Chapter 1
Introduction
Many years ago, there was a brilliant astronomer named Donavan Armstrong (we’ll call him Don) who helped with expeditions across the stars and through the vast milky way. But Don had a secret; he was in love with the on-site nurse, Genevive Polimer. Now Don liked Genevive so much, he would make up injuries just to see her. The issue was, workplace romance was prohibited. These “incidents” happened so often that the man in charge had to move him to another office on the opposite side of the building just to keep them apart. Don thought that he was being slick, but Genevive caught on after the third time he came to her office. Soon, Don would just go down to her office just to chat. These daily chats turned into evening dates after work, and those dates lead to a difficult topic in any dating situation: meeting the parents.
At first glance, Don was an impresive man, with a stable job and kind demenor. But the more Gevenive’s parents got to know him, the less they liked him. They clearly did not approve of Don, and after a few more months, denied their blessing to marry her. But that couldnt stop their love, and one day they ran off to the Caribbean to get married. They soon returned home, with no one questioning why the two dropped off the face of the earth for a few weeks. But something was different, both were much more cheerful at work, and they both began wearing rings. Coworkers where curious why the two and simultaneously gotten rings, but the whole building assumed the truth.
But no one dared to disturb anything, knowing that the two starcrossed lovers would be forced apart or maybe even fired for their love. So their love went on for just a few wonderful years of marriage, until something happened. Someone had tipped off the boss about the two being in a relationship, and it was immeidately investigated by HR. This secret being shared caused tension in the workplace and at home. Don couldnt stay focused without the topic being brought up and Genevive was being hit on more than usual. This drove a wedge between the two, and they were forced to split up (not divorced thankfully).
But this would affect their relationship; date nights became more and more scarce, daily converstaion become nonexistent, and the longing for each other was unbearable. And even worse, the boss told Genevive’s parents about her secret marriage to the man they hated. But it somehow got worse- somehow, people found out that Genevive was pregnant before she got married (which her conservative parents would never aprove of). And that made everything come crashing down.
The stress of work, being apart from each other everyday, HR being all up in there business, and the backlash of the out of wedlock child and eloped marriage from Genevive’s parents drove a wedge between Genevive and Don. Soon their scarce conversations turned into arguments; useless yelling about small things, and whispered, hushed arguments about the secrets spilled, it ruined the special bond they had before. Eventually, HR proposed an ultimatum: either they get a divorce or they lose their jobs. They would give Genevive a good long maternity leave, and approve time off for Don when needed, but only if they got a divorce. It took a long while to consider, but the desicion was made. Both loved their jobs too much to lose them, but they also loved each other too much to leave. But in order for the best to happen, they decided to get a divorce to keep their jobs.
Eventually, everything was finalized, and the two lovers were seperated legally. But in their hearts, there still was love for each other, but the flames werent as bright. Not long after the divorce, Genevive went into labor (much to the disaproval to her parents) and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. When the pregnacy was still a secret, they had agreed that if anything were to happen to their marriage or the Genevive, Sophie (their agreed upon baby name) would take Don’s last name. And so Sopie Armstrong was introduced into the world.
