Pregnant After One Night with the Lycan
Chapter 54

Marco’s POV

It warms my heart to see the relief in Claire’s eyes as she realizes it is me. She eagerly takes my hand as I take her away from her bullies and safeguard her from them. However, I can’t help but stiffen as the child for the third time this week encompasses me in a hug. Her dainty arms doing their best to wrap around my understandably larger body.

I always have a particular softness towards children. To adults, I have no desire to showcase any form of remorse or whittle down my brashness. But with children… there is something about their innocence that captures my attention.

My negative outlook on people’s intentions never befalls on children. Even with their temper tantrums, they have a level of purity with regards to the world around them. You could never blame them simply because they don’t understand enough about life. They are always good intentioned, or at least oblivious to the consequences of their actions. How could you be mad or mean to something so fragile?

Hence, despite my lack of capability to maybe communicate on their level, I have a desire to protect them full-heartedly. Even now, as Claire wraps her arms around me, I only gently rub her back to comfort her. And it soothes me to think she knows that she can count on me.

Reaffirming that I’ve made the right decision to come today…

Once I’m assured Claire will be okay, I let her join the other kids all seated in their class groups on a mat in front of the stage. I then turn and walk over to Tanya, who’s clearly surprised to see me. But we don’t have much time to talk as the host who must’ve been the school principal speaks into the microphone.

“Welcome everybody! Before we start our family day event, we have a bonus activity for all the mums and dads!” the crowd cheers excitedly. A burgundy silk curtain suddenly drops down behind the host as she explains. “We are going to test how well the mums and dads know each other with a little game!” the kids understandably scream, cheer, and laugh in clear excitement.

“I want all the mums to stand behind this curtain, and then they must stick their hands out from behind it. The dads must then take turns trying to guess which hand is their wife’s hand,” upon saying this, a loud ‘oooo’ of anticipation ripples through the crowd. “Let’s begin! Up you come mums!”

With there being many of us, groups of parents take turns playing the game. It’s admittedly a comical event, as many of the dads fail to recognize the hands of their significant other.

Laughter exudes from the crowd as some of the parents laugh off their mistakes, while others don’t take the news too well. One of the wives comes out to whack her husband at the back of head, which both Tanya and I can’t help but laugh at.

This goes on for a couple of minutes, with the host commentating the event throughout. The audience of teachers, parents and children all enjoy the show. But eventually, it’s my turn.

All eyes are on me as I make my way up the stage steps, but the attention barely bothers me, as I focus on the line up of hands in front of me. I have initially been worried when the host first announced this activity. I don’t want to embarrass Tanya or Claire since I haven’t known either of them for very long. However, …

I only need to take one glance at the lineup of feminine limbs, before my gaze lands on one with utmost confidence. To my surprise, there is no hesitation, and my feet move without me asking them to. I’m silent in my brigade across the stage, the crowd hush as they watch in anticipation.

I stop before the outstretched hand. Not out of self-doubt, neither am I seconding guessing myself. But almost in bewilderment to how sure I am. As the wind whistles by with the fresh autumn breeze, I replace myself staring down at the female fingers that look so familiar, as a mirror image sits sturdy in my mind.

It’s not that I have paid any close attention to any of Tanya’s features. Sure, she is in fact very pretty. But due to Lily’s established conviction that she is evil and downright terrible, I have mostly been looking at Tanya over the last few days through lenses colored and blurred by false opinions, too busy being angry at her to appreciate her beauty.

I reach for the hand before me, comforted by its softness. The hand seems hesitant at first, almost like the person behind it is also astonished with my replaceings. Eventually, I grasp her fingers firmly, and gently pull her through the burgundy curtains that slowly brush past her elegant figure. Tanya emerges from the silk curtains slowly, her glistening emerald’s hues widening as they see me. She comes to stand beside me, as the audience erupts into a chorus of cheers.

She is just as surprised as I am. But there is something so familiar about having her hand in mine. The way her palm pressed into mine, and how her delicate fingers fit perfectly with my larger ones.

I have only known Tanya for a couple of days. How do I know it is her hand? Even more confusing, is the doll Claire has been holding on to. It could’ve been any old doll, but it strangely looks like me, it has my blonde locks, my lean but muscular build, and my eyes. Claire’s eyes…

Before I can further spiral into wondering if I am going mad, the crowd cheers and applauds my decision. The host comes over to congratulate the both of us. I turn to look at the kids who have been bothering Claire. And their mouths gape in astonishment. I wonder if they now believe that I’m Claire’s father.

But none of that seems to matter, I turn to look down at Tanya’s hand as it still rests in mine. And I sense that something is missing. Confusion is displayed in her features whilst I curiously twist her hand right and left, trying to work out what I feel is missing.

And that’s when it hits me! A ring. Since the day we met, I’ve never seen Tanya wear a wedding ring.

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Tanya’s POV

My heart pounds sharply beneath my che.st as we walk off stage. On the one hand, I’m ecstatic that Marco recognized my hand, he chose me… and yet, it’s so strange, I was made to believe that he had lost his memory. So how did he know it was me? Was it purely instinctual, or was he starting to remember? Or was it all just luck…

“Tanya.”

I twirl round as Marco calls out and approaches me, snapping me out of my thoughts. He appears to check our surroundings, as if trying to ensure that not many people are around to listen to our conversation. And my heart pounds even harder as I wonder what he’s about to say.

“I hope this isn’t rude of me to ask, but why have I never seen a wedding ring on your finger?”

Instinctually I reach up and place my hand against my collarbone. Beneath the fabric of my shirt rests the ring Marco was speaking of. Even after what had happened, I could never get rid of it. So, it was strung up, attached to the ruby necklace that my mother gave me. It means both the two most precious items I own are close to my che.st and heart. Never far away.

Course Marco can’t see the ring as it’s hidden beneath my shirt. And before I can decide what to say, my daughter answers for me as she now stands between the two of us. “Mummy told me that she doesn’t wear her ring because daddy’s gone to a faraway place. But it’s okay! You’re back now! And we can all live happily together forever!”

Before either of us can have the heart to correct her, she’s distracted by her school friends and they all run off to play. I smile sweetly, yet sadly as I watch her run off, before turning back to Marco who speaks solemnly to me. “I’m sorry that I brought it up. I didn’t realize your husband had passed away.”

He obviously thinks that what I told Claire is a white lie to protect her from the truth of her father’s ‘passing’. I have mixed feelings, as her true father stands before me, comforting me for his own “death”, and it is slightly amusing to say the least.

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss Tanya, I know how difficult that can be.”

I can only nod in appreciation to his words. I couldn’t even decide how to feel about the situation, whether to laugh or cry over the strange ordeal.

“Right folks!” just then, the host returns to center stage to announce. “It’s time for the Family Day Event to officially begin!”