Chapter 8

As usual, Ellyse wasn’t surprised when she didn’t see Kai in the house. He was always like this, always busy with work.

She cooked Claire her favorite spaghetti just what she promised and then headed back to her office as soon as Claire had finished eating.

Sine she wanted to leave the company as soon as possibly, she got started on revising the floor plan that Kai had requested earlier. Although she had a lot of things to do, she set those aside to focus on this plate.

It was already past 9pm when she finished about 20% of the plate. She yawned from exhaustion, her back was aching and she wanted to lay down on her soft bed.

She gathered her things and was already preparing to leave when her phone vibrated from her table.

Kai:

Claire is asking for you.

Ellyse stared at Kai’s message for about a minute before sighing heavily. She didn’t have the strength to type a reply let alone drive to the mansion, so she ignored his message and left the building.

At her new home, she cooked a quick and lazy meal before taking a bath.

By the time she was laying on her bed, her phone had been bombarded with voice messages from Kai.

Ellyse couldn’t help but sit up from shock. Kai never sent her voice messages. What the hell could’ve happened?

It was five voice messages. She clicked on the first one.

“Mommy…when are you coming home? Dad told me to ask you but I don’t think you will respond…” It was Claire. Of course it was their daughter.

She clicked on the second voice message.

“See dad? She didn’t respond.” It seems like she accidentally clicked on the voice message while speaking to her dad.

“Just send the message, sweetheart. Mom will listen to it once she’s done with work.” That was the end of the second message.

Then she clicked on the third one, “Did you and dad fight again?” Ellyse’s heart felt like it was torn apart when she heard her daughter mutter those words.

Claire is a very intelligent little girl and she understood her surroundings very well. She was sure that there had been times where she heard Kai and her arguing in his study. And it pained her.

She never wanted Claire to witness their failing marriage. She never wanted this.

“Dad will apologize to you once you’re home,” She said. But Ellyse doubted that.

And then the last one.

“I really miss you mom…Dad misses you too,” And that was the end of the last voice message.

Ellyse hadn’t noticed the tear rolling down her cheeks as she stared at her screen mindlessly. Her fingers moved by themselves, almost as if they had a mind of their own and the next thing she knew, she was already staring at her and Kai’s wedding photos.

As she stared at herself in her wedding dress with happiness written all over her face, she wanted to laugh. She was so naive, so hopeful, so inlove too.

While Kai on the other hand looked at the camera as if he was a robot. Emotionless and bored.

Ellyse had cried herself to sleep. It had finally dawned her, the life she has built by herself was slowly crumbling down into pieces. She had wanted to grow old with Kai, she envisioned them sitting on a porch with white hair, happy and contented.

But now that dream seemed so far and unreachable. And it hurt.

The next morning, Ellyse had a scheduled checkup with her obgyn so she didn’t go to work. Her eyes were still so puffy from crying last night but she had managed to force herself to stand up and take a bath.

Afterwards, she ate her breakfast, and went to the hospital for her checkup.

“Have so experience any morning sickness at all, Mrs. Laurent?” Dr. Sanchez asks her.

“So far I haven’t experience any, Doc,” From what Ellyse can recall, her pregnancy with Claire wasn’t really sensitive and she rarely experienced morning sickness or nausea.

“Alright that’s good. However, we do need to do a blood test and urinary tests to see how your overall health is doing. Is that okay?” Ellyse nodded.

Dr. Sanchez accompanied her to a separate room to take blood samples from her. And then, she was instructed to pee in a cup just like last time.

After finishing all the tests, she waited for the results.

Just as Dr. Sanchez was reading it, Ellyse noticed how her brows arched in a confused way, like something went wrong with her results.

“Mrs. Laurent, have you been taking the vitamins I prescribed you?” She asks her.

Truthfully, Ellyse had forgotten to take the vitamins from time to time since she was so busy with work. She barely gets enough sleep and is always stressed with the divorce and her resignation.

She had ultimately forgotten that she was pregnant because most of the time, she was too preoccupied.

“Well, Doc, honestly I’ve been really busy with work lately so there would be times where I forget to take it,” Dr. Sanchez sighed before nodding indignantly.

“Okay well, your blood results aren’t looking good. You need to take more nutritious food for your baby, and you have to get enough sleep. Once you’ve reached your third trimester I think you should start filing for a maternity leave,” She explained thoroughly while Ellyse nodded.

“Yes, noted Doc,” Afterwards, Dr. Sanchez gave her the prescription she needed for her blood and also the vitamins she needed to take.

When her checkup ended, she went straight to the pharmacy to buy medicines.

Everything was supposed to go smoothly when she heard a familiar voice speak beside her.

“You’re sick?” Ellyse flinched from where she was standing when she heard Kai’s voice! She was shocked! She didn’t expect to see him here!

He was still in her business attire, making him look so out of place inside the hospital.

Before she could respond, the pharmacist already gave her the medicines. She scoured through her wallet for her card before handing it.

Kai’s eyes followed the medicines so Ellyse immediately hid it behind her. “Uh…it’s just for my…anemia,” She gulped.

“You have anemia?” He asks, tilting his head to the side.

“Yeah,” And then she looked away.

“Oh, okay,” Is what he only said.

Ellyse was curious to know why Kai was there, but she kept her mouth closed and accepted her card and the receipt the pharmacist gave.

“Well…good thing you’re here, I was about to text you. Mom’s kidney has been acting up and doctors said that it might turn into a terminal illness if not treated immediately,” He looked away, almost as if he was scared for her to see how affected he was.

Ellyse’s heart dropped at the sudden news. Victoria had been in the hospital two years ago and it was also because of her kidney disease. It seems like the illness had returned.

“Oh my god…where is she?” She asks Kai, concern lacing her eyes.

“Come,” He mutters lowly.

Ellyse and Kai were both silent as they ride the elevator. That was their usual setup every single time they were in a contained place. Ellyse was always scared to strike up a conversation with him since he seemed uninterested or dismissive most of the time.

After the elevator dinged, they stepped outside and went to Victoria’s room.

“Oh and also,” Before they could walk to the front door, Kai stopped from his steps.

“What?” Ellyse peered up to him.

“I know this might be too much to ask but…I hope we can keep the divorce from my mother until she’s recovered,” Ellyse was froze. She never expected Kai to ask him that. It has been her plan to keep it from Victoria until they were both ready to tell her.

She didn’t think that Kai would personally ask her this. And honestly, she felt…some type of way. Something she couldn’t name.

“Of course, I don’t mind,” Kai nodded briefly before gesturing his hand to Victoria’s room.

So that would mean that they needed to pretend in front of his mother. Like a married couple not going through a freaking divorce.