"You worry too much," Tanner chided softly beside me, and I blushed with guilt. I knew he was right, but I couldn't help it.
Tanner had also dressed well for the visit to the doctor. He looked so good and quite... alluring. It was strange how I had never noticed his good looks before. Perhaps it was because we were seated so close together in the cramped taxi.
When we arrived at the doctor's office, Tanner helped me with the door as I clutched Jaimie tightly to myself. I was wary of being recognized, but I reminded myself that it was a private hospital and that Tanner had made the appointment for a time when there would be fewer people around. It was even after office hours, and I wondered how Tanner had managed to arrange that.
"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Dr. Todd. It's nice to meet you," the doctor greeted me with a smile.
"This must be your baby. He looks very healthy, but I'll need to ask you some questions to be sure," he added, pulling out a notepad.
I took a deep breath and nodded, trying to appear calm even though I was nervous.
"Firstly, have you been doing routine checkups, or is this your first time?"
"We've been traveling a lot, so I haven't had much time," I evaded, my voice shaking slightly.
"Alright. I'll have to run some tests. Why don't you take a seat with your husband?" he gestured to the empty chairs in his private office.
Tanner and I followed the gesture and took our seats. I couldn't help but notice the assumption that we were married. But I didn't refute it. After all, it would make people less suspicious of me.
Was that he only reason though?
I chose to ignore that tiny voice in my mind.
ANYA
I squinted as the bright sun shone down on me, wishing I had a roof over my head and a fan to soothe me. The Texas heat was brutal, but my body wasn't the only thing that required soothing. My soul was injured, and I yearned for happiness to heal it. However, I knew it was wishful thinking, and the reality of my life weighed heavily on me.
As I leaned against the gate, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to find solace in the quiet stillness around me. This gate had become my refuge, providing me with a few hours of comfort whenever I needed it. No matter where I went or what I did, I always found myself coming back to this spot.
The gate was a beautiful structure with a shade at the very top, offering a respite from the unforgiving sun. The ground beneath my feet was tiled, cool and smooth. Next to me was a long cement chair that looked like it was made for comfort, as if the owner wanted people to come here and enjoy the evening air.
But, I had never seen anyone around since I started coming here. It was just me and my thoughts, which were often a jumble of emotions and feelings that I struggled to make sense of.
I was born and brought up in Cedom, the largest whorehouse around here. A secret place where men with weird tastes knew about. It was a low-budget brothel, or some people preferred to call it a "sporting house." To me, it was simply home. Mama had lived there all my life, and I had never known anything else.
My mother had tried to shield me from most of the horrors that happened in the whorehouse, but some things were just beyond her capacity. At sixteen, I felt like I had already lived a lifetime. Growing up in a brothel had taken its toll on me, making me feel like I was going on eighty.
In Cedom, Men would pay wads of cash to have their way with you, some will be merciless and rough, brutal and ruthless, violent and cruel; they didn't care how you felt. All they cared about was the feel they got from hurting you, the flood of pleasure.
The aftermath would be bruises and cuts all over your body, even the parts of your body you couldn't see. The management got fifty percent of what was paid, and then, you'd spend a fair amount of the money on treatments and ointments for wounds. In the end, the money left wouldn't be enough for feeding.
I never wanted to leave my life that way. Mother never wanted it for me either.
I could still remember vividly the way my heart had pounded in my chest the day Mother Celia came to our apartment, informing me about my initiation. Five months ago, I would have done it just to stay close to my mother who I love most in all the world. She was the only person I had.
But, after watching her battle a deadly sexual disease that had eventually taken her life, a month later, I knew that a day would come when I'd run away from Cedom.
That day came the day Mother Celia came to talk to me about my introduction. I had been terrified, and I had ran away.