Part 97

97

Vano cursed Celine for making his wife like this. He couldn't see the beauty of Alexa's face anymore. He couldn't see the sweet curve of her lips. Everything had been replaced by bruises from the strong impact of the accident.

"Eca, can you hear me, my love? Ca, honey, can you hear me?" Vano sobbed, holding Alexa's hand that hadn't given any response.

"You know, Honey." He caressed the ring on Alexa's ring finger. "I should have given you this ring at the hotel that day. I should have knelt before you and declared my love. Only then should I have put it on your finger. But you fell asleep first. So, I had to put it on while you were sleeping." Vano swallowed the bitter lump in his throat. He wanted to say so much to his wife, but he was physically unable, even for speech.

Vano tried to hold back his tears, but it was futile. The tears flowed, like glistening pearls, wetting his cheeks.

"My love, wake up... Our child hasn't been given a name yet... Just like I promised you that day, you would be the one to name her. You know, you're an amazing mother, able to protect our daughter so she could be born into this world. So she could meet me, even though I can't touch her yet. Aren't you jealous, my love?"

"Ca ..."

"Vano lifted his head when he felt someone's touch on his shoulder. He nodded. He knew the doctor had come to him because he had exceeded the ten-minute limit for visiting Alexa.

"My love, please fight. So we can go home." Vano planted a long kiss on Alexa's forehead before he left. Before he left the room and had to content himself with waiting outside. Even though he wanted to wait inside with Alexa, to talk to her, he had to be patient until Alexa's condition improved.

"How's Alexa?" Chelsea rushed up to Vano.

"She's sleeping, Ma. I'm sure when her sleepiness subsides, she'll wake up," he replied. He settled back into the chair in front of Alexa's room.

"Tomorrow, Daddy will arrange for Alexa to be moved to Singapore. You have to be patient and trust your daughter to us."

"Thank you, Dad. Daddy always gives the best for all of us."

"You're my life. Of course, Daddy will protect all of you." Carlos hugged Vano. "Even if it means giving the same pain to the one who made you cry," he thought to himself. Carlos swore to himself that he would teach Celine and her parents how to live in the midst of pain.

"Van, have you prepared a name for my grandchild?" Celine's father asked, breaking the somber mood among them all.

Vano shook his head. "I can't give her a name. Neither can I nor anyone else because Alexa will be the one to name her. That's why she has to wake up and give a name to our child."

"Chelsea, how are you feeling?" Carlos asked as he couldn't hide his joy upon hearing the doctor's announcement that their baby was a girl. He didn't try to hide his happiness and let his tears of joy flow freely down his cheeks.

"You hear that, Honey? Our baby is a girl." Carlos stroked Chelsea's forehead, which was still damp with sweat after giving birth to their child.

"I can hear it very well. Even very, very well. But, Dad..."

Carlos gently wiped Chelsea's cheek. "I know you miss Alexa terribly. But there's not much we can do. We just have to pray and do our best to bring Alexa back." He kissed Chelsea's forehead.

Carlos couldn't do much at the moment. Over a month ago, he had sent Alexa to Singapore for treatment, but so far, there had been no good news. Meanwhile, Celine, the mastermind behind everything, had recovered, although the doctors said she would never walk again.

Was it fair? Carlos felt that it wasn't fair because until now, Celine had driven Vano to the brink of despair. There hadn't been a smile on Vano's face since Alexa's accident, even though he now had a recovering baby.

"Keep praying, my love, because I believe that a miracle will come for our family. We've never harmed anyone, so giving us a miracle should be easy for Him."

Chelsea nodded without saying another word. She was indeed very happy to see her baby born into the world, but the absence of Vano and Alexa made that happiness feel bittersweet.

"In that case, I'll contact him in a moment to tell him that he's no longer Daddy's beloved only child. He now has a very beautiful and adorable little sister." Carlos ruffled Chelsea's hair before getting up to contact Vano while waiting for the doctor to finish taking care of their child and Chelsea.

"Did you contact Daddy?" Carlos asked when his call was answered by Vano. He raised an eyebrow, seeing so many missed calls that had gone unanswered.

"Yes, I've been trying to call Daddy for a while, but there was no answer at all. Where is Daddy? I wanted to share some happy news."

"What news? Earlier, Daddy was accompanying your mom."

"Mom has given birth?"

"That's right, your sister is a girl."

"Thank goodness for that. It means there's nothing else to worry about in this world."

"Are you saying...?"

"Alexa has awakened, Dad. She has opened her eyes and is seeing the world. She's showing me the real power of God."

"Is that true?"

"It's true. Do you want to meet her, Dad?" Vano changed the call to a video call so Carlos could see Alexa's current condition.

Both Vano and Alexa looked at the camera. "Come on, let's greet Daddy first. Daddy also wants to tell us that Mama has given birth to a baby girl. That means our daughter will have a playmate and someone to fight with," Vano teased, lightening the mood.

Alexa curved the corners of her lips. Even though she couldn't speak or move freely yet, the gleam of happiness in her eyes was more than enough to show how thrilled she was to be back in the world.

"Daddy, don't be surprised. Alexa is still in the recovery phase. She just woke up about an hour ago, the doctor said she'll gradually improve over time. We just need to do some therapy to get her back to her old self."

"To be honest, Daddy is really hoping for Alexa's recovery. But it's not forced, just her being back in your arms will be the greatest happiness for all of us. Wait for a moment, I'll go to your child's room first."

"She's still in an incubator?"

Carlos shook his head. "No, today she's been moved to a regular room. Once Mom and your sister are done with their cleaning, the three of them will stay in the same room."

"Then maybe later, Dad. I want to spend some time alone with Alexa." Vano held his wife's hand. He never expected God to give him a second chance to mend their shaky marriage caused by external forces.

He also never expected to see Alexa smile again, considering how terrifying the accident had been. Even Celine, as the perpetrator, would never be able to use her legs to walk again from the day of the accident.

But not Alexa, she could carry on with her activities as usual, even though she still had to go through several stages of recovery.

Two hours later, Carlos contacted Vano again after bringing the tiny baby born a month ago with him.

"Our child, Van?" Alexa asked, her voice trembling, as she touched the screen of her phone showing two tiny babies squirming, as if searching for something.

"That's right, she was born a month ago. She's getting better and even chubbier than when I left her in Indonesia."

"Have you given her a name?" Alexa redirected her gaze to her husband.

Vano shook his head. "I won't give her a name, that's your task. Haven't you promised me that you'll prepare a beautiful name for our child? So I'll wait for you to give her a name."

"So, until now, she doesn't have a name?"

"No, Daddy usually calls her a little angel because she truly is an angel in our lives, and she'll come to pick you up to get better."

"But what if I didn't make it? Will she never have a name?"

"It's not like that. If you don't make it, then I'll give her your name so I can say your name until I join you later."

"You're unbelievable. How can you even..."

"Enough, my love. Now isn't the time to argue. Now, you give our daughter a name. Haven't you prepared a name for her?"

Unable to argue further, Alexa sighed deeply. Even in good health, she could never win against Vano, let alone in her current condition.

"Velia Aliana Wijaya." Alexa's hand reached out to stroke her daughter's cheek. Though not directly, she could already feel that chubby little cheek making contact with her hand.

"Then what's my little sibling's name, Dad?" Vano wanted to know the name of the little angel who had just entered the world.

"I don't know, your mom said she would name your sibling because according to the agreement, if your sibling is a boy, Daddy will give him a name. If your sibling is a girl, Mama will name her. So, for the time being, Daddy's name hasn't been used. Let's wait until your sibling is a bit older, and then we can discuss naming the second child."

"Daddy, what are you up to?" Chelsea interrupted. Her cheeks were both rosy, listening to the conversation between her son and her husband. How could they discuss a second child when both babies were still tiny and adorable?

"Karina Aliana Wijaya." With determination, the name rolled off Chelsea's lips.

"Why is there the name Aliana?" Now Carlos and Vano both asked Chelsea.

"Because Alexa and I both agreed to give the middle name Aliana to our daughter. But for the first name, we both thought of it separately." Chelsea gave an answer as Alexa had been smiling all along.

"You two are quite something, but that name is truly beautiful, suitable for both of these little angels." Carlos held Chelsea's hand. "Daddy really never expected to find such happiness, and it never crossed Daddy's mind that we could rise from the depths that destroyed Daddy and Vano's life, so both of you have to promise to always be by our side. To accompany us in facing this fleeting world. If not for both of you, we might not be at this point now."

"Daddy is right." Vano agreed, "If it weren't for Alexa, it's certain that I would still be haunted by a very painful past. I might not have found happiness as perfect as it is now. Even though there were obstacles and people who hated me, causing harm to the people I love, now that's not a problem anymore because it's all over. We've all found happiness in our own way, even though my marriage to Alexa happened because of my desire to distance myself from Celine. But today, I admit that my love for Alexa is no less than Romeo and Juliet's."

Chelsea and Alexa both smiled. Despite the distance between them, the love that was woven between them made that distance insignificant. They were both happy to be present and to accompany these two great men.

Who would have thought that Chelsea, who wanted to preserve her parents' marriage, could find love even though Carlos was much older than her? The same goes for Vano. His intention was to distance himself from Celine, but instead, he found a remarkable wife who was always there for him.