Matthew couldn’t move for a long while, just staring incredulously at those photos as though trying to convince himself that they belonged to someone else.It was impossible…When did this happen?Bryce said that Allison had never been married again after their divorce…However, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that she had a boyfriend sometime back then, too.But these photos… when were they taken?Since when did she become pregnant?Matthew’s head was spinning with unanswered questions. He couldn’t even fathom anything at the moment. It felt as though the ground was spinning beneath his feet, making him stumble slightly in place.His strange movements attracted the attention of his bodyguards, and they sent him a look of alarm mixed with concern.“Sir, is everything all right?” one of the bodyguards asked tentatively.Matthew got a hold of himself and shook his head, waving his hand at them dismissively. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Carry on with your duties. I will take care of things
Matthew felt like he was stabbed right in the heart by this revelation.If this was indeed the truth... then how could Allison hide this from him? Was she hiding their daughter somewhere?Why didn’t she tell him?‘Then again...’ Matthew thought to himself bitterly. ‘She usually doesn’t say anything to me, anyway.’He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm himself down. He shakily set down the photo, unable to look at it for a second longer.If this baby was indeed his daughter...He didn’t even know what to think anymore. He felt like a thread that was being pulled at both ends so strongly that one light touch would instantly make him snap.‘Why?’‘Why, Allison...?’Matthew hurriedly wiped away the tears that prickled at the corners of his eyes, already overcome with emotion.Just the thought of him having a daughter with Allison was filling him up with both happiness and despair. He couldn’t believe that Allison would just cruelly keep this from him and make an effort in orde
His mind drew a blank as he read these words over and over again, unable to comprehend the weight of it all.She said that she had lost everything that was precious to her.What did she mean?He couldn’t understand. This was all too much to take in.It was only when his bodyguards returned that Matthew finally snapped out of his daze. He couldn’t do this here, he knew. After all, they were still in a hurry, and Allison might get suspicious if he hadn’t come back yet.He carefully placed all of the photos and documents into a briefcase and kept them with him even as they got inside the car.Matthew sat in the backseat, dazed, still thinking about Allison and what she might have gone through.He was still clutching the briefcase that was lying on his lap, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. All of this was making his head hurt, and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do.He was running out of time. His father was arriving tomorrow, and Edward Laurier was not a man
‘My Lover’, the title read. And there was no author’s name.The story went as follows:-Once upon a time, there lived two lovers. Their names were Mark and Wendy. They had been together for seven years and were high school sweethearts.Mark was the sweetest guy that Wendy could ever ask for. He had a nice personality, he had a stable, good-paying job, and they also lived together in an apartment, contributing to the costs equally.Wendy was also living her best life with a loving boyfriend and the career of her dreams.But like all good things, they were all bound to end.One day, Mark brought home a strange fruit. He told Wendy that he found it in the bag of apples that he bought from the market. It must’ve been misplaced by the vendor somehow.The fruit was oddly-shaped, like a longer version of an apple. Only, it was thinner. Its color also resembled an apple, red and juicy.Thinking that it must’ve been a coincidental deformation, Mark and Wendy shrugged it off. After washing the
When Matthew entered the villa, there was silence.As the bodyguards brought in Allison’s things one by one towards one of the guest rooms as he had instructed, Matthew went upstairs to look for her.He raised a hand to knock on her bedroom door, but decided against it afterwards.She was probably asleep at this time or doing something that she needed to do alone. After all, she only closed her door like this whenever she wanted some privacy.She did mention that she was going to read that novel…Perhaps it would be impolite to disturb her right now. After all, she shouldn’t be under any heavy stress while preparing for the next treatment phase.Matthew took a step back and went into his study where he placed the briefcase on the bed. He locked the door for good measure and, with trembling hands, opened it.He sat on the edge of the bed, reading through every document with glassy eyes. He stared at the ultrasound photos with an intense gaze, as though trying to burn them into his memo
“I… I can’t, Matt,” Allison said, shaking her head vehemently. “I can’t do this…”“Lise, you have to talk to me about this,” Matthew said, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. He didn’t want her to think that he hated her or anything. “You can’t just keep this to yourself forever. Don’t you think I need to know about this, too?”Allison bit her lower lip, still having that uncertain look on her face. She looked torn, as though wondering how she could possibly get out of this situation.However, Matthew had no intention of letting her go. This had been going on for too long. Keeping secrets stubbornly would only take a toll on her over time.Same for him as well. They would only get stuck in this loop of uncertainty, a twisted, vicious cycle that stemmed from doubts and a lack of trust and understanding.“I know, Mattie… It’s just…” Allison let out a deep breath. “It’s so hard for me to say…”Matthew stared at her for a moment before gesturing towards the bed. “Maybe we shou
“You can’t keep beating yourself up over it, Lise,” Matthew said softly. “You’ll only feel worse.”“But I didn’t tell you,” Allison insisted. “If you didn’t confront me like this today, I’m not sure I ever would’ve…”Matthew held her to him tightly, as if trying to send her some warmth through his embrace.“That’s why we have to talk about what happened. Let it all out, Lise. I’m listening.” He smiled, and it was melancholic. “She was my daughter too, you know,” he added gently.Allison fell silent for a while.Matthew didn’t press her any further. After all, things like this took time. It wouldn’t do for him to pressure her.There was no rush. There were still hours left before the next day.Matthew kept on caressing the back of her head, feeling surprised at just how much he missed this. This was probably the most intimate that they had ever been ever since they crossed paths again after years since the divorce.He used to hold her much tighter than this, used to cup her face with h
“Lise…” Matthew began carefully. “If it’s something that you don’t wish to tell me…”Allison shook her head vehemently. “Please, Mattie,” she said imploringly, sounding like she was on the verge of crying once more. “I don’t want to tell this to you. Not… Not yet. It’s not… not important…”She was fumbling with her words. She wasn’t prepared, and she really seemed like she didn’t want him to know about it.He was overly concerned, but if it was something personal, then he didn’t really have the right to prod her about it. He simply came here to ask about their daughter, their baby that she willingly kept from him for years. He wanted to know the truth of the matter, and he got it in the end. He liked to believe that he managed to take the burden and guilt off Allison’s shoulders as well.He was still worried about what she mentioned in her letters, though. He made a mental note to himself to ask her more about it, but he had to approach the issue very gently. He needed to be careful a
Two days had passed since that night.After Allison had spotted the suspicious pair of men, she and Matthew decided to watch them for a while to see if they might do anything alarming.Fortunately, the men seemed to keep their distance and only whispered to each other. They followed Zoren and Jane for a while before the couple finally disappeared into a crowd in the town square, and that was the end of it.Allison had briefly considered telling Jane about it, but now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been able to get the woman’s contact number. Matthew had no details, either.‘It’s probably nothing,’ Allison thought to herself.Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she wanted to believe that her mini-vacation with Matthew would not turn out badly in the end.Maybe it was just a coincidence that those two men were staring at Jane and Zoren and were merely walking in the same direction.Maybe she and Matthew were just making a big deal out of nothing…But despite her thoughts, she
Jane laughed. “Silly. You should call her Mrs. Laurier!” she scolded playfully. “They’re married.”“Oh.” But Zoren didn’t look apologetic at all. “Sorry about that.”“It’s fine.” It was Matthew who spoke, and his tone was polite.“So!” Jane said, smiling. It was weird for Allison to see her like this. She wasn’t usually this pleasant. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Why don’t the four of us go on a double date? You two must be here for a vacation too, right? Like we are?”“Well…” Allison began hesitantly.“That sounds good,” Matthew interjected with a smile. “How about dinner tomorrow? They don’t have any fancy restaurants here, but we could find someplace nice.”“Oh, you’re right.” Jane nodded. “My darling here made me go on a vacation in a small city like this. I refused at first, but he managed to persuade me. It was going to be romantic, he said. It was going to be just the two of us, he said! So I agreed. But I don’t know anyone in here and the places are too small and not very fa
Allison was caught off guard for several reasons.First, she did not expect to run into a former classmate in a city like this. Second, she did not expect to have a reunion with that same classmate with Matthew currently at her side.And third, she did not expect to run into Jane Winters, of all people.Back in high school, the popular girl was Reva Winters. She was a beautiful girl who came from a wealthy family, and she had it all: the beauty, the brains, and the talent. She was admired and envied by many.But while Reva was the popular one, her twin sister, Jane, was the opposite. The two were fraternal twins, with Reva having a soft, gentle beauty but an outspoken personality.Jane, however, had a fierce appearance compared to her sister, and she often exuded an intimidating aura. Although she looked ordinary at first glance, keeping her brown hair short and wearing glasses, she was known in school as a promising athlete. In fact, she had won several martial arts competitions in t
His words brought a smile to her face.The two of them were different in this way. At times, she preferred to be pragmatic and to stick to the cold, hard facts.Matthew, on the other hand, often preferred to think positively and see things in a different light. He knew that real life wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows, but he just believed that having a good mindset was a better way of navigating through life.He barely held any grudges towards anyone and rarely got angry. Although he had a tumultuous relationship with his parents, he was still polite towards them and made sure to fulfill his duties.“Remember when you used to read my stories?” she said softly. “I mentioned to you that I was going to pursue something that wasn’t my hobby or passion, but you encouraged me to write and enjoy what I liked. You also assured me that things would work out in the end.”Her gaze lowered.“I wonder, if I had decided to listen to you, would I have been happier in the past? But right now, even tho
Their little vacation went better than they had expected.Matthew took Allison’s hand as they walked down the main street of this small countryside town. They walked along the cobblestone sidewalks, seeing colorful storefronts and passing beautiful old buildings.They had been cooped up in the big city for so long that they enjoyed being in a much more peaceful area. They had already spent the morning wandering in and out of various shops, also stopping at a café for coffee and pastries.As the afternoon sun began to set, Matthew turned to Allison.“Do you want to hang out at Lake Mendel?” he offered. “We can relax and take in the surroundings.”Allison thought about it for a moment. “That sounds like a nice date, but isn’t it a little hot out for a picnic by the lake?”“Is it hot out?” Matthew looked up at the sun shining brightly on them. “I don’t think it’s that hot right now. But would you rather be indoors?”“Come to think of it, it is a nice day for a picnic,” Allison finally ag
Matthew sat down beside her on the grass. It was currently nighttime, and the garden was illuminated by the soft glowing outdoor lights, making it look like it came right out of a serene painting. The sky was beautiful, with a spray of stars across the dark expanse and the clouds drifting lazily across the bright crescent moon.He could feel Allison tensing beside him, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she continued to stare at the flowers as though they were the most fascinating thing in the world.She was pointedly not looking at him, which made him feel a bit sad. At this moment, even though they were physically close, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them, distancing them from each other.Finally, he heard her sigh softly before she turned to him with teary eyes. He didn’t say a word, just reached out and wiped the tears using his thumb, waiting for her to make the first move.Maybe she thought that he hated her now, but that was far from the truth. His love fo
When he opened his eyes, he felt much better. The headache was gone, and the unnatural tension in his chest faded into nothingness. His mind was clear as his vision slowly adjusted to his surroundings.He could hear Allison’s voice saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear it for a moment. Instead, he slowly turned his head to face her, unable to speak.Because what else could he say?This was such a strange phenomenon.It was as if he had awakened from a long dream, from a completely different life, and then suddenly jerked awake to realize that it was all a nightmare.Because it did seem like a nightmare. A terrible one, to be exact.“Why?” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.Allison looked startled at this. “What?” She scooted closer to him, scrutinizing his expression. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”He felt like his throat was a little dry, so he nodded. It would help if he could talk to her properly without any interruptions.She nodded and quickly took the pitcher f
[A rewind back to the original timeline…]-Matthew closed his eyes before Allison did. He took a deep breath, wondering why he was even doing this.But he was desperate. He wanted something at least, even a miracle. He couldn’t bear to see Allison suffer any longer. He just wanted to increase the possibility that she would be cured.So even if it was something ‘silly’ like this, it didn’t matter. At least he tried.Who knows, right?What if miracles really did exist?Matthew thought of it that way, but to his surprise, his real thoughts surfaced, and they were quite different from what he had expected.‘I wish… that I could turn back time.’He took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes closed.‘I wish I could go back to those days when we were in love. When she was still in love with me.’‘When things were still good between us.’He tried to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart.‘I wish I could have a second chance with her. I wish that we hadn’t wasted too much time.’‘B
Allison was devastated.How could she have let this happen? She had sworn to herself that she would look after Matthew, that she would make sure he didn’t suffer the way she had.But she failed. All she could do was stand there, frozen in shock, as he stumbled and fell to the ground. All she could do was scream and hold him in her arms, crying for him to wake up.She had never been so relieved to hear his heart beating steadily.She immediately called for help from passersby, who quickly entered the hospital and alerted the guards and nurses. In no time, Matthew was lifted from the ground and examined by the doctors.He just fainted, they said. A result of stress and mental exhaustion. Probably also from fatigue and hunger.Allison couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. After all, Matthew’s symptoms were erratic. His headaches did not occur at reasonable times. He ate three times a day, exercised, and managed his stress. He was perfectly healthy.But even though she told the doc