The Percy family stood around the hospital bed. Ashley sat beside their grandfather, tending to him and changing his stockings. He had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a heart attack, and his son and grandchildren stood by, looking somber.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Very bad. I feel like I’m about to die.”
“Stop saying that!” Chris and Ashley almost shouted in unison. “You’re not going to die, and stop scaring us.” Chris mumbled, but he heard him.
“It’s the truth. Let me see my grandchildren before I do.”
“There’s no way you’ll see your grandchildren before you die,” Chris responded.
“Gael!” they all screamed his name, and Chris smacked him hard on the back of the neck.
“Ouch! Why do you hit me?”
“Say something like that again, and I’ll break your head,” Chris snapped.
“Not like I’m not telling the truth,” Gael grumbled.
“At least let me attend my grandson’s wedding before I die.”
“I’m always ready to get married, Grandpa. Mum is the one delaying,” the grandson replied.
The grandfather glared at Sharon, who began to stutter.
“That… that’s not entirely true. I don’t like the family he’s marrying into. Charles should have told me about it. Then I could have found a suitable bride, not this family.”
“The family is not important. It’s who we’re marrying that matters,” the grandson said firmly.
“I bet she’s going to be a brat who doesn’t know how to do anything by herself,” Sharon rolled her eyes, looking certain. “How about you give her a test? Assess her and see if she’s suitable or not.”
“Fair enough,” the grandfather accepted.
“You need to speak to your daughter,” the grandfather said angrily but firmly. “She should behave herself. You’re marrying him whether you like it or not.” He stormed off.
“Honey! Honey!” Patricia called after him, but he ignored her and continued to storm away.
“Alice!”
“Don’t call my name. Just go and talk to your husband. How could he marry off his only daughter to an imbecile?”
“I… don’t think he’s that bad.”
“Mum!? You’re unbelievable!” she said, bursting into tears.
Patricia did everything she could to calm her down, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
“I promise to get you the latest car,” she tried to distract her, but it wasn’t working until, suddenly, her daughter stopped crying and looked at her.
“I thought of something.”
“What?”
“A plan.”
“What plan?”
“I’m going to need your help, though.”
“To do what?”
“It’s something simple. We’re just going to repeat what we did before.”
Patricia looked at her daughter intently, trying to understand what she meant. She thought deeply before she realized, and when it dawned on her, she gasped in shock and curiosity.
“Are you sure you want to keep it?”
“I’ve thought it through, Ally. I would keep it.”
“Won’t it be painful or traumatizing? Looking at the baby might remind you of that night.”
“I know, and I want to forget everything. It will remind me, even if I hate to admit it. I keep having nightmares, but I can’t get rid of them. This will be the only thing that belongs to me, my blood, my companion. I’m going to feel less lonely with her around, and she’ll be the source of my happiness. So, I’m keeping it.”
“And Victor?”
“I’m not telling him.”
“What?! He needs to know. He’s the father.”
“Did you think he’s going to accept it?”
“Not like he has any choice.”
“He won’t.”
“Regardless, he still needs to know, and there’s no way you’re going to have a baby in this house without anyone finding out.”
Clarisse sighed. “Maybe after a month. I don’t want to tell him now. He doesn’t deserve to know, but I’ll tell him when it’s two months along.”
Ally sighed, seeing that Clarisse had made up her mind.
“Then you need to be very careful. You’re in a delicate position now. Avoid stress and eat well. I’ll try my best to steal some food for you so you won’t have to keep eating only at night. With another person inside you, you’ll need to eat more.”
“Thanks so much, Ally. What would I do without you?” Clarisse said, hugging her.
“You’re always welcome. Call me anytime you need me,” Ally said, and Clarisse nodded, her eyes getting teary as she smiled.
“You need to start heading back. It’s getting cloudy, and I think it’s going to rain.”
“But… Victor is around.”
“So? You can’t stand outside; it’s going to rain, and cold is not good for you, not in your condition.”
Clarisse sighed, looking scared. “I’ll go inside then.”
“Okay, dear. Take care of yourself.”
“I will, and you too,” Clarisse replied, then began counting her steps back, not wanting to go inside just yet. She decided to take a stroll around the house instead.
Victor was inside watching action movies when he received a call. He sat up immediately when he saw who the caller was-Alice.
“Hello?”
“Hey… Victor,” Alice’s voice sounded sad.
“Alice? Is everything okay?”
“No, I’m not fine.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I’m outside your house. Can you come out for a minute?”
“Sure, why not?” He said, rushing outside.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.