FROM EX TO IN-LAW

Diana's POV

A steady beep filled the quiet room, the rhythmic sound of the IV punctuating through the silence. The fluorescent lights above cast a harsh glow, but I kept my eyes fixed on the little screen in my hands.

I didn't plan to go through my phone; I wasn't even supposed to be with my phone; I was supposed to be resting, but boredom had won, I couldn't resist the urge to pick up my phone and go through social media.

You couldn't blame me for that, you know? I was all by myself in this hospital receiving treatment, no one was by my side.

I had wondered why my fiance had not called me to check on me. But I got my answer while looking at the little screen on my phone.

Now, I wished I had never unlocked my phone; I wished I had never picked it up.

The photo stared back at me, a beautiful family dinner, my adoptive mother smiling at the camera, my adoptive father holding a glass of wine with a wide grin on his face.

Their biological daughter, the one they had just found almost a few months ago now, sat wearing a red dress; I recognised that dress to be one of the dresses I had admired and showed to my fiance that I would want to have.

But there he was at the centre of it all.

My fiance.

Wrapped around the arms of another woman.

The caption beneath the post reads:

"A perfect reunion; we are so grateful to God for bringing our daughter back to us after all these years, more grateful to see the love bloom between her and Marcel. Fate truly works in mysterious ways."

I couldn't believe my eyes.

At first, when I saw the picture, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had just gone to visit to congratulate them for finding their biological daughter, even though the position they were in was suspicious.

Yes, that's me, not always wanting to jump to conclusions until I am sure, but this caption? It said it all.

My breath hitched, and my fingers tightened around my phone. I was seriously fighting the urge not to pull out the IV and walk straight to that cosy family dinner.

I tapped my phone screen, checking the time the picture was posted.

"Oh my gosh, it was just an hour ago," I said out loud, forgetting that I was in the hospital.

I noticed the nurse weirdly staring at me, but I couldn't allow myself to be disturbed by that.

I went straight to the dialer and dialled his number.

Ring.

Ring.

"Pick up!" I muttered under my breath

Ring.

He wasn't answering.

So while I was here, alone, sick, receiving treatment, waiting for him to come visit, he was out there, celebrating and smiling.

I wanted to scream out so loud, but I was in the hospital.

The fact that my mother-adoptive mother, already endorsed it was troubling me.

All my years growing up in the family as their daughter, never did I ever disrespected or did anything that made them complain. They were always saying I was the perfect daughter... the perfect replacement for the one they lost.

What happened now?

The moment they found their real daughter, they decided that the one they'd been with was trash.

My head spiralled with different thoughts.

"Are you okay, Ms Kensington?" The nurse who had come to check my progress asked

"I am fine" I replied reluctantly, not looking at her.

"You don't look good"

I ignored her.

I picked up my phone and tried again, but it was the same, no answer.

Each unanswered call sent a sharp stab through my chest. The man I had loved, the man I had spent seven years building my life with, our relationship, wasn't just busy, he just didn't care.

This made me start to wonder when it all started and if they had met before she even found her parent.

Was he the one that helped her in finding her parents?

How long had they been doing this?

Did our seven years mean nothing to him?

The questions kept going round and round in cycles in my head, pain in my heart. I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I growled In frustration, tears dripping down my eyes.

"When do I get to leave?" I asked the nurse

She looked at the IV and then at her wristwatch

"In about one hour time" She said smiling

"And I would be free to go?" I asked

"Yes, you would, but is anyone not going to come get you?" She asked her voice laced with concern

"No, I came by myself", I replied, trying to hide the anger I had.

"Isn't there anyone you can call, at least to..."

"I said no! I came alone, what part of that don't you understand" I interrupted angrily

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to.."

"I am sorry, I am just a little bit on edge", I replied, bowing my head in shame.

"Oh my dear, it's fine; I hope you get better,", she said, smiling.

"One hour right?"

She looked at her time once again.

"Fifty minutes now" she replied and then turned to leave.

I was left all alone.

I laid back on the bed, trying not to think about the picture I saw, but I couldn't help it.

How dare he?

Seven months, gone down the drain?

Or was I just overthinking the situation?

I picked up my phone again, and dialled his number; this time around, it went straight to voice mail.

I almost slammed my phone to the ground in anger, but I didn't because I would be creating a scene.

I went straight to the picture on social media.

The red dress.

The one that I have always wanted.

He even dared to order it for her.

I scoffed.

At exactly fifty minutes the nurse came back to remove the IV.

"Now you are free to go, Ms Kensington."

As I headed towards the door, the betrayal settled deep in my bones.

A cold crushing weight.

Surprisingly, I wasn't feeling like crying anymore or even screaming.

What I felt was rather strange; eerie calmness washed over me.

I knew what I had to do.

Diana's POV

I opened the door of my room, and surprisingly there he stood in all his glory. His presence was annoying but I remained calm.

"Why haven't you taken this to dry clean," he said raising some set of clothes he had packed together. He brought out his travelling bag, "Why is my stuff not in yet."

I looked at him with disbelief.

"I told you I had some important stuff to do outside the city" he yelled

I should be the one venting, not him, but there he was acting all angry, like he had been deprived of something very important to him. The fact that he wasn't even considering my health was surprising.

I was standing by the door of our room; I moved in and dropped my purse on the sofa. "Ms. Marcel, I told you I was going to the hospital, didn't I?"

"Hospital?" He scoffed, "Always excuses; you've never done something I tell you to without giving an excuse."

"And what's that supposed to mean" I shot at him

He looked at me briefly, shook his head and turned away, removing his clothes from the wardrobe and arranging them in the travelling box.

I was pissed by the way he looked at me, how dare he ignore me like I was nothing.

"This business trip... where is it holding?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed, hands interlocked, and resting on my knees.

"When did you start asking, caring about where I hold my business trip" he replied coldly.

I exhaled, aiming to calm my nerves. "Nothing serious, just want to know where my fiance is headed, that's all.

I bit my lips.

The word 'fiance' didn't sound well in my ears anymore after seeing that picture.

He paused for a while, "I don't know why you decided to take an interest now, but I am not obligated to tell you anything." He replied without looking at me.

At that moment, what I wanted to do was to find something to hit him from behind just enough to make him land in the hospital for about one week.

I could guess where he was going; besides, it was obvious.

"You are not going to ask me how it went at the hospital?"

"Why, should I?" His words hit me like an arrow to my chest.

He sounded very cold.

I smirked "Really, Marcel? Why should you?" I stood up from the bed "Do I need to remind you we've been together for seven years?"

"About that...."

An earring fell off his shirt, and he pulled it off his body. As if that wasn't enough, an open condom box fell from his pocket as well.

I picked up the earring; it looked very expensive; Marcel never buys me expensive gifts. So I knew it was not mine.

I glanced at the open condom box once more.

"Who owns this?" I said, raising it; I was calm, even I was surprised at how calm it was.

He glanced at me briefly before focusing on his luggage "What does it look like to you?"

His rudeness was getting on my nerves but I was still calm.

"This belongs to Serena right?"

He dropped the shirt he held forcefully into his bag and turned to look at me.

"And what If it does?" His tone, unbothered.

I scoffed "What if it does? That's all you have to say?"

"What do you expect me to say? Tell you that I got them for you? Tell you someone placed it in my pocket?"

His demeanour was still very much composed; there wasn't even an ounce of guilt or remorse in the way he sounded.

"I was in the hospital, all alone, but where were you? In the arms of my sister eating, chatting and laughing with my family?."

"Oh Diana, stop being dramatic; stop making everything about you", he said, hitting his fist on the luggage box.

"Dramatic?" I smirked

"Look, Diana; I went for a business meeting close to your parent's house. I decided to drop by and see them. It's been long since I last saw them, and I also wanted to congratulate them for finding your sister."

"Oh wow, but the picture I saw said otherwise", I shot at him, showing him the picture I saw on social media.

"Come on, Diana, those are just harmless pictures."

Yes, he called those harmless pictures; Serena was wearing the red dress I told him about, and they were holding hands like they were couples. And he called it harmless.

I chuckled "Why is she wearing the red dress I told you I loved and I would want to get?"

He was quiet for a while as if trying to calculate and strategize his lies well.

"Look, Diana, it's just merely a coincidence; this photo is a harmless photo taken by...."

"Then what would you say about the caption mom added to the photo." I interrupted.

He swallowed hard.

Paced to and fro before finally stopping in front of me, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"It's a marriage you want, right?"

"What!" I exclaimed

"I will marry you, isn't that what you wanted? All these things you do, so I could notice you, the drama and the act? All for what? To show me that you love me? Don't worry, you don't have to do that anymore; I will marry you just as I have promised, so please stop all this drama; it is exhausting."

"Marry me? Do you think that's what I want? Seven years, Marcel, seven good years. Doesn't it mean something to you?"

"Diana, enough of all this; we will get married; in fact, I will start working on choosing a date for our wedding soonest."

He lifted the luggage bag and raised it as if trying to see how heavy it was.

"So you are not going to explain the red dress, the earrings and the open condom box?"

"They are not necessary," he said coldly, closed the wardrobe and began drawing the travelling bag to the door.

I took in a deep breath "So you are just going to walk away?"

He paused when he got to the door and turned to look back at me. "I am going on a business trip."

"Let's end this" I yelled

He came back in, dropping his bag. His cold gaze deepened as he said "You will regret this"

"We will see," I said walking past him, out of the house.

Diana's POV

Been three weeks now since I ended my relationship with the bastard, Marcel. Surprisingly, all through the two weeks, I never for once regretted my decisions, which was one thing I had feared.

I had feared that it might be hard for me to let go of a seven-year relationship, and I had put in all my effort and time to make sure it worked.

I had been staying at a friend's house. I barely went back to my adoptive parents' home, only maybe to pick up some clothes, and then I went back to my friend's house, Ciara.

Ciara was a childhood friend.

The night I told her about what had happened between me and Marcel, she had forced me into going to a party.

My adoptive parents, on the other hand, never said anything about the picture, I brought it up during dinner, but the discussion was pushed away.

They began to talk more about their daughter; the worst part of it was they didn't include me in the discussions; no one asked me for my contributions, and when I tried to ask Serena, my stepsister, a question, they would dismiss it like I was some outcast.

The first one and a half weeks after my engagement with Marcel ended, I stayed in my adoptive parent's house. Marcel never came, but Serena was always going out, and when she wasn't going out, she was always on call smiling and laughing.

I guess Marcel must have told them we had broken up, or maybe they just assumed, but it doesn't even matter because neither of them deemed it fit to ask about my relationship with Marcel.

I couldn't cope with the trauma that came with being neglected and being treated as if I were a pest.

Years ago and even a few months before they found Selena, my parents had treated me like I was their all.

I was treated like an egg, a diamond but now, I was the rejected stone.

I was lying on the couch in Ciara's home, scrolling through social media, watching news feeds and reels, when I saw a text message update.

I wasn't the kind that checked their text messages immediately after they got a text; I never received text messages except if they were from network companies or spam messages.

I have about a thousand-plus unread messages. Most of my important messages go to WhatsApp and the ones that aee more pressing makes calls.

This time I was moved to check.

My eyes widened in shock at the message.

It read:

"Hello Ms Diana Kensington you have been invited to our grandfather's birthday party coming up two days from now, you've been invited as a special guest since you will become one of us soon, after this message his your passcode"

I read and reread, I cleaned my eyes to be sure I was reading the right thing.

I had just got an invitation to Marcel's grandfather's birthday, how is that possible.

I opened my WhatsApp contact and found out I was still in their group chat, and it's been beaming with messages for a long time in preparation for Grandpa's birthday.

I had seen Marcel's grandfather a few times, and those two times I spent with him were marvellous. He was such a nice, kind, loving soul, and he loved me so much.

I was sure that he had personally told whoever was in charge of the Invitations to specially invite me.

And yes, there's a passcode; the Lorenzos are one stinkingly rich family.

I stood up from the couch and began to pace around, wondering how I still got an invitation after I had broken up my engagement with Marcel.

"What's bothering you?" Ciara's voice echoed through the room from the kitchen door; she was fixing us something to eat.

I turned to look at her "I just got an invitation to attend Marcel's grandfather's birthday."

"What!" She exclaimed

"You heard me", I said, stressing my words.

"How? Didn't they know that you ain't together with him? Wait, who sent it? Was it Marcel?"

I looked at her with disgust in my eyes.

"Hell no, it isn't Marcel. Besides, I blocked him, so there's no way he could have been able to text me."

"What If he sends you the invite with someone else's number, seeing that you had blocked his..." she said coming closer to where I stood.

"No, I don't think so; you weren't there when we had our last quarrel; you need to see the unremorseful attitude he had, the cold gaze when I told him we should end things and the way he sounded whenever he told me I was going to regret my decision. " I scoffed

"Well, who sent it?" She asked

"Well I don't know, and I don't care since I won't be attending."

"What?" Ciara's gaze was questioning

"What do you expect me to do? Whoever sent this isn't aware of our relationship status; I honestly don't want to be an object of mockery."

"Come on, how would you be an object of mockery?" She asked

"Stop acting like you don't know what I am talking about", I said, falling back on the couch.

"Okay," she exhaled, sitting on the edge of the couch. "Okay, let's say you get there; Marcel comes with your stepsister, and so what?"

I looked at her with surprise laced in my eyes

"You weren't invited as a plus one, girl; you were invited alone, so meaning you have every right to be in the party just as Marcel has to"

I stared at her without saying anything.

"Besides, I don't think his grandfather knows about your relationship status right now, and that man..." she paused "he loved you like a daughter; it's going to break his heart if you don't show up to his birthday party."

Ciara was right. Lorenzo Senior, Marcel's grandfather, loved me, no doubt, but I still didn't feel comfortable going to the party. Everything could go wrong; what happens when Marcel decides to tell them about it right there?

"I know what you are thinking, you are thinking, what if Marcel decides to tell everyone at the party? Well, do you know what I think? I think he wouldn't want to ruin his grandfather's birthday party because he knows how much his grandfather loves you."

"I don't know, Ciara I am not sure about this."

"Don't worry, don't think about anything, just think about going to the party, besides you need to show that scumbag how comfortable and happy you are without him. I am sure he knows by now that an invitation was sent to you, so if you don't show up it's going to look like you are scared of him."