Chapter 2

“It is my greatest wish to see children running around the mansion and making a mess everywhere before I pass on” the voice of fifty-six-year-old Marlow Anderson kept ringing in Adams’s ear as he drove.

Today, the fifteen of November was his mother’s birthday and they had all gathered to celebrate at the Anderson Mansion. Adams was the eldest of the Anderson children.

He has a younger sister, in her early twenties who was his everything. Their father, Michelson

Anderson passed on a few years back, leaving him in charge of the ‘AA’ group company.

Of course, Adams was very much content with that. He was successful in managing his father’s legacy as he could pride himself on the fact since taking over, the company hasn’t had a profit margin below sixty-seven per cent in the last four years. Then, he had his girlfriend, Mia, with whom he was head over heels in love.

After the dinner at the Anderson Mansion, Adams opened up to his girlfriend about his mother’s wishes and was shocked when she bluntly responded with words that until now, still lingered in his thoughts.

“But I don’t want to have kids. Children are nothing but little scoundrels that drain all your energy and money and they’re going to alter the perfect body I had worked hard to have. I can’t allow that”

Adams was too stunned to reply. He had simply picked up his car keys and excused himself. Right now, he had no idea where he was driving to, but the cold windy air slapping his face as he drove somehow seem to make him feel better.

Adams was deep in thought that he didn’t notice the silhouette before him, but due to his skilled experience in driving, he was able to pull up the perfect manoeuvre and hit the brakes in time, preventing a grave accident.

“Fuck” he cursed as he stared momentarily into the eyes of the woman he’d almost hit before she fell to the ground. His breathing was rasping and full of panic. He quickly rushed out of the car and made his way toward her. Adams sucked in a breath when he saw the bruises on her skin and the hand marks on her arms.

“Miss?” he called out as he went down on one knee. Carefully, he leaned in further, placing his ear close to the woman’s nose.

Thankfully, the woman was still breathing. But faintly. Without any further thought, Adams carried her to his car and drove off to the hospital.

*********

Adams paced back and forth outside the room where Topaz was currently being treated. He couldn’t seem to relax as he was worried that he might have gotten to the hospital a little too late. After what felt like an eternity, the door finally pushed open and the doctor walked out.

“How is she?” asked Adams with nervous shaky hands as he walked towards the doctor. She flashed him a blinding smile that under normal circumstances, will have him wondering which dentist she visited.

“Hi, I’m Doctor Ramya. Please, follow me to my office” she replied making Adams furrow his brows in confusion, but still followed behind her. He matched her pace, walking quietly behind her.

“You know, as a doctor, I have witnessed several cases of repeated abuse” the doctor Ramya started, as they both walked into her office and Adams nodded attentively, although he was yet to see the relevance of her statement.

“Okay... but is she alright?” he asked.

“And if there’s something I hate, as a woman, is seeing another woman repeatedly being hit.

Worse in her condition” the doctor replied whilst she leaned forward in her seat. She studied Adams for a while, giving him an intense stare that made him shiver in his seat.

“Yeah, as a man, I can’t stand the abuse of any kind either” Adams replied nervously, playing with his fingers under the table until it hit him.

“But what do you mean in her condition?” he asks after a while.

The doctor chuckled, then proceeded to tsk tsk tsk under her breath.

“Mr.… Anderson, Is it?” she asked and waited until Adams confirmed his name before she continued.

“Another thing I hate as a woman is being taken for a fool. You mean to tell me, you had no idea your girlfriend was pregnant before you repeatedly hit her, and now you have the guts to sit in my face and feign oblivion?” from her tone, one could tell Doctor Ramya was upset, but she wasn’t more upset as Adams was confused. He tried to make sense of what she was saying, and he deducted the following;One, the lady he had rushed to the hospital is pregnant.

Two, the lady has suffered severe cases of physical abuse, and lastly, and more importantly, Doctor Ramya was openly accusing him of putting that lady in her current state.

All of a sudden, Adams burst into a fit of laughter.

“What on earth are you laughing for?” Doctor Ramya was bemused at Adams’s sudden laughter.

“I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve never heard anything so hilarious in my entire life” Adams replied as he struggled, but failed to contain his laughter.

Doctor Ramya sighed. “Okay then, let’s see if you still have that smile on your face whilst you are being dragged to the station,” she said, picking up the landline phone and dialling the police number.

“Wow, what are you doing?” Adams’s voice was starting to get shaky, not that he was scared of the police, but he didn’t want any rundown with the police, especially in an area as public as this, with people ready to take pictures at any time of what will eventually ruin his family’s reputation.

“Put down the phone, please. I didn’t do anything, alright? I was just driving when I almost hit her, so I rushed her here. I had no idea she was pregnant and even if she wasn’t, I am no woman beater” Adams tried to defend himself, but all his explanations went deaf ears.

“Wait, listen to me, doctor Ramya” he pleaded again, and once again, he was rewarded with more silence.

“Why don’t we wait until she’s awake and we can ask her,” Adams said, and Doctor Ramya paused for a while. She studied him, wondering if he was perhaps telling the truth. If there is one thing Ramya knew, was to trust her guts, and right now, her gut was telling her to call the cops on Adams.

“Yeah right, we’ll do that when the cops get here” Doctor Ramya replied with a stoic expression.

“Fuck” Adams cursed under his breath, suddenly regretting having left his home.