"What is it?" Liam growled into the phone, annoyed by the constant call from Loretta. He had been ignoring calls from both Lucy and Loretta, but Loretta's had been incessant. He finally relented and answered the call. "Madam Lucy fainted this morning and we had to rush her to the hospital," Loretta said, her voice trembling with fear. In the background, Elizabeth's cry could be heard. Liam felt a jolt of panic and rose to his feet as he heard the news."What happened to her?" he asked, his voice urgent and filled with fear. "What's wrong with her?" He asked again."I don't know, I'm not sure what caused it, sir," Loretta said, her voice trembling. "She was feeding Elizabeth when she just suddenly fainted. I called you immediately but you didn't answer, so I and the security guard rushed her to the hospital. We're in the hospital now, but the doctors haven't said anything yet.""I'll be there as soon as I can," Liam said, his voice firm. He hurriedly grabbed his car key and dashed ou
"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you I had cancer before now, '' Lucy said. Liam was seated by her bedside holding her hands. She cried as she talked."This was the reason why I wanted you back so bad" . She said and Liam raised an eyebrow surprised at what she said. Want him so badly because she has cancer. How, he wondered."What do you mean by that?". He managed to ask."Before I came across your wedding invitation, I had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer". She started, tears and her nose running freely as she talked. "When we met at the wedding, I realized that you still cared for me," Lucy said. "I came back to you because I wanted to be with someone who loved me before the cancer took my life."As Liam listened to Lucy's confession, his heart broke into pieces and the tears flowed freely. Lucy had come back into his life, out of a desire to find someone to care for her before she died. It was really a painful truth that made Liam cry bitterly."I only wanted to feel loved before I
"The surgery has been paid for", The hospital billing office staff informed Liam, much to his surprise. He had gone to the hospital to make a partial payment on Lucy's bill, which he was able to get from his mother after much pleading as his father had refused to give him any money. He had to go secretly to his mother. Out of motherly love, Mrs Xavier gave him part of the money for Lucy's treatment."Who paid for it?" He asked the lady, shock written all over his face."A tall, slim woman, I believe she was her sister," the lady replied. Liam was surprised. The description sounded like Loretta, but where had she gotten the money?, he wondered. He thanked the woman and hurried off to Lucy's room, only to find it empty. He rushed to the nurses' station and asked where she was."She's been taken to the operating theater," one of the nurses informed him."Who signed the consent form?" He asked, worried. "Her mother did". The nurse replied. Liam exhaled deeply, thanked the nurse and left
After Lucy was discharged from the hospital, Stanley started to see her more often. He was a frequent visitor, and Lucy was becoming friendlier with him. Liam, on the other hand, was keeping his distance. He was trying to cut ties with her, but he didn't know how to do it without affecting their daughter. Despite Liam's best efforts, Asher remained steadfast in her decision to divorce him. He begged her to reconsider, but she was firm in her resolve. It didn't matter how much he pleaded or what he said, she was determined to end their marriage. Liam was seated alone in his bar when his phone rang and it was his father that was calling. Glancing at the caller, his heart skipped, his father had not called him after the incident. "Hello Liam, come to the house now, we have something to discuss". His father said and hung up. Liam quickly went upstairs to change his clothes. As he drove, he prayed silently that it would be something good. Liam walked into the house and found his parent
"Liam" Asher shouted, bursting through the door, into Dr. Xavier's apartment. She was shaking in anxiety, her chest moved very fast. Dr. Xavier had called her to tell her that Liam was terribly sick. She had run out of her room after the call, her heart beating fast. Her mother was asking her what the problem was but she just grabbed her car keys and ran out of the house.Her father, Mr. Williams had to run after her, trying to get her to slow down and calm down. But she couldn't seem to stop, she just rushed to her car and sat behind the steering wheel. She wanted to start the car when her father quickly opened the car door and snatched the keys from her. He begged her to calm down. After some moments of pleading and tears, she calmed.Between gasping breaths, Asher explained to her father what had happened that made her run out of her room. "Dr. Xavier called me and said that Liam is terribly sick. She said, her voice shaking. "I just need to see him dad, I need to see my husband".
There was a soft knock on the door, but no one seemed to hear the knock. Slowly, the door creaked open, and Liam entered Lucy's apartment. Lucy wasn't expecting him, and was startled by his presence. She and Liam have not been talking for a while, seeing him was a surprise. Liam was shocked to see Lucy wrapped in Stanley's arms, their lips locked in a passionate embrace but he was calm with it.Lucy jerked away from Stanley, her body shaking like a leaf. But Liam's demeanor was calm. He seemed unfazed by the scene before him.Stanley, on the other hand, was trembling. When Liam offered him a handshake, he could only lower his head in shame and fear. "There's no need for you two to be afraid," Liam said, a smile on his face."Lucy, this man likes you," he continued, pointing at Stanley. Stanley looked at Liam in surprise, his eyes wide with shock. "I saw the way he prayed for you and looked at you when you were in the hospital," Liam explained.Lucy and Stanley were both speechless,
On Elizabeth's fifth birthday, Asher, her adoptive mother, took her out to buy some gifts. Lucy made sure she spoke to Elizabeth almost every week and also got to see her once in a while. But even though Lucy was her biological mother, Elizabeth saw Asher as her real mother. Lucy wasn't bothered by this, she was happy that Elizabeth had a loving home with Asher. Lucy had twins of her own for Stanley so she had her hands full.Asher and Elizabeth were out shopping for her birthday gifts. Asher just finished paying for what they bought when she turned around and couldn't find her daughter.Fear gripped her as she dropped the gifts and searched everywhere in the supermarket for her. She asked every customer she saw if they had seen her daughter but no one gave a positive answer even the staff. Her head began to spin as she had searched everywhere but still didn't find her. She ran outside to ask the security guard if he had seen any child walk out of the supermarket. As she was talking t
"We are sorry Mr. Liam, you won't be able to donate blood for your daughter as your blood type is not also compatible with hers. The hospital will get her a donor." The doctor's words kept ringing in Liam's head. It was so devastating for Liam when the doctor told him that his blood was incompatible with his daughter's, and he couldn't donate blood for her. He was unable to relax or talk to Asher about what was going on. He kept wondering why neither his blood nor that of Lucy's own is not compatible with Elizabeth's own despite being her parents. He had asked the doctor if the incompatibility means they are not her parents but the doctor advised him to go for a DNA test as the incompatibility may not mean that he was not her father.When he couldn't get the words off his head he went back to the doctor and demanded that the DNA test be done on his daughter. He pleaded with the doctor to keep the test a secret from both Asher and Lucy. The doctor agreed and called the laboratory sci
If not for Stanley's earnest pleas on Liam's behalf, Asher might never have answered Liam's desperate calls. But when she learned of Elizabeth's dire condition, all previous animosity dissipated into thin air.Almost breathless with panic, Asher demanded the hospital's address, leaving Liam little to no time to beg for her presence. Her maternal instincts kicked into overdrive, and she was already making a beeline for the hospital before Liam could even thank her."Baby please, eat at least two spoons." Liam said as he tried to coax Elizabeth into taking a bite of the food, her lips stayed sealed in stubborn defiance. Even as he gently spoon fed her, she turned her head away, refusing to eat."I've called your mother and she will soon be here." He said, his tone soft but firm. Elizabeth's silence spoke volumes, conveying her hurt and her obstinacy in the face of Liam's efforts.The spoon hit the tray with a clatter, signaling Liam's frustration and resignation. At that moment, he felt
"Elizabeth" Liam screamed, his voice quivering with shock as he entered his house and only to beheld his daughter, motionless on the ground. He rushed to her, shook her motionless body in a desperate attempt to awaken her but she was just still.Elizabeth had been starving herself, in the aftermath of Asher's departure.She ignored her meals, and couldn't stop crying every day. Her eyes had remained puffy and red from the endless hours of weeping each day. Liam's plea for her to eat only fell on deaf ears, as she would still refuse all food, even her favorite food because of her mother being absent. In a flurry of panic, he scooped her up and rushed to his car, speeding to the hospital, ignoring the jeers of the onlookers, his entire being was focused on one thing, getting his darling daughter to the doctors before it was too late. As Liam sprinted into the hospital with Elizabeth's limp body slung over his shoulder, his panic trumped all protocol. Emergency room nurses, instantly d
In the opulent setting of Stanley's luxurious residence, Liam relaxed on an exquisite couch, his eyes fixated on the pristine glass of wine on the table as he patiently waited for Stanley to return from the washroom.Stanley had called him, inviting him to a small party at his house which he said they would be having with one of his friends. With eager anticipation, Liam anticipated the arrival of their guest."My apologies, Liam, for keeping you waiting." Stanley said with a smile as he walked back to the sitting room, taking his seat next to Liam."No problem, I'm enjoying the ambiance." Liam replied, smiling back."Our guest should be here any moment." Stanley said, as he picked up the remote and turned up the volume on the TV, allowing the actors' dialogues to fill the room."Who is this your friend and why the party,what is the party for? I don't understand." Liam asked."Don't worry friend, it's meant to be a surprise. You will know her when she comes." "Her." Liam asked, confu
The room practically crackled with tension as Liam and Asher exchanged heated words. Liam's face was flushed with fury, as he raged at Asher for hiding her past as a lesbian while in school. He stood like an immovable mountain, resistant to her pleas for understanding. But Asher, after exhausting her efforts to plead with Liam, had reached her breaking point. She stood her ground, matching Liam's ferocity word for word. "This happened before you met me". She said, her voice raised in anger."Have you ever caught me in such an act since we got married." Liam's words were bullets, piercing Asher's soul with every sentence. "You kept this your dirty secret from me, your husband." he seethed, his eyes blazing with hurt and anger. "The woman was even blackmailing you, demanding money in exchange for her silence, and you've been paying her off all this time without me knowing?" His words shook with rage, his hands clenched into fists at his sides."Liam, I know I should have told you abo
"I'm only asking for a small sum of money, and here you are, making such a scene." Pearl said, her voice raised. Her anger ranged as she confronted Asher in her own home, using the compromising photos as leverage."Do you think I came here to joke or play with you? I came to reveal your dirty secret to your husband, but God seems to be on your side today. However, I won't leave without what I came for. Hand over that money, or your secret will no longer be safe with me.""Pearl, to you, a hundred million dollars is a small amount of money? Pearl, are you in your right senses" Asher said, her face hardened with frustration."You are spitting nonsense Asher". Pearl said, her face stern. "If you are not succumbing to my demands, consider your husband being aware of your bad past". She said again, her voice cutting through the air like a whip.The air seemed to thicken with the weight of Pearl's rage as Asher crumbled under the pressure, slumping down onto the nearest chair in defeat. For
Asher's POVMy hands were immersed in a sudsy mountain of laundry when my phone's beep rang out, signaling a new message. I glanced at my phone's screen and saw that the message that came in was from Pearl and it read "I need to discuss something very important with you, and I would like you to come to my house to discuss it."My mind whirred with possibilities as to what she could be talking about, nothing coming to mind that couldn't be discussed via text or call. Anxiously, I dialed her number to find out if it could be discussed over the phone. The call went unanswered at first, but my persistence paid off when Pearl finally picked up. There was no friendly greeting or small talk, only her urgent message, "I'll send you my home address. It's very serious please." She ended the call after that before I could even utter a word.My mind raced with questions as I rushed to finish my laundry, speeding through the last stages of my cleaning routine. As I started to dress, a text from P
Liam's heart rate spiked as he walked into the sitting room, stunned to find the very woman whose identity he had been clamoring for, chatting with Asher in their house. His jaw dropped as if the world had suddenly tilted on its axis.Standing up with a warm smile, Pearl greeted him, but Liam's response was chilly at best, sending an icy chill through the room. Asher, caught in the crossfire, found himself quickly whisked away upstairs by a visibly agitated Liam, leaving Pearl alone to contemplate the reasons behind Liam's coldness."What is she doing here, and remember you haven't told me who she is?" Liam said, his face stern."Baby, like I told you earlier, Pearl is my old friend. I had wanted to tell you what had transpired between us, but you've been so busy lately." Her words hung in the air as Liam absorbed their meaning, his expression a mix of confusion and suspicion."We had a terrible fight before graduation, which was why I reacted so poorly when I saw her." She lied, her
Asher's POVAs I reclined in the comfort of my room, my daughter, Elizabeth, hurriedly entered with a look of bewilderment etched on her face. "Mom". She said "There is someone at the door asking for you," she said her voice laced with perplexity. "It's a woman, and she looks like that strange aunty we met at Uncle Stanley's birthday party. I think it's that aunty Pearl". Her eyes, wide with surprise, revealed the flutter of curiosity that stirred within her.On hearing Pearl's name, panic gripped my soul, and I sprung from the bed with haste. A silent prayer ascended from my heart, a plea that it wasn't her after all. And as I dashed downstairs, my heart racing in anxious fear, I was thankful that Liam wasn't around. If Pearl had indeed graced my doorstep, Liam's presence would have ignited a storm of trouble.My feet carried me swiftly to the living room, where my worst fears were confirmed. Pearl was already sitting comfortably, her very presence an unwelcome enigma. How did she di
Elizabeth's POVMy heart was racing as I approached my father. "Dad," I said, my voice shaking slightly with nerves. He turned from his TV program and smiled at me. "How are you, darling?" he asked, his voice calm and gentle.I'm scared the conversation might not turn out well, but I had to push through the discomfort. I had become desperate to ask him why he had such a negative view of female relationships. To him, it seemed that any sign of closeness between women was automatically seen as lesbianism. I need to understand why he had been so judgmental and narrow minded.My mind raced for the right words, but my mouth remained stubbornly silent. I took a deep breath, willing the words to come out. "I'm fine, dad," I replied, my voice still slightly trembling. "I want to ask you something." I managed to say.My father seemed to sense the gravity of my words and adjusted his seat to face me directly. "Of course, sweetheart," he said, his brows slightly furrowed in concern. "What is it