The Royal Contract

She blinked several times, hoping to make sense of her condition. Everything seemed to be a blur at the moment. She seemed to find it hard to recall last night’s event.

“Ooohhh!” She could feel the pain as if it was cracking her head. Had she been drinking last night? Did she have a hangover? But she doubted. She had learned her lesson not to drink more than a glass.

What happened to her?

She could sense that it was not her room since the pillows and the bed felt different underneath her touch. The smell of the sheets was also unfamiliar. She would know since she did all their laundry.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would drive the pain away. Then she forced her eyes open. But what she saw next shocked her. She did not recognize the room as her eyes roamed around her surrounding.

She looked at the walls, hoping to find some clues. But all she saw were paintings and some other decorative stuff. Nothing personal that would indicate where she was.

“Where are you?” She asked herself. “Think!” She kept repeating, hoping that would jog her memory.

She blinked a couple more times as her eyes finally cleared up, but the headache stayed the same. Then, she could finally hear noises. It was faint, but she was sure it was coming somewhere outside the room.

.....

She looked around again and scanned every corner and wall. There were two doors. She was assuming one led to the bathroom, the other outside. But who owned this room?

“Mmmhhh!” She shook her head and decided to try the first door. Was this Zach’s apartment? Did she end up going home with him?

She could see the man’s toiletries on the counter. It made sense since all the decors indicated that a man stayed in this place. Then, she finally looked at the mirror.

She still wore her clothes from last night, which was a relief if this was not Zach’s place, although her face was a mess. Did she go home with a stranger? She finally leaned over the basin and opened the tap. She needed to wash her face.

Bam!

It was like an explosion blasted into her brain as memories flooded her mind. She abruptly stood upright as everything became clear. She finally remembered what she was doing last night.

“Oh my!” At that moment, fear crawled into her consciousness as the past event played in her mind.

She did not go home with Zach since he was with her ex last night. Therefore, she could only conclude that this was Ryan’s apartment. Somehow, she ended up going home with him.

That was a possibility since she did not remember anything except that Ryan was the last person she saw that night. Then, she seemed to pass out, remembering nothing else after that.

“I need to get out of here.” The thought suddenly occurred as she exited the bathroom and looked for her things. But except for the clothes on her body, her bag and phone seemed to be nowhere. Even her shoes were missing.

She could only conclude that it was probably outside where she could have dropped it, or Ryan might have taken it from her. But there was one more thing that worried her. She wondered about her son.

She had to know that he was ok.

Slowly, she moved towards the door, wondering if Ryan was waiting for her to wake up. But she hoped he had left and the house was empty so she could look for his things and escape without seeing him.

“Thank you. I will take it from here.” At least, that was what she thought she heard behind the door. But that was Ryan’s voice. She recognized it.

She could also hear muffled sounds in the background. It sounded like someone was watching a movie. When she stuck her ears on the door, she knew the movie seemed familiar too. But that was not important.

Now, she knew that Ryan might have taken her without her consent. At least he had the decency not to touch her. Although her clothes were wrinkled, it was still intact.

Carefully, she exited the room, preventing herself from making any sound. She pushed her back closer to the wall, hoping he would not notice her. Finally, she saw him standing on the counter as if he was busy preparing something. She guessed it could be breakfast.

Then, he walked further to the other side, disappearing behind the cabinets, out of her sight. She knew it was her opportunity to escape. She grabbed it, running on her tiptoes, not caring if she was barefoot. She just needed to reach the door.

“Mama, you awake.” A voice shrieked excitedly behind her, making her stop in her tracks. Her heart almost stopped as she recognized his voice.

Abruptly, she turned, and a child was running toward her. She knew the movie was familiar. It was Edison’s favorite. At the moment, her son was watching it.

“Edison, what are you doing here?” She asked, but she guessed this was not the time for a reunion. She quickly turned around, planning to drag her son with her. They had to get out of there.

But Ryan was already standing by the door, looking smug as ever. She guessed he had planned all of this all along. Now, he had her and her son in one room.

“Aren’t we one big happy family?” Ryan remarked as he moved closer to them. Then, his hands touched her son’s her. “Show Mommy what we made for her while she is sleeping, my son.”

Her son looked up at her with those angelic eyes as if seeking her approval. “We cooked breakfast.” He said excitedly, slightly stammering. “Is... is he my Daddy?” Slightly hesitant.

She knew she had to come up with something fast. But lying to her son was not the solution. As much as she did not want them to meet, she had no more choice now.

She could not deny that Ryan was his biological father. But it did not mean he deserved to be called her son’s father. For her, he was just the sperm donor.