I Won't Be Fooled
Enrico
My sudden entry into the room and the direct question I posed seemed to leave Rachel in shock. Nearly a whole minute passed without her saying a word in response, so I decided to press her further.
"And then? What do you have to say?" I asked firmly.
Rachel was pale and seemed on the verge of fainting again. Lindsay noticed this too and supported her while giving me a harder look than I had ever seen before.
"Can't you see she's not well at all, Enrico?" Lindsay spoke with alarming coldness, making Rachel sit on the bed. "This moment is entirely inappropriate, and you shouldn't be pressuring Rachel like this. She's just an employee in your house and has no obligation to share her personal life with her boss."
I understood Lindsay's concern; they were friends, and it was clear Rachel wasn't feeling well. However, I couldn't postpone the conversation any longer. Since yesterday, I had been thinking about it continuously, and the uncertainty was tormenting me. I needed answers, and I needed them now, especially after overhearing the conversation between the two and confirming that Rachel was indeed pregnant, as I suspected since I heard her vomiting.
"I have every right to know everything about this matter!" I protested with all the indignation I was feeling. "There's no reason why Rachel can't speak for herself, you have to admit."
My provocation seemed to have an effect, as Rachel looked at me visibly annoyed, and finally seemed ready to provide some answers, driven by emotion.
"I know you heard when Lindsay mentioned the pregnancy, Enrico," she pointed out angrily. "And I don't understand what your doubt is. After all, you, better than anyone, know how this happened. Or are you going to pretend you don't know how to make a baby now?"
"I'm no boy; I perfectly know how babies are conceived!" I replied, not falling for the obvious trap Rachel was trying to set. "My doubt isn't related to the baby's conception process. My real question is: how did you get pregnant?"
"You're just messing with me!" Rachel scoffed. "Don't pretend to be naive, Enrico; that's completely ridiculous for a man your age."
Lindsay looked from one to the other, finally realizing what was happening and all the words left unsaid in that previously incomprehensible dialogue for her.
"Wait a minute..." she said, with a smile of genuine understanding. "This baby you're expecting, Rachel, is Enrico's!?"
Lindsay was visibly incredulous, and Rachel, now firmer in her actions, didn't hesitate to confirm.
"Yes, exactly," Rachel reassured her friend, looking at me with an expression that suggested she doubted I could deny this fact. "I'm pregnant with Enrico's child."
Faced with this absurd assertion, I couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh. Did Rachel think I was a complete fool, capable of falling for the oldest trick in the book?
"I don't understand the reason for your sarcastic laughter," Rachel pointed out with evident irritation. "And I also don't believe you can deny this in the face of all the facts."
I knew Rachel was a good actress from the moment I first saw her again at the event in Quebec. However, I never could have imagined she would go so far as to resort to a supposed pregnancy as a means to secure a marriage with me. This was beyond my expectations.
"I must say you've gone too far this time, and, even worse, you won't achieve your goals with me, dear Rachel."
"What do you mean by that?" Rachel asked, incredulous. "I can't believe you're saying I'm not pregnant with your child, Enrico!"
Rachel pointed an accusing finger, her face flushed, and I got the impression she was feeling better, though not fully recovered.
"Well, believe it, because that's exactly what I'm saying now," I asserted without hesitation.
Rachel spoke with such audacity that any unsuspecting person would fully believe her words so heavily laden with sincerity. However, I wouldn't be swayed by that conversation at all and was just waiting for the right moment to be as direct as possible. Now was the perfect time for it.
"Are you out of your mind!? Of course, this baby is yours, Enrico."
"No, it's not," I said, revealing all my displeasure. "Now what I want to know is about the father of this baby you're insisting on trying to pass off as mine, when there's no chance at all that this is true."
My words seemed to cause Rachel almost physical pain, and her gaze turned icy.
"What do you mean there's no chance?" Rachel stood up and approached me. "We didn't just have sex once, but several times, and in none of them did we use any kind of precaution."
"I was sure," I said with disdain. "It couldn't happen in any way."
"Of course it's possible," Rachel insisted. "And it happened, and this pregnancy test is the biggest proof of that."
First, I looked at Rachel, who still held the pharmacy test in her hands, and then at Lindsay, the eyewitness to this confrontation.
"I can't be the father of the baby you're expecting, Rachel," I said with disgust, facing this absurd situation. "I had a vasectomy, and there's no chance of this happening after more than two years of the procedure."
Rachel's expression alternated between disbelief and anger at my statement. She remained silent for a moment, processing the information. Her previously defiant gaze began to show signs of concern.
"But... but how is that possible?" she murmured as if seeking an explanation for this turn of events.
I just shrugged, as the most important thing had already been said.
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