Chapter 11.

Megan walked down the street, exhausted from the busy activities of the day. There had been more customers than usual this morning and she had spent the entire afternoon closed away in the office, trying to balance the accounts from the sales.
Although she didn't do poorly with managing finances, it was still a big change from her work at her old workplace to managing a very busy coffee shop.

She however loved her work, even the exhausting part. The annoying part was the nauseating smell of coffee she was surrounded by all day, even after leaving, the smell hung to her clothes. But the job was paying some part of her bills, that made her feel fulfilled. And at least, one aspect of her life was getting back on track. Even with her missing memories, she felt more in control each day.


She inhaled the evening air as she crossed the street, taking in the people walking home and the cars driving by. Bodies brushed by hers on the walkway and she passed by a flower shop and gulped in the beautiful smell. She would have loved to head home and soak herself in her lavender-scented bath wash but she had an appointment with Roman at his doctor's hospital.

He had texted her the day before about the time and to be honest, she was glad. She wanted to get that out of the way as soon as possible.

Suddenly, she sighted two familiar figures walking side by side into a popular Chinese restaurant across the street. It took her a moment to figure out that it was Nick and her best friend, Camille and she felt her heartbreak anew at the smile Nick held as he kept the door opened for Camille

Even though Roman had filled her in about her breakup, it felt like a fresh heartbreak to watch them together. Maybe some part of her hadn't believed Roman. But here she was seeing her boyfriend and her best friend together, smiling at each other like a real couple.

How could they betray her and be laughing and holding hands on dates while she was struggling to work, keep a roof over her head, come to terms with having a baby and recover her memory? How dare Nick lie to her? How dare Camille steal her man? Worse still, this wasn't just any restaurant, this was the same place where Nick had first told her he loved her.


Megan was so angry she didn't know when she crossed the street and walked into the Chinese restaurant. The room was very crowded and it took her a moment to find them. They were seated in a dark corner of the busy room, with Camille smiling and chatting about something while Nick tried to hail a waiter with his hand. She marched right up to them.

Camille, who was facing the door, spotted her first. This was Camille, whom she had gone to college with. They had studied together, partied together and taken classes together. Megan had held Camille all through her different heartbreaks. Even when they had grown apart, Megan would never have suspected Camille could betray her like this.
Megan watched the face of her lifelong friend turn harsh with something close to hatred and scorn.

"You cheating liars. How dare you both do this to me? "

Nick turned at the voice then and anxiously glanced around, his face filled with dread. The waiter walking towards the table skillfully made a u-turn.
"Megan." Nick's voice cracked on the last two letters of her name.

"You lied to me, Nick. You took advantage of my amnesia and lied to me."

Nick looked tongue-tied and tugged at the neck of his wine sweater, a sweater she had gotten for him on sales six months ago.

"And you Camille? You are disgusting! I thought you were my friend and I loved you. Now, not only did you steal him, you didn't even check on me once when I was in the hospital or for weeks after."

"Yes, I heard about your stay in the hospital and I didn't come. You know why? "

Camille stood up and turned her frosty green eyes on Megan. Because she was in heels, she easily towered over Megan. She was dressed in a sleek and short emerald gown that accentuated her perfect figure, a figure Megan had always envied. Megan felt plain in her straight black knee-length gown and old blue pumps. Her hair was scattered on her head from her busy day.

"Because the whole world doesn't revolve around your arrogant and controlling ass."
Megan gasped.

"Camille? Me?"
"Yes, you! You always thought everyone has to leave whatever they are doing just for you. And you would never stop talking about yourself."

"All I did was trust you to be my friend! And clearly, that's been the biggest mistake of my life. "

"Oh, the feeling is mutual Megan. You just wouldn't shut up about your life. Flaunting your happily ever after around everyone, walking around doe-eyed. Nick this and Nick that."

"You wouldn't stop controlling Nick too. He was not clean enough for you, or hard-working enough. He just had to be whatever you wanted him to be. You wouldn't stop wanting to control even your mother! You thought you were so perfect while everyone else was not."

Megan felt tears at the back of her eyes, unable to believe that someone she had grown up with and loved, thought about her that way. Sure, she had complained about Nick's habits. It was only normal that she wanted him to improve. And as for her mother, she just wished her mother would be less flighty and take her relationship with her daughter more seriously. Camille had always seemed so understanding.

Although they had had a lot of fights, which best friends didn't? She never would have thought that her friend's hate would one day be directed at her. Besides, Camille was the perfect one.
She had perfect parents, a perfect job and a perfect physique. And she had flaunted that. All Megan had had to flaunt was Nick.

"You are the worst kind of human, Camille. I pray one day, you will come to realize how terrible you truly are."

Then she turned her attention to Nick. The bastard was just sitting there, letting two women bicker over him while the whole restaurant watched on. Even plates and spoons had stopped clanging.

"You selfish little coward. You even lied to me. I regret that I ever met you, that I spent both years and precious money on such a lousy pig."

"Megan. Megan, I can expl-"

"You are a self-serving, useless simpleton and I pray no woman, other than Camille, is ever unfortunate enough to be tied to you again."
She picked up the wet napkin on the table and deftly threw it on his face before proceeding to stomp out of the quiet restaurant.

She crossed the street and didn't look back until she had turned the block, suddenly remembering the appointment she had been heading for before she spotted Nick and Camille.


*****
Megan walked into the hospital and asked for directions to Dr Osbourne's office at the reception. She was fifteen minutes late and was a bit surprised Roman was yet to blow up her phone with calls.

When she reached the office, she knocked and stepped in and found Roman occupying a chair facing the Doctor's chair, although the doctor wasn't there. Roman looked up from his phone when she walked in, judgement etched into his features.

"Typical of you to come late."
Megan took a seat on the other chair and decided not to grace him with a reply. She was annoyed that she had to be living this life, carrying a baby that she didn't know much about inside her. She was as confused as Virgin Mary had to have been and she didn't want Roman adding to her already sour day.

"Where's the doctor you want me to see?"

"Well, like you, Dr Osbourne is running late. But I am sure he's occupied by more sensible things. "

Megan ignored the slight jab, determined to focus on the DNA test. "Have you tried calling him?"
"Of course, I am not a fool. His cell is unreachable."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, with Roman bowed over his phone while Megan ruminated over her altercation with Nick and Camille.
Roman suddenly turned to face her "You know, that baby can't be mine".

"Excuse me?"
"The baby you are carrying can't be mine. We mostly used protection."

"And what about the one per cent chance from the times we didn't?"


"I was careful regardless. Besides, you don't have your memories and there are already three potential fathers. God knows just how many more men are yet to turn up that you slept with."


Megan saw red then and she turned her loathing on Roman. God knows what she had seen in such an arrogant and detestable man to share not one, but multiple nights with him.

"You don't get to talk to me like that"!

"I am sorry, but I just have to think this way. Besides, you lied that you were on the pill."

"I don't remember saying that! You are so full of yourself and I regret whatever came over me to have made me have sex with someone like you!"

"Meg-"
She rose from her chair in anger, refusing to let him speak.
"I can't wait to confirm this child isn't yours anyway, I am sure you will make a terrible father."
Romans features hardened until his beautiful face resembled marble. "You can't blame me for wanting to protect myself and my company from someone who is likely a scheming gold digger. You have all the elements of one."

Megan felt herself shaking with anger and rose from the chair, clasping her bag in her hands.

"You know what? Screw you, Roman. I don't have to take this and I sure as hell don't have to do this DNA test so I am out of here."
She walked briskly to the door and turned back before opening it.

"And Roman, you deserve the kind of woman who did that to you."

Then she shut the door and marched out of the hospital, into the cooling evening weather on the street.