Page 34 of Conquered

Chapter 13

Back at the mansion, Noelle found herself pacing the bedroom floor. It was one of many nights she didn't know when Hunter would be coming home. She had to do it now before she lost her courage entirely.

Alone in the bathroom, she removed the wrapper for a pregnancy kit she bought at a drugstore near the café. She tried to quell the uneasiness she felt inside as she waited for the telltale sign. Her worst fear happened. The result indicated that she was indeed pregnant.

“Oh fuck,” she muttered.

Suddenly, guilt assailed her for feeling bad. True, it wasn’t part of the plan. But this was their baby. Hunter’s hectic preparations ran like a well-oiled machine that didn’t have room for unexpected surprises. His team of experts went through any and all possible setbacks with a fine-tooth comb. No one saw this coming.

“Maybe, I should keep this to myself for the meantime,” she debated.

The baby was still in her mind when she heard the sound of his car in the driveway. She glanced at the clock by the bedside table and noted the time. It was 3:45 A.M.

She rose from the bed. Maybe he was hungry. She could rustle up something for him to eat in the kitchen.

As she stepped out of the bedroom door, Hunter came into view. He looked whacked and out-of-sorts. Noelle’s heart melted. He really was putting his all into the coming race.

“Hi,” Noelle greeted him softly.

Hunter looked at her like she was a stranger. His eyes were troubled.

“What’s wrong?” Noelle asked worriedly.

“This…” he replied abruptly shoving a broadsheet into her hand.

It was one of those found in supermarket checkout lanes with sensational headlines written in capital letters in screaming red colors that caught the eye.

This article was written in guess-who style.

Who is the aspiring senatorial candidate recently married in lavish ceremonies attended by NYC’s who’s who? Based on surveys, he has the most chance of landing a seat in the U.S. Senate. Information we received from an anonymous tipper indicates that the beautiful young wife is not exactly on the up-and-up and possibly an illegal alien before the marriage happened. While this is all moot and academic, him having married her, it begs the question: did our would-be senator break any laws? Did he pull a fast one on the legal system of the United States? What was the motive behind the sudden wedding? Is there more to the story?

Noelle felt the air sucked out of her body. It was clear who the article was referring to. Only her name and Hunter’s name were missing.

“Who could have done this?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied frostily, Maybe a rival…I don’t know. The timing is just so shitty.”

“Diggs? It had to be him. He came by at the café a second time. He called me names and I slapped him,” Noelle replied remembering the incident.

Hunter looked frozen.

"Maybe this is all there is?" She muttered weakly. "It's just a tabloid. People don't usually believe stories of these kinds."

“Normally I wouldn’t care. But there’s no way of knowing if this would get picked up by the local paper. Shit like this is likely to derail all my plans.” He said coldly.

“What are we gonna do?” Fear was written all over her face.

He said nothing, gave a drawn out sigh and shook his head. Then he entered the bedroom and left her standing by the door.

Noelle felt confused…and so guilty. If the repercussions from the broadsheet affected her husband in any way, she was to blame. He has worked so hard for everything just to fall apart this early in the race.

She followed him inside and noticed he headed straight for bed. His clothes lay in a pile near the foot of the bed. She gathered them and placed everything in the hamper before she approached the bed and climbed in. His back was turned towards her side. Noelle knew he was still upset.

She reached out and caressed the muscle on his back. It was then she realized how tense and stiff he was. She inched closer and kissed the side of his face.

“Hunter, talk to me, please.” She begged.

She wrapped her arms around his chest and snuggled closer. She felt him stiffen and draw away from her.