Alice was lying on the bed, and her baby was not with her. She had just woken up, feeling very strange after the cesarean section. She remembered falling asleep but never remembered seeing her child. Several hours had passed since the cesarean, and she knew nothing about him.
"It's a boy," said her older sister, Sofia, just realizing that her sister was there with her. "You gave birth to a boy," she said again with a smile.
"I want to see him, I need to see him," Alice raised her hand, motioning for her sister to come closer. Her sister took a seat by her side and held her hand, preparing to tell her the next thing.
"Alice, the baby wasn't born healthy, and for now, he can't be with you. He's premature and has other problems he was born with. To be honest, and I hope you can be strong, he has a slim chance of survival. He's very weak and..." She started crying upon learning her son's condition, not letting her sister tell her everything about the little creature.
Alice's sorrow was overwhelming, knowing her child wasn't well, knowing he wasn't born healthy and might be suffering.
"I want to see him. Take me to him, Sofi, please!" She tried to sit up and realized everything hurt, everything. She couldn't move much. She placed her hands on her abdomen where the cesarean incision was. The anesthesia was wearing off, and the pain was intense and strong. "It hurts," she complained amid tears. "It hurts so much."
"I'll call the doctor, Alice. I'll be right back." Sofia left the room, and Alice continued crying, partly for her baby and partly for the pain.
When her sister returned, she was accompanied by a doctor.
"How are you feeling, Mrs. Graham?" he asked, observing her eyes, checking the cesarean site, and then gently pressing her ankles.
"It's... here," she pointed to the cesarean incision. "It hurts a lot," she indicated, letting out a groan.
"I'll be back to give you something for the pain. Wait a moment, and the nurse will be here shortly."
"Wait... please," she stopped him before he left. "I need to see my baby. What's happening with him? You haven't told me anything about him."
"I'm sorry, right now your baby is being treated in another room," was all he said, and she still didn't understand why they weren't giving her all the details of what was happening.
"But I haven't seen him!" She shouted in frustration, demanding to see her son. "I haven't seen my son! I demand to see him! You can't keep me from seeing him!"
"Calm down, Alice. They're just doing what's best for him. Don't lose hope."
There was immense fear in Alice if she didn't see her baby. She needed to see his face, to know he was okay, to hold him in her arms, against her chest.
"He has to stay there, and you have to stay here after the cesarean because of the baby's condition. Maybe you can see him in a few hours; perhaps they'll bring him here later," he said, managing to calm her a bit.
"Our parents are on their way. Mary, Loren, and Sami were here, but they had to leave before you woke up. They might come back during the day, maybe in the evening. By the way, Robert's parents aren't here, and neither is he," Sofia found that extremely strange. It was the birth of their grandson. Where were they? Where was Robert Graham, not being by his wife's side at a moment like this? Why wasn't he at the hospital with her for the delivery? Why wasn't he with her? Sofia couldn't believe there was anything more important than that. "How come your husband isn't here for your delivery? When was the last time you saw him?" she asked with displeasure.
"Last night, but don't worry. He probably knows I'm here, but he doesn't care about what happens or doesn't happen. He's a complete idiot, and I'd rather have him far away. I'm glad he's not here, Sofi."
"You don't get along?" It was becoming evident from Alice's words.
"How can two people who don't know each other and were forced to marry get along? Can two strangers with nothing in common get along?" she asked discontentedly. "We can't get along, we have nothing in common. He acts like a dictator, and obviously, I'm the one who must obey his orders, without speaking up, without complaining, just obeying him because apparently, my husband has a strong superiority complex that doesn't even allow him to listen to my voice, as if I'm going to take away his voice or his sense of command, as if my existence could endanger his, which I find very ridiculous. He fears whatever I say, getting offended by anything that comes out of my mouth, even the slightest thing, because he thinks I want to control him, that I feel superior to him, and he's had all of that in his head since the wedding day. Sofia, this marriage should have never happened, and I'm not trying to play the victim, because he doesn't love me either, so this must be equally difficult for him."
"But how have you managed to share all these months since the wedding? I don't understand. You've been married for almost a year, this marriage is almost a year old, have you been like this the entire time?" Sofia didn't understand what kind of marriage this was, and she was astonished by what her sister was saying. She never imagined it would be so difficult for her or that the union would be turning out so badly.
"We haven't shared anything, except for the wedding day and the honeymoon. Robert just needed to marry a Taylor, and once that was done, I no longer existed to him. He left me in a house and ordered me not to leave. I only had to obey my husband, nothing more. I saw him last night, after months of him being gone. I don't know anything about him, Sofía. But really, I'm glad it's that way because he's a conceited idiot. I used to think... I thought I only disliked him, but now I know I hate him," she admitted out loud for the first time.
"You can't talk about your husband like that, Alice. At some point, you'll have to live together, especially now that you have a child together. What will the baby's name be? Do you have a name already?" Sofia tried to change the subject to not overwhelm the new mother.
"Yes, I have a name for him. His name will be Ethan. I love that name," she said with a smile. The medication was starting to take effect, and she was feeling much better. The pain was decreasing, but she still needed to have her son close, to finally get to know him.
"It's a good name, Alice. I really like it."
After a while of talking with her older sister, as the pain reliever took effect, Alice fell asleep.
Sofia looked at her younger sister's face with pity, realizing how unhappy she was in that marriage, with a husband absent even during the birth of their child.
"They won't stop calling you, aren't you going to answer?" the redhead beside him asked. She looked at Graham sensually and with desire.How long had they been lovers? When did they start seeing each other in this way? When did they both get entangled in this tale of infidelity?She was his assistant, who had no remorse about getting involved with him, even knowing he was married because, yes, she knew. Everyone knew about the dazzling wedding between Robert Graham and Alice Taylor. There was no one who didn't know about that important wedding.Robert didn't care about that either. His wife was something he didn't care about. As long as she didn't leave that house where he left her, everything would be fine for him. He had her subdued, afraid to rebel against him. That's all Robert wanted, to keep Alice under his control, to make her understand that she was nothing more than him, that she couldn't escape his side, and he wouldn't let her be with that man she claimed to love."I know w
When Jared Sinclair received the news that Alice Taylor had given birth, he dropped everything he was doing and, upon learning which hospital she was admitted to, headed straight there without hesitation. He knew her sisters, and they were the first people he saw when he arrived at the hospital."Sofia," he greeted with a kiss and a hug. Besides Alice, Sofia was the other Taylor he had confidence in, the one he was closer to. "Long time no see, everyone's here," he observed the Taylor family, who remained silent, saddened by the loss of Alice's baby. "What is it? A girl or a boy?" he asked in a low voice, not knowing what was happening, somewhat excited because it would be Alice's child, and even though it wasn't his, it made him happy. Her happiness also brought him joy.He looked around the waiting room, trying to spot Robert, assuming he would be with Alice and their new baby since he didn't see him there.He knew he might feel jealous seeing Robert so happy with his family, with h
"I love you, Alice Taylor. And I have since the first moment I saw you. You are and always will be the woman I'm in love with, even though it can never be."Alice heard every word that came from her beloved Jared's lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, as well as her hands against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart and absorb this confession, which felt like a balm for her wounds.What should she do? Should she open her eyes, tell him she heard everything, and confess the love she felt for him from the moment she first saw him? Should she reveal that her love was reciprocated?She didn't know what to do, but she began by opening her eyes.Seeing that she was awake, Jared's pale face turned even paler, and his cheeks flushed red. He quickly stood up, embarrassed because she had probably heard that confession he had poured from the depths of his heart."I-I..." Alice had never seen him so nervous, and he was usually quite serious. This brought a fleeting smile to Alice's lips."You
It was a very strange situation. He had little contact with that pregnancy and was not particularly enthusiastic about having a child with Alice. However, he never thought about the death of that child, especially now that he knew it was necessary for an heir to be born from the union of both families to maintain their connection.He always looked down on both of them and left them locked in that house, unaware that he might need them. His father had reached an agreement with the Taylors."Why didn't he tell me something like this?" He would have paid a little more attention to Alice or her pregnancy. Could it have been his fault? Did it have something to do with the way he treated his wife the night before? Could it be possible?"No, it can't be my fault. She must have done something wrong to lose our child. If there's anyone to blame, it must be her, she was the one who was pregnant. It can't be my fault," he told himself to avoid carrying that burden. He walked to the hospital wher
For Alice, having Robert around for such a long time was very strange. He didn't move a second from that room, and he couldn't either. He had to show the Taylors that he wasn't present because he didn't want to be, not because he couldn't be. The only way to do that was by staying with Alice until his family eased off after Robert's apology in front of everyone, even though it was hard for him, as he didn't like feeling inferior, especially to Alice Taylor.They were discharged from the hospital, but he was still there. He behaved like a concerned husband. What happened to his plans of traveling? Didn't he say he had more important things to do and was very busy? Why wasn't he leaving now?But he couldn't just disappear with his lover. It was a family moment, and he couldn't afford to run away, not when the Taylors had their eyes on him. One more mistake, and the consequences could be fatal. He couldn't risk Sofia Taylor staying against him."Doctor, how long after the cesarean can my
"Jared! Can't you hear me?" Immersed in his thoughts, he completely ignored the voice of his assistant calling him several times, his boss seemingly oblivious. Angry, she called once more, daring to shout at him because he seemed lost in something else, unable to hear her voice. "Jared!"He couldn't stop thinking about Alice, how she was, how she must be coping after the loss of her child. He pondered the strange relationship she had with her husband, as if it lacked love, as if... they felt nothing for each other, just as Sofia Taylor had said.It also bothered him greatly that she heard his confession. A part of him felt relieved that she didn't say anything because that wasn't the right time or place, but on the other hand, he wanted her to have some opinion, since she heard what he said when he thought she was asleep, when he confessed, thinking she couldn't hear him.He also wished that at least she would say something, because he didn't even know if those words offended her, con
Jared wasn't just Robert's best friend; he was also like his right-hand man for everything, one of his most relied-upon employees. This was especially true now that Robert had a mistress and was neglecting many of his responsibilities. He entrusted Jared with a lot of confidence and a significant workload, even beyond what his role required.Personally, Jared was a good friend. They had known each other for many years. However, in a professional setting, Robert saw him only as another employee. That's why Jared hanging up the call the way he did felt like an insult to Robert, a challenge to his authority as his boss. Friendship didn't hold much weight in such situations."Are you leaving already?" Dayana's voice still carried the energy of their recent activities. "Have you thought about what I told you, Rob?" Dayana wanted to stop being just his assistant and secure a better position in the company. She was very clear about this. Being his lover meant more than just that; there were
Jared held Robert's gaze, filled with impotence and indignation at the way his friend had chosen to handle things. It was in front of that woman that Robert had taken his place, giving it to her – someone without experience or the proper preparation for this position, with all its responsibilities and numerous additional tasks that had been added to the role. How many things did he no longer have in progress?How could he leave all that work to that woman? Why?Robert Graham's vision was clouded, blinded by the affronts Jared had made by refusing the first time, along with his strong need for Alice to agree to have children with him. He needed Jared for that, he needed him there at his house, with the sole intention of having him pull Alice out of the depression she was sinking into after the death of her baby. Despite the passing months, she wasn't recovering, and he needed her to be well so that she would decide to resume her duties as a mother, as a wife, and have a child with Robe