In the dimly lit room, Sophia felt a surge of relief, the newborn's first cries echoed. With a sigh, she placed the second baby on the mother's chest, Patricia looked exhausted as sweat and tears trickled down her cheeks—they had used regional anesthesia, keeping her awake and aware but not feeling any pain from the lower region. She glanced down at her babies but then suddenly frowned when her gaze lowered to the baby's navel.Sophia watched as Patricia immediately checked the second child in fear—her gaze trailed to the lower part of both babies in fright. "Record the time of birth for the two. Drop the details needed and hand it over to me when you are done," Sophia muttered to Isabella before she walked over to the mother and babies and then she gently checked their vital signs."Are you okay?" she asked Patricia who entered a trance, tears trickling down her eyes, continuously and not stopping.Worried, Sophia checked for closure of incisions, after delicately handling that, her
"Why is she here?" a voice asked, it was Fiona Russell's voice, Sophia pursed her lips and her gaze fell on Elena who was leaning by the wall close to the door, her eyes puffed and red with a tinge of tears at the corners. She seemed devastated. Sophia and Elena were never close, although her relationship with Alex wasn't new to Sophia.Sophia stood unsure of how to react or what to do. The air seemed to be still for a moment. She wasn't reacting and their eyes were on her. While Ginn stood behind her.The door to the operating room was suddenly opened and the surgeons stepped out, Sophia's legs instinctively moved forward and she walked over to one of the doctors, "How is he? The patient," she inquired, trying not to seem overly worried or agitated."For now, he is alright," the doctor answered and Sophia frowned, but just before she could open her mouth to ask what he meant by that, Mrs Carter beat her to it."What do you mean for now? Is my son okay?" She asked and stepped closer,
"I had no idea that Alex was hospitalized here," Finn suddenly said from beside her. She could feel his eyes as if waiting to see if there would be any flicker of longing at the mention of the name— Sophia opened her eyes and stared at Finn and after a while, he released a deep breath and looked away—cause there was none."He was hospitalized a few days back." "Oh, have the twins met him?" he asked."Yes," she replied."And he didn't say anything?"Sophia laughed, "Aren't you being a little curious now?""Worried, not curious," He rolled his eyes.She nodded."For the sake of my sanity and my children's safety, I love the way things have been for the past six years, and the presence of whoever wasn't there before, wouldn't change a thing. Alex is their father but he was my past. So his presence now doesn't affect me, Finn." Sophia said as the doors of the elevator opened and she stepped out."I have something to attend to right now, so maybe later," that was the last thing she said b
Elena released a deep breath, "Sophia can you forgive, Alex?" she finally asked after a while, the air between them stilled as Sophia's gauging eyes peered at her. The room turned silent—and they both said nothing.Nearly ten seconds later, Sophia let out a low, breathy laugh, her lips pulling into a little smile. "What did he do that deserves forgiveness?" she asked, trying as much as she could to be calm. Just like she had predicted, there was a nagging feeling that Elena might not be here with something she wanted to listen to. But other than that, the young lady did seem apologetic, and it bothered Sophia. After all, Elena had never done anything to her. She was sweet, kind, and known as the sweet heiress to the Russells.Elena and Alex had been friends since childhood, but that was all Sophia knew about them.The duo sitting across from each other attended the same school, just as Alex, but they never cared enough to build any sort of friendship, all that was ever between them wa
Adeline emerged from the bathroom first, gingerly hopping into the office while drying her hands with a napkin she picked from the table before making her way to where her mom stood, lost in thought to notice her footsteps or pay attention to her."Mommy," she murmured, tugging at Sophia's coat. At first, there was no response, so she gave another tug, earning a smile from her always-smiling mother as she finally turned to meet her."What is it, sweetheart?" Sophia inquired, her attention now fully on her daughter. Just as Adeline was about to answer, a quiet rumble emanated from her stomach, causing Sophia to chuckle as she scooped her up and headed to the table."So, what are you two in the mood for?" Sophia asked, handing a napkin to Aiden, who murmured his thanks."Anything," Adeline replied, her legs swinging gently as she settled onto the table, her mother standing before her."Alright, I'll go—" Sophia paused suddenly, her brow furrowing in concern. "I just realized, I forgot t
Just as she had promised, Sophia headed to the room Alex had been moved into, along with Adeline and Aiden who held each other's hands. Sophia glanced around the hallway wondering why there was no one standing outside, although she met a nurse who just stepped out of his room."Where are the patient's family? I think they were here earlier," Sophia asked and glanced around the corridor, but could not find any of them. The couch placed outside for visitors was empty.The nurse halted, "Those who had come to visit left a few minutes ago. And I think they were escorted outside, although one of the women stayed behind; appeared to be his mother," the nurse also noticed there was no one outside, so she added, "She probably went to the washroom across the hallway." Sophia slowly nodded, before the nurse left.None of the guards were there, nor were any of his family members or friends, and his mom wasn't here either—so this was the perfect time for Adeline and Aiden to spend time with Alex
Nearly two days have gone since Alex underwent the surgery, but yet there was no sign of him waking up soon. More than anything, Sophia wanted him to wake up, not because of anything but her kids.They hadn't said anything since the last time they checked on Alex, but she was certain they wanted to say something but were holding back—maybe she shouldn't have yelled at them days back, cause now they weren't expressing themselves to her and it bothered her.It was the weekend, and she had the day off before her shift resumed later, at night. So, rather than busying herself with other things, she decided to spend the day with Aiden and Adeline. Sophia stared deeply at the mirror, her hands gently fiddled with her hair brush. A while later she stepped out of the room and walked downstairs to see Aiden focused on something in his tablet, while Adeline was nowhere to be found."Where's Addie?" she asked as she stepped into the living room. Aiden looked up immediately when he heard her voic
"Serious, are you going out on a date? A blind date?!" he asked slowly after Sophia didn't respond for a while, his tone was softer.Sophia lifted her brows, was it that surprising to him? "Umm...yes?" she responded."Oh," Finn said, before standing straight, but his eyes were on her, yet she could barely deduce what he was thinking."Thought I should tone down a bit. Does it seem that surprising?" Sophia chuckled, Finn simply shook his head, not saying anything; perhaps keeping his words would be better than stating them, so all he did was smile."You look surprised, confused, and..." Sophia trailed off, unsure of what other expression Finn was giving her, and just before she could point it out, he looked away and brushed his hair to the back; with his fingers, smoothly."Surprised 'cause you didn't mention it to me before and I found out this way," he paused, Sophia lifted her brows at him and he cleared his throat, "I'm not trying to pry, but mentioning it to me wouldn't have been
Feeling suddenly suffocated on the tight space of the hospital room, Sophia breathed.She couldn't hold back anymore, she was full blown putting her emotions out.“We were married, but you hardly slept at home. And I was always alone at every moment, wondering how to make things better with you.” She choked out a sob and stiffened, immediately wiping the tears off her eyes. Why was she crying? She had already convinced herself to this point that she didn't care anymore and that she wouldn't be vulnerable in anyone's presence, and especially not his. But soon as the memories crashed into her head, she felt like her heart had been split into two, each part filled with nothing but pain. “I was young, naive, and in love with you, yet you tore me apart so much and left me all alone.” She turned fully to him, and Alex stared at her, just as ready to face all her words. She pointed at his chest, “We were remarried for one year. We had one year to get to know each other, and I waite
“You never what?” Sophia asked again, completely baffled as she stared deeply at Alex. She couldn't comprehend his words. What exactly did he mean by he never submitted the divorce papers? Why didn't he submit them? Why? Why! In her state of utter shock, she hadn't realized how close Alex had gotten to her. Alex’s gaze was on her, gauging through her reaction; she didn't seem pleased at all, and he wasn't certain how to feel about that. But there was a deep pang of hurt that seeped through his heart. “I never submitted them,” he repeated, feeling the air between them grow tenser than it had been earlier, “I couldn't,” he added. Sophia didn't say anything at all; she just stared at him. Her expression was just as conflicting as she was feeling. Shocked? Confused? her emotions were all over the place. Alex continued, “I wanted to take my words back, but I couldn't. I've been trapped with regret and guilt ever since that night. I shouldn't have treated you that w
Alex's gaze snapped to Sophia, his warm, pale green eyes widened subtly in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to remember that. Realization hit Sophia as his gaze burned through her. She bit her tongue lightly and immediately added, “Just like a lot of people out there are.” Alex swallowed; his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he tried to hold back the rush of emotions that her words stirred up inside him. “You remember?” His voice was low, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. Sophia didn't respond to that; instead, she quickly changed the topic, “You should eat your fruits. Your meal might be brought in anytime soon.” He didn't comply immediately; he kept his gaze on her and watched as Sophia walked over to the couch. Without another word, Alex nodded slowly and glanced at the plate of peeled fruits, his eyes pierced through the apples, and he released
Emily spared her a skeptical look; it looked like she wanted to say something, but decided not to when she felt the gazes on her. “I hope you stick to your words.“ She scowled. “I will.“ Sophia assured her with a tight smile. Without another word, Emily huffed a breath and walked to the door, stepping outside the room and not glancing back for once. The moment she left, silence filtered into the room. Sophia let out a deep sigh before turning around to find the three gazes on her. Aiden and Adeline were staring at her with worry, while Alex… His gaze was far too intense for her to comprehend. His expression was too deep to point out either. The only thing similar about the pairs of eyes
Sophia hesitated. Why was he asking her that? Her eyes slid to Mrs. Carter, who had a visible frown on her face. Her fingers tightened around her coat; her intention had been to bring Aiden and Adeline here, then leave and come back later. She hadn’t planned to stay. Staying would feel too much like letting Alex back in completely, and she wasn’t ready for that. She glanced at the twins, who both seemed eager for her to agree to stay, though Aiden hid it way better than Addie. He was only glancing at her, while Addie didn't hide her feelings. Her big, pleading eyes were impossible for her to ignore, practically begging Sophia to stay. Her fingers loosened from her coat, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “Okay,” she said softly, taking a step closer. “I’ll stay.” Addie
Sophia felt her throat tighten as her gaze slid to each and every one of them. She contemplated taking a step back and just leaving, but that wouldn't make any sense. Her gaze fell on Alex, who was staring at her. Alex had a blank expression on his face, and he was reading through a file in his hand, but as soon as he saw the twins and Sophia enter the room, his eyes lit up in surprise, and he kept the files away. Adeline didn't like how quiet the room was; neither did she like the way they were being stared at. She stood on her toes and settled down again before her lips pulled into a big smile. “Hi daddy,” she pursed her lips and turned her attention to her father, whose gaze fell on her; a small smile tipped his lips. Even Aiden was also feeling off with the air in the room. He realized that this wasn't exactly the right time to have come around. “Hi, princess,” Alex greeted Addie back, and her expression immediately lit up; a gummy smile tipped up her lips, and sh
Close to two hours later, they arrived at the hospital. Sophia led them into her office and picked up her white coat from the hanger before wearing it. She turned back to the duo sitting on the couch, “Would you prefer I take you to him myself, or actually... I’ll call Arielle to help me—” before she could complete her sentence, she noticed Aiden and Adeline spare each other a glance, and the latter interrupted her. “Why don’t you just take us there, Mummy?” Adeline’s eyes twinkled, and her lips tipped up into a bright smile. The overly bright attitude caused a frown to curve Sophia's brows. It was suspicious enough. Adeline dropped herself from the couch and pulled her small brown bag, sliding it up her shoulders. “What are we waiting for?” she asked, heading to the door. Aiden spared his sister a look, and then turned to glance at his mom before he dropped from the couch also. Unsure what to say anymore since Adeline had already taken the lead, Sophia just nodded s
The next morning, Sophia was woken up by the soft knock on her door. Her eyes fluttered open as the door was slowly opened from outside.A small smile played on her lips when she heard the soft footsteps; from how fast the steps sounded, she knew it was definitely Addie. Because while Addie was always in a rush to get somewhere, Aiden was never in a rush. His footsteps were usually low and not so hard on the floor.The edge of the bed dipped, and she turned around to meet Adeline’s warm eyes on her as she climbed up the bed to meet her.“Good morning, Mommy!” she exclaimed softly as she nestled into Sophia’s arms and pressed a wet kiss on her cheeks. A low laugh rippled through Sophia’s chest, and she pulled Adeline in. “Is this some sort of ruse?” she asked.“Oh no, mommy,” Addie was quick to answer, which only made Sophia laugh. “Then I believe Aiden mentioned it to you already that he told me what happened. And now you feel bad for hiding it, right?” She could already see through
Sophia’s eyes fell on the wet towel in his hand; she raised a brow at him and stepped out of his way so he could enter the room and shut the bathroom door close.“What’s that for?” she asked.“It’s a wet towel," he answered, raising it up so she could see it clearly.“I know. But what’s it for?” she asked him softly.Aiden didn't answer her question; rather, he avoided her sharp stare at him. When he didn’t respond immediately, she asked him instead, “First of all, why are you still awake by this time? It’s almost midnight.”He didn't answer, and that made her feel uneasy.Sophia crouched down to his length, kneeling in front of him, “Are you going to answer my questions? Or will you prefer to get punished for staying up late till this time?” She turned him to face her, but instead of looking straight into her eyes, he stared down.“Aiden, what’s wrong?” A frown curved up her brows. He didn’t respond to her until she added, “Please can you talk to me instead of being quiet with me? I’