CHAPTER 9: A Secret?

SOPHIA'S POV

I woke up on a plush bed beneath me. I had never slept on such a large and comfortable bed before. It was different from the bed I used to share with my kids at the orphanage. I felt like I was floating on this new bed of mine.

My first morning in this mansion was as if I woke up in someone else’s life. Mr. Graham’s life, I suppose. The happenings of the day before rushed through my mind, but before I could think too much, a gentle knock interrupted my thoughts.

“Come in,” I called out, then sat up.

The door opened and three maids entered. They bowed as they greeted me. One of them carried a tray of food. 

“Good morning, Mrs. Graham. We’ve brought your breakfast,” one of the maids said softly, placing the tray on the table beside the bed.

‘Mrs. Graham?’ I almost scoffed aloud.

I raised my head and looked at the clock. It was barely 7 AM. ‘Isn’t it too early for breakfast?’ I thought. But I quickly waved the idea away, forcing a small smile.

“Thank you” I murmured, feeling a bit awkward about being waited on.

“Shall we prepare your bath and assist you in getting dressed?” another maid asked, looking at me expectantly.

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary. I’ll manage on my own, thank you.” I shook my head.

They hesitated for a moment, but when I assured them again, they bowed and left the room. I took a deep breath, feeling relieved to be alone again. This fake marriage was still something I was adjusting to. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.

Two hours later, I made my way downstairs, and that was when I noticed something odd. The atmosphere in the mansion was that of tension. The maids, workers, Mr. Graham's bodyguards - they were all nervous. 

“What’s going on?” I asked one of the maids, her eyes wide and nervous.

“Mrs. Graham, it’s Mr. Graham… he hasn’t been seen since this morning. He always goes out for a jog every morning. But today…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down.

My chest tightened. Sir hadn’t been seen? 

“Have you tried calling him?” I moved close to his bodyguards.

“Yes, ma'am. However, his phones are in his room. The sole phone that is with him has been ringing but he's not picking up. We're trying to track down his location.”

‘Where could he be?’ I paced back and forth in the living room, my mind was restless.

“I last saw him in the painting room last night” I bit my lower lip, whispering to myself.

‘Did he sleep there?’ My inner mind asked, but before I could think of answering, I spun around and ran towards the room. My feet seemed to move faster than my mind. ‘Please, please let him be okay,’ I begged silently.

I pushed open the door, making my heart drop. Mr. Graham was lying on the cold, hard tiles. Motionless. 

“Sir!” I screamed, rushing to his side. I dropped to my knees, my hands trembling as I lifted his head on my lap. His skin was cold. His phone was lying beside him, with numerous missed calls displaying on its screen.

“Is he… dead?” I muttered, fear taking hold of me. 

“No, no! He can’t be! I can’t be a widow a day after my fake marriage!” Tears burned in my eyes as I shouted for help.

“I found him! I found him! Someone, please!”

Within moments, everyone was there. He was lifted and carried out of the house. My heart pounded in my chest as I followed them, I was barely able to breathe. We had to get him to the hospital.

**************

At the hospital, the nurses rushed to us with a stretcher and moved Mr. Graham inside while I stood helplessly. 

Suddenly, I heard my mother-in-law’s voice. I had asked one of the maids to let her know of her son's condition.

“Please doctor, save my son!” she clutched the doctor's arm, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to steady myself as much as I was trying to comfort her. 

“Ma’am, let’s sit down,” I said gently, leading her to a chair in the waiting room. She sank into it, her hands shaking as she wiped her eyes.

A few moments passed in tense silence before she looked up at me, her voice was now cracking. “Sophia, why did you leave so suddenly yesterday? On your wedding day?”

‘Oh no! Sophy!’ Should I just tell her? She will definitely understand my plight as a mother.

“I… I’m so sorry for that, Mrs. Graham,” I started with a low voice. “You said you've been at the orphanage, right?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Then, you should know my sons, ma'am. One of them, Hayden… he regained consciousness yesterday after he underwent a heart surgery. I needed to be there for him.”

My mother-in-law's expression softened with sympathy as she reached for my hand. “Oh, Sophia… I had no idea.” 

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry if I seemed rude with the way I ran off yesterday. It wasn't intentional, I just—”

“You don’t have to explain,” She interrupted gently. “I understand. Mrs. Beckley told me about how you’ve been carrying a heavy burden of being a single mother. I hope he is okay now?”

“Yes ma'am. He's better now.”

“Thank Goodness. You know, you could bring Hayden and Kayden to stay at the mansion with you and Damon. They shouldn't be separated from their mother.” She glanced at me, her eyes softening even more. 

I felt the weight of her words settle over me and I quickly shook my head. “I… I haven’t told Mr. Graham yet. About being a single mom. I don’t want to disturb him… and I don’t want to relive the past, Mrs. Graham.”

She studied me for a long moment before she sighed. “First off, I'm your mother-in-law, dear. Stop calling me ‘Mrs. Graham’ and ‘Ma’am’. You can either call me mom, mother or even Mother-in-law.” She smiled lovingly at that. It was nice to see her smile after the tears she had shed.

“Moreover,” She continued. “Damon is your husband. Why call him Mr. Graham? Don't you know sweet names to call your hubby?” We both laughed.

“Noted, ma'am” I said, but she quickly gave me a deadly look. “I mean, M…mom”

“That's it, my dear! Now, back to our discussion. Everyone has a past, Sophia. You’re not alone in that.” Her voice suddenly dropped to a gloomy tone. “There’s a secret I’ve been keeping from Damon too… for the past six years.”

I blinked, like I’ve just been caught off guard. “A secret?”