Ananya's POV

I lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Mom was busy arranging the invitations for the party. We just had our lunch and Mom as usual made me rest for a while but my mind was busy thinking.

"Mom, what will you be giving Alex on his birthday?"
I asked her, with my eyes still focussed on the ceramic art on the ceiling.

"Haven't you figured out yet what you want to give him?"
She kept the pen down and turned around to look at me.

I looked at her and shook my head in a no.
"Oh! Well! Luther and I are giving him the keys to his new car."

"Wow! He loves cars. He will love your gift. And here I don't even know what I would do."
I made a sad face. And she smiled at me.

I fell asleep in her room while she spent the afternoon making the guest list for the party she planned at our home. She wanted to show off our new home to everyone. It would be the first party at our place.

Mom woke me up when it was time for me to go to the office , from where Alex would join me and we would go to our new Doctor.
The new Doctor was in her early thirties but she was as chirpy as a birds is in the morning hours.
She talked too much, and always found new and innovative ways to convey her diagnosis and reports.

But she was good at her job and ethical. So in no way she would sell her degree to Nathan's Dad and his crooked ways.

I reached Alex's office. People there knew who I was, thanks to my more frequent visits these days. And so they always stood up to greet me when I went in. It made me doubly uncomfortable.
I know Alex had asked them to do it. He loved to see me turn red with all the attention.
Alex's assitant told me he was waiting for me and I walked towards his cabin.
But I was not ready to see what was conspiring behind the door.
As I stepped in I saw Katherine standing too close to Alex, with her hands on his shoulder and her lips closing in for a kiss.

My stomach flipped. Alex realised I was standing at the door and he pushed her away.
But before he could come to me, I left his cabin and walked away.

I reached the basement where the car was parked. I walked to the car totally unaware of the storm inside me. I didn't know what I was mad about.
I closed my eyes and placed my hands on the trunk of the car, bowing my head.

"Hey Ananya. Listen to me. Oh Fuck!"

I heard Alex accidently knock his feet on the tyre of one of the cars in the parking.

I still didn't look at him. I wiped off that one tear that escaped from the corner of my eye and turned to look at him.
I was furious and hurt.

"What?"

"What you saw is just one side of the story."

"You were cheating on me Alex."

"No I wasn't. I swear. It was a genuine mistake. An unintentional one. Come lets go to the doctor and talk during the ride."

"I am not going with you. I will go alone. I am sorry to have disturbed the little show going on there. I will leave you two alone."

"Trust me Ananya. Nothing of that sorts had ever happened before nor will it ever happen in future. What you saw was a genuine misunderstanding."
He held my arm and dragged me inside the car. I although reluctantly, sat in the car, realising it later that our driver was witnessing all the drama.

"Well this is not over." I said as I sat with him.
He looked amused. He was now smiling. And I failed to understand why.

"You are laughing at me Alex? Really?"

"No. No. Ofcourse not. I am just thinking if its jealousy that I see in your anger."

"Jealous? And me? I am your wife. Do you expect me to be okay with you kissing women around.?"

"Ofcourse not. But still I think this is more of a jealousy outburst. So if you want, I can kiss you too."

He kept saying that word jealousy and after a few times it did feel like I was more of jealous than angry.
Was he really cheating on me? My eyes saw him almost kiss another woman. But when I am not in an intimate relationship with him,  and when I just think the marriage was only for the babies then why was I so hurt to see him with another woman.
It was not fair on my part to hold him back.
I stopped arguing anymore with him for I was confused about my own feelings.

We reached the doctor's. The lift ride too went on quietly. I was being stubborn.
He trusted me blindly when I told him about hugging Nathan at the memorial service. And he believed me.
Why was I thinking the worst about him in this case? Did I fear losing him?

"Hey Mr. and Mrs.Lexstur. How is my favourite couple doing?"
Doctor said in her most annoying playful tone ever and broke my state of trance.

"Oh I am ok Doctor. But my husband on the other hand is feeling very good I must say."
Doctor raised her brows at Alex and Alex just nodded at her with a smile.

"Mrs.Lexstur, are you doing everything I have instructed you to do? The tablets, the yoga, the diet?"

"Yes Doctor."

"And you Mr.Lexstur. Hope you realise it that when a wife is pregnant the husband is pregnant too?"

"Yes. I know." Now Alex looked a little annoyed.

"You are reading to the baby? Building the bond that you so can't stop talking about on the phone?"
She was looking at Alex and he looked uneasy.
He has been talking to the doctor behind my back.

"Yes. Yes I am doing it the way you have told. I read to the baby. Sing to the baby and like you said I even dance for the baby."

"No you never danced."

"That was sarcasm my dear wife. But you know I do read. Daily!"
I made a face at him and immediately looked at the doctor.

"See you guys, I have the most important news to tell you two. Which will ease out this tension between you. Yes I can sense some tension between you and I must say everyone you crossed while coming here did too."

Without saying a word we looked at each other and then turned towards the doctor.

"So it goes like this. Mrs.Lexstur has completed her first trimester. Yayy! And everything looks healthy to me. So now I think its safe for you both to engage in all the hanky panky you want in bed."
She looked more excited than either of us.

Alex started laughing and it irritated me more.
Was he making fun of me?
"Oh Doctor. My dear husband is already getting all the hanky panky he needs."

"Sorry Mrs.Lexstur . By hanky panky I meant making love, sex, coitus, fornicate!!"
Alex laughed louder this time. He found it amusing.

"I know what you meant doctor. I meant the same thing." Aaargghh! I felt so irritated. "Forget it. We got your point. We will do as you say."

"Oh is it now? Will we be doing as she says my love?" Alex teased me. Realising what I had said earlier I had no option but to roll my eyes at him.

Alex was having a gala time. He thinks I dropped the whole kissing thing.
I am not going to speak to him after this, I decided.

"Are you cheating on her Mr.Lexstur?"
The doctor asked him. But why was she interfering between us.

"Yes Doctor, my wife thinks so." Alex tried to drag me in.

"I think then I will have to counsel you two on the marital issues as well. I am good at it too."
Doctor chirped.

"No." Both me and Alex said in unison. And looked at each other and smiled the 'lets run away from here quickly' smile.

"Lets get over with the check up doctor. We will manage without counselling."
Alex muttered.

She went on with the sonography, talking all the time. She showed us how the babies looked now. I was showing a little baby bump by now and she instructed me on how to take care of my body while the changes happen.
She gave a new diet plan based on my current weight and gave a stern look at Alex to ensure he made me follow it.

"One more thing. This one is more for you Mr.Lexstur. She will have a phase of mood swings now and you have to keep your cool."

Alex just nodded at her with a smile.
"I think I got a demo of it a while back."

I gave him an angry stare. He thinks all this was just a mood swing. I am going to give him a good piece of my mind today.

We thanked the Doctor and left.

As we reached the car he broke his silence.
"Ananya. Listen baby. I swear I would never intentionally cheat on you."

"I didn't see anyone force you Alex."
Why was I still being stubborn. My heart was screaming to my brain to trust every word of this man standing in front of me. But it wouldn't budge.

"Look I am sorry. I know how it looked. This time, I ask you to trust me."
He looked serious now.

"No. I don't trust you. You think I am acting up on my mood swings. You don't care how I felt in front of the woman you almost kissed."

The rest of the ride back home went in silence.
We reached home and without waiting for Alex to open the car door for me I got out of the car and walked towards the main door of our home.
I rang the door bell.
Before Maria could open the door, Alex came upto me.

"Ananya, I don't want you to stress on this. Please. I am sorry. This would never happen again."

"Am I doing this for your Sorry? No! I felt hurt."

Alex looked sad now. His smile vanished and his face wore a more serious look.

He held my arm and stood tall in front of me. He looked into my eyes and said, "Hurt! Jealous? What exactly did you feel? When you don't feel anything about me, I don't think it really mattered to you whether I kissed her or not.
But here. Have it. This is what happened.
Before she came in, and you came in I stood by the glass wall looking at the sky and day dreaming about US kissing. Yes I have been imagining things like this since the day I realised I am in love with you.
I imagined you standing close to me and kissing me. Thats when Katherine came in and held me like that. But my mind was still lost in my thoughts and it felt as if it was you who was pulling me in for a kiss. That is the only reason I kinda participated. I thought it was you. My mind was so clouded in my own imaginary world that I couldn't get hold of the reality. Thats when you stepped in
and the noise of the door kind of broke my trance and I realised it wasn't you and so I pushed her away."
He paused. My heart was beating fast. I regretted doubting him. I cursed myself for pushing him so much that he had to reveal his most inner feelings which he was not comfortable sharing. He looked embarrassed and it made me feel guilty.

"Hope you have your peace now. You don't trust me. But know this, I would never cheat on you. Because it would be like cheating on myself."
He said this and left with so nuch pain in his eyes.
I was left, standing there with my mouth wide open. My heart cursing my mind for making Alex go through this.

Oh dear Lord! What have I done!