As Asher drove into her compound, the security guard rushed over to greet her "How is Mr. Liam's health?" he asked, his voice full of compassion."He's fine," Asher replied, too tired to talk further. The security guard nodded, sensing that she wasn't in the mood to talk. He stepped aside and let her pass, he watched as she entered the house with sympathy.As soon as she stepped into her house, she collapsed into a chair, her body and spirit exhausted. She couldn't stop thinking about the events that had led to Liam collapsing, and another round of tears well up in her eyes. Even though the doctor had said that Liam's collapse wasn't caused by hitting his head, she still felt a deep sense of guilt and responsibility. She breathed out heavily and prayed silently for Liam's recovery.The sudden ringing of Liam's phone, which was sitting on the table, startled Asher out of her thoughts. She looked at the screen and saw that the caller was listed as "Ly." Who could that be, she wondered.
Liam's pov"He just opened his eyes," Asher yelled, running out of the room. Although I couldn't see clearly, I recognized her voice.I tried to sit up but the kind of headache that I got made me fall back to bed.I began to wonder what was happening as I heard noises outside the room and many footsteps running into the room. My head was blank, I couldn't get what was happening. I wanted to sit up again and look around, but my body felt weak and heavy. Then I heard my mother's voice running inside the room and calling my name. "Liam" she called, her voice filled with excitement. I wanted to respond to her, but my mouth felt dry and my tongue felt like lead.She rushed over to me, grasping my hands in hers. I could see her clearly now, and I noticed my father and Asher's parents standing behind her. I saw an IV drip attached to my hand, and something like a blood pressure cuff on my arm, connected to a monitor.l was disoriented, trying to process all the information flooding my senses
"But sweetheart, you need to rest today. Remember the doctor said you need to rest for at least a week before you resume work. Where are you going now?" Asher said, as Liam was preparing to leave the house.Liam had only just been discharged from the hospital the night before, and he was already up and getting ready to go out.He had texted Lucy the day before to explain why he hadn't been able to reach her. Lucy had been so worried that she wanted to see him that night, but he had begged her not to come because there was no way she could visit without causing a scene. His parents and Asher's parents were still around, and he knew Asher would be devastated if she saw him with Lucy so he had promised to see her the next morning. "I need to see a client," Liam lied, trying to make up an excuse to leave the house."Babe, you're still recovering. When did the client tell you he wanted to meet you in person?" Asher asked, his voice tinged with curiosity."Please, don't start with all thes
"I'm keeping this baby Liam" Lucy said as she kept stamping her feet with determination and boldness.They had just returned from the hospital where the doctor confirmed Lucy's pregnancy. Liam felt completely at a loss, he was very confused about what to do.He had never planned to have a baby outside of his marriage, and the situation felt completely out of his control. But Lucy on the other hand wanted the baby and was determined to keep it."Lucy, please, we can't keep this baby," Liam pleaded, his eyes wide with desperation. But this only roused Lucy's anger, making fury roared through her mind as Liam's speak. She tried to calm her temper as the anger had seriously settled in her. "How can you even say that", she asked, her voice shaking as she spoke. "This is our baby, your baby" She said with frustration. "The last time I checked, your wife is not even pregnant, not to talk of having a child, so I'm not going to abort this baby" She said as she avoided looking at Liam.Liam
CHAPTER THIRTY ONEDespite the agreement that Liam and Lucy had about Lucy not calling Liam, she kept calling him anyway. She would call him day and night, and even faked crying if Liam refused her demand. Liam couldn't focus on anything else in his life because he would always be doing this or that for Lucy to satisfy her. His job and his relationship with Asher started to suffer as he would always have to spend time with Lucy.In order to cover up his visits to Lucy's house, Liam started to make different excuses. One of his lies was that he now found a new church that he attends. He would lie about going to church every night Lucy demanded he come to her place. Every time Asher asked to go with Liam to the church, he would say it was a men-only church and that she couldn't come. He would always find something to cover up whenever Asher asked for the name of the church. "What do you want this time?" Liam hissed into the phone, ducking into the bathroom to answer Lucy's call so that
"Dad, you didn't tell me that you will be coming to visit in the office today". Liam said with surprise in his voice as his father entered his office. He wasn't expecting him as Dr. Xavier would always give him a heads up before showing at the office but that day was different, he showed up without notice. Liam started to feel uneasy as his father was just staring at him and not saying anything. He wondered what would have made him come to his office unannounced."Well, it's so good to see you daddy," he said, forcing a smile."Yeah, thank you," Dr. Xavier finally said. "I am still the owner of the company even though you are now the CEO so I don't think I need to announce before coming to my office" He said he pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat. Liam could tell that his father had come for an important reason, as he didn't look like he had come for a social visit. The look on his dad's face had become stern, and his body language was cl
"Mr. Liam, we're going to need to perform a C-section on your wife," the doctor said, his voice calm. Liam was already drenched in sweat, his anxiety evident in the way he fidgeted in his chair. Lucy had been in labor for two days, and Liam had lied to Asher, telling her he had to go on a business trip in order to stay with Lucy in the hospital. To keep everything discreet, they had gone to a different hospital than the family hospital, hoping to avoid any prying eyes or questions."If that is the best option, please go on". Liam said, his voice shaking. The doctor directed him to a nurse to fill the Consent form before carrying out the surgery. With shaky hand, Liam signed the form and Lucy was wheeled to the theater.Liam's pulse was racing, he couldn't rest. He kept asking about Lucy's condition from any nurse that came his way.The surgery seemed to take an eternity, and Liam was a nervous wreck by the time the doctor finally emerged from the operating room. He quickly approached
Lucy noticed something was wrong with her baby's breathing as she was breastfeeding her. The baby's chest was moving very fast and it seemed that she's finding it difficult to breathe. She called out to Loretta, her voice shaking. "Please, call the nurse. It seems something's wrong"Loretta rushed to the phone and quickly dialed the number for the nurses station. She told the baby's situation to the nurse, who rushed to the room to assess the baby.The nurse hurriedly checked the baby's vital signs,and she realized the baby's breathing was not only irregular, it was dangerously fast. With a sense of urgency, the nurse rushed to the phone and called the pediatric doctor's office. "There is an emergency in the maternity private ward, room 5" she said with urgency. "Mr. Liam's baby's breathing is too fast, and it needs urgent attention".Within a few minutes the doctor had already arrived. Meanwhile, Liam had gone home to meet Asher, since Lucy's mother and Loretta were present. He had n
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