"They won't stop calling you, aren't you going to answer?" the redhead beside him asked. She looked at Graham sensually and with desire.
How long had they been lovers? When did they start seeing each other in this way? When did they both get entangled in this tale of infidelity?
She was his assistant, who had no remorse about getting involved with him, even knowing he was married because, yes, she knew. Everyone knew about the dazzling wedding between Robert Graham and Alice Taylor. There was no one who didn't know about that important wedding.
Robert didn't care about that either. His wife was something he didn't care about. As long as she didn't leave that house where he left her, everything would be fine for him. He had her subdued, afraid to rebel against him. That's all Robert wanted, to keep Alice under his control, to make her understand that she was nothing more than him, that she couldn't escape his side, and he wouldn't let her be with that man she claimed to love.
"I know what it's about. My wife has given birth, or so it seems," he said without the slightest interest or joy for his firstborn who had just been born. That didn't excite him because just as he didn't want or feel anything for Alice, he also felt nothing for this child.
"Congratulations, now you're a father," the elegant and sensual young woman said mockingly. "Don't you plan to go see your son and your wife?" she asked, letting his hands rest on her bare breasts. His fingers closed, squeezing her breasts.
"And miss this feast?" he replied with a kiss. "Believe me, I'm better off here. I love the smile with which you welcome me, I love how your legs open for me, and most of all, I love the way you moan for me, Dayana. You're a goddess."
He immersed himself in her, making her moan, her legs wrapped around him. Dayana and her pleasures made him forget everything, just as Dayana wanted, thinking that with her games and how well she pleased him, she could become Mrs. Graham one day and displace young Alice Taylor. Because even on the day of the birth of his child, Robert was with her, not with Alice, just as he had been all those months when he left his pregnant wife alone in that lonely house.
She believed she had him in her clutches, with her charms, putting aside his wife, his family. While Robert knew that his wife and children were in the hospital, he believed it was a rather good punishment for proud Alice Taylor and that temper he still couldn't control because he still had the bad taste of knowing that she didn't enjoy sex with him, that she might be thinking of that other man she loved. So, by leaving her locked up, he made sure they wouldn't see each other until he found out who he was, who he was dealing with. He couldn't let her see that man; he couldn't allow it. And he needed to know who he was, something that tormented him every night.
Dayana gave him what Alice didn't. She made him feel like he pleased her, and those cries during sex, their movements, the way they touched each other, erased from his mind Alice's rigidity and her blandness in bed.
He still couldn't understand why he desired a woman like her, like his wife, with no more appeal than her face because he couldn't decide if he liked or disliked those pronounced curves.
But his cell phone wouldn't stop ringing due to the fact that his son had been born prematurely and in critical condition, with doubts about his survival.
(...)
"Here's Ethan. He's here now," the nurse said, placing him in the arms of his young mother.
Alice felt the tiny body in her arms and cradled him against her chest. His eyes were tightly closed, his little hands clenched, barely moving. He was very small and thin, his skin very pale, his abundant blonde hair pressed against his head like it was bathed in gold. His pointed nose and his soft, very soft skin.
He looked like a Taylor. Everything about that baby said he was a Taylor.
There was news they didn't want to give the new mother: her son was not well, and his condition was much more serious than she believed, worse than she knew. But her family was well aware of everything.
At the insistence of the Taylors, her son was brought to his mother, so at least Alice could see Ethan's face and have a pleasant memory of him, feel his warmth, and be close to her son, just in case something happened. Because something was going to happen.
She touched his face, and her fingers slid over that fine, soft skin. She cried when she saw him, realizing that she loved this tiny being in her arms, that she adored him, and that she had never thought she needed him until she saw his face.
She loved him.
Ethan lazily opened his eyes, and those blue eyes locked onto his mother. Alice smiled and brought her lips to his forehead, leaving a kiss there. She kissed his hands and his tiny fingers, and although Alice was crying, it was tears of happiness because she wouldn't be alone anymore. She had him, her son, her Ethan, who had kept her company all those months in that cold and lonely house.
She was with him now, and nothing else mattered, only that.
"Be happy, Alice. Be happy, he's your son," her mother said, marveling at the sight of her little daughter holding her son in her arms, and how happy innocent Alice looked.
They took a picture of the two of them, and then her family left them alone before taking Ethan away again.
"I love you," she told him with all the love that can be expressed in words. "Ethan, I love you. You'll have a mother who will give you all the love in the world. I'll take good care of you because you are my heart, my beautiful son. You are the only one I belong to. Do you like your name? Do you? " She kissed his forehead and then brought her face close to his. "You're so soft and you smell like so much love. I know you'll love me too; I just know it."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Graham," the nurse interrupted her after a few minutes. "We have to take the baby. He has to go now, and you need to rest. Those are the doctor's recommendations."
"Of course, I understand." But she didn't want to let go of him. Sadly, Alice said goodbye to her son, not knowing that it would be the last time she would see him alive, the last time she could hold him in her arms or kiss him, talk to him, touch him, look into his eyes, cherish her son.
Five hours later, in the early hours of that cold Tuesday in the pouring rain of November, Ethan Graham Taylor passed away, under the gaze of the nurse, watching as the fragile baby's life slipped away, with the doctors' efforts yielding no results, unable to save his life. It was what had been predicted, and it happened just like that.
He died.
The Taylor family was deeply saddened by the news, even though it had been one of the possibilities since Ethan was born.
Sofia, the older sister, went to Alice's room and found her asleep. She caressed her peaceful face and didn't want to wake her to give her the news. But as she was about to leave, with the door already open, Alice opened her eyes.
"Sofi? Are you leaving?" she asked with a sluggish voice, rubbing her eyes and stretching her hand to turn on the light, managing to see her older sister's tear-stained face, caused by the tears shed for her deceased nephew and the sadness she knew that would bring her sister.
"Alice..."
"Where is my baby?" She clung to the sheets, her whole body numb, and she had already started to cry, while the pain of the loss coursed through her. "Where is he, Sofia? My son, my Ethan. I want them to bring him here."
"Alice..."
"I want to see my son! I want them to bring him here! Now!" Upon hearing the screams, her parents rushed to the room, as did her sisters and the nurse.
"He has passed away," Sofia said when she couldn't find the words. Alice's face darkened, destroying everything within her, withering her from the inside, and making her feel lifeless. Just like her son.
She laid her head back on the bed, and her body remained motionless. She stopped crying and didn't utter another word. She just stayed there, looking at the ceiling, agonizing on the inside and unable to say anything more. Because not only had Ethan died for her, something inside her had died too, her spirit, her very being, leaving only an empty shell that was no longer capable of crying.
Alice Taylor was consumed from the inside by the loss of her son, whom she had only been able to hold in her arms once. She had nothing left; her happiness had disappeared. That joyful moment had been very brief, too fleeting.
When Jared Sinclair received the news that Alice Taylor had given birth, he dropped everything he was doing and, upon learning which hospital she was admitted to, headed straight there without hesitation. He knew her sisters, and they were the first people he saw when he arrived at the hospital."Sofia," he greeted with a kiss and a hug. Besides Alice, Sofia was the other Taylor he had confidence in, the one he was closer to. "Long time no see, everyone's here," he observed the Taylor family, who remained silent, saddened by the loss of Alice's baby. "What is it? A girl or a boy?" he asked in a low voice, not knowing what was happening, somewhat excited because it would be Alice's child, and even though it wasn't his, it made him happy. Her happiness also brought him joy.He looked around the waiting room, trying to spot Robert, assuming he would be with Alice and their new baby since he didn't see him there.He knew he might feel jealous seeing Robert so happy with his family, with h
"I love you, Alice Taylor. And I have since the first moment I saw you. You are and always will be the woman I'm in love with, even though it can never be."Alice heard every word that came from her beloved Jared's lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, as well as her hands against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart and absorb this confession, which felt like a balm for her wounds.What should she do? Should she open her eyes, tell him she heard everything, and confess the love she felt for him from the moment she first saw him? Should she reveal that her love was reciprocated?She didn't know what to do, but she began by opening her eyes.Seeing that she was awake, Jared's pale face turned even paler, and his cheeks flushed red. He quickly stood up, embarrassed because she had probably heard that confession he had poured from the depths of his heart."I-I..." Alice had never seen him so nervous, and he was usually quite serious. This brought a fleeting smile to Alice's lips."You
It was a very strange situation. He had little contact with that pregnancy and was not particularly enthusiastic about having a child with Alice. However, he never thought about the death of that child, especially now that he knew it was necessary for an heir to be born from the union of both families to maintain their connection.He always looked down on both of them and left them locked in that house, unaware that he might need them. His father had reached an agreement with the Taylors."Why didn't he tell me something like this?" He would have paid a little more attention to Alice or her pregnancy. Could it have been his fault? Did it have something to do with the way he treated his wife the night before? Could it be possible?"No, it can't be my fault. She must have done something wrong to lose our child. If there's anyone to blame, it must be her, she was the one who was pregnant. It can't be my fault," he told himself to avoid carrying that burden. He walked to the hospital wher
For Alice, having Robert around for such a long time was very strange. He didn't move a second from that room, and he couldn't either. He had to show the Taylors that he wasn't present because he didn't want to be, not because he couldn't be. The only way to do that was by staying with Alice until his family eased off after Robert's apology in front of everyone, even though it was hard for him, as he didn't like feeling inferior, especially to Alice Taylor.They were discharged from the hospital, but he was still there. He behaved like a concerned husband. What happened to his plans of traveling? Didn't he say he had more important things to do and was very busy? Why wasn't he leaving now?But he couldn't just disappear with his lover. It was a family moment, and he couldn't afford to run away, not when the Taylors had their eyes on him. One more mistake, and the consequences could be fatal. He couldn't risk Sofia Taylor staying against him."Doctor, how long after the cesarean can my
"Jared! Can't you hear me?" Immersed in his thoughts, he completely ignored the voice of his assistant calling him several times, his boss seemingly oblivious. Angry, she called once more, daring to shout at him because he seemed lost in something else, unable to hear her voice. "Jared!"He couldn't stop thinking about Alice, how she was, how she must be coping after the loss of her child. He pondered the strange relationship she had with her husband, as if it lacked love, as if... they felt nothing for each other, just as Sofia Taylor had said.It also bothered him greatly that she heard his confession. A part of him felt relieved that she didn't say anything because that wasn't the right time or place, but on the other hand, he wanted her to have some opinion, since she heard what he said when he thought she was asleep, when he confessed, thinking she couldn't hear him.He also wished that at least she would say something, because he didn't even know if those words offended her, con
Jared wasn't just Robert's best friend; he was also like his right-hand man for everything, one of his most relied-upon employees. This was especially true now that Robert had a mistress and was neglecting many of his responsibilities. He entrusted Jared with a lot of confidence and a significant workload, even beyond what his role required.Personally, Jared was a good friend. They had known each other for many years. However, in a professional setting, Robert saw him only as another employee. That's why Jared hanging up the call the way he did felt like an insult to Robert, a challenge to his authority as his boss. Friendship didn't hold much weight in such situations."Are you leaving already?" Dayana's voice still carried the energy of their recent activities. "Have you thought about what I told you, Rob?" Dayana wanted to stop being just his assistant and secure a better position in the company. She was very clear about this. Being his lover meant more than just that; there were
Jared held Robert's gaze, filled with impotence and indignation at the way his friend had chosen to handle things. It was in front of that woman that Robert had taken his place, giving it to her – someone without experience or the proper preparation for this position, with all its responsibilities and numerous additional tasks that had been added to the role. How many things did he no longer have in progress?How could he leave all that work to that woman? Why?Robert Graham's vision was clouded, blinded by the affronts Jared had made by refusing the first time, along with his strong need for Alice to agree to have children with him. He needed Jared for that, he needed him there at his house, with the sole intention of having him pull Alice out of the depression she was sinking into after the death of her baby. Despite the passing months, she wasn't recovering, and he needed her to be well so that she would decide to resume her duties as a mother, as a wife, and have a child with Robe
Jared waited patiently to see Alice. He had already been informed that he was there.The woman who had left a couple of minutes ago had just returned, and from her expression, it was clear that she didn't bring good news for him."The lady says you can't stay and she doesn't need you," the employee informed Jared, just as Alice had instructed her to say. Her tone made it clear that she didn't like his presence, that she disagreed with everything, and that she was on her mistress's side—this man should leave as soon as possible; he wasn't what Alice Graham needed to get better.She needed her husband, didn't she?"Does Alice know it's me? Did she mention my name?" Jared asked, finding it hard to believe that Alice would send him away like this without even coming to tell him herself. "Did you tell her?""Of course, sir," she replied, raising an eyebrow at his doubt, as if she thought he was being dishonest. "I told her it was Jared Sinclair, and it was right after that when the lady to