65


    Thalia’s Pov


    He cried the entire night, and the sad reality was that there were no words I could say to him in order to


    alleviate his humiliation. I understood why he was crying; he was frustrated with life, and he was


    nearing the end of his condition, which he had dreaded.


    I couldn’t help but think it was my fault; I was the one who was putting him under pressure with my


    secrets.


    Brandon’s condition was always linked to his emotions, so I thought to myself as I started crying, “I


    paralyzed him.” Maybe if I informed him about the machine, he’d be excited, but the machine wasn’t yet


    tested on animals or humans.


    With his stubbornness, he would have put pressure on me to use it on him before it was ready and I


    would have killed him.


    I was in a pickle, but instead of sobbing, I was supposed to be elerating my progress so that if it


    worked I would break the good news to him.


    The machine had to be put to the test. But I was too exhausted to even lift a cup and I had to put the


    baby into consideration; I needed to take a break, even if it was for an hour.


    I leaped to my feet and checked on him before heading to my wardrobe and taking out my secret


    phone, which was the main reason he failed to monitor what I was hiding from him. Nestor had


    purchased the phone in secret and instructed me on how to conceal it. I was very sure Brandon had my


    original phone wiretapped.


    I quickly sent Nestor a message and hid it back. If he was going to reply, he was going to reply on that


    line.


    I updated him on Brandon’s condition and instructed him to hurry. Then I went back to my old phone


    and set my rm at four o’clock, making sure that my headphones were connected. I didn’t want to


    wake Brandon up with my rm.


    I was in desperate need of sleep. It didn’t take long for the four and a half hours to pass before the


    rm went off. I was exhausted, but I needed to start the second phase of my project.


    I wiped my drowsy eyes and checked on Brandon immediately to make sure he wasn’t awake. I quickly


    showered before heading to the garage to begin testing with my mice. Monkeys would have been a


    better choice but I had no time.


    Everything seemed fine at first until I started attaching the machine to the small bodies. I began with a


    low voltage that was capable of turning on the machine andpatible with a framework of mice.


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and I began recording the progress. It was time to turn on the blood


    cirction between the machine and mice bodies so that the cells would be filtered out.


    I began raising the voltage, but the mice began to die even at voltages that were not human-


    output and the cells input were supposed to be in bnce but wasn’t resulting in death due to ack of


    blood in the body.


    The mice went into anemia, shock, and finally death. I tried with over ten mice but each time I began


    the cirction, no matter how low the voltage, they all died.


    I cried angrily, “I need it to work!” Brandon needed the machine, and I needed it to operate. I knew


    there was something wrong with what I was doing, but I didn’t know what it was. I needed to go through


    my notes again, but there was no time; Brandon had time, and going back meant three more months.


    I sat defeated on the floor, certain that I had done everything correctly, but it was not to be. I failed, and


    maybe that’s why I was so adamant about not informing Brandon, since I knew I was going to fail.


    How could I, since no one had ever invented anything like what I was trying to do and the professor


    was right, it was definitely humanly impossible.


    I was hit with a brick wall with nowhere to turn, I sat there thinking and only the singing of birds brought


    me to reality. Brandon was probably awake and thinking I had left him when I looked up and discovered


    the sun was up.


    I instantly pulled myself together and brushed away my tears, knowing that crying would never fix


    anything. I dashed back inside the house and found Brandon peacefully sleeping.


    I climbed onto the bed and encircled him. I decided not to go to work, I couldn’t leave him like that.


    When he first opened his eyes, he needed to see me.


    Nestor was correct; I was too preupied with trying to find a solution for him to remember to spend


    time with him. Suddenly he shifted his hand to the side and slowly turned to the other side. “Brandon,” I


    said as I felt him shift but I got no response.


    “Brandon, you’re moving, oh my G*d,” I screamed with delight and hugged him even tighter. I could feel


    the baby kick, she seemed to be enjoying herself.


    I tried to sp his hand with my tummy in order for him to feel the baby, but he swiftly withdrew his


    palm away from my grasp. I pulsed for a minute and then cooled down for a minute before saying,


    “Sorry,” but received no response.


    I looked over to check and found his eyes wide open, but he refused to look at me. I tried to put my


    arms around him, but he stopped me as if he didn’t want to be touched.


    “I’m sorry,” I said again.


    The room fell silent; perhaps telling him about the gadget would cheer him up, but on second thought, it


    would just worsen his attitude. What good would it do for me to share my concept after I failed?


    If he was still interested in finding out what I was hiding from him then I would tell him about my failed


    project.


    “Do you want something to eat?” I asked after clearing my throat and asking how he was doing but I


    got no response. It was followed byplete stillness.


    I had no idea what to do, but certainly, if he had cleaned me, I would be crying as well but he was a


    man and needed to man up. Maybe I was being too friendly, so I slid off the bed, holding my belly, and


    into a chair, taking a seat next to him.


    “Brandon?”


    He finally stated, “I want to eat scallops.”


    “But, Brandon, we’re out of scallops.”


    “Purchase them,” he ordered.


    “I can’t and Nestor isn’t returning my calls; how will I get around?” I inquired.


    “The keys to the car are in the kitchen drawer,” he said.


    When I realized what he was attempting to aplish, I grinned; he was trying to get me out of the


    house, which was not going to happen. I had no intention of leaving him alone. “Brandon, I’m not going


    anywhere,” I replied.


    He said, “Then I’ll starve to death.”


    I couldn’t believe what wasing out of his mouth, so I grabbed my phone and dialed Nestor’s


    number, but got no reply. Then it hit me, Maggie. I quickly dialed her number and she answered on the


    first ring. I instructed her to bring her stup*d son over and some scallops. I grinned as I hung up the


    phone.


    “I want scallops that you will buy, and I won’t eat anything that isn’t handpicked by you,” he ordered.


    Iughed and rose from my seat. I didn’t want to get into a heated discussion with him. My phone


    beeped in seconds, and it was Maggie, telling me that Nestor was in Spain and would not make it.


    I eximed in frustration, The earliest was tomorrow evening. I gritted my teeth, Nestor was definitely


    useless, off all the days that I needed him he chose to get a life. I thought he was joking when he


    walked out on us.


    But I wasn’t going down without a fight; he wanted scallops, and I was going to get them for him but I


    wasn’t leaving the house. I made my way to the kitchen and started searching for stores.


    As long as you threw money to them, anyone in this country was capable of doing anything. I dialed my


    secretary’s number, who was familiar with the area, and she had everything I needed in minutes.


    I grabbed my ice cream from the fridge and returned to my seat. He was still avoiding eye contact with


    me by facing the sheets, but that was fine, soon orter he was going to face me.


    “I’ll get you scallops,” I said.


    “Why did you provide my address to aplete stranger?” he yelled.


    “Yes, I gave a stranger your address, I will not abandon you Brandon, and you are mistaken if you


    believe thatmitting suicide will cure your problems. Kill yourself, and I’ll kill myself and be assured


    that I’m not joking, we made a promise to each other, remember that!” I yelled at him.


    “I do not require you to leave the room,” he said, chuckling.


    I stood up and smacked him across the face with a strong p. I was so outraged and enraged that I


    resisted the urge to p him again. He wasn’t expecting me to punch him, so he looked at me


    surprised.


    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them. “I believe it is time for you to change your


    diaper and have your morning bath,” I remarked as I walked to the bathroom and returned with a dish


    of warm water and soap. I could see the red spots on his cheek from where I struck him, but he


    deserved it, how dare him.


    He tried to speak but I cut him off. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to him and went on to remove his


    diaper and began cleaning him without making eye contact.


    “You don’t get tomit suicide after trapping me, no Brandon,” I said between tears. “Didn’t you trick


    me into consenting to have this child so that I wouldn’t attempt suicide, or so that I would not go back to


    that bridge and jump if you died?” I inquired, but he was deafeningly silent.


    Between sobbing, I chuckled; I had worked out what he had done months ago, and I had only epted


    because I wanted Josh at my feet at the time and was too foolish toprehend what I was


    consenting to.


    “I’ve always questioned why a guy who liked me would sit back and watch the girl he liked being


    inseminated with her enemy’s sperm.


    You expected I’d be bored with the vengeance while you were gone, but not with the one thing my


    enemy deprived me of,” I expressed my displeasure, but he simply averted my gaze.


    “Well, Brandon Fraser, you owe me,” I sobbed as I carried everything to the bathroom. I cleaned


    everything and decided to take a shower. I sobbed even more in the shower. “Too much for the dumb


    revenge,” I thought to myself as I stood on the water.


    After I was done I began drying my hair and walked back to the bedroom. I found he had shifted


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    positions, and he was now facing in the opposite direction. I changed quickly and beganbing my


    hair.


    The delivery man arrived shortly after and I dashed outside. I was brought boxes of scallops just as I


    had requested; I instructed the men to ce the boxes in the yard, and I handpicked enough scallops


    because he wanted me to hand-pick them. I thanked them and walked back into the house after paying


    them double.


    “Here are your scallops, I hand-picked them from the boxes the workers delivered; if you want proof,


    you can view the surveince,” I said, but he didn’t respond.


    “I’ll get them ready,” I said and walked out of the room.