Baby Love Me Page 9

  “Does your head hurt?” Caroline came and draped her arms around his neck again. He could feel her breasts brushing his back, and it sent a revolting feeling up his throat. He dashed out of bed in the next second.

  “Get away from me,” he shouted, but the sudden action caused his unsteady body to topple back onto bed.

  “Guess you’re still tired from last night.”

  “Stop saying that.” Hunter could feel his body slumping again, and then he was gently put back on the bed.

  “Why don’t you rest for now?” he heard Caroline say. “The show is about to begin.”

  What show? he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t get the words past his lips. He vaguely heard a ring at the door and saw Caroline smiling that malicious smile of hers again before his mind blacked out and he drifted off to sleep.

  Come to apartment 148 at Teal Hotel, North Shore.

  I have a surprise for you ~ Hunter

  Clarice quickened her pace when she received the text from Hunter. Last night, she was so worried. She tried texting him, but there was no reply. Then she rang Anton, followed by Fern, to ask where he’d disappeared off to. Clinton had suggested he might be at his townhouse, but calling him there resulted in no answer either. She got so worried that she hardly got any sleep. She’d even worried her friends by calling them for advice. Whitney had said Hunter was having an affair since he didn’t arrive home, whereas Elise said he might be somewhere important and couldn’t get in contact with her. Words from Max only confirmed she was worrying too much and should just rest. His big bro might have a surprise for her.

  Clarice wasn’t convinced by all of their advice. She was determined if Hunter didn’t show up home this morning, she would report his absence to the police. Now, though, she’d received his text, much to her relief.

  But to go to Teal Hotel, a hotel-slash-apartment complex, in the most expensive part of North Shore… What could Hunter mean by that? Would he propose to her? Was that why he didn’t come home last night? Was Max right all along? And were those two brewing something behind her back again? The thought sent a thrill down her spine.

  Maybe he’s organizing some sort of event for me in order to create the perfect atmosphere to propose and it took the whole night.

  Dear heaven, she wanted to smack her own head at that suggestion. She was behaving like a schoolgirl out on a first date.

  As she hurried to get to apartment 148, she had to double-check the room number on her text again just to make sure it was the right one. Once confirmed, she rang the doorbell.

  She was so excited. Her heart was jumping in so much joy at the surprise Hunter was about to give her. All sorts of scenarios were conjured up in her head. She giggled when a vision of Hunter clad in that single white towel flashed through her mind, like their first meeting, but her giggle faltered when the door actually opened. The person standing before her was also clad in a single white towel, but it wasn’t Hunter. Looking at that face now made her own pale at the staggering truth. She could feel her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. And with the next words said by that person, tears rolled down her face.

  “What? Are you surprised, Clarice?” Caroline asked, smirking at her. “Are you looking for Hunter?”

  Clarice didn’t say anything, just stood there at the door, staring at the woman who had tormented her life for so long.

  When Clarice didn’t reply, Caroline volunteered her answer. “He was so active last night, you know. Now he’s fast asleep. He’s been saying his life has been so boring lately, what with being with you.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Clarice retorted. “Hunter is with me. He would never go back to you.”

  “Oh really?” Caroline eyed her. “I have proof. Hunter’s only staying with you for his reputation. Do you think he enjoys your company? You’re nothing but a fat egg.”

  “But this baby is his too. He told me so himself.”

  “Get real, Clarice,” Caroline yelled at her. “It was all an act. Do you think he wants to live with a woman as old as you? Not only that, but you’re not that beautiful either. Hunter only loves beautiful women like me.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Clarice shouted, defending her honor. “You’re lying.”

  “I’m not lying.” Caroline showed her vicious fangs. “Do you think he enjoyed having sex with a whale like you? Of course not. That’s why he came to see me last night. Here, see these?”

  Caroline tossed a bunch of photos onto the table. They lay scattered, a few facing up. One caught her attention. It was of Hunter having dinner with Caroline. The print read last night’s date and time.

  She picked up the other photos that lay scattered on the table. Her hand shook as she flicked through them. One was of Hunter in her house, the day he declared he wanted to move in with her.

  “What are these?” she asked, her voice betraying her strong posture, resonating the anxiety and worry within her.

  “They’re his pictures. The paparazzi took them, but Hunter found out of course, so he paid them in advance. That stopped the leakage.”

  “Then why did he continue to live with me?”

  “Out of sheer guilt, of course,” Caroline explained. “Did you think he was going to stay with you until after the birth? It’s his baby, a mistake your stupid cousin concocted. Now that the world knows about Hunter Silverton having a baby with you, of course he’s going to act like the perfect father to his child. After the baby’s birth, though, he’ll come back to me.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Clarice shook her head and stood her ground. “Where’s Hunter? I want to see him.” She pushed Caroline aside and barged in.

  “Go right ahead.” Caroline sarcastically laughed. “He’s in bed, sleeping.”

  “You’re lying. Hunter would never—” Clarice stopped when she heard a familiar man’s voice from deep within the apartment.

  “Caroline… Caroline… where are you?”

  Oh God, oh God. That was Hunter’s voice.

  She lifted her head to look at that person and the tears flooded from her eyes.

  This is my imagination. This is definitely my imagination. Hunter would never do this to me, she repeated to herself. He said he loves me. He told me countless times he loves me. He would never be unfaithful to me.

  Again and again, she chanted those affirmations, but when she heard that person speak, she broke down. Caroline had been telling her the truth. Hunter was here last night, having an affair behind her back.

  “Clarice!” Hunter spoke as the fog in his head cleared and the image of his lover standing there, looking shocked, penetrated his gaze. What was Clarice doing here? His mind tried to grasp the situation. “Baby!” he gasped again.

  “Was this the surprise, Hunter?” Clarice asked, her voice very gentle and quiet. She didn’t know how to react anymore. Should she yell? Should she scream at him to disappear? She couldn’t think right now. Everything was just a swirl of colors for her. What was the truth? Who was telling facts and who was weaving fiction?

  “Ah, Hunter, darling, you’re awake,” Caroline said sweetly and went to hold Hunter’s arm when he was about to topple over with the after-effects of the drugs.

  Hunter pushed aside Caroline and lifted his eyes to Clarice. He had a pleading look on his face, wanting his lover to understand what happened last night was all a trap woven by Caroline, but the look on his lover’s face, her eyes growing wide when Caroline came to hug him, showed she believed in every single scene that played out in front of her.

  “Baby, it’s not what you think.” Hunter spoke quickly. “I can explain everything.”

  “Hunter… I… I need time to think. I’m going back home,” Clarice said in shock and disappeared out the door.

  “Clarice, baby, wait!” Hunter shouted, running after her, but Caroline came and held him back. “Let me go, Caroline,” he yelled. “Didn’t I tell you not to interfere in my life anymore? Look what you’ve done.”

  “But, Hunter, we were m
eant to be together,” Caroline said, plastering herself to his side. “Did you hear her say it? She said she needs time to think. You and her don’t belong together. She doesn’t trust you. If she loved you, she would have listened to you. I was only testing her, and look what she—”

  “What the hell are you doing?” Hunter shouted and shoved her to the side. “You’re a sick woman. What kind of mind games are you playing at? Get off me. NOW!” He made a dash to the door, but Caroline blocked him again.

  “Why are you being like this?” Caroline shouted, having enough of Hunter’s awful behavior towards her. Here she had planned everything, from drugging him to pretending to be Hunter and using his phone to text Clarice to tell her to come to this apartment so she could see they were both together last night. Even though she didn’t get to sleep with Hunter, she didn’t care. Right now, she wanted Hunter’s heart to be hers. She’d gone this far already, so she would never let him go back to Clarice. So she barred her arms in the exit, not allowing Hunter to pass. Then she shouted back at him, “I am offering myself to you, and here you’re refusing me.”

  “You’re disgusting.” Hunter tore her arms from the doorframe and yanked her to the side. Then he twisted her arm. Caroline could only yelp in pain as tears sprinkled from her eyes.

  “Admit defeat. You don’t measure up to Clarice one little bit. And a little piece of advice so your brain can stop plotting these disgusting plans in your head,” Hunter hissed his venom into her ears. “Even if you were the last woman on this earth, I would never, ever come to love someone as conniving and evil-minded as you.”

  Caroline opened her eyes wide when Hunter said this. No one in her life had ever used those words to describe her personality. She blinked and yelled at him, “Fine. Go. Do you think I’m going to stop there? I’ll make sure you’re mine. Just you wait.”

  Hunter didn’t care. He didn’t have time to deal with Caroline’s devious ways. He had more pressing matters to attend to. So he shoved Caroline to the floor and raced downstairs to follow Clarice.

  Hunter didn’t stop running until he reached the elevator.

  Shit. What’s taking the elevator so long? He cursed.

  He couldn’t wait any longer so he raced down the stairs, all twenty-one stories. Flinging the door open, he raced down the street and prayed Clarice would be around the corner.

  “Shit!” he cursed again. His heart thrashed against his chest and cold sweat poured down his temples.

  Oh God. He prayed again. Please let Clarice be around the corner. Please. Please.

  Hunter took a turn and there she was, walking like a zombie in barren land.

  “Clarice, baby!” Hunter shouted, hugging her form from behind, his arms wound about her curvy stomach. But it was like Clarice had suddenly woken from the initial shock with that one single touch from Hunter and she began screaming and struggling in his arms.

  “Let me go, Hunter!” she shouted and struggled in vain to get away from his grasp. “Let me go.”

  “Baby, please,” Hunter cooed into her ears, holding her fast and tight against his chest, refusing to let her go. “Please listen to me. I can explain everything.”

  Clarice sobbed when she realized she couldn’t fight him off. She was tired. The last day or so had taken a toll on her. She stilled her body and with a quiet impassive voice, she spoke. “Was this the surprise, Hunter? Was this it?”

  “Baby, no.” Hunter soothed her, continuing to hug her small form from behind. “Didn’t you say you trusted me? So please trust me this time. Know that I didn’t know anything about this. Caroline… she—”

  “Get away from me!” Clarice yanked herself out of Hunter’s arms, surprising him in mid-speech. When Hunter pulled her back and urgently wrapped his arms around her to stop her from escaping again, she cried in desperation. “Please, just let me go.”

  “Baby, please, listen to me. It’s not what you think. She led me. She came on to me.”

  “I said let me go.” She fought him off with all her energy until Hunter relented because he was scared that she might tire herself out. He let her go and watched as she started walking backwards. “I don’t care anymore if you go and sleep with a dozen other women,” she screamed with tears and anger mixed. “You cheated on me. I told you already that I can’t take this if you were to do this to me, and you still did it. How could you, Hunter? How could you? You said you loved me. You said so yourself. I trusted you. I believed in you.”

  “Clarice, baby, I do love you. And I love you so much that my heart is breaking. Please, just hear me out. Don’t let one single misunderstanding cause a rift between us,” Hunter said in a hurry, trying to explain to Clarice in the shortest possible time as each step she took backwards took his beloved farther away from him. The strong bond of trust that they created in the last few months was nothing now but a lifeless thread that was tearing them apart. “Please, baby. Trust me. I love you, and I mean it when I say I didn’t sleep with Caroline. She planned everything. I didn’t know it until it was already too late.” He choked on his last words, trying to convey his feelings to Clarice.

  “No. I need time to think, Hunter. I need time. Please go away. Don’t follow me. I want to be alone.”

  “Baby, please,” Hunter begged when she took another step back. He advanced, and just when he was about to grasp her arm, Clarice surprised him yet again by pushing him off. With the drug still in his system, his body fell to the ground.

  “I said go away!” Clarice yelled, turning her back to him. “Don’t follow me. I don’t ever want to see your face again.” With tears streaming down her face, she ran away from him.

  Hunter got back up and ran after her. “Clarice, baby? Wait for me. Don’t run. You might hurt our baby.” But Clarice didn’t listen as she ran faster and faster until she got into the safety of a passing taxi. The driver was the same one who’d taken her away from Hunter from the pre-conference ball. He remembered her running away from that young gentleman too.

  “Oh, my dear. It’s you again. And you’re pregnant,” the taxi driver commented.

  “Please,” Clarice sobbed, unable to explain the situation. “Don’t ask. Just take me home.”

  The taxi driver watched Clarice in sadness as he assumed husband and wife were fighting again. He hoped the little one would be okay.

  Clarice sat in the car, crying. How could Hunter do this to her? He broke her heart. Why did she have to fall in love with him? If only she didn’t fall in love with him, then everything would be fine. He could cheat as much as he wanted. It sure wouldn’t affect her. All she wanted was sperm. Now that she had his sperm, she had to have his heart too, the heart that would only be devoted to her. She should never have believed him. Once a Casanova, always a Casanova.

  She tried to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks, but her heart was in too much pain. Why must she cry for Hunter? She knew already that he wouldn’t amount to anything but a Casanova. All those soft words, they were all tricks. She must be strong, if not for herself, then for her baby.

  She rubbed her stomach and closed her eyes. She could live without Hunter. She’d lived for the past thirty years of her life with no man to support her, so what difference did it make now if for the next thirty years she had no man beside her? As long as she had her baby, she would be fine.

  Except she knew she wasn’t fine. She loved Hunter too much and her life and heart were breaking, and she wasn’t sure if she could face tomorrow without Hunter in her life ever again.

  When the taxi arrived in front of her house, she neglected to see a familiar car parked there. She was in such distress that she dashed out and ran into the house. She ran past the lounge and was about to enter her room when she heard someone speak from behind.

  “Chantee, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  Clarice turned to that voice and came face to face with her mother. Her face paled and she quickly wiped her tear-swollen cheeks.

  “Mum! You’re back?”

&n
bsp; Chapter 15

  “Chantee, what’s wrong?” Montha eyed her only daughter with concern. Since she had been away, Clarice had changed so much. She’d expected Clarice to be big, as a pregnant woman should be, but what she didn’t expect was for her daughter to look this distraught upon her arrival. Something must have happened during her absence, and it was her duty as a mother to find out what it was. “Why are you crying? And where is your partner?”

  “Mum… I…”

  “Cuz, what’s wrong?” Max popped out of nowhere. “Crikey, you’re crying. Aunty, Clarice is crying.”

  “I know she’s crying. I can see that. What I don’t know is why. Do you know why, Max?” Montha asked her nephew. “You’ve looked after her since I was away, so why is Chantee crying?”

  “Aunty, I don’t know. I just arrived with you.”

  “Mum, Max, I’m fine,” Clarice answered, trying to stifle her tears. “Please, don’t worry. I’ll… I’ll go upstairs and freshen myself up. Then we can catch up.”

  “You’re not fine, cuz,” Max said. “Your eyes are all red. What’s wrong? Who hurt you? I’ll go and punch their lights out right now. In fact, where is big bro? I’m sure he’ll help me punch that person’s lights out too.”

  “Max, no!” Clarice cried, her grip trembling as she held on to Max to stop him from searching for Hunter. “Don’t… don’t call him over.”

  “Cuz…” Max spoke as the realization dawned on him. “The reason you’re crying, does this have something to do with big bro?”

  “I… I…” Clarice was too tired. She just wanted to go to her room and cry. She didn’t want to pretend anymore that she was fine; otherwise, the emotion she was trying so hard to suppress would emerge. “I’m going to go upstairs,” she said, excusing herself. She was about to turn to go when her father’s voice stopped her.

  “Clarice, pumpkin. There’s a young man here. He said he wants to see you. Can I bring him in to see…? Oh!” Michael stopped in surprise when he saw his daughter crying. “Pumpkin, you’re crying.”