Chapitre deux

**Elaine's POV**

Three years later…

I paced back and forth in my room, worried. "How is she?"

My mother's doctor had just called me to talk about her condition. Apparently, her heart valve disorder had worsened over the years, and she now needed treatment.

"She is stable at the moment, but she is still in the hospital. She will be released in a few days, however. Given the situation, she may need to undergo surgery," replied the doctor, Ms. James.  

"An operation?" I asked, shocked.  

"Yes, but it's only a recommendation. We can try treatments first and see how things progress."  

"Oh, okay. I'll come to LA as soon as possible."  

"Very well. Come see me when you're here for more details."  

"Okay. Thank you."

I hung up and sighed. I never thought I'd come back to live in LA. I only went there with my son, Jaden, for visits.

My phone started ringing. It was Jane. She was probably calling to say she was on her way with Jaden. She'd taken him earlier in the day, saying I needed more rest. When they left, I tried to relax as much as possible, but I couldn't, so I decided to work on some designs instead.

"Hi Jane."  

"Hey babe. We'll be back in like 10 minutes."  

"Okay. Oh, and we need to talk."  

"Okay?" replied Jane, uncertainly.  

"See you soon."  

"Yeah," said Jane before hanging up.

When they got home, Jaden ran towards me and I hugged him.  

"Did you have fun today?" I asked him.  

"Yeah. Aunt Jane took me out for ice cream and we played games," he replied enthusiastically.  

"That's great. Can you go to your room, darling? Mommy needs to talk to Aunt Jane."  

"Okay," he said before kissing my cheek and running to his room.

"Thank you for today, Jane."  

"You don't need to thank me. You know how much I love my godson."

I smiled knowingly. Jane really loves Jaden and he loves her just the same.

"So, what's going on?" asked Jane as we sat down in the living room.  

"My mother's doctor called."  

Jane's expression instantly changed to one of concern. "Oh. Is your mother alright?"  

"Well, she's better now, but her condition has worsened and I need to be there to take care of her," I said cautiously.  

"Oh. I totally understand, but does that mean you're moving to LA, right?" asked Jane, looking a little sad.  

"I suppose so. I need to find a job there and take care of the preparations for moving to LA."

It wasn't going to be easy leaving Houston. Leaving Jane and my friends at work. I loved the company I worked for. I had put so much effort into getting where I was now.

Jane sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. "I'm really going to miss you and Jaden, of course. I know this is the right thing for you."  

Tears began to well up in my eyes. "Yeah. I'm going to miss you too."

Jane hugged me and said, "I'll try to come see you as often as possible."  

"I'm counting on it," I replied.

Jane abruptly let go of me. "Oh, wait. Do you think you'll see him again?"  

"See who?" I asked, but deep down I knew who she was talking about.  

She looked around to make sure Jaden hadn't left his room. "You know, Dad."  

I lowered my eyes, trying to remain in control of myself. "I don't know."

I mean, it's been three years. Maybe he doesn't even live in LA anymore.

"Do you want him to know about Jaden?" Jane asked.  

"I've never really thought about it. I mean, we're managing just fine."  

"Yeah, that's true. Just do what's best for you, okay?"  

" All right. "

Jane left after our conversation and I went to Jaden's room to see what he was doing.

"What are you making?" I asked him.  

"I'm playing with my toys. Has Aunt Jane left?"  

"Yes, darling. Did you want to ask him something?"  

He had a thoughtful expression. "No. I wanted to thank her for the ice cream."  

"Awww. Come here, darling."

I took him in my arms. I still couldn't get over how cute he was.

"Why don't you go take a shower and brush your teeth, and then you can call Aunt Jane before I put you to bed."  

He jumped out of my arms excitedly. "Yayy."  

He quickly pulled me into the bathroom.

Shortly afterwards, he was on a video call with Jane. The call lasted about 10 minutes. I tucked him in and said, "I want to tell you something before you go to sleep, darling."  

He looked at me with his big, brown, fawn-like eyes. "What is it?"  

"You remember Grandma, don't you?"  

"Yeah. Are we going to visit him soon?" he asked excitedly.  

"Something like that, but this time we're going to live with her."  

He nodded. "How many days are we going to stay there?"  

"Um... We're going to be with her for a long time."  

"Is Aunt Jane coming with us?"  

"No, darling. Aunt Jane must stay here."  

He nodded again. I wasn't sure he fully understood, but at least he wasn't against it.  

"Okay," he replied.

I kissed her forehead and said goodnight before leaving her room. I immediately started looking for job postings and also worked on my resignation letter. It was sure to surprise my boss. I would definitely have to explain things to him.

I should also call Mom tomorrow, since she's resting at the moment.  

I finished my resignation letter in an hour and sent it to my boss, Mr. Davies.

A few days later…….

"I managed to find a great job thanks to Mr. Davies' recommendation," I told Jane, trying to sound happy.

We were in a local cafe. It had a very practical, minimalist decor. Jaden was happily playing on his tablet.

Jane looked genuinely pleased. "That's great. What's the name of the company?"  

"Crestmont Group."  

"Wow. This box is excellent."  

"Yeah. I'm going to be the project architect."  

Jane hugged me. "I'm so happy for you. So, when is your flight?"  

"Tomorrow, 5 p.m."  

I knew Jane was doing her best to stay calm and keep me from feeling sad, and I was grateful to her for that.  

"Okay. That means you'll arrive during the night."  

" Yeah. "

The next day was filled with activities. I was so stressed making sure I had packed all our essential things.

At 5 p.m., Jaden and I were on the plane and I felt a wave of emotions. I remembered the first time I moved into this apartment right after Jaden was born.  

We arrived at my mother's house around 9 p.m. She was already waiting for us outside.  

"Grandma!!" Jaden shouted as he ran towards her.  

She hugged him happily. "How are you, my darling?"  

" I'm doing well. "  

"Great. Why don't you come up? You remember your room, don't you?"  

He nodded and ran upstairs.

I hugged my mother and asked, "How are you, Mom?"  

"I'm fine now that you're both here."  

We went in, she closed the door, then we sat down in the living room.  

"I'm going to see Mrs. James tomorrow."  

" Okay dear. "  

"I hope you're taking your medication properly."  

"Yes. You don't need to worry, okay?" she replied, trying to calm me down.  

I shrugged. "Okay."  

"Before I forget, I want to talk to you about something. I'm sorry to bring this up now. I know you must be tired."  

"What is this about, Mom?"  

"It's about Jaden's father. I think he has the right to know. I mean, since you're staying here now, you can find him."  

I remained silent. I knew she was right. He had the right to know, and the worst that could happen was that he rejected Jaden. I had already accepted that possibility. I had no problem raising him alone.

"Honey? What do you think?" my mother asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.  

"You're right, Mom. I'll try to find him, okay?"  

She looked relieved. "Okay. Now go and rest."

After tucking Jaden in, I went to my room, thinking back on everything that had happened in the last few days.

Now I have to find a mysterious guy from three years ago to tell him that he now has a son.