FIVE YEARS LATER
Catherine’s POV"Okay, so his blood pressure is now stable," I said, gazing at the waves on the heart monitor. "You did great, guys.""It's all thanks to you, doctor Williams," One of the nurses said, as she handed me a pair of tongs.Currently, I was in the midst of a major brain surgery.The patient had almost lost his life in a car crash some hours ago due to his reckless driving.Thankfully, the surgery was a success but I would make sure to give him a strict warning when he woke up."I will leave the rest to you guys, then," I said, placing the forceps on the instrument table.Afterward, I headed out of the theater where the mother of the patient was waiting and dumped my surgery outfit into the trash can.I was now clad in just a pair of teal scrubs.The poor woman looked exhausted and her eyes were as red as cherry, probably because she had been crying ever since her son was rushed in here."Doctor Williams!" She shot up from her seat and sprinted up to me. "How is he? Will he be okay? Will he live? Did he survive the surgery? Will he lose his locomotion?"Her eyes were moist with unshed tears as she tightly clasped my hands.I gave her a gentle smile. "He is doing well and he will be okay as long as nothing goes south. And no, there's no indication that he will lose his locomotion. Be rest assured that he will perfectly heal, ma'am.""Oh, really?" She shrieked, as her shoulders heaved in relief."Yes, ma'am,""Thank you so much, Doctor Williams. You are truly one in a million," She confessed. "Your parents must be so proud of you."Darting her another smile that didn't reach my face, I gave her a gentle shoulder pat and made my way to the locker room.Then, I peeled off my scrubs, took a warm shower, and donned my extra pair of scrubs and a white coat before slipping into my white scrubs that were adorned with various scribbles, which was courtesy of my sons.Nine months after I was reunited with my mom, I gave birth to a set of twin boys who I fell in love with at first sight.And from that moment, they become the center of my universe.A week before my babies clocked three months, my mother died from a seizure and was buried the next day just like she has written in her will.After her death, I inherited the whole of her wealth.She had settled Mr Thomas prior by willing her art gallery and restaurant to him while I got her estates, business firms and wealth.However, I couldn't bring myself to live in her mansion after she died.Not that it was eerie or anything, it just felt empty and cold like it had been on the day I first got there.Hence, I had renovated it and rented it out to a middle-aged greek couple who had taken a quick liking to me.I had done the same with the rest of her estates; I rented them out.With the help of Mr Thomas, I managed her business firm and the huge amount of money in her accounts by investing in other companies.Mum had left billions of wealth for both me and her grandchildren and I couldn't be more thankful.On the day the twins clocked six months, I returned to medical school and graduated summa cum laude with a medical degree in neurology, the first female to do that in almost fifty years.If only my mum was alive to see me become a doctor.Now, I was one of the most sought after neurosurgeons in the whole of Canada.I couldn't be prouder of myself for not giving up even in the face of challenges."Good morning, Nurse Collins," I greeted the young petite nurse as I strolled into the pediatric ward."Good morning, Doctor Williams," She raised her head from the notepad in her hold to dart me a smile. "Are you done with the surgery?""Yes,""Wow, as usual you never fail to amaze me. You are wonderful, Doctor," She shook her head in awe."Thanks, Nurse," I smiled at her before looking through the file on the bedside table of my patient; a seven year old girl who had tripped and fractured her skull.Currently, she was sleeping peacefully with a bandage wrapped around his head.I covered her properly with the blanket and gently stroked her hair before scribbling on her file and placing it back on the table."Alright, Nurse Collins. I will see you soon," I waved, as I strolled out of the ward.She nodded. "Very well then, ma'am. Have a nice afternoon."As I strolled into my office, I was surprised to see my boss, the director of the hospital, Dr Coleman, sitting on a couch in the middle of the room."You're here," He waved at me with a smile. "Come and sit down. We need to talk."For some unknown reasons, both his presence and statement made me feel somewhat uneasy."Uh, sure, sir," I said, and sat down on the sofa beside him. "Would you like some tea?""No, thank you." He said, and I nodded."You know how we're establishing a branch of our hospital in America," Dr Coleman started."Yes, sir." I responded, confused about where the conversation was headed."Good. You also remember how Dr Anderson was supposed to be the neurosurgeon over there, right?"Okay, I was starting to deduce what he wanted to say."Yes, sir.""Apparently, she can't go there anymore because her husband is relocating to France and both her and their kids are going with him. I know you said you don't want to ever go back to America in the past, but I j-""I will do it, sir," I interrupted him with a smile. "Like you said, it's in the past. And I'm more mature now and can face anything.""Alright, that's settled then. You will be leaving in two days," He said. "Thanks a lot, dear.""You're welcome, sir."Afterward, he left.Later that day as I drove home, I wondered if I had made the right decision by agreeing to go back to America.As much as I didn't want to admit it, the thought of ever running into Alessandro greatly unnerved me.That was the main reason I had decided to stay in Canada to build my career and raise my children.I hated the fact that he still managed to infuriate me whenever I thought of him.My experience with Alessandro was the sole reason why I had resolved to remain single forever.I just couldn't bring myself to deal with men and their evil, two-faced personalities.But then again, America was large, so the chances of me ever running into Alessandro was low.Soon, I got home and headed into the elevator to my block.Yes, I had decided to live in a condo instead of one of the estates mum had bequeathed me, in order to raise my kids in a humble way.I didn't want them to grow up and become scumbags like their father.Correction, their sperm donor.Then, I stopped in front of the third room on the right wing of my block and knocked thrice.A few minutes later, my neighbor, Miss Helen, a middle-aged woman opened the door, with a smile adorning her face.She was the first person I warmed up to when I first moved to the condo, and had babysat my children for the past five years, without asking for a dime.Whenever I offered her some money, she would refuse it, so I really had no way to repay her.Her own children were all grown up and living across the continent."Hello, dear. How was work?" She asked, as I walked into the apartment."Work was alright," I sighed, plopping onto a couch. "Are the babies sleeping?"Usually, they would come running out, the moment they heard my voice."Boo!" I heard my sons yell from behind me, and I shook my head as they came in front of me."Mummy, we scared you," Leo, the older twin giggled, and his twin followed suit."Yes, baby. You did," I said, ruffling his hair. "How was school today?""Good. We drawed and singed and Miss Helen cooked chocolate cake for us." The younger twin, Liam, chattered excitedly."It's drew and sang, baby. Also, she baked the cake, not cooked." I corrected, and he pouted."I said the same thing.""Of course, you did." I ruffled his hair. "Did you thank her?""Yes, mummy. We did!" They said enthusiastically."Great," I nodded.While Liam looked exactly like a miniature version of Alessandro, Leo resembled him and I.He had his grey eyes and black hair while he had my nose, eyebrows, and smile.I rested at Miss Helen's place for some time while the twins drew and played, before we finally headed to our condo late in the evening.Alessandro’s POV "Welcome, dear," Grandma grinned, as I embraced her in a warm hug."You look radiant, ma. The ever gorgeous beauty of Santos Island," I grinned, when we broke the hug."Oh, please, dear," She scoffed, but giggled anyway. "It's so nice seeing you again. You know I was thinking; what if I never get to see my Alessandro's children before I pass on?"“Stop thinking like that, ma.” I chided her, and she just gave me a bored look, as we both headed into the dining room, where my mother was sitting and already plating her own food.Upon seeing Grandma and I, she darted us a smile before averting her focus back to her food.You see, Grandma had finished her last dose of chemotherapy a week ago, after undergoing a brain tumor removal surgery a month back.We had all been scared when her neurologist told us that her tumor could metastasize as cancer into her liver and other vital organs.Thankfully, that didn't happen and now, she was up and active on both feet, without the ai
Catherine’s POV "Mummy, we are in America!" Liam squealed, as he bounced down the stairs of the helicopter, with Mr Thomas following closely behind him."Be careful, sweetie," I sighed, tightly holding onto Leo who seemed wary of his new surroundings."This place is strange and hot," Leo muttered. "I don't like America. When are we going back to Canda, mummy?""Soon," I lied, knowing fully well that I had signed a contract to be a neurosurgeon at the America branch for one year, at least."Really soon or far soon?" He scrutinized my expression as if trying to deduce an ounce of lie on my face."Soon soon, baby," I lied again, just as three bald burly men that were identically dressed in black suits and dark sunshades trekked up to us."Welcome to America, ma'am," They bowed in unison to me before collecting our luggage and turning to Mr Thomas."It's been a while, sir," They said to him, and he nodded."It sure has," He said. "Take the luggage to the car. How many cars did you bring?
Alessandro’s POV "Do you care for a drink?" I asked my best friend, Ethan, as he plopped onto one of the sofas in my study."Yes, please. Do you have Brandy?" I shook my head in disapproval. "I thought your doctor told you to quit drinking alcohol because of your reoccurring cirrhosis."Ethan waved me off. "She doesn't know what she's talking about. Alcohol is the only thing that makes me feel alive nowadays. Chloe has taken my children to heaven knows where and the court is refusing to grant me joint custody of them."His wife divorced him three years ago due to his frequent abuse of alcohol and how it was causing their marriage to fall apart.It was quite saddening to see Ethan in such a vulnerable state nowadays.Him and I went way back since kindergarten. As we were both heirs from wealthy families, we had gradually bonded and became best of friends.Ethan was even part of the people that had criticized me for maltreating Catherine after the divorce and because of that, we had
Catherine’s POV This couldn't be, right?There was absolutely no way in hell that I just saw him in there, right?I was definitely seeing things now, right?Those were the forms of questions that swirled in my head as I trekked back to my office.But then again, I could still smell his woody cologne on myself which meant that I had truly seen the bastard in flesh and blood.I had never thought I would be saying this soon, but Mr Thomas was right.Coming back to America was the worst decision that I ever made.Well, with the exception of marrying Alessandro.I should have just told the director that I couldn't do it, but my good heart had gotten in the way.Fuck, what was I supposed to do now?As I pressed my back against the wall of my office, another thought resonated in my head.Alessandro's grandmother was my patient.I had been shocked out of my mind when she was rushed into the emergency room, some hours ago.The only person that had been nice to me in his family was fatally ill
Alessandro’s POV "Chloe has finally agreed to allow the both of us to have joint custody of our kids," Ethan divulged, as he sat down opposite me. "I'm gonna stop drinking from now on, and I really mean it.""That's good to hear," I said, truthfully happy for him. "Just don't let them down again, alright?""I wouldn't even dream of doing that. Hell, it took me almost three years to get joint custody of them and you think I'm gonna toss that chance into a trashcan. Nah, I'm wiser than that now," He replied. "I'm even planning on moving to a bigger place, so the kids can have enough space when they come to visit."In response, I gave him the most genuine smile that I could muster before darting my focus to the void behind him.Three days had passed since I last saw Catherine.I didn't need anyone to spell it out to me that she hated my guts.Hell, I could still picture the vitriolic disgust that had been evident in her eyes as she glared at me.However, she was even more gorgeous than
Laura’s POV "So, have you heard anything from him yet?" My best friend, Daphne, asked as she hopped into my car."Would I be seething with anger if I did?" I spat at her, and she visibly recoiled before scoffing."Alessandro is such a strange, egoistic man, I can't even with him," Daphne uttered. "I mean, why would he break up with his first love and then ban her from his place?"Gritting my teeth angrily, I hit the steering wheel. "That arrogant bastard thinks he can humiliate me. He shouldn't worry, I'll repay him in tenfold. For now, I've decided to lay low until I hatch a plan."Three weeks had passed since Alessandro made his security team kick me out of his place and two months had passed since I last saw him in person.I had no idea what I had done to him that suddenly made him end our relationship three years ago.Alessandro and I went way back to middle school.We had dated for about a year while we were both sixteen and had broken up a year later.After middle school, I rel
Catherine’s POV "Babe, you won't believe what Dr Arnold told me the other day." Rita huffed from the other end of the line."Remind me who that is again," I said, throwing some plantain chips into my mouth. "Is he one of the interns or residents?""None. He's the newly transferred cardiologist," She divulged. "The round, stocky one who made a move on you the other day."My brows furrowed in mild confusion as I racked my brain, trying to remember who it really was, before it then clicked in my head.I could remember him now.According to what I had heard from the nurses, he had only recently gotten married to his fourth wife; a young lady in her early twenties, who many believed was just with him for his money.He had been divorced thrice due to his incessant cheating, but as it seemed, his young wife probably didn't care about it."Oh, I remember him now," I said. "Let me guess, he asked you out on a date."In the past, the scumbag of a man had asked me to go out with him on a dinner
Alessandro’s POV As I reviewed some documents on my MacBook, a knock came on the door."Come in." I muttered, raising my head from the computer for the first time in several hours.Today was the last day of the month which meant that I was thrice as busy as I usually was.I had to review each and every document from all the departments of my company by myself because I couldn't trust someone else with such a fragile work.Marco walked in, clutching an iPad with a folded of documents under his armpit."Here you go sir," He said, dropping the folder on my desk. "The team leader of the auditing department asked me to give this to you.""Okay, thanks." I nodded absentmindedly, as I averted my focus back to my work."Sir, I found something on Ma'am Catherine," He said, which grasped my attention instantly.I would always be interested in anything related to Catherine.She really had me wrapped around her pinky and I couldn't bring myself to feel ashamed about it.Without thinking, I flappe