I know the only way to keep Ophelia safe is to pretend she means nothing to me, but it’s hard to prove it to Hernández. When it comes to her, I’m like an open book, and now it could mean that she dies as well.“Well, Nancy, what will it be?” he asks and takes his phone away from me.My purse starts vibrating and one of the heavies hands it to me. Hernández snatches it from me and locates the buzzing sound; it’s my phone. Holding it up, he shows me the caller ID, “How’s that for timing? I’d suggest you answer it and put it on speaker.”I look at the phone but don’t take it. He presses the “answer” button and forces it into my hand.“Hello, Astrid. Are you there?” her voice comes out loud and clear for everyone in the room to hear.“Hey, yes, I’m here,” I say.“Where are you? I’ve been trying to get hold of you for the past day. Sooooo much has happened, it’s been crazy,” she says. The sound of her voice calms me down and I concentrate on it.“Tell me about it,” I say.“No, this is some
Emily/Jocasta POVJacob hasn’t done much talking since we left Collin Estate. His contemplative mood tells me he’s thinking about how to deal with the Charlotte situation.He was taken aback with Matthew’s dramatic exit; we all were. I don’t even think Charlotte expected such a strong reaction from her own son.“Have you decided on what you’re going to do about Charlotte?” I ask.He thinks a bit before answering, “I’ve left that up to my dad. He gets to decide her fate, and I told him I’d be on board with whatever decision he makes.”“I know this must be really hard for you,” I add. “Just remember that I’m here for you.”“How can you act so selfless after all she’s done to you? Even now, you’re putting your feelings aside just to make sure I’m okay,” he says and kisses my hand.“Because I love you and I need you to know that we’re in this together,” I say.He smiles, “I love you too. We’ve all been through a lot. All I want to do is get home to our son and give him the biggest hug. Le
They’re still glowing from that post-wedding high, holding onto each other like two lovestruck puppies.“Awwww, you’re so cute,” I say and Olivia shows me the middle finger.Jacob and Mason hug each other awkwardly. I sense some tension between them but ignore it.“I thought you guys would have been in the Bahamas by now?” I ask.“So did I, but this man right here insisted on coming around before we left,” she says and looks at Mason.There’s an uncomfortable silence that stretches for a few minutes, until Mason says, “I couldn’t leave until I put things right with Jacob.”“Okay, let’s leave them to it,” says Olivia and waves me into the kitchen.“What was that about?” I ask her and start clearing up the dishes.“Let’s just say Mason didn’t take too kindly to Jacob sending his wife to the hotel to check up on a certain someone,” she says. “Words were said in anger and now my man has come to apologize.”“If there’s anyone that should be apologizing, it’s Jacob,” I tell her. “He basical
Emily/Jocasta POV“Welcome to the third trimester, Mom and Dad,” says Dr. Goodmann. “Your baby is growing bigger every day. Soon, you’ll welcome him or her into the world.”Jacob and I smile at each other. I’m almost eight months pregnant and uncomfortably huge. Just like with Liam’s pregnancy, it took some getting used to my new body. But this time, I’m embracing it because we’re experiencing this journey as a family.At both Jacob and my insistence, we asked that Dr. not tell us the baby’s gender - we want it to be a surprise.The baby’s regular heartbeat tells us our little munchkin is healthy and strong.“Have you decided on a birthing plan yet? I don’t see any reason why you can’t have a natural birth,” she says.Every time she brings it up, Jacob diverts to another topic. Whether he likes it or not, this baby’s coming out either way.“Will any complications arise if we choose natural birth?” he asks.“I don’t see why not,” she says. “Emily is perfectly healthy. Even after enduri
“Hey there, stranger. Welcome back,” says a voice. I can’t make out who it is. Above me are bright lights. I squint to adjust my eyes to my unknown surroundings.My voice is scratchy and I struggle to speak, “Where am I?”“You’re in hospital,” says the voice, so soft and gentle.I make the outline of someone standing beside me and lift my head to see more.“Easy there,” comes the voice. It’s Jacob.I start crying, “The baby.”“The baby’s fine,” he says and shows me the machine monitoring the fetal heartbeat. “As strong as an ox, say the doctors.”“What happened?” I ask.“You collapsed, been out of it for three days,” he says. “Luckily, Olivia was with you and called an ambulance.”I want to sit up straight, but there are various tubes connected to my arms, obstructing my movement.“I just remember fitting on a bridal gown. I don’t know what happened after that,” I cry. “What’s wrong with me?”Jacob looks at me for a while but says nothing. There are tears in his eyes.“What’s wrong wi
Emily/Jocasta POVJacob is laying beside me in our tiny hospital bed. He insists that he wants to be by my side, even though the sleeping arrangement is killing his back.I put my hand in his chest and feel it expand as he breathes in and out. I can’t sleep here. Almost every trauma I endured happened between these four walls. So instead of drowning in the frustration of insomnia, I use the time to make lists of things I want to do and places I want to visit once I’ve checked out of Sacred Heart.I wait until Jacob is asleep before I take out my notebook. He became emotional the first time I showed my bucket list to him, so I jot down all my dreams and wishes in the dead of night.The nurses know not to come into the room when they see my night light on and only check in on me with a cup of tea every few hours or so.So far, I’ve made a list of memories I want Liam to remember me by, and places I want us to visit together, just the two of us. Olivia suggested I compose a video diary f
One evening I got a surprise visitor. There’s a knock behind the door and a wispy brunette peeks her head through the crack; it’s Ophelia.“Helloooo,” she smiles. She’s come bearing gifts, carrying a huge bunch of roses.“Wow, are those for me?” I ask.“Yes, she says. “But if you don’t like them, I can give them to the lady down the hall. I walked into her room by mistake thinking it was yours.”I respond by snatching the flowers from her, and joking, “Give them here!”“I’m glad to see you’re in good spirits,” she adds. “Thaddeus says you’ve been feeling very tired.”I sit upright and say, “That’s an understatement. Let’s just say I may fall asleep while you’re gossiping, so you better make it extra juicy.”Ophelia looks nervously around her, “Then I got nothing for you, I’m afraid.”She takes a seat opposite my bed. I can see something’s bothering her. “Hey, what’s up?” I ask her.“It’s Astrid, I haven’t heard from her for the past few months,” she says. “The last time I spoke to her
Jacob POVI am woken up by the buzzing of my phone on the nightstand. When I answer, it’s Dr. Richards on the line, “Mr. Collin, you need to come to the hospital now.”My brain sends signals to my limbs to move into action. Like a robot, I mechanically get dressed in the dark and rush to Liam’s room. He’s fast asleep, but I need to get him into the car. I can’t afford to lose precious time by calling someone over to babysit, so I bundle him up and carry him into the elevator.While we’re on our way down to the parking garage, he opens his eyes, “Dad, what’s going on?”I shush him back to sleep and he’s back in dreamland.The drive to the hospital is excruciating. Dr. wouldn’t have called me at this hour if it wasn’t an emergency. My mind keeps on playing different scenarios, all of them leading to the same end results.Keeping my concentration on the road is proving difficult and I struggle to keep to the speed limit, scared that I may get there too late.When I get there, I leave the