Chapter 62
Jealousy
Veronica’s POV
As the day went by, I felt stronger and better. I still didn’t have an appetite. but at least the fever was gone and I wasn’t throwing up here and there.
The headache was still there but I was so much better. Orthon’s phone buzzed beside me.
It has been doing so for the last ten minutes and Orthon was out to grab some groceries. They were all from someone named favourite and it was starting to bother me.
I knew it was wrong to go through his phone but when she started calling and calling, I feared it could be an emergency and answered, hoping to tell her that Orthon was out but she spoke first.
“Where the hell are you, nerd? Your son is driving me insane,” she groaned.
Son? Orthon has a son? I was so shocked that I couldn’t even get a word.
out.
“And where were you last night? You didn’t come home and I was so worried. You have a phone in your hand, you should at least know how to make use of it,” she continued scolding him.
I was still trying to digest the fact that Orthon had a son and never mentioned it. I didn’t know who this woman was but if she was Arie, the one who came back with a son, didn’t he say that the father died in a war so why was she addressing him as the father?
Did he lie to me?
The mere thought of it made my stomach churn. Or was he fooling me? All this time he was acting like he was totally into me and he had a woman somewhere waiting for him to come home?
“Hello?” She called. “Are you there? Why are you quict…” I hung up immediately and buried my face in my palms. My heart was squeezed so tightly that I was practically gasping.
Was Orthon playing me for a fool? Turning me into a Meghan while there was a Veronica waiting for him to come home?
My eyes watered.
Just then he returned with three shopping bags.
“Guess who’s back? Did you miss me, Vee?” He asked. I raised my head, feeling the anger seep through my veins.
“No, I did not miss you, but your son clearly did!” I snapped, rising from the couch. He looked at me in confusion.
“What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about? Seriously? You’re going to pretend that you didn’t abandon your son and what… your wife? Girlfriend? What do I even call her at this point?” I was irritated and possibly yelling but I couldn’t help it. I was angry and hurt and furious.
I trusted him! How could he break my heart like this?
“You’re confusing me, Veronica. What girlfriend are you talking about?”
He asked.
Is he for real? He was going to pretend that he didn’t know who I was. talking about now? How could I even be so stupid? I should have known.
from the start that a man as handsome as Orthon couldn’t possibly be single.
Even Carter, who was a total dick, wasn’t single at the time I began crushing on him. I tossed his phone to him, “She’s waiting for you to go
home.
With that, I stormed upstairs. I shut the door and tried not to think about
- it.
Yet I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. It was probably coming from the realisation that I liked him. Way more than I was supposed to.
A knock came on my door.
“Vee? Please open up, let’s talk,” he pleaded but I didn’t respond. “Come on, Vee, I know you can hear me. The person you are getting pissed about is actually Arie. I told you about her.”
Arie?
A frown crossed my face. If it was her, why was she calling her son
Orthon’s?
“And the baby?” I asked.
“It’s hers, Vee. I told you the father died in a war. I am his Godfather, “he explained.
Oh! I didn’t think of that.
Colour began to creep on my cheeks. This is so embarrassing. I sounded like a jealous bitch. Maybe I should blame it on the pregnancy.
Would he buy that? Dammit, it was either that or I would have to confess my feelings to him. Which was never going to happen.
1135
I was yet to recover from one relationship, I couldn’t just jump into
another.
The silence stretched as I leaned against the door, still too mortified to face Orthon. My mind whirled with the misunderstanding, my reaction, and the warmth creeping up my face.
“Vee, please,” Orthon tried again. His voice was soft now, almost coaxing. “I know you’re upset, but let me clear this up. I’m not hiding anything from you. I promise.”
I hesitated, torn between opening the door and burying my head under the covers for eternity. Finally, I sighed, reached for the knob, and pulled the door open just a crack. Orthon’s concerned face greeted me.
“You’re really his godfather?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” he nodded firmly. “Arie is like a sister to me, Vee. She just returned to the country with her son and had nothing in her name. I promised her I would take care of them. That’s all. She’s my best friend, Vee. There’s nothing more to it.”
I studied his face, searching for any hint of a lie, but all I saw was sincerity.
“I thought… I mean, it sounded like…” I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. The embarrassment was unbearable.
A smirk played on his lips as a knowing look crossed his face. God, this is going to be so embarrassing!
“You thought I was hiding a secret family from you?”
I winced at how ridiculous it sounded when he said it out loud. “It was stupid. I’m sorry.”
He chuckled softly, the sound warm and reassuring. “It’s not stupid, Vee.
You’re allowed to feel however you feel. But next time, maybe just ask me before jumping to conclusions?”
I nodded, feeling a little foolish but also relieved by his understanding tone. “I’ll try.”
He smiled, his teasing smirk back in place. “So, does this mean you feel something for me, Vee? You were jealous, weren’t you?”
I scoffed, stepping back and crossing my arms. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was just… confused. That’s all.”
“Uh–huh,” he said, stepping into the room and setting the shopping bags. down. “Well, for what it’s worth, I only have room in my life for one woman right now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And who might that be?”
He grinned, leaning down slightly to meet my gaze. “You, Vee. Always
you.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I hated how easily he could affect me. “You‘ re insufferable,” I muttered, brushing past him and heading toward the bags. “Now, what did you get from the store?”
Orthon laughed, the sound chasing away the lingering tension.
“Groceries, obviously. But if you behave, there might be chocolate in there somewhere.”
As he unpacked the bags, I couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. Maybe, just maybe, Orthon was different. But could I really let myself believe in someone again?
“Vee?”
“Yes?” I answered.
friends,” he said.
Uhmm…?
