Ficorpio
Chapter 1
At our New Year’s Eve dinner, I found a woman I’d never met sitting beside my husband, acting like she was one of the guys.
The fourth time she wrapped herself around Adrian’s arm, I threw up all over the floor.
Adrian immediately turned to me, rubbing my back in alarm.
The woman merely folded her arms and arched an eyebrow.
“Adrian, this wife of yours can’t handle much, can she?”
Oh. So she was that kind of pick-me tomboy.
What she didn’t know was that when it came to performative innocence, I could teach her a master class.
An awkward silence descended over the private dining room.
Adrian frowned. “Vanessa Hayes, stop talking nonsense.”
His hand continued patting my back.
Vanessa lowered her voice slightly. “You and I used to drink all night. Even when we woke up in the same bed, neither of us ever threw up.”
Someone at the table hurried to smooth things over.
“Maya, that was all in the past. Don’t listen to Vanessa. She never knows when to keep her mouth shut.”
Vanessa froze.
The people around her promptly clapped their hands over her mouth.
After prying them away, she stuck out her lower lip. “What, I’m not allowed to tell the truth now? This is why having women around is such a pain.”
Nausea surged up my throat again, choking me until tears filled my eyes.
When I raised my head, they were already red.
“Adrian, did I ruin everyone’s evening?” I asked softly. “I’m sorry…”
Adrian’s face filled with concern. “Honey, if you’re not feeling well, we’ll leave.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Vanessa’s expression change instantly.
She grabbed the hem of Adrian’s shirt. “I just got back from overseas, and now that you have a wife, you’re abandoning your friends?”
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“Vanessa, my wife is sick.”
She craned her neck to look at me.
“Maya, are you upset because Adrian and I are so close?”
I sagged weakly against his chest.
“I don’t feel well. If you absolutely insist on keeping Adrian here, could you at least let me leave first?”
His brow drew tight as he steadied me with a hand at my waist.
“I’m taking you home.”
Adrian led me toward the door. “You guys keep drinking. My wife isn’t feeling well. Dinner’s on me next time.”
Behind us, Vanessa’s voice sharpened with displeasure.
“So having a wife means you’re not allowed any freedom? Adrian Sterling, you’re such a killjoy!”
Adrian didn’t break stride.
He got me into the car and called for a hired driver without wasting a second.
As we waited, he sat beside me and slowly rubbed my back.
“Maya, are you still feeling sick? Maybe we should go to the hospital first.”
The cold air had already eased most of my nausea.
I shifted away from him.
“When exactly did you and Vanessa end up in the same bed?”
Adrian went still.
He looked away, visibly uncomfortable. “That happened before I even met you. And I didn’t know she was coming to dinner tonight…”
He reached for my hand again, his manner turning coaxing.
Chapter 2
“Besides, we were both drunk. Nothing happened between us. I swear.”
Just then, the hired driver knocked on the window.
Adrian pulled my hand against his chest, worry still etched across his face.
“Please drive carefully,” he told the man. “My wife isn’t feeling well.”
The next morning, nausea woke me again.
I barely made it to the bathroom before dropping to my knees in front of the toilet and dry-heaving.
Adrian rushed out of the bedroom. “Honey, are you still feeling sick? I’ll go get you some medicine.”
He hurried out in such a panic that he even forgot the phone he’d left on the bed.
Right then, it began buzzing nonstop.
After wiping my mouth, I picked it up. A private group chat with four members filled the screen. A woman named Vanessa was sending message after message.
[Wake up, guys! It’s practically noon!]
[I’m coming around to everyone’s place for New Year visits. You’d better have my gift money ready!]
[@AdrianSterling How’s your precious wife? We’re all getting together tonight, so don’t bail on us again because of her. Or better yet, just leave her at home!]
[I don’t care what anyone says. This year, you owe me a bigger cash gift than you give your wife. Otherwise, I’ll never forgive you!]
Adrian came rushing back in, looking almost excited.
“Honey, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. The pharmacist asked whether you might be pregnant. Let’s take a home pregnancy test first, then I’ll go to the hospital with you.”
His gaze fell on the phone in my hand.
Unease flickered across his face.
I held it out to him. “Your buddy wants a cash gift. One bigger than mine.”
After a moment’s thought, I added, “She also invited you out tonight and told you not to bring your wife.”
Adrian took the phone awkwardly.
“Vanessa doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s always been blunt and careless. She just says whatever comes into her head. Honey, don’t be upset.”
I stared at him in silence.
After a brief hesitation, Adrian pressed the voice-message button in front of me.
“Stop talking nonsense. If my wife isn’t going, neither am I.”
I used my first urine of the morning to take several home pregnancy tests.
Every one of them showed two lines.
Adrian was beside himself with joy. He swept me into his arms and promised, “Honey, I swear I’ll never upset you again.”
“All you have to do is stay happy and have this baby. You’ll be the Sterling family’s saving grace.”
Then he hurried me to the hospital for a blood test. Only after the pregnancy was confirmed did he call home.
“Mom, we’ve got a surprise for you.”
He sped all the way to Sterling Heights and pulled up outside the family estate.
Chapter 3
Adrian took the New Year’s gift baskets from my hands, his face radiant. Before we had even reached the door, he called out, “Mom, we’ve brought you some great news!”
He had barely stepped inside when a figure in bright red came racing toward him. A woman flung an arm around his neck.
“Adrian Sterling, what took you so long? Your buddies have been waiting forever!”
She hung from his neck while her other hand wandered lower.
Then she saw me.
As if startled, she released him and swore under her breath. “Damn, force of habit. I forgot you were a married man.”
She had left Adrian’s clothes rumpled.
He instinctively reached up to straighten them, then glanced at me.
“Maya…”
Before he could continue, I stepped forward and smoothed his collar myself. As I worked, my eyes slowly reddened.
“Vanessa, do you hate the shirts I iron for him that much?”
Vanessa froze, staring at me with wide eyes.
Adrian had once told me that seeing me smooth and iron his collars every night was one of the happiest parts of his day.
At my words, his expression tightened into a frown.
“Vanessa, you’re not a kid anymore. Stop being so careless all the time.”
Just then, my mother-in-law came downstairs.
When Victoria Sterling saw me, she smiled with effortless elegance. “Maya, you’re back.”
Adrian picked up the gift baskets he had dropped and drew me toward her.
“Mom, you don’t miss your own son at all. You only care about Maya.”
The room filled with warmth and laughter.
I looked back.
Vanessa was staring at me, her lips pressed into a hard, thin line.
I addressed her directly. “Vanessa, why do you look so unhappy?”
Panic flashed across her face.
Every eye in the room turned toward her.
“I… I…” Vanessa stammered stiffly. “Maya, you must be imagining things.”
At the dinner table, Adrian could barely wait to announce that I was pregnant.
My mother-in-law was overjoyed. In addition to the New Year’s cash envelope she’d already prepared, she transferred another generous sum to me in front of everyone.
Vanessa’s fork clattered to the floor.
Victoria paused, then frowned slightly. “You’re not getting any younger, Vanessa. It’s time you thought about settling down and having a child of your own.”
Vanessa’s expression tightened.
“I’m not in any hurry, Mrs. Sterling.”
“Really?” Victoria asked with feigned casualness. “Just a few days ago, I heard your mother complaining about how worried she was. She said she couldn’t wait for the two of us to be grandmothers together.”
Vanessa forced a smile.
“Honestly, Mrs. Sterling, I’m fine.”