Baby Daddy Facade

Raina Williams

That blinding moment when you believe in love. The moment you fall in love, you know he is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with because he whispers sweet nothings in your ear. He tells you the right things, things you want to hear. He showers you with compliments and gifts. Your heart takes a leap of faith, saying, "You know what? Maybe he is the one I have been waiting for my whole life."

That was me six years ago.

I had just finished my last year of college, and I was working on my internship at an international law firm owned by the Le Roux family, who were originally from the Netherlands. I was twenty and ready for the beginning of my career as a criminal lawyer... my passion. Mr. Richard Le Roux was my boss, and he was very easy to work with. Although he was in his early fifties, he had a lot of experience and was very enthusiastic about everything having to do with law. Everything had been going smoothly at my internship for five months—until the horror arrived. Yes, the horror itself: Angelo Le Roux. The so-called heir to the multimillion-dollar company had just returned from London to answer his father's summons. That was the death of me. Angelo was a well-known bachelor in Los Angeles, covered by Vogue and various magazines at only twenty-four, with jet-black hair, tanned skin, and beautiful forest-green eyes that were irresistible... I fell for him. I know what you're thinking. How cliché, right?

When we had meetings with the board, including his father, Richard. He would hold his gaze on me the entire time. Soon, it got to the point where he would show up in my office, and we would enjoy each other's kisses for a while. Well, at that moment, I wasn't thinking. I loved the danger and excitement of almost getting caught every time until I finally gave in and let him take my virginity. From there, it was true what they say: Once you pop, you can't stop.

Richard Le Roux was quite fond of me, and he would invite me to family brunches and venues because he said he saw his young self in me, so I became a family friend. And that was convenient for Angelo and me, as we would fuck in the mansion, my office, at his penthouse, in his office, the boardroom, the conference room—well, everywhere. It was all fun and games until I got pregnant... with twins.

Raina Williams

I was pregnant with twins. Why was I even surprised? It was normal in the Le Roux family. Angelo himself had a twin sister, Alma Le Roux. A very nice and outgoing woman, she became a good friend as time went by.

*Flashback*

"Angelo, I can't, not today," I panted as Angelo unbuttoned my blouse while kissing my neck. It felt so good, but I needed to get something off my chest first... It had been two months already, and I couldn't hide it anymore. The morning sickness wasn't taking it easy on me, especially during office hours and minor mood swings. My colleagues were starting to question what was going on.

"Come on, Raina." He continued kissing me the whole time. I avoided him, telling him that it was my time of the month—or any other excuse possible—but knowing Angelo, he never backed down. He would still insist, knowing that we had fucked on my period multiple times, mostly in their shower... That's how intimate we were, like a married couple.

"Angelo, I'm pregnant," I blurted out. He immediately stopped, and my heart hammered against my chest, waiting for his reaction. He walked back and forth around my office. Frustrated, he raked his hands through his black hair. I started crying while buttoning my blouse. Damn these hormones.

"We always use protection!" he said, more to convince himself. Yes, we did, and I was always on the pill. But I didn't want to admit that there were times that I had forgotten to take it. I always pressured him to use a condom, but he always insisted he didn't need one; he wasn't sleeping with anyone else, and I could trust him. Also, he wanted to feel me.

"Yes, but we didn't have one, so you said you would pull out." I sobbed, hiccupping on my words.

"How far along are you?" He strayed from the conversation.

"Six weeks," I said through the tears.

"You can get rid of it," he said coldly, and I gasped.

"I can't," I said, sniveling.

"Raina, listen to me... You will get rid of that thing because I don't want it." I cried even more, standing in my corner, and he was calm about the whole situation.

"Don't worry, I will pay for it," he said in a low voice.

"But Angelo, I love you. We could be together, and we wouldn't have to abort our baby," I sobbed, my eyes becoming red.

"Raina, listen, it's not 'ours.' That's your responsibility. And secondly, I'm sorry. I can't return those feelings... We fucked. That's all there was to it," he spat coldly, and my heart broke into a million pieces, making me cry even more as he left, banging my office door.

*End of Flashback*

As expected, Angelo didn't want the baby, so I asked Mr. Richard for leave from work. Concerned, he asked what was wrong, but I lied through my teeth. Angelo was already mad as it was, but if I knew one thing, it was that I wasn't going to kill my babies. So I left Los Angeles and went back to Ohio to be with my family. I was broken. All I wanted was to be with my family. I explained the whole ordeal to my parents. My father, Marco Williams, a pastor in our small town, was disappointed, but being raised as a preacher's kid, I knew abortion was not an option. My parents promised to help me whenever I needed help. For the rest of the nine months, I went out every Sunday to my father's church service, as expected, but the other days I would be curled up in bed crying my eyes out while watching Love Rosie over and over again with a bucket of ice cream. I craved chocolate and vanilla ice cream more than anything. Then I thought, you know what? Maybe I could do this without him. I would take care of my twins, love them more than anything, and life would continue. I was already in love with my babies from the first ultrasound. The first time they kicked...

I couldn't help but think he should have been here.

In those nine months, Angelo only contacted me once to ask if I had gotten rid of it—his exact words—and I replied with yes. With that, I never heard from him again. I was that easy to forget.

On the twenty-second of September 2011, my two beautiful angels were born, the most beautiful beings on this living earth. My mom, Sarah Williams, was there with me in the delivery room, where I almost broke her knuckles. My father was outside praying in the hospital corridors, with my little brother, Karl Williams, playing video games.

On my second day in the hospital, I decided to name them Ashley and Ashton. Suddenly, the person I thought I would never see again walked in, and my heart froze. How did he know? I was shocked more than relieved. He didn't have the right. He had abandoned me. A part of me jumped with joy, thinking that he would apologize, kiss me, and propose to me. Then we could be the happy family I had been imagining ever since I got pregnant.

"Raina, I called him. We both know you can't do this alone," my mom wheedled.

"Mom, you know he doesn't want them," I said, my eyes becoming blurry.

"Raina, I'm sorry," he said, standing on the side of my hospital bed. Then Richard and his wife, Martha Le Roux, walked in with flowers and teddy bears.

"Oh my, Raina, they are so cute." Alma, Angelo's twin sister, squirmed, looking at the twins, who were peacefully asleep.

"Raina, thank you for not having an abortion. You know you are like a daughter to Martha and me. Why didn't you tell us?" Richard said genuinely.

After that, everything was settled. Angelo said he would take responsibility for the twins, and we would be going back to Los Angeles. If it weren't for my parents calling Angelo, things would be a lot more complicated. I forgave Angelo, but even in pain after giving birth, he still reminded me that there was absolutely nothing between us... which hurt because I loved him.

After a year, I went back to the gym, back to work, and moved out of Angelo's place into my own modern apartment with four bedrooms, a huge kitchen, a lounge, two bathrooms, and a balcony with the most beautiful view. I basically got my life back on track, and no one would even think I gave birth a year ago because my body was on fleek.

I went back to taking clients as a criminal lawyer. It was hard being a full-time mom to twins and working on my cases—of course, Angelo did help out, and his parents did too. I was grateful.