June 18 2014

Chapter 6:

The drip I had ripped out earlier now fixed back in place. My body was still too weak, rejecting the medication. I turned to the other side of the bed, sobbing quietly. The door creaked open, and Alex walked in. To be honest, I didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. My head was pounding, and I was overwhelmed with confusion.

“Hey… Are you alright?” Alex asked softly, but I didn’t respond. I was holding back my tears, unable to bring myself to look at him.

“Mira, are you crying?”

“No, I’m not…” I managed to say, choking on my own tears.

“What’s wrong?” Alex pressed gently.

I wiped my tears and finally turned to face him. “What’s wrong? Alex… I was pushed down the stairs. My son watched me struggle for breath in a pool of my own blood. I lost my baby, got divorced, and my ex-husband tried to kill me. I have no idea where my son is… Why did I even survive?”

I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Alex said nothing at first, silently watching me cry for what felt like hours. Finally, he spoke.

“I warned you, didn’t I? But you didn’t listen. You didn’t want me; you chose my brother.”

Alex mumbled the words, and I pretended not to hear, but the truth hit me hard. He was right—he had warned me.

My mind drifted back to the night before my wedding.

June 28, 2014

Tomorrow was my wedding day. The house was bustling with people. Even though my parents had refused to let me marry Aaron, they had no choice now. I had been hanging out with Aaron, hoping to get closer to Alex, but I couldn’t. Alex was cold, distant, and a man of few words. I just couldn’t understand him. Aaron, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

Aaron was always around me, complimenting me, making me laugh. Even though he knew I was betrothed to his brother, he flirted with me, and I found myself falling for the wrong brother—Aaron, not Alex. I wasn’t just in love with Aaron; we had slept together, and before long, I was pregnant. My parents were deeply disappointed but said nothing. They simply let me marry him.

That night, as I was about to leave for Aaron’s bachelor party, I received a message from Alex.

“I’m not saying this because I wish I were the one you were marrying tomorrow. I’m saying it because I’ve known Aaron all my life. What makes you think he loves you so much when you barely know each other? Don’t marry him.”

I ignored the message, brushing off his warning without a second thought.

Present Day:

The memory faded, and I found myself back in the present, staring at Alex.

I lay still on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind spinning with memories I wish I could erase. Alex sat beside me, quiet for a moment.

“Do you feel pity for me?” I asked, my voice low, barely above a whisper.

Alex turned his head slowly, his face unreadable. “Do you feel pity for yourself?” he shot back, his tone sharper than I expected.

I blinked, surprised by the question. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Because,” Alex said, leaning back in his chair, “if you don’t even feel pity for yourself, why does it matter if I do?”

His words stung, but deep down, I knew he wasn’t trying to hurt me. I stayed silent, tears threatening to fall again. After a moment, I asked softly, “Do you think I deserved what Aaron did to me?”

Alex laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Seriously, Mira? You’re asking me that? The same person who told you not to marry him? You ignored me back then, so why care about my opinion now?”

I swallowed hard, unable to respond. Alex wasn’t soft-spoken, not even close. He never sugarcoated his words, and I could see that even now, despite my fragile state, he wasn’t going to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.

“You’ve always been like this,” he continued, his voice calmer now. “Stubborn. You see only what you want to see, even when the truth is staring you in the face.”

I looked away, tears slipping down my cheeks. He wasn’t wrong.

“How’s Josh?” I asked, desperate to change the subject, to focus on something—someone—other than my mistakes.

Alex’s expression softened slightly. “There’s a family meeting today,” he said. “I’ll make a video of him for you. You’ll see how he’s doing.”

Relief washed over me, but it was fleeting. “Thank you,” I murmured.

For a while, neither of us spoke. The silence was heavy, filled with unspoken words and lingering regrets. Then I asked the question that had been gnawing at me since I woke up.

“Has Aaron said anything else? Anything about Josh?”

Alex’s jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened. “I overheard him talking. They’re planning to send Josh to boarding school.”

My heart dropped. “Boarding school?” I repeated, my voice rising.

Alex nodded grimly.

Fury surged through me. “Josh begged me not to even send him to day school!” I cried, my voice breaking. “He’s terrified of being away from home. Aaron promised he wouldn’t, and now—now he wants to ship him off like he’s some burden?”

Alex didn’t say anything, just watched me with that same calm, guarded expression.

My hands clenched into fists, my whole body trembling. “He’s doing this because I’m not there,” I said, my voice shaking. “Because he thinks he can just replace me with his new fiancée and act like I never existed. But Josh is my son. He’s not a pawn in Aaron’s sick little game.”

“You’re right,” Alex said quietly. “But if you want to fight for him, you have to be smart about it. You can’t let your anger cloud your judgment.”

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. Alex was right, but it didn’t make the anger any easier to bear.

“I’m going to get my son back,” I said firmly. “No matter what it takes.”

Alex affirmed to what was said and he replied.

“ i will let you do your thing but be wise and be aware of how cunning Aaron is , If you need help then you can hit me up “