Dmitri’s train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when the baby’s first cry resounded in the whole operating room.
It felt like music to his ears, and left him ecstatic, both as a doctor and a parent.
After performing the successful operation as a competent doctor, he was ready to embrace the joys of parenthood now.
“Oh ! My baby !!" a delighted Dmitri cooed as Hazel placed the little bundle of joy in his arms with a beaming smile of her own as if she had just delivered her own baby.
"Oh, Dmitri ! Congratulations hun. You did a wonderful job ! Audrey and your precious angel are safe and healthy," Hazel extolled.
"Ahh ! I'm a dad now," he exclaimed with joy as his eyes welled up and his heart skipped a few beats.
He was immediately awestruck with the miracle of life, who had inherited most of her mother’s beautiful, sharp features including her mother's unique strawberry blonde hair colour and ocean blue eyes.
As Hazel said, she was an angel indeed.
“Here, let her favourite aunt hold her," Hazel gently coaxed as she made the transfer, making Dmitri chuckle.
“Favourite Aunt ?” he teased.
“Of course ! Who else ?” she rolled her eyes before smiling at the baby and making cute baby noises. “I am her favourite aunt, aren’t I ? Oh yes, isn’t she / Oh look she is trying to say yes ! Aww, Aunt Hazel loves you so much,” she played with his little precious.
“Alright, I need her back. Your time is up,” Dmitri declared.
“No fair !” Hazel pouted. “I just got her !! I wasn’t done !”
“Don’t care. She is mine. Deal,” he replied and Hazel snorted and grumbled about his sharing skills. Or rather their lack of.
However, she was back to getting emotional when she saw mini-Audrey suddenly grab Dmitri’s thumb as if to assure him that she was there now and he had nothing to fear.
Dmitri could never forget this precious moment, even though he was exhausted by the surgery, terrified and overwhelmed about the future but so very much in love at this very first sight.
A part of him couldn't believe that the little gem was actually in his arms, holding to him while the other part of him felt like he had known his daughter all his entire life.
That moment was blissful and precious, absolutely precious!
"At least the surgery went successful. You scared me for a moment there," Hazel sighed in relief.
"Yes," he murmured absentmindedly while smiling down at his princess.
He was immensely grateful that his adorable daughter was here and healthy And thankfully, Audrey was safe and healthy too.
“She's beautiful. Just like Audrey !” Hazel breathed out when she finally took her time to study the baby’s features. “Her daddy is going to have to beat those boys off of her. Good luck with that, dork," she teased as she peered over his shoulder.
Hazel was the only one who had the guts to call him “dork” instead of “doc” like others. She was his childhood friend from the time of the orphanage after all, and his best friend on top of that.
“I'm so glad she didn't take after this geek," Hazel added, pointing towards Dmitri, making him frown at her and nip the tip of her nose in admonishment, just like they used to do as kids.
Hazel, of course, didn’t mean it coz Dmitri was the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes on, The rare gift of brilliant intelligence that he possessed just made her crush on him harder.
Suddenly, she sobered up to adult-serious reality when she heard Dmitri sniff.
"What a pity. At this memorable milestone of my life, I am torn between choosing the love of my life and the sunshine of my new, dark life without Audrey. I am going to miss her."
The anguish in his tone was unbearable to hear but it was a hard fact of life. He had to choose one of them. He had never known goodbyes could be so hard before now.
He looked down at Audrey’s unconscious figure before pressing his lips on her forehead.
"Being an orphan, I am no stranger to separation from loved ones. I thought I knew separation," Dmitri murmured. "It's an old, albeit ugly friend, whom I have to welcome once again in my life with a dull ache in my heart and a sad smile on my face," he added as he felt their journey together had finally come to an end.
“I know how you feel. I grew up with you, after all," Hazel said as she hugged him with a set of unshed tears of her own in her eyes. “I guess I should give you a moment to say your goodbye before her parents get wind of everything. Make it quick, hun,” she added. She pecked his cheek and left him alone in the room with his crying baby and the unaware mother of his child.
The realization that everything had ended, came crashing down and washed him with grief and sadness that the love from his world- the very thread of his existence had ended at this juncture.
However, as he looked at their adorable baby, he found a sad comfort even at the end of the relationship.
With Audrey beside him, he laughed harder… a little too earnestly, honestly. A sound that was sometimes even foreign to his own ears.
He had found himself getting nervous on their dates. Not the stifling fear that crippled him, but rather a tantalizing spark that settled in the pit of his stomach, and pickled whenever their hands brushed, or he caught a whiff of her perfume when she moved, or when the thought of kissing her made a fleeting dash across his addled brain.
They had shared that type of amazing love for years and now it was time to bid goodbye.
He broke down in tears and held Audrey's hands and kissed her head and apologized to her for not keeping his promise of building a life together with her.
"This isn't a goodbye, my darling. This is a thank you. A thank you for coming into my life and giving me joy. A thank you for loving me and receiving my love in return. A thank you for the memories that I will cherish forever. But most of all, a thank you for giving me a reason to live. I love you, Audrey," Dmitri whispered. "See you on the other side, never to be ever separated," he added, before forcing his legs towards the exit- away from Audrey and away from her tyrannical famous parents, the diamond magnate whose empire spanned as large as every businessman’s envy.
Who would have known that “the other side” meant “the other side of the planet” in that very life itself.
“I promise to look after our daughter," he solemnly swore as he turned back one last time to catch the last glimpse of the woman whom he had loved, day and night for two years.
He engraved that moment- her calm, delicate face turned slightly towards their daughter’s direction, an angelic smile on her lips as if she subconsciously knew her baby was alive.
“I promise our daughter’s safety for all eternity," he determinedly added before steeling his resolve and getting out of her life for once and for all as the door shut firmly behind him.
Leaving their daughter alone in this worldwide world left jitters in his heart. Dmitri realized how worthy and valuable his own life was now. He could only hope to do his best for their daughter’s future.
Literally, every emotion and thought- negative and positive, wrapped up into one in a matter of a couple of seconds before he resolved to be the best parent to his daughter.
“Don’t tell her," Dmitri said everything in one sentence to Hazel as he met her outside the operating room.
She nodded in affirmation with a watery smile on her face.
“It will be tough for me to be away from you. I'll miss you, my buddy,” Hazel said as she hugged Dmitri goodbye.
"Your comforting hug means a thousand words to my unhappy heart," were Dmitri’s parting words to his dear childhood friend before he disappeared from her life.
“I am sorry, Ma’am but we don’t have another pair of this pendant,” the jeweller apologized. “A gentleman bought the other one just minutes ago,” she informed.Dr. Natalie, Hazel’s daughter, looked down at the pendant with the letters, ‘M’ and ‘N’ intertwined in a heart and debated with herself if she should get through the whole ordeal of proposing Marcus or not ?Marcus was Dmitri and Audrey’s son.A lot was on stake, not only their relationship as colleagues at the hospital but also as best friends !It felt like history was repeating itself just like Hazel and Dmitri. However, the next generation had learnt from their mistakes and given a chance to flirt with destiny.“Ah well, I love this pendant. I will buy just this one then,” Natalie replied.At least if he rejects me,
“Time is not my friend,” the CFO of the Emerson Group, Sarah murmured when she finally looked up at the clock. It was nearing midnight already and she still had one last file to review.She noticed that the office was almost dark, indicating that everyone had gone home, save for one person and that was the CEO- Alex Emerson !That vain and haughty man, Sarah scoffed as she laboured over the file.“But you love him,” her subconscious teased.Unfortunately, she did and couldn’t help but think why had her stupid heart fallen for someone as rotten as Alex.“Because he saved you from the bullies at school once,” her mind taunted her with a peek of that memory when Sarah had started to fall for her “hero”.“And turned into my personal bully himself ! He is more like a monster now !!” She fought back
Melody returned back home after a long time of ceaseless ramp walk assignments and fashion tours.She decided to give her parents a surprise and without any warning burst into Dmitri’s office after the receptionist winked at her and let her go without informing the Head Doctor.However, she was the one who was in for a surprise when she saw a dashing young man in scrubs in her dad’s office. Handsome was too mild a word to describe him.Brown intense eyes looked back at her through sandy brown locks before plum pink lips asked, “I am sorry but do you have an appointment ?”“No !” Audrey breathed out.“Do you want to meet a gynaecologist ?”“No.”“Then you are in the wrong room, Miss. If you did not notice, this is the room of the Head of Gynaecology.”
After 23 years ….It felt like déjà vu when Mr. Tyler Blaydes entered Dmitri’s office and only the two of them were alone.However, the elder man was not here to threaten Dmitri but congratulate him and ask after his granddaughter’s health.“How is my precious Melody doing, Doctor ? Was the operation successful ? Is her baby healthy ? How is Ethan feeling after operating on his own baby ?” Mr. Tyler Blaydes worriedly asked.“There is no need to worry, Dad ! Ethan, Melody and their baby are perfectly fine. Melody is sleeping- she was too exhausted and Ethan is looking after the baby. He is already so possessive about his daughter, he won’t even share her with me,” Dmitri chuckled and the elder man laughed.“Isabelle is going to set her son straight like she always does,” Tyler Blaydes joke
Audrey woke up on the morning of their wedding day to find the sunshine winking in at the window of the little porch gable and a cool breeze frolicking with the curtains.When the car pulled up to take Audrey to her wedding ceremony, it was far from what she was expecting! And it was just the start of a gorgeous day filled with family, friends and so much laughter.Upon arrival for the wedding weekend, guests were each greeted with a personalized welcome favor -tropical fruity scent sunscreen, a palm leaf printed hand fan, sunglasses, shell shaped soap, candle with hints of gardenia and delicate musk fragrance, packed into beachy starfish gift bags with name and wedding date for a truly bespoke touch.Family, friends, and most importantly, the husband(s)-to-be stood in silence, peeking over the shoulders of the guests behind them, to get that first glimpse of the bride.Everyone was impatiently
It all started when Hazel began planning her own wedding.“Why don’t we just get married too?" Audrey suggested."Are you sure ?" Dmitri replied.And then Rachel said, "Well, Leo and I are going to get married too then,”“So, are we all deciding to have a triple wedding ?” Calvin questioned.When all three friends found themselves engaged at the same time, the idea hit them: "A triple wedding isn't only logical, but natural!""Why throw three small parties when we can throw one big one?" Hazel excitedly suggested."It would be so nice to have someone I love and trust go through the process with me," Audrey replied looking at Rachel and Hazel.Talk about a triple whammy !“I'm telling you all, right from the beginning to be prepared for this to be a c