Monday eventually came, it was Ruby’s first day at her new job and she wanted to make a good impact. She woke up earlier than normal and quickly got ready for work. Naomi had made breakfast but she wasn’t feeling up to it as she was feeling too excited to be hungry. She couldn’t even wait for Naomi to get ready, she took a cab to workToday initiated the beginning of a new chapter in her life, with a confident stride, she walked into the office. Ruby put on her sweetest and polite smile as she exchanged pleasantries with her colleagues. She settled into her workspace which happened to be a small cubicle outside Mr Trainor’s office, a stack of files awaited her attention. She wasted no time delving into them carefully reviewing every detail, creating a to-do list for Mr Trainor and then deciding to build his schedule for the week to ensure everything was ready for his upcoming meetings.Ruby felt a sense of determination as she worked relentlessly, ticking off tasks one after the other
Naomi embraced Ruby back firmly, offering a sense of comfort and support that Ruby eagerly needed at that moment. The weight of her heartbreak, mixed with the understanding that she would be raising her child alone, was almost too much to endure. But in Naomi’s arms, Ruby found comfort.“You’re right,” Ruby finally said in a very low tone, her voice shaking slightly. “We are in this together. I don’t know what I would do in your absence.”Naomi pulled away mildly to look into Ruby’s eyes. “And I don’t know what I would’ve done without you either,” she replied softly. “We’re a team, Ruby. No matter what happens, we’ll face it together as a team.”Ruby managed a feeble smile, feeling a shimmer of hope flash within her. With Naomi beside her, she knew she could traverse the difficulties that lay ahead. She couldn’t change the past or the scenarios that brought her here, but she could regulate her life moving forward.Inhaling deeply, Ruby adjusted her back and wiped away the tears
Ruby’s maternity leave came to an end, she had to start working. She was grateful for the kind of boss she had, he understood her predicament so well. She named her baby Ethan, it has been six weeks since he came into her life. She never believed she could feel so much love for anyone but she did. Her love for Ethan was immeasurable. He was such a lovely and peaceful baby. She and Naomi took turns caring for him. Everyone around her has been so supportive and she was grateful for that. Her boss visited her a few times with gifts for EthanThe day she resumed work, she reported to Mr Trainor’s office. She knocked lightly and waited to be asked in before opening the door. Mr Trainor was neck deep with work.“Good morning sir” Ruby greeted “Good morning Ruby, it’s good to have you back,” Mr Trainor said with a smile. Ever since she went on maternity leave, the workload multiplied and he was so happy to have her back “It’s good to be back sir” she said“How is Ethan?”“He is fine”
“It’s not confirmed yet so I can’t say anything but we need to admit Ethan and run more tests to ascertain the cause of the symptoms you described” the doctor explained “How long would he be admitted” Naomi asked “In about a week, the paediatric oncologist will be taking this test”“What kind of test are we talking about” “Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. I explained earlier that there are some abnormalities found in his blood cell which might be because of leukaemia so we need the biopsy to confirm it”“Leukaemia? Oh my God, how is that possible? He isn’t even up to a year old” Ruby lamented. Naomi gently patted her friend on her back to console her“Ruby calm down, it hasn’t even been confirmed yet, the diagnosis might be wrong” Naomi tried to be optimistic “What do we need to do?” Ruby asked in a very low toneThe doctor signalled the nurse beside him and whispered something into her ears. “Please go with the nurse she will direct you on what to do” Ruby and Naomi got
Naomi never understood why Ruby was adamant in speaking to Stephan. It was a fact that he was a billionaire and money for Ethan’s chemo wouldn’t put a dent in his mountain of wealth. “Naomi I thought we decided to raise Ethan without Stephan’s interference or input” Ruby was scared Stephan would accuse her of being a gold digger “I know we agreed but this is life-threatening and I can’t just sit back and do nothing. If you don’t want to approach him it’s fine but please don’t stop me from approaching him” a hint of frustration evident in Naomi’s voice. Ruby’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she watched Naomi speak with such conviction. She knew deep down that Naomi was right, that they had to do whatever it took to save their son. Reluctantly, Ruby nodded and reached out to gently grasp Naomi’s hand “You are right,” Ruby whispered her voice filled with a mix of recognition and determination. “You can approach him once, if it doesn’t go as planned we will never reach out to him
Ruby was shocked to see Naomi walk in with Stephan, she never expected her to be able to convince him that Ethan’s was his. The man was as beautiful as the last time she saw him. She stared at him lacking words to say“Hi, you must be the mother of the child?” Stephan asked. He recognised but he wanted to be sure.“Yes I am, my name is Ruby Qin” Ruby replied “Can I see the child?” “Yeah sure you can, this way please” Ruby led him into Ethan’s room, the baby was sleeping peacefully.“I heard from your friend that he is suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and he needs chemotherapy”“That’s true” Ruby replied as she nods “Well, like I told your friend I’m not sure the baby is mine but I won’t just sit and do nothing so I will pay for his treatment and then when he is okay, we will run a DNA test at the hospital of my choice, is that clear?”Ruby stared at him in disbelief, if he didn’t believe Ethan was his then why was he here? Does he think she sleeps around and then tries
As Stephan drove out of the hospital, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next if the child was truly his. How would he be able to tell his family about his son when they have been disturbing him to proceed with the wedding? He had been stalling the wedding plans because he wasn’t in love with Amelia, she was just his childhood friend whom he sees as a sister. Their union was orchestrated by their parents because they believed their union would be great for business. Stephan went ahead with the proposal as planned but he couldn’t go through with the wedding. Stephan decided to keep the information about him having a son to himself till he confirmed if Ethan was his. His head was aching from processing everything he found out today, he needed to relax so he drove straight to the hotel. As he got to the hotel, he slipped into the private elevator that led to the penthouse he wanted to be alone. The elevator pinged signifying they had reached their destination “Whe
As Amelia left, Stephan collapsed onto the couch, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions. He knew that agreeing to the dinner was the right thing to do, a chance to spend time together and perhaps find some clarity in their relationship. But a fragment of his being could not shake the feeling of discomfort; he knew that this dinner was just a strategy devised by both families to strengthen their relationship. He felt as if he was being tugged into a conflicting path—his family's expectations, his desires, and the gravity of responsibility that came with it all. The news about his son had shocked him to the core, and he could not bear the thought of entering into a loveless marriage when his heart yearned for something more. After much consideration, Stephan decided to hold back the wedding for as long as he could so he could buy time to get his messy life on track.A call interrupted his thoughts, he reached for his phone in his pocket and looked at the screen, he r