At about 3am, Natasha rushed out of the bed and went straight for the wardrobe with the aim of packing up the few clothes and essential items she needed for the vacation.

“Hey, babe, aren’t you going to help me with the packing? Si ulipromise utanisaidia (You promised to help me out)?” She pleaded in a soft voice. “Coming,” I hastily replied. I dashed out of the bed and quickly went to the washroom. My headache was beginning to build up but I needed to look as normal as possible. I was starting to feel extremely weak and haggard. I quickly dipped my head into the sink filled with cold water to ease my overwhelming headache. My eyes were red and my face a little bit wrinkled.

No matter how much I tried to look normal, the situation had taken a serious toll on me. I couldn’t shed the message off my head. I couldn’t afford losing Natasha and the baby she was carrying. They were my lifeline and I had promised myself that whatever coming, I would do anything to make us happy.

I stormed out of the washroom and reached for Natasha, I held her by the waist and kissed her forehead. Although she had just come out of sleep, she looked radiant and beautiful. She pulled me closer to her and placed her head on my chest as if she was examining my heart beat.

” Don’t worry babe, I’ll be back. It’s just for a few days then we will be together again,” her voice sounded shaky. We kissed and embraced momentarily, then went back to packing. All this while, I had not uttered a word. I knew what she needed, so I didn’t have to ask. I packed her plane ticket right on top of her other belongings to ease the burden of retrieving it.

As much as the text message took me by surprise, Natasha’s departure was beginning to affect me. The closer she came to leaving, the lonelier I grew. I knew that I had promised to be faithful and honest to her but it broke my heart that I was dealing with an issue that I personally couldn’t handle. I knew she would get to know of it someday but this was not the right time to spill the beans.

I thought of Natalie’s mum and what she might have gone through. I couldn’t relate since she was just a stranger that I couldn’t remember but being the emotional being that I was, I felt guilty and irresponsible. “I should have called or even texted,” I told myself.

Natasha wrapped her arms around me and the warmth pulled me back to reality. She began sobbing in a low voice. I could feel her tears run down my bare chest.

Since we started dating, we had never been away from each other. The bond was strong but I was wondering what would happen if she found out about the secret that I was keeping from her. I wished it was a dream but this was a reality that shone straight on to my face like the light of day…..

Stay tuned for the next chapter……