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“Daddy, the baby is bored. You’ve read too many stories. Let’s play a game with her!” Thalia said, grabbing the book from Oliver’s hands. Oliver's eyes slightly widened. He said, "Are you saying Daddy's reading is boring you?" "No... I just want us to play games with the baby. She must be bored. I would be bored if it was me," Thalia remarked seriously.Claire chuckled before stroking Thalia’s hair. She remarked, “We can’t play games with the baby right now, Thalia. In a few years, we will be able to play together.”“Who said I can’t play with the baby? I can!” Oliver remarked. He glanced at Thalia and added, "I'm a fun Dad. I can play games with the baby."Claire arched an eyebrow. She asked in amusement, “How so?” Oliver cleared his throat. He stared at Claire’s stomach and covered his face with his hands before saying, “Where’s daddy?”He removed his hands and exclaimed, “Here I am!” Thalia broke into a fit of giggles. She said through giggles, “Daddy is so silly, Mommy. The ba
Jake scoffed. His initial shock at seeing his ex after four years wore out and her words sank in. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Charlotte in disbelief. What did she say? She missed him?In what world did that statement make sense? She’s the one who left and had no right to miss him. And so what if she was back? Did her return affect him in any way? No. It didn't. He nodded and smiled, saying, “It’s been a while… I’m here to see my friends, excuse me.” Jake walked past Charlotte and approached Oliver and Claire. He smiled at them and asked Claire, “How are you doing today, Claire?” Charlotte remained at the door, standing awkwardly. Did Jake just ignore her? Why? Jake never ignored her... he loved her too much. 'Is he playing hard to get?' She mused. She forced a smile and walked out of the ward before closing the door behind her. Seeing this, Claire glanced at Jake and remarked, “That was rude, Jake. She looked like she had a lot of things to say to you.” Jake sighed.
“W-What?” Jake couldn’t believe his ears. His eyes grew into the size of dinner plates and his jaw dropped to the floor. For a minute, he couldn’t move, simply staring at Charlotte, trying to process what she had said. Charlotte's words repeatedly echoed in his ears like a broken record, causing his heart to pound like a galloping horse. “What did you say?” He asked after finding his voice. “I said you have a son, Jake. Our son,” Charlotte answered. A lot of thoughts reeled in Jake’s mind. ‘I have a son? Does that mean Charlotte was pregnant when she left?’Jake gulped, his throat suddenly feeling parched and he wished he had taken that coffee. “Why did you leave if you were pregnant with my child?” He questioned, feeling a stab of betrayal. How could she still leave despite knowing she was carrying his child?Was her job more important than letting him know that he was going to be a father?Charlotte sighed heavily. She remarked, “I never knew. It was only when I got to Japan t
Jake spent some time with his son and then, he said bye and promised to spend more time with him the next day. However, the little boy didn't want to let go of his father. Seeing that Jake was about to leave, Lucian threw a tantrum and began to cry. It was only when Jake carried him that he stopped crying. Jake spent a good amount of time calming the boy and promising him that he would return to see him. Seeing his son cry for him broke his heart. How long had the little one longed for a father's love?"I'll read you a bedtime story, ok? Let me tuck you in," Jake said, soothingly. Charlotte led Jake to Lucian's room where he placed Lucian on the bed and began to read him a story. It took some time for the boy to sleep. His eyes kept opening each time he felt like Jake was leaving. "I'll see you often, Lucian. Don't worry, my son. Your father will always be around," he whispered and Lucian finally drifted off to sleep. Jake felt like a hand was squeezing his heart. His son was dep
Jake glanced at Charlotte incredulously. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. What the hell did she say?Get back together? Now why would he do that? The woman chose her job over him… that ship had already sailed. There was no way in hell that he would make the mistake of reuniting with Charlotte. The woman was unstable and he definitely didn't love her anymore. She left and someone else occupied his heart. “Jake?” Charlotte chuckled nervously. She smiled and said, “Say something. You’ve been staring at me for a few minutes without saying anything. I said since you've confirmed that you're Lucian's father, we can now get back together and become a complete family.” “I’m just shocked. What did you say? Get back together? Are you delulu? Have you forgotten that we broke up- no, you broke up with me. Do you think you can decide to do something and I always have to bend to your will?” Jake questioned, shock clear on his face. "Charlotte, who the hell do you think you are
Oliver came over to the hospital after working for a few hours at the company. He bought Claire’s favorite food, Chinese beef fried noodles and brought it for her. He walked into the ward and smiled at her. She was seated on her bed with her back leaning against the headboard while she watched a TV show on the TV hanging on the opposite wall. She turned her head to look at him when he walked through the door and smiled when she got a whiff of the tantalising aroma. “Mmmmmm smells good. Did you bring me noodles?” She asked, her stomach rumbling from hunger. Oliver smirked when he heard the sound and Claire blushed. He said, “Someone’s hungry.” “Yes… I didn’t like any of the food that the chef prepared so I sent it back,” Claire answered, licking her lips as she stared at the bag in Oliver's hands. “Then I did well to get your favorite Chinese beef fried noodles. You must be starving!” Oliver remarked and approached Claire’s bed before placing a kiss on the crown of her head. “Yo
“Why are you here alone?” Greyson Norton asked his son the moment he walked through the grand wooden doors of their mansion. “I’ll bring your grandson later, Dad. We need to talk,” Jake said firmly. He walked towards a single couch in the living area and took a seat before facing his parents who were seated on a two-seat couch. “We rushed back here from the vineyard to see our grandson. How can you come by yourself? And where’s Charlotte? I can’t believe she’s the one who called me to tell us about your child,” Greyson complained. "Were you trying to hide him from us?"Like Jake, Greyson had dark brown hair and grey eyes, although his hair had a few streaks of grey and his eyes no longer had that vibrant colour- signs of ageing. His wife, Harriet Norton had strawberry blonde hair with green eyes. She was a beautiful woman and only had a few wrinkles in the corner of her eyes. The Nortons had a vineyard where they produced grapes that they used to manufacture different kinds of ta
Weeks passed. “Claire, can you tell me where Quinn’s home town is? I want to see her. It’s been so long,” Jake asked Claire for the umpteenth time that week. Days came and went and yet, Quinn had not returned. Jake was worried sick about her. Most importantly, he wanted to come clean about his son. They had been communicating on the phone, but he wanted to tell her in person. So, he had asked Claire not to say anything too. “She’s almost done with what she’s doing, Jake. She will be back soon,” Claire replied, rubbing her baby bump. She was already showing and her belly was bigger than normal because of the fibroids in her womb. Although Charlotte had slowed down their growth by regulating the estrogen levels, they still grew together with the pregnancy, taking up most of the space which the baby needed. Claire reached for the jug of water on her bedside table and Jake quickly rushed over and offered, “Let me.” He poured some water into a glass and gave it to her. After she dr