I never wanted your family’s money.
Not before… not now… never.
Nyah
Alex recorded everything so I would have proof if Eleanor ever tried to use the situation against me. I also kept photos ofthe letter I had written to Caleb at the hospital and the note I had left with the money.
No precaution was unnecessary.
Now, as I filled out the registration form in the maternity reception area of the hospital, I noticed the women around me. Many of them were at different stages of their pregnancies, and most of them had their husbands or partners sitting beside them.
My heart ached.
I wished Caleb were there with me. He would have been supportive. He would have been caring. He would have been over the moon with excitement. If he only knew.
I often wondered if he would come back to me if I told him that I was carrying his child. The thought tempted me more times than I cared to admit.
Then I asked myself another question. Did I want him back that way? Did I want to use our baby so he would feel compelled to return to me?
The guilt of denying him the right to know about his child weighed heavily on my heart. Still, I believed it was the right decision despite the doubts that persisted.
Even though this baby had been conceived in love, the betrayal from Caleb and the painful emotions attached to it would never disappear completely.
Growing up without parents of my own often made me question whether I was doing the right thing for Lucas and for my unborn daughter.
Everything I had read online suggested that Caleb had moved on with his life.
It was time for me to move on with mine.
I blinked rapidly, pushing back the tears that were forming.
A nurse called my name shortly after, and I was escorted into the doctor’s office.
Dr. Jean entered the room moments later and greeted us in a cheerful tone. “Good afternoon, how are we today?” She handed a lolly to Lucas, and he smiled brightly at her. She then sat down behind her desk and tucked her short brown hair behind her ear as she looked at the computer screen.
“Great, thank you. How are you?” I replied politely.
“I’m good. Thanks for asking. Busy like always,” she said with a smile. “So, this is your second baby?” She browsed through the file before noticing the note stating that Lucas was my first child, but that he had been adopted. She quickly apologized.
I looked at Lucas sitting beside me and remembered the day I told him he was adopted.
We had been watchingStuart Littlewhen the subject came up.
“So you adopted me, Mama?” he asked from the couch, eating fruit.
“Yes, honey,” I said gently. “How do you feel about that?”
He grew quiet while I watched him carefully, trying to read his reaction. Then he set his bowl on the table, walked over, and wrapped his arms around me.
“Thank you,” he said. “You’re the best Mama I could’ve ever had. I wouldn’t want anyone else.”
Relief rushed through me as I held him tightly.
“I love you, Lucas,” I whispered, kissing his cheek. “You were, are, and always will be my son. Remember that.”
“Always, Mama.”
I looked at Lucas beside me now, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He could barely sit still, knowing we were about to see his baby sister at the doctor’s office.
