Chapter 2: Five Years Later

Five years has passed since that fateful night after one of their most hardest discussions a married couple would have to make.

Fast forward to five years, Rayla is at the top of her industry, working her way up to become part of the executive board at her company. Her husband, through the course of three years, became a sperm donor and a surrogate mother was found to carry his child. Rayla still accepted the child as her own, and the surrogate mother decided that she did not want the child so gave full custody of the child to Brad, the father of the child. Rayla on the other hand, accepted her as her own, a daughter of her husband. Knowing that it was not part of her blood line, still in support to her husband, she still loved his daughter and accepted her as her own with open arms. "You still love this child, although she's not your own?" Brad asked his wife curiously.

"Of course, she may not be mine, but she is so adorable and cute! She has your eyes, Brad, I love her so much" Rayla said holding Rachel, Brad's baby daughter in her arms when Brad brought her home after she had been born.

Brad, often times, kept in contact with the surrogate mother, her name was Maria, to let her know things were alright with Rachel. Although, Rayla knew of this, she kept it to herself that she knew of Brad's conversations with Maria. This would, break her heart sometimes, but she'd learn to live with it. She knew that Brad was not committing an affair, but the fact that he spoke to the surrogate mother at times, would make Rayla feel somewhat lonely inside and somewhat hurt, but she still kept it to herself. Often times, Brad would tell her to mind her own business. She would rather live with it and try and save her marriage, as she truly loved Brad, so she kept quiet about it and never let it bother her too much.

After work every day, the routine would be the same for the last five years, come home, have dinner, not talking much, just asking how each other's day was, still very loving and caring environment between them and their child, (Rayla had her surgery so she was in no position to carry his child at this stage anyway now, it was beyond that point). the child was a half breed between her husband's ethnicity and culture of the surrogate mother which her husband was quite pleased with. Whenever Rayla would want to go somewhere on a date with her husband from time to time however, whenever he had some free time, her husband would be too tired from taking care of his child after work, as he only worked 3 days a week, but his salary was the same amount to Rayla's work by two week's pay. He earned more than she did, however Rayla didn't mind, as Rayla earned as much in a year so they were the ultimate financial power couple, however her husband was competitive, even though that should not come between a husband and a wife, she thought, but she didn't let it get to her that her husband was competitive with earnings and let him win in that financial aspect, as long as she had her own assets as security, she was fine to be making her own money and not be financially independent on her husband, because if she did, he would be a little controlling about it, but because she earnt her own, he never bothered her, nor she him in their finances.

"Hey, want to go on a date on Friday?" Rayla asked one night to her husband. "Can't; have to take Rachel to karate practice, I want her to learn self-defense from a young age, so she can protect herself." Brad shrugged off as he folded their laundry, watching his daughter play games on the couch. "Oh…" Rayla said a saddened almost broken tone of voice, standing by his side as they did the laundry together.

Every time he turned her down or never gave her his time, just made her heart grow colder and colder, as Rayla was beginning to feel bored in her marriage. He was cold to her and she was becoming distant slowly but surely. She loved her husband dearly, and his child, however, things were just going sour. Their private life together decreased from the time Rayla had her surgery to the time Brad became a father of his child. He didn't talk to her much and every time she tried to get intimate with him, his daughter would come knocking on the door wanting attention as she grew from baby to toddler, to five years old.

All Brad's time and effort went to his child, so to cope with the loneliness, Rayla drowned herself in her work, not to feel the hurt of the loneliness. "Don't look at me like that, Laura, I told you about this already." Brad said coldly. "Yeah… you know what, never mind. I am going to bed… goodnight…" Rayla smiled sharply, as she got changed and went to bed from folding the clothes with him.

She couldn't tell her mother, or her father, because she knew that it would ruin his reputation and destroy their respect that they have for him. As Rayla lay there in bed, she gets a phone call, "Hey darling, how are you, is everything alright?" Her mother asks her kindly. Rayla almost burst in tears, as she knew it wasn't ok. "Yeah mum, I am fine, how are you?" She said getting up, drinking her tea before she slept. "Yeah good, just wanted to ring up to see how you were, is Rachel and Brad alright?" Her mother asked. "Yeah, they are fine. I will see you in a couple of days. Goodnight mum." She said and they both hang up the phone.

Brad walks in the room after he had put Rachel to bed. "Was that mum?" He asked her softly. "Yeah, I told her I would see her in a couple of days after work." Rayla said as she snuggled into bed. "Ok." Brad said as he kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight. They both lay there falling to sleep.

As Rayla lay there, staring at the ceiling, hearing her husband snoring soundly, just hearing him next to her was enough to make her fall to sleep, as she felt at home with him, just touching his skin as she slept, then turning to the opposite side as she looked out the window and looking to the night sky out of their bedroom window, having flash backs and looking at her old diary she had of their dating days. Looking back, she had fallen madly in love with him, however he tried to break up with her several times back then, but she was so blinded by love that she couldn't see it. However, it wasn't easy. Her heart was beginning to grow somewhat cold.

Rayla's point of view:

Looking back over this diary, I was an idiot to fall for him so hard, I fell in love with him… because he was my first and only boyfriend...maybe if we were a little more honest with each other what we wanted, would we have been together or would we have moved on from each other? I keep thinking about this but I can't help it…. I love Brad too much to let him go… but I am hurt…. He rarely talks to me anymore… Brad….." I thought to myself thinking deep in thought as I watched Brad's sleeping face as a couple of tears streamed down my face, as I put my diary away in the bedroom side drawer and snuggled back into the blanket to sleep. – End of point of view.

Suddenly, she feels a touch from her husband, embracing her shoulder in a tenderly, as he pulled her close to be near him, as he held her in his arms, he could sense that she was troubled, but kept his thoughts to himself.

Brad's point of view:

She's become colder towards me since my daughter was born… ever since her surgery I don't make love to her like I used to because every time I do, I get the feeling and sense that she despises me… as if she looks down on me…. but…. I don't want to let her go at the same time… was it a mistake that I married her?" I thought to myself as I held her in my arms.

"Rayla…. " I whispered her name. "What is it?" she responded coldly to me. I took a deep breath as I embraced her body, tenderly, when all of the sudden, there is a knock at the door.

"Daddy, I am hungry" my daughter cried. – End of point of view.

Rayla closed her eyes to hide her frustration, "It's alright, I will get it." Brad said kindly and got up and left the bed. Rayla just looked at him for a moment as he closed their bedroom door to make his daughter something to eat. Rayla sighs to herself and goes to sleep. "I get it, I understand she is your daughter; however, I am your wife too you know…" She thought to herself, feeling left out and neglected, but she did not let it show not to put pressure on her husband.

This went on for some time, the festivities, Rayla would support him and his daughter and be there for them. However, when it came to her and what she wanted and needed; it was a completely different story. As life went by, she felt she was slowly fading away into the distance, away from home and looking off into the distance. "Please... don't let me wonder off to far...." she thought to herself. Moment fades off into the darkness.