Nicole tried her best to stay under the quilt for as long as possible. She was just not ready to face Kerr
this morning and the quilt seemed like the best shield at the moment.
Kerr saw this but walked over to her anyway. He paused as his hand hovered over the quilt. He gently
touched the bit of her face that was visible and then pulled the quilt away.
"Well, our baby is in there now. Does knowing that still make you shy? Or are you nervous?" Nicole
was always shy about sex even though she was already pregnant with his baby. She seemed very
innocent, almost pure. But this was one of the many things he loved about her. Her utter purity.
Listening to Kerr's calm and deep voice always made her feel grounded. Her nerves eventually settled
down and the image of Kerr from the previous night flashed in front of her eyes. Her nerves were
replaced by worry and anxiety.
She decided to approach it tentatively though. She responded, "So, you still remembered that I'm
pregnant?" Her hand automatically drifted to her slightly swollen belly as she spoke of the pregnancy.
She was aware that Kerr had tried to be careful the night before. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but
feel worried.
Being with child called for utmost care to be taken, on both of their parts. Thinking about the night
before made her uneasy now.
"Yes Nicole. Do you really think I'm that ignorant?" He caressed her face. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you
last night? I will make an appointment and take you for a checkup."
He was quite worried about her. The effect of the drug had lasted a long while the night before, but
having known that she was pregnant, he had let go of her when he felt a bit better.
He couldn't fall asleep the whole night. When the effect of the drug finally wore off, and he became
sober, he went in for a cold shower and lost track of time. He was in a sort of trance and he only
snapped out of it when he heard Nicole stir in bed.
Although he felt nothing like it, he came out looking refreshed and bright.
Nicole now sat there, her hands on her waist and a pained expression on her face. Having Kerr's arms
around her did not seem to help as the ache in her back continued to throb.
"My back hurts and my waist is sore," she groaned. "What happened to you last night?"
Kerr had told her he would be home late as he had a business dinner. But seeing his state last night
raised considerable doubts within her. This wasn't the first time Kerr looked like that. Sunny had done
this to Kerr before.
But it was also because of Sunny's trick last time, that Kerr had the chance to have sex with Nicole.
That was a turning point of their story.
"It wasn't me Nicole, I didn't want it to happen this way. I was tricked." He looked at her and then
leaned in for a soft kiss. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you." Seeing her face first thing in
the morning was the only thing that allowed him to feel normal again. For this, he was thankful.
Falling for Sunny's trap would bring a definite end to what him and Nicole had built together. This he
was sure of.
Nicole valued loyalty and trust very highly. She would not be able to handle a betrayal, she hated the
thought of it.
Nicole listened to his explanations, wide eyed and anxious. She could think of only one person who
would do such a thing to him. Only Sunny had something to gain from such a devious act.
"It was Sunny, wasn't it?" Kerr had walked in last night in his drugged haze, which meant the effect of
the drug hadn't worn off at that time. But she couldn't help feeling suspicious. She wondered if anything
had happened between Kerr and Sunny. 'Did they have sex?'
If Sunny had set him up, she wouldn't have let him go, since it was such a good chance to get Kerr.
Kerr considered his options for a second but finally sighed and nodded his head. He could not bring
himself to lie to her. He told her everything he could to avoid any misunderstandings.
"She slipped it into my wine Nicole, I had no idea." He helped her into the bathroom while talking to her
and Nicole let herself be led without saying a word. Through her bath and while he helped with her
clothes, she remained silent.
She wasn't sure why, but she just couldn't think of anything to respond with. It was possible the
pregnancy was affecting her, making her insecure and suspicious.
Knowing how much Kerr loved her suddenly wasn't enough. It didn't stop her imagination from running
wild about the disturbing possibilities of the night before. So far, however, she kept these thoughts to
herself. She tried to believe him.
After everything they had been through and all the times Kerr had supported her unconditionally, she
wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. But this was becoming increasingly difficult.
Kerr led her down the stairs with him where they found Jay sitting at the dining table looking angry.
Suddenly, the phone rang and they heard Vedder answer the phone. He brought it over to Kerr,
"Sir, there is a call for you."
Kerr motioned Nicole to eat first while he attended to the call in the living room.
Nicole barely registered everything happening and looked at him with an empty gaze. She sat at the
table and ruffled Jay's hair, "Good morning Jay."
She had been spending time with Jay last night when Kerr walked in. Given the situation, she had to
send him away all of a sudden and she knew this had bothered him deeply. She had to fix this now
somehow.
Jay knew she was trying, but he wasn't going to be appeased so easily. He looked away pointedly,
showing his arrogance.
"Mommy, you have that old man now, and you don't have any time for me anymore. You don't need me
anymore." Jay felt hurt and betrayed.
Last night was supposed to be their time. She had promised him this.
But even before Kerr returned, Jay could see that all Nicole did was think about him. The moment he
returned, Jay was driven out.
"What makes you think that Jay? I love Jay the most. When we were in Manhattan, I had only Jay by
my side. No matter what, we stuck together.
You said you would always be my little hero, right?"
Nicole knew that Jay was very proud. He didn't want to be protected. Instead, he had always wanted to
protect her in every way he could. She believed she was the luckiest mother in the world.
Hearing this, Jay turned and looked at her with immense pride in his eyes. "Of course!
Mommy, I want to protect you and I am going to drive the old man out if he does anything like this
again."
While he spoke, Jay turned on his phone and a picture of her appeared on the screen.
The photo showed Kerr holding her very intimately and there was an obvious mark on her neck that
Kerr's kiss had left behind. She immediately raised her hand to her neck to cover the bruise.
This mark was a result of Kerr's passionate behavior the night before, in his drugged state of mind.
"Where did you get this photo Jay?" she asked in shock.
She didn't realize when Jay had taken this picture. All she knew was that he shouldn't be looking at
them.
He was only a child after all.
She reached out for his phone in an attempt to delete the photo.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda