LOGINShare
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Last Updated:
2025-08-16 21:13:25
Latest chapter
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
#Joel’s POV#The moment Dorothy leaves and the glass door swings softly shut behind her, I don’t waste another second pretending. I turn back to Dr. Malik, lean forward on his desk and say, “Alright. Cut the bullshit. Just lay the cards down.”He shifts slightly in his chair, takes off his glasses and sets them neatly on the desk. “Mr. Hernandez—”“Joel,” I correct, biting out the word with enough sharpness to make my own jaw ache. “We’re not strangers.”He nods slowly. “Alright, Joel. What you want to hear and what the reality is are two different things.”I wait.He exhales. “Your wife’s ovarian cancer is creating a lot of… noise. Physiologically. The tumors, along with the chemo and hormone treatments, they’re distorting her system. Which means it’s incredibly difficult to detect the early signs of a possible pregnancy. The same way a faulty radio blares static loud enough to drown out a whisper… that’s what’s happening inside her. Her symptoms—nausea, fatigue, sensitivity—they cou
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
#Dorothy’s POV#The call comes in just as I finish brushing my teeth. I’m still in my robe, hair half-brushed, the morning sun peeking lazily through the villa blinds. I answer it on speaker, leaning against the sink.“Mrs. Hernandez,” Dr. Malik’s voice is clear and calm like usual, but something’s… off. “I wanted to go over your labs from yesterday. I had them rushed.”I pause. My heart folds. “Okay. What’s the result?”He sighs. “Your white blood cell count has tanked again. Severely this time. It’s risky to continue chemotherapy as scheduled.”I grip the sink harder. “So you’re pausing it?”“Yes. We have no choice. Your immunity’s already dangerously low. If we push more toxins through your system now, it’ll… it could break it down beyond recovery.”The silence feels like someone just threw a drenched blanket over my soul. I lower the speaker volume and sit slowly on the bathroom counter.“But I was just… last week you said I was stabilizing,” I whisper.“I know. These shifts can b
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
#Rico’s POV#She slammed that door shut like I was the one that hurt her. And maybe I did, in some indirect way I haven’t even figured out yet.I’ve been out here for almost an hour now. Just pacing in the corridor like a fool, hands in my hoodie pocket, ears pricked for any sound from inside that room. Nothing. Not even a shuffle.Rain’s still pouring outside, trickling against the villa windows like it’s trying to be poetic or some shit. But nothing about this night feels poetic. Except maybe the ache in my chest.Earlier today, right after I got off the phone with her, I ran into someone I hadn’t seen in years—Xavier.Man’s still got the same buzzcut, only now there’s way more ink across his neck and arms, and his voice has gotten deeper. Found him standing outside City Bank, scrolling through his phone like he owned the pavement.I was shocked. “The fuck?”He looked up and grinned. “No damn way. Rico-fuckin'-Reyes?”We grabbed each other up into a bear hug, both of us laughing lik
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
#Dorothy’s POV#I wake up with a soft grunt, my joints making themselves known again. My eyes are crusty from the nap but my mouth tastes less bitter than it did before I slept, so that’s good enough. I take my time, change into fresh clothes, pull a light cardigan over my shoulders even though it’s warm outside, and drag my feet into my slippers. My body doesn’t feel too heavy. That’s a good sign too.Still, I glance at the mirror once. My lips are pale. My eyes are sunken. But there’s a bit of softness under them this morning. A calm I haven’t felt in a while. Rico did that. As he always tries to.When I’m finally done getting ready, I head downstairs but the villa feels quiet. I check the kitchen. Nothing. Living room. Empty. Backyard? No Rico. Weird. I head back inside and call him.He picks on the third ring.“Hey,” I say, walking into the corridor slowly. “Where are you?”“Went out,” he says, his voice slightly distracted. “Just needed to clear my head. I’m at Pizza Hut now, gra
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
#Rico’s POV#The morning sun’s not even fully up but my chest already feels tight.Dorothy’s hand is still in mine as I lead her down from the rooftop garden. Her laugh from earlier keeps replaying in my head. That kiss too. That soft, slow kiss that melted something in me I didn’t even know was frozen.She said she was scared of being touched, and still she touched me.I’m walking lighter than usual, I can feel it. I keep sneaking glances at her face, at the way her cheeks have some life in them again. She doesn’t look pale right now. She just looks… like Dorothy. My Dorothy.“Don’t judge my cooking,” I say as we enter the kitchen and I let go of her hand. “I didn’t exactly go to culinary school.”She chuckles as she leans against the island, arms folded. “I don’t even remember the last time I ate food that wasn’t made by someone in a uniform.”“Well, prepare for disappointment.”She hums. “If you burn anything, I’ll make you eat it yourself.”I fake a look of horror and grab a pan f
The Fathers of My Child? CHAPTER FORTY
#Dorothy’s POV#I wake up panting.My body’s hot, my skin’s clammy, and my heart’s racing like I’d been running through fire in my sleep. My nightdress is twisted around my thigh and my bandaged fingers are clenched so tight I have to peel them open, one by one. My eyes sting and my throat’s sore like I’ve been screaming.Because I had been. In my dreams. I can’t remember all of it, but there was fire. Screams. Joel’s voice. Blood on my hands. Rico yelling. And then black.I felt trapped again. Like everything I’d been pushing down came back up all at once; all the anger, shame and fear came rushing back. Even in my sleep, I couldn’t escape it.I sit up slowly, blinking at the faint orange smear bleeding in from behind the curtains. Dawn. I hadn’t even gotten two full hours of sleep. Not after what happened last night.What Joel said keeps circling. How he called me a curse, said my body was spiritually tainted. Like I brought this on myself. Like being sick is a punishment. And then…
You may also like
Let Me Go, Mr. Hill!
Shallow South6.5M viewsTriplets on Secret Mission
Lamour Toujours1.2M viewsDivorced My Cheating Husband, Married A Billionaire
LiLhyz706.0K viewsA Life Debt Repaid
Cheng Xiaocheng1.1M viewsWhen Love Was A Lie
TeeKay372 viewsDon't Stop, Coach Daddy
Yamini Celestial 314 viewsBetrayed on the wedding day
Gafa author 30 viewsThe Boss’s Darkest Demand
K. Lyn Leigh412 views
