Chapter10
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Tessa ran out and threw her purse on the ground.
“What was that? What just happened?” she screamed. They were bombarded with paparazzi when they left the store and had been followed all the way to Oscar’s apartment. Tessa was mortified.
“I’m so sorry Tessa. I had no idea that would happen,” Oscar said. He ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her. She pushed him away.
“No, do not try to sweet talk me right now. What happened? Did you tell someone about the baby?” Tessa pushed him away, assuming he had been at fault for telling the paparazzi.
“Tessa, I promise you, I would never do that,” Oscar said. Tessa had calmed down and let Oscar touch her again.
“Oh my god. Lydia. When I went to the bathroom she probably went through my phone or saw my stomach or something. Oh my god. I’m going to kill her. Oscar! I’m going to kill her!” Tessa started crying.
“I knew it. I knew she was up to something. She’s not going to get away with this. I promise you that, Tessa. I’ll make sure she’s never around you again.” Oscar held Tessa while she wept in his arms.
Was Tessa going to have to deal with this the rest of her life? Now that they knew that she was pregnant, she knew they’d be following her even if she wasn’t with Oscar. Their night had been so perfect, why did it have to all get destroyed so fast?
“I don’t understand. I was only in the bathroom for a few minutes.” Tessa cried.
“Lydia has so many connections on speed dial that she can get a mob anywhere within minutes,” Oscar replied. “I’m so sorry Tessa. I never want you to have to go through something like that again.”
“It’s okay, I’ll be fine as long as I never leave again. I’ll just give birth to our baby in the bathroom. How does that sound?” she said sarcastically.
“I know how it seems, but they’ll die down. Eventually, everyone will have reported on the pregnancy. We’ll just confirm the story right away and let them know the truth. I’ll have Josiah release a statement. I’ll hire a security guard too. One for you and one for the baby. You’ll never have to worry about that happening again Tessa, I promise,” Oscar explained.
“But I don’t want to have to have a security guard with me or one to protect my baby.” Tessa fell to the ground and cried. She was really breaking down.
“I know. I know you didn’t ask for this. I’m so sorry. I didn’t either though. I was born into this life and I’ve had the paparazzi around as long as I can remember. The only thing I can tell you is that you’ll get used to it. They just want a story and they’ll go away. If I could I’d take out a restraining order against everyone with a camera in the world. But I can’t. I will always do whatever I can to protect you Tessa.” He put his arms around her as she cried on the ground. She couldn’t be mad at Oscar. It wasn’t his fault. She wanted to be angry and fight with him, but she knew that wouldn’t make things any better.
This was just one of those situations that she had to deal with. There were some problems in her life that would go away, or she could avoid if she just ignored it. She got a huge reality check that night after realizing that dating Oscar meant dating the public.
She couldn’t help but admit to herself that she liked some of the attention she got as Oscar’s girlfriend, but it seemed like for every up, there was some sort of impending down. She felt defeated at this thought. She wanted to just be able to tell them all to go away, but she knew that it would never work. Tessa was pretty good at accepting the things that she could not change, but she was sick of always having to adapt.
The two held each other on the ground, both still wearing their formal outfits from the night. Tessa had tears streaming down her face. Her hair was a little disheveled, but regardless of the struggle she had endured that night, she was still an outstanding beauty.
Oscar looked just as good. She went to stand up, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the floor. He grabbed her and kissed her hard, making her body numb. She kissed him back, pulling his hair so he would fall into her harder. She started to take his jacket off and he unzipped the back of her dress.
At this point, she was straddling him, slowly unbuttoning his shirt while he took off his tie. She slipped her dress over her shoulders exposing her bra. Just as he went to unstrap that, his phone started to ring. He looked at who was calling and sighed. “I don’t need to answer that.”
He set his phone down and pulled Tessa close to his face. They kissed for a few seconds more and his phone started to ring again. He tried to ignore it, but it kept going off. Eventually they had to cool it, as the mood was dying anyway.
“Just answer it.” Tessa groaned.
“I’m so sorry. Don’t go anywhere,” he said as he answered.
“Yeah, great, I’ll just sit here on the floor,” Tessa teased.
“Hello? What?” Oscar said, concerned. “You have to be kidding me. No, that isn’t okay.”
Oscar held up a finger to Tessa and walked out to the balcony. He closed the door, cutting the sound off so Tessa couldn’t hear. She sighed and got up. She figured Oscar would be on the phone for a bit, so she used that as her opportunity to change into her pajamas.
She slipped out of her dress, slid into some sweats, and crawled under the covers. Oscar was still on the phone, and she figured it was pretty serious. She pulled out her own cell phone and started to browse the trending stories on her news app. She was horrified when she saw the third top story of the night. It was a shot of her and Oscar leaving the Legros opening. The title just said, “Oscar Legros Love Child Sparks Rumors.”
When she clicked on the article, it listed all of the rumors that the paparazzi had been shouting at Tessa and Oscar when they had left the store. The article stated that a source told the website that Tessa had told Oscar’s ex-wife that she was only having the baby to get money. Oscar had offered to give Tessa 10 million dollars to have an abortion. Another source said that he had been dating Tessa throughout his entire marriage.
Tessa decided to see what other websites were saying about her and Oscar. One article said that Tessa had started as Oscar’s maid. Another source said that Oscar wanted the abortion, so he didn’t have a baby that was half-black. Tessa’s stomach dropped.
A different article stated that Oscar left Lydia because he was ‘baby crazy’ and forced Tessa to get pregnant. There were countless stories that were already surfacing that she couldn’t stomach reading. Nothing that she had read was true at all. The articles were making up serious lies all probably from the evil mind of Lydia. Oscar finally walked into the room.
“I’m so sorry honey. That was the project manager. I have some bad news.”
“Oh great, just what I need. More bad news.” Tessa handed Oscar her phone with a page open to one of the news stories about their relationship. Oscar skimmed some of them for a minute.
“Honey, no one believes these stories. Anyone who does is not worth your time. They’ll be taken down tomorrow once my lawyers get word and Josiah releases the truth. I’ve already texted them all to give them a heads up. I’m taking care of it I promise. Just stay off the internet for now, promise me that, okay?”
“I’ll do my best I suppose.” Tessa sighed and crossed her arms. She thought about how upset her mother would be when she saw the news. Her mother was certainly someone who frequented the celebrity scandal articles. “So, what is it? What’s the other bad news?” she asked.
“There was an accident with one of the trucks carrying some merchandise. We’re going to have to push the opening of the store back two weeks,” Oscar said. He immediately looked down.
“In two weeks I’ll be in my third trimester. I won’t be allowed to fly anymore! Oscar!” Tessa said, too tired of crying to start again. At this point, she was just annoyed.
“I know. I’m sorry,” Oscar said, reaching for her hand. She pulled her hand away.
“That’s just great. You’re sorry so that changes everything. What are we going to do, Oscar?” she asked, growing angrier by the second.
“Well, you could have the baby here. Or—” Oscar said. Tessa wasn’t going to let him finish.
“I’m not having my baby without my mom and sister there. Or what?” Tessa said. Oscar was getting a little scared.
“Or you could go back on the flight we already have planned, and I’ll come back a week later. It’ll just be a week honey, I’ll get on a plane as soon as the store opens,” he responded.
“Isn’t that just great,” Tessa said, angry that she had to accept so much news in one night.
“Honey, the apartment will be there waiting for you to decorate however you want. And you’ll have my entire private plane to yourself. It’ll all be the exact same plan as we originally had, you’ll just be alone.” Oscar realized when he said it out loud it didn’t sound any better.
“Lucky me. I get to be 7 months pregnant, all alone. I’d like to be alone right now,” Tessa said, standing up. She walked out of the bedroom and onto the balcony. This time, she didn’t want Oscar to follow her.
Once Tessa stepped outside, she realized she was hot. Athens stayed warm for the most part, but once night fell, a cold air would sometimes take over. It felt nice against Tessa’s skin. She was filled with rage, but she didn’t know where to send it to. She wanted to be mad at Oscar, but he was only doing the best he could. He needed to be there when the store opened, but she didn’t want to be alone.
She was pretty scared for the first time in a while, and even more afraid to admit that truth. Throughout everything that she had been through with Oscar, she remained as brave as she could. She was starting to break down now and didn’t know what she needed to do to push through.
Her life was about to completely change. Less than a year ago, she was traveling around Europe with unlimited freedom. She carried everything she needed in a small bag and could do whatever she wanted anytime throughout the day.
In just two months and a few days, she was going to have another person to take care of. Did Oscar worry about this as much as she did? Did he fear for the future of his child like he did his store? Tessa was still learning about Oscar, and though she loved him, it was hard to process everything in their fast-paced relationship.
They were the strongest relationship she had ever experienced. By carrying his child, she’d learned to love him in a way she never thought possible. She felt like he was an extension of her and she was an extension of him. Like they were the same person sharing two different bodies. She couldn’t imagine her life without him anymore.
Even when she thought of her past, before she ever even knew Oscar existed, she thought of him. There wasn’t anything in the world that didn’t remind her of him. Even if she wanted to stop loving him, she wasn’t sure that it would be possible. Something about that kind of love hurt so bad. The fear of that ending was unimaginable to Tessa. It was a pain so real that it made her afraid of death for the first time in a while.
She felt a kick in her belly. Every time she felt her baby move, she was reminded of the miracle happening in her body. She loved how often it changed. She had always been a curvy girl with a flat tummy, so seeing her belly button stretch and her feet swell seemed surreal. It made all of the pain she felt during Oscar’s relationship worth it.
She also wanted to direct her anger towards Lydia. She messed things up the first time between her and Oscar and had tried again that night. Tessa couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, however. How lonely does it feel to try so desperately to get a man back who already has his interests in another woman?
She felt sorry for Lydia and hoped that she would find the peace within herself to leave the couple alone. She remembered what Lydia said about going crazy at the thought of losing Oscar. Tessa definitely understood what she meant. That was why it was so hard for her to accept the challenges of Oscar’s life.
Tessa realized she was gripping the edge of the balcony tight when she saw her white knuckles. Oscar stepped out onto the balcony and walked towards Tessa. She didn’t turn around, but she felt his presence. He walked up and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I know I haven’t been present enough during this pregnancy. But I will always be here.”
He rubbed her stomach, feeling the life growing inside. She turned her head and he kissed her cheek. Whenever he touched her she felt paralyzed but light, filled with emotion but free from anxiety. He made everything feel so right.
“I just don’t want you to leave,” she said, feeling her throat tighten. “But I don’t want you to think I can’t handle being without you.” She reassured him that she wasn’t to be stepped on.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He turned her around to face him. “You’re my number one. You’re always in my mind. Everything I do, every time I think, you’re there somewhere. I can never change that, Tessa.” He leaned in and kissed her.
She felt better hearing his voice and feeling his lips. He made everything feel right.
“I just get so scared. It’s hard when I feel like I don’t have control. My father leaving, it’s just, it all weighs so heavily sometimes.” She had already caught Oscar up to speed on her relationship with her father during an especially long pillow-talk session. He was very understanding, as he lost his father when he was in college as well.
“I know. I’ll always be here to give you what you need to reassure you that I’ll be around,” he said, pushing her hair back.
“I don’t always want to have to tell you, though. I don’t always know what I’ll need. What I didn’t tell you about my father is that I met him before,” Tessa told Oscar. She had never told anyone this before.
“Oh Tessa, what happened?” Oscar asked. “Or, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s all right. It was right after I graduated high school. My sister had looked him up online and messaged him, like I mentioned. He ended up blocking me and her, but one of my friends let me use their account to look up his profile. I found out where he worked, and… Well I decided to go there. While my mom left for work one day, I just drove to New Jersey. I just wanted to see what he looked like.” Tessa pulled away from Oscar’s embrace and walked along the balcony. She looked over the edge and remembered that day.
“He worked at a hospital, third shift. I drove to the hospital and expected I probably wouldn’t see him all day. I didn’t know what I was going to do if I even did see him. But right as I pulled into the visitor’s parking lot, I saw him walk out of a door. I only really remembered what he looked like from pictures my mom had, so I was surprised at how much older he looked. He had some gray hairs popping out, but I could still tell it was my dad. I watched him walk from the entrance to his car in a different parking lot, and once he started to pull out, I followed.
“I followed him to a gas station and decided I should turn around. I didn’t have any business there and what I was doing felt wrong. I decided to go into the gas station to get a drink, and he ended up going inside too. I watched him walk right past me. He even said excuse me, although the aisle was wide enough for the both of us. He gave me a smile and a strange look, but probably because I was just staring blankly at him. He went to the cooler, grabbed a soda, paid, and left, all while I stood in front of the candy bar section.
“I saw him get into his car and decided to follow him just for a moment further. I know it’s weird. I wouldn’t do it again, but I felt drawn to him. He only lived a few minutes from the gas station, and I parked further down the block, so he wouldn’t notice me. I watched him walk into a house. This was early in the morning, around the time most people are leaving for work and school.
“I thought about walking up to the house and knocking on the door. If he was alone, maybe we could have some coffee and catch up. I was his daughter, surely, he’d want to at least see what I looked like, right? Just as I worked up the courage to walk to the house, I saw a woman come out. A white woman at that. She got into an SUV and two younger boys ran out, probably half my age. They climbed into the car and started to pull out. My dad walked them down the driveway and waved goodbye.
“I had just watched my stepmom take my two brothers to school in the morning. I broke down in the car right there. Here I was, crying outside my dad’s house, and he had no idea I existed. He looked me right in the eyes and didn’t even know that I was his own daughter. Do you know how that feels?” Tessa was crying by now. Oscar walked over and grabbed her.
“I just, I don’t want my child to ever have to feel that way. To look into their father’s eyes and feel no love, no compassion. When I read rumors online about our relationship or hear that you might not be there in a time when I need you, I just feel like that girl again, crying in the car. The girl who was brave enough to drive across the state and spy on her father but the girl too weak to see him waving goodbye to other kids that morning.” She leaned into Oscar and he held her tight.
“I love you and our baby more than I’ve ever loved anything on the planet. You don’t ever have to worry about feeling that way again.” Oscar squeezed her tight and kissed her head.
She cried hard into his chest. That had been one of the worst days of her life. She started out feeling confident in herself and satisfied with her relationship. She ran into her lover’s ex-wife and got bombarded by paparazzi who shouted disgusting questions at her. To top that all off, she realized she’d be heading back to New York alone and she was faced to confront her issues with her father. She just wanted to crawl inside Oscar. Inside his heart where it was warm and peaceful, and she didn’t have to think about the rest of the world.
A place where she didn’t have to think of her two unknown brothers. Two boys that shared half of her and she didn’t even know their names. She didn’t want to think of all the people reading the rumors about her, commenting horrible things about the type of person she was, even though they didn’t know how to spell her name right.
She just wanted to think about Oscar and her baby. When she thought of them, everything else went quiet.