

"I'm afraid I'm unable to provide the answer to that."

"Oh my Gosh! Look at you being all modest! Madam Irene is such a lucky woman!" she sighed dreamily.

God-

I gave an awkward little smile. At least that was as genuine as it could be and it didn't take much effort. When we got to the last floor and the elevator gave a ding sound, I stepped out hurriedly, thankful for pulling through that hellhole of an experience.

The secretary gave me a thumbs up and hurried away. I took a deep breath, reminding myself of the importance of being natural as possible. If I behave well, give plausible reasons, and can get feedback from Yemisi on time, then everything will go well.

Yes, perfectly well.

And we will live happily ever after...

I cleared my throat in an attempt to snap out of my woolgathering and knocked at the door before me.

"Who goes there?" her voice asked.

"Chris...topher, " I said in the most sultry voice achievable.

There was dead, frightening silence for a couple of minutes. Then a very subtle, faint sound of smacking lips and the distance cluster of make-up containers came to my hearing when I pressed my ear closer to the door.

When I heard the sound of heels approaching closer, I straightened my back. The door opened and I met the caked up face of Irene with her signatory blazing red lipsticks.

"Hm...what is that small smile on your face? Looks like I don't have to try too hard today, " she observed with a smile on her face, and a raised brow. She was happy to see a smile on my face that had cost me so much.

"Yeah..." I shrugged then sighed. "I am equally tired of trying."

"W-what...do you mean?" her eyes shone, she was edgy as ever. Like a candle in a dark room, subject to the dictates of the wind, the emotions in her face were a slave to anticipation and perhaps, forthcoming excitement.

"Would you let me have a seat at least?"

"Oh...sure. S-suuure!" she let me walk in and settle on the couch facing her desk. She sat next to me nervously and even kept a reasonable distance. Who knew Irene would ever refrain from touching me and respect my rights to give consent?

Damn. I'm starting to like this plan. I have to do better.

"What I mean by that is the fact that..." I made sure to pause to sound as dejected as possible. "I mean...the deed has been done. Seeing that you're expecting a baby, m-my baby, I can't...push you away anymore like before. I have been trying so hard to save my marriage with Yemisi with hopes that...the night we shared at the alehouse wouldn't amount to anything but now that it has, I...I-I can't even save myself. Yemisi doesn't want me anywhere close and you know what I truly feel about this whole situation?" I lowered my brows and stared soberly into her eyes with all the willpower gathered in me. If the tears could fall, oh how grateful would I be!

"What do you feel?" she pressed on with heart shapes starting to bloom in her irises.

I wished I wouldn't have to slander my wife like this but it was what I had to do.

"I...never truly enjoyed my entire marriage with Yemisi. Even before you came into my life, " the words tasted like bile in my tongue. "C-can you imagine a woman who doesn't want to have kids with her new husband simply because she already has kids with her deceased husband?" I scoffed forcefully. "She even mandates me to treat the children as if they were mine. She's too...bossy, hot-tempered, and fiery for my damn liking. I always feel like s-she can put a knife to my throat at my minute but when she was acting all understanding with me when you showed up, I was confused and secretly hoping that she would just push me away because I was too afraid of her."

"Then you became pregnant and I lost my mind. Another woman was expecting a baby that I would get to call my biological child. So... I have decided to stop trying to save my marriage with Yemisi now that you have a child that's mine but...I want to do it very discreetly. I'm still afraid of her and I don't want her to see me as a scumbag who never loved her in the first place. S-so... I want our relationship to be a gradual process."

"This is...a bit too good to be true for me, " she scoffed then looked at me. I remained sober and weary. "B-but you were trying to push me away though even if you did it nervously. You even tried to pay off the debt that your dad owes my dad. You were going to do anything to get rid of me. You weren't pretentious about it in any way."

"But how am I supposed to do all of that now when you're with child? My child. Like I said earlier, I'm afraid of Yemisi and the last thing I want is my neck being split into two by a knife so I had to fight even if it was hard but now, I've...lost my mind."

"Hm. So why did you have your informant try to dig up information about my father?"

"You see... I had to do that and all of those other extreme things to prove to Yemisi that I was still willing to fight for our marriage and more because, I was just scared of her, " I was getting tired of having to give the same answers to her questions and repeating myself but I had to convince her and provide plausible answers.

Moreover, it was effective to see that my cowardice was serving as a useful tool right now. It touched her heart faster than any other reason I could have given. "But now, I'm just done trying."

"You are..." she observed me for a minute with no expression on her face which scared me. Then a cheeky grin appeared. "...one slimy son of a gun."

Then she leaned forward and kissed my cheek. My blood went blue, boiling dangerously hot.

"Haha. Seems like you love this particular slimy son of a gun, " my body was stiff with irritation but I had to make my words contradict that, making it look like I was just flustered instead.

"Nope. It was the cockless cockroach I fell in love with but right now, " she cupped my chin and I felt my bladder become full suddenly. "I'm starting to love you even more after seeing this side of you. Cunning, daring, subtle, dangerous even." she glanced at my lips with a longing that needed to be fulfilled.

She brought her lips closer to mine and they brushed briefly against each other because I turned my head slowly into the other direction. Before she could say something out of the sexual frustration and disappointment that clouded her features, I spoke.

"Going to your house would be a better idea for what you are about to do with me, " I suggested bitterly.

This was where I would have to carry out the main act.

"Woah. Are you...for real? Where is Yemisi?"

"She's at work...sulking perhaps, " I shrugged.  I wrapped my arms around her waist firmly and pulled her up like some knight in shining armor and she acted exactly like a damsel in distress. One reason why I appreciated Yemisi's strength even more because this irritated me to hell and beyond.

She placed her hand on my chest as her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, her cheeks a brick red. "But that doesn't matter now. I have all the time in the world...for you. If you're ready for me, then I'm ready for you too."

***

The drive to Irene's house was insanely long and my trepidation grew with each passing minute, checking my phone screen at every five-minute interval, awaiting a text from Yemisi or my informant. I wish I wouldn't have to go through the trials of getting Irene to fall asleep but now, it seemed very essential to do that first before any text would be valid.

I looked around her well-furnished living room for a minute, taking in the entire surrounding, gazing at the stairs, the artworks, and the sculpture of a naked man right in the center of the living room.

"Hm...looks like I would get to see the real naked man tonight, " Irene giggled when she observed that I was starting at the stature.

"Ah!" I gave a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Definitely! But...can I use the toilet for a minute?"

"Suuure... I'll be waiting in my bed, " she twirled her bag with her slender fingers, a grimace on her lips.

I swallowed very hard.

Once I was out of Irene's hearing shot, hidden in the restroom, I brought out my phone to dial the gynecologist's number. Once I get into the bedroom with her, I would have her drink a chilled glass of wine to glorify the sexual mood, spike her drink, and have the doctor come over to carry out the test while she was asleep.

I didn't know how possible it was to carry out a pregnancy test on a sleeping pregnant woman but I had to trust my wife if she assured me that it was possible.

"Darn...it!" I groaned in frustration when the doctor's line didn't go through. Why would he ditch me like this when he knew the plan and had agreed to it.

Just in the middle of wondering what other alternatives to opt for, I heard a voice coming from the main entrance of the house. My eyes dilated.

It was a very familiar voice.