1. My Son

The severe contractions had Esperanza lie on the table with a wracked body. The room was buzzing with tension, nobody could decide what was best for the moment.

The murmurs of surgeons weren't doing any good to her sensitive body which was trying to break free from the pain.

Esperanza tried her best to catch a few whispered words around her, but all she could hear was the beeping sound of the machines.

Sweat and tears were rolling down her neck. It wasn't easy to tell which one was taking a toll on her head. All she wanted was to release the pain so she could finally catch up on the maternal love that she had had in her heart for years.

"We need to do it fast... Her condition is worsening. But a normal delivery will risk the baby's life. She isn't in a position to deliver the baby. Ceasreon section would be safer," The lead surgeon voiced.

A woman's voice cuts through sharply from the outside, "Do ceasreon! I don't want anything to happen to my son! Cut her out and take my son out without any harm!"

Though the voice felt alien to Esperanza's ear and she couldn't understand who could be deciding for her baby other than her, she internally prayed for her baby to come out safely.

Esperanza's eyes were filled with tears. The bone-wracking pain had her breaking from the inside but the moment her eyes found Carlos, she knew she and her baby were going to be okay.

"Doctor, do as she says. Perform ceasreon, we cannot afford any complications."

His stern voice flipped something in Esperanza's heart. His voice felt distant and cold which was unusual for a crucial moment like this.

Her eyes didn't fail to notice the reluctant nod of the surgeon after which he prepared for the surgery. But she finds herself sighing, believing Carlos could never mess up when deciding for her.

The clicking sounds of tools pierced her ears, but before she could gather energy to look around her, an injection pierced her delicate ivory-skinned arm, and she found herself drifting into darkness.

*************************

Her whole body stung like a heavy steel wire was tied tightly around her abdomen, pulling her whenever she shifted a little from her place.

But that didn't matter. Her heart was at peace. She would gladly go through this heart-wrenching pain if she got to be a mother over and over again.

She didn't care how she looked or how her body was changing; she was over the moon, surrounded, thinking about her future with her husband and kids.

The thought of her future kids reminded her of the present, and she tried to sit, but couldn't move due to fresh stitches on her belly,

Her eyes moved everywhere. Where was my baby? Why wasn't my son with me? These thoughts stuck with her like lightning.

"Maybe he is with his father. He had been eagerly waiting for him, running after me like I was fragile as a feather. He must be over the moon, stroking his soft, tiny fingers with his rough ones," She

whispered with a sweet smile on her face.

The slow movement of the door caught her attention and her face instantly lit up. It was Carlos. She waited months for this moment to come true but seeing his stiff shoulders and straight face, something twisted in her gut.

"Carlos? Where's our baby? Is he healthy? Can I see him?" She called him weekly yet sweetly.

'My poor husband, he looks worked up. He must have gone through hell worrying about me.' She internally thought.

"Cut the drama, Esperanza."

Without warning, Carlos threw a stack of papers on the bed. His face showed pure disgust.

His changed behaviour terrorised her, her heart racing rapidly while her eyes were full of tears.

"Carlos-"

"I don't have a full day for this. Just sign and leave."

She gathered the courage to grab the papers and once her eyes landed on the words written in bold, her world shattered.

"What...? What is this?" Her voice trembled.

She tried to sit up, wincing from the surgical pain, "Carlos, what's happening? Why are you angry with me? Did I do something wrong? I don't understand-"

Before he could answer, Juliana Vasquez entered the room with a confident stride and moved to Carlos's side with obvious intimacy.

She linked her arm with his, leaning her head on his shoulders while a victory smirk played on her lips.

"Baby, let's go," Juliana says, tangling her fingers with Carlos's. "We need to get home to prepare everything for our son."

Esperanza's head started to spin and her voice rose due to utter shock, "Are you sick? What are you saying to your brother, Juliana? Why are you-"

Juliana threw back her head and laughed, a cruel, mocking sound filled the sterile room, "Brother? Oh, you sweet, delusional little girl! You actually believed that story?"

The words hit Esperanza hard, like a punch to her stomach, "What do you mean?"

Juliana's eyes shone with mean joy as she spoke the truth that was eager to come out of her mouth for months.

"Did you really think someone with your... condition... could win the heart of Carlos Mendoza so easily? That he marry you for love? A color-blind girl who can't even see the world properly?"

The sound of Esperanza's breaking heart was unheard but the deadly pain in her heart started to make her numb.

Before Esperanza could respond, Juliana's hand flew across her face in a sharp slap. The sound echoes in the room while Esperanza's back hits the wall, violently shaking her fragile body.

"You fool!" Juliana hisses. "He only married you because I didn't want to spoil this perfect figure that he loves to touch. And Carlos was getting pressure from his father about the inheritance; he needed access to your mother's money. You were the perfect candidate; naive, trusting, and rich."

Esperanza's glassy eyes move towards Carlos, hoping for him to deny Juliana's words, but Carlos watched her torment with a cold indifferent face, not denying a single word.

Juliana chuckled, her voice dripping venom, "We were only waiting for you to give birth to secure the inheritance completely. Carlos needed to be married with a child to get full access to his family's trust fund. But the child will be raised by us, not you. And now that he's here safely, your usefulness is finished."

She snaps her fingers, and two security guards enter the room. "Make her sign the divorce papers," she commands.

Esperanza looks desperately at Carlos, the man she thought loved her, "Carlos, why? Why did you do this to me? Were all your words lies? All those promises about our future together? All of that was a lie?"

But Carlos stayed quiet. His face was completely void of emotion.

His stillness and dead eyes confirmed to Esperanza that this wasn't any nightmare, and no matter how much she tries, she won't be able to get the life she desired with him.

With tears streaming down her face, Esperanza made a last plea, "Please... let me see my baby's face just once. If you do that, I'll sign anything you want. Just let me see him once."

Juliana's lips curve into a cruel smile. "Your baby? Oh, darling, he was never yours to begin with. But fine, if seeing him will make you sign faster..."

She pulls out her phone and makes a video call. A nurse appears on the screen, holding a beautiful baby boy in her arms.

"Show her the baby's face," Juliana instructs playfully, holding the phone toward Esperanza.

Esperanza's heart felt both joyful and broken when she saw her son for the first time. He was perfect; tiny, sleeping peacefully, and the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen; her own child. Tears poured down her face as motherly love flooded her.

​"Sign now," Juliana demanded, her voice impatient.

​With shaking hands and a broken heart, Esperanza signed the divorce papers, her tears wetting the documents. Once she was done with the signature, she quickly grabbed the phone to see her baby again.

​"My son," she cried, watching the screen. "My beautiful baby..."

​She knew this was the last time. The last look at the child she carried and loved more than her life, but would never be allowed to raise.