“So, Raphael, what’s it going to be?” George leaned forward, his expression a mixture of concern and frustration. “Are you going to get the help you need, or should I go ahead and file a restraining order? You know it’s protocol, bud.” Raphael’s eyes were hollow, remnants of the torment he had endured since losing his wife and daughter. The mention of a restraining order hit him like a punch to the gut. “I’ll do whatever it takes,” he replied, his voice cracking slightly. “I’ll go to rehab. I’ll do anything to make things right with Marianne and Rose.” He had dreaded the idea of rehabilitation, the thought of facing his demons, ever since that fateful day when he lost everything. Yet, he knew that without taking this step, he could lose even more. Marianne and Rose were worth the struggle. Within hours, two able-bodied men, colleagues of George’s, escorted Raphael home. They helped him gather what he needed, while the weight of his past loomed heavy in the air. As they drove to the
"Marianne, how could you let this happen?!" Greg's voice boomed, his anger and frustration palpable as he towered over her. "Weren't you on the pill?" he demanded, his tone condescending, as if she were a naive teenager who didn't understand the basics of contraception.Marianne's mind raced, her thoughts jumbled in confusion. What did he expect from unprotected sex? A miracle? A dog in a gift box? She opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. Greg's anger was suffocating, his face red with rage, his eyes blazing with a fury that made her fear for her safety and that of her daughter and unborn child."Aren't you going to say something to defend yourself?" Greg sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. Marianne's heart raced as she struggled to find her voice, her mind racing with the implications of his words. She knew she had to remain calm, for the sake of her children, but it was hard to suppress the anger and hurt that threatened to overflow."I don't know wh
"MOM! MOM! MOMMY! MOM!..." Marianne's attention was drawn to her six-year-old daughter, Rose, who needed her urgently. "What's wrong, baby?" Marianne asked, snapping out of her thoughts.Rose pointed to the overfilled peanut butter on her bread. "You put too much peanut butter on my slice!" Marianne gasped, quickly washing off the excess and drying her hands with a paper towel. "What a waste!" she exclaimed, disappointment etched on her face.Marianne's mind had been preoccupied with the day's news - an unplanned pregnancy, unwanted by her boyfriend, Greg. For ten years, six months, and twelve days, Greg had emphasized the struggles of raising their daughter, Rose. He never seemed ready for the responsibility, making Marianne feel like she had forced him into parenthood. Despite her stability and readiness for another child, Greg's reluctance loomed large.Feeling off for days, Marianne suspected she was pregnant and confirmed it with a home test. The positive result sparked fear about
As Marianne shut the door behind her, Greg exited the bathroom, drying his light brown short hair with a small towel while another body towel wrapped him from the waist down. Despite their troubled relationship, Marianne couldn't help but notice the attractive man standing before her. "Six feet of a whole hunk, but no brains," she thought to herself, a hint of sarcasm in her mind."I thought you were cleaning the living room?" Greg asked, breaking the silence. Marianne snapped out of her reverie and replied immediately, "I wanted us to talk before you left." But Greg was in a hurry, and his response was curt: "But I told you I needed to leave urgently, can't this wait?"Marianne tried to explain, but Greg cut her off again. "You look tired and sick; have you been to a hospital?" He asked with sudden concern, his tone a mix of worry and annoyance. Marianne's tongue felt heavy, and she struggled to respond. She wished he could read her mind or predict her thoughts like he had during her
Night fell, and Marianne felt elated all day, thanks to Greg's sudden change of heart towards the surprise pregnancy. She had been cleaning all day while Rose played at her friend's house next door. With boundless energy, she vacuumed and mopped every room, washed dishes, and put clothes in the washer. She even dried them outside, remembering her mother's advice: "What better way to kill germs than with the scorching sun?"As she prepared a special meal for supper, her mood leaned towards spaghetti and meatballs, a dish she excelled at. Rose finally came back at four, and Marianne ran a bath for her. After dressing Rose in her nightwear, Marianne started putting the food away in warmers and setting the table. She took Greg's offer to ask for whatever she wanted on his way back, requesting a vanilla milkshake and a burger with extra cheese and mayo.As soon as she finished washing the dishes, Rose called out, "Mommy, I'm done!" Marianne rinsed her hands, dried them, and headed to the ba
Marianne came to and found herself laying on a hospital bed, in a hospital gown and connected to a drip. Greg was seated right next to her dozing off at the edge of the bed while Rose was fast asleep on the sofa right across from her bed, her head was pounding like someone were drumming on it and she felt sick to her stomach.She lay her hand on her tummy and woke Greg from his snooze, "my baby? Is the baby okay?", she asked with tears in her eyes."You're awake! Nurse!", He called out to a nurse immediately.Marianne held his hand tight before he could step away, "Greg, my baby. Please tell me"He put his other hand over hers and finally gave a response,"I'm so sorry my love, we lost it",Marianne put her hand over her mouth as tears started to flow down her cheeks, she gasped and let out a loud sob."Why? How? I was just fine and...." she looked up to him and anger immediately filled her heart."What did you do?", She asked him hitt
The nurse finally let Greg in though not so willingly after she noticed the uncomfortable situation Marianne was having, she stood by the door for a good minute while he walked in and approached the bed Marianne was on. Greg sat back on the stool he had been sitting on before he left and held Marianne’s hand.“It’s going to be okay, I’m here for you”, he assured her.Nothing anyone would say could change Marianne’s mood at that point, the only thing she wanted was to have her baby back, but that was not possible. For the last two days of knowing she was pregnant she had been planning out his or her future, where she would give birth, what kind of clothes the baby would be wearing, what school or food to consider etc.Now what? Does she just continue like nothing ever happened? Must she forget what could have been a second child again? She turned to look over at the sofa where Rose had been sleeping,“my little Ros
Marianne was staring in the direction in which the sad man left and stopped to think about how he could be feeling, he didn’t look that old so his daughter could not have been in her teens yet unless otherwise.Just the thought of losing a child you already have memories with sent chills down her spine and made her feel even worse for the sad man. Greg mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and asked her what she had been thinking of cause it pretty much looked like she had zoned out for a moment.“Nothing, did you get the get the cake?”,Marianne asked him as she started to pick up her belongings and held Rose’s hand to get up.“All out can you believe that honey?”, he looked at Rose trying to show disappointment in his face.When what actually happened was...While Greg was on his way to the counter where he had spotted very attractive and delicious looking chocolate cakes through the glass counter, walking towards the counter he bumped into one o
“So, Raphael, what’s it going to be?” George leaned forward, his expression a mixture of concern and frustration. “Are you going to get the help you need, or should I go ahead and file a restraining order? You know it’s protocol, bud.” Raphael’s eyes were hollow, remnants of the torment he had endured since losing his wife and daughter. The mention of a restraining order hit him like a punch to the gut. “I’ll do whatever it takes,” he replied, his voice cracking slightly. “I’ll go to rehab. I’ll do anything to make things right with Marianne and Rose.” He had dreaded the idea of rehabilitation, the thought of facing his demons, ever since that fateful day when he lost everything. Yet, he knew that without taking this step, he could lose even more. Marianne and Rose were worth the struggle. Within hours, two able-bodied men, colleagues of George’s, escorted Raphael home. They helped him gather what he needed, while the weight of his past loomed heavy in the air. As they drove to the
Raphael felt a surge of guilt flood his heart as he looked at Marianne. He had put her through days of pain and confusion, all while believing he was doing the right thing. In one part of his mind, he was sure that Rose would be better off, away from the storm of her parents' toxic relationship. He thought he was sparing his daughter from the same chaos that had plagued their family. Yet, in another part of him, he felt a deep, aching sorrow for Marianne. He could feel her silent anguish, the emptiness left by the absence of her only child. The thought of her missing Rose gnawed at him, and the weight of his decision pressed heavily on his chest, almost making it hard for him to breathe. He couldn't even look her in the eyes, let alone find the strength to say a word. As he stood there, unsure and tormented, Marianne’s gentle voice broke the silence. "Someone’s here to see you," she said, her tone soft yet tinged with an emotion he couldn’t quite identify. She stepped aside, and ther
Marianne stood frozen, her breath caught in her chest as she took in the sight she had dreamed of for what felt like an eternity—her daughter, Rose, safe and alive. The last few days had been a waking nightmare, each day a torturous blend of hope and despair as she searched, refusing to let go of the belief that she would find her daughter again. Now, here Rose was, only a few steps away, hand-in-hand with Raphael, the man she had once thought she could trust.Marianne’s mind spun, emotions tangling in a whirlwind that left her wordless. Fear, love, relief—all warring within her as she tried to process the moment. She couldn’t bring herself to care that Raphael was standing there; all that mattered was Rose. Even as the cavalry she had enlisted to help bring Rose back closed in around them, Marianne’s eyes never left her daughter’s. The men quickly moved to apprehend Raphael, who, to her relief, offered no resistance. His only crime had been taking a minor from her mother, a crime tha
Raphael had spent the entire night in a restless haze, his thoughts consumed by memories of his dead wife and their little girl. He hadn't slept at all, his mind haunted by the life he'd once had—a life that felt a thousand miles away now. The image of his wife, with her gentle smile and the warmth in her eyes, lingered painfully in his mind. And then there was his daughter, a fragile, innocent soul taken far too soon. He could still remember the way she laughed, the way her small hand would curl around his finger when she was afraid. The guilt of losing them weighed heavily on him, an unshakable burden that only seemed to grow with time. His heart ached, a deep, constant throb that reminded him of the life he'd failed to protect.Now, there was Rose—Marianne’s daughter. Marianne, his former lover, had left him after everything fell apart, after tragedy struck and their worlds were shattered. She had taken Rose and moved on, but fate had brought them back together in the most unexpect
The next day had arrived and Marianne was getting more and more impatient. She tried hard to keep that to herself but not all of it would stay hidden. Lucy noticed that she was stuck between losing hope and having the will to still fight for her daughter.Sometimes, her eyes lit up when she saw more armed bodyguards arrive at Lucy's house. The search was becoming more and more real, nothing like what Marianne thought it was going to be. She imagined that the solution she had in mind would have worked better, easily informing the police about the missing girl and then putting it all over the news and in the newspapers, on posters as well.She imagined that anyone would have called the police back and given them leads to Raphael because he would have been the said suspect. Marianne, at some point, even went to George about it, just so she could understand exactly why he decided to call off her plan."Marianne, do you really think that the detectives under the law are du
Chapter ThirtyThe feeling of her heart racing was driving Marianne crazy, her hands trembled so much that if she was asked to hold anything, the object would drop to the floor. She tried to fight back all the terrible things that were running through her mind for the sake of Lucy and George, yet she didn't know if she had to be mad at them too for keeping the news a secret."How could this be? This is a lie! You can't possibly…. " tears ran down from Marianne's eyes and George reached out to try and comfort her,"No! Don't touch me! You knew that this was my father but you never told me, you kept it a secret from me this whole time, and for what!?" She yelled.At that point, Marianne stood up to keep her distance from the man she called a criminal, the man that claimed to be her father."Lucy, why are you so quiet? Tell me that this is a joke, please!""Marianne, I'm just as shocked as you are right now, I had no idea that you were my sister thi
Chapter Twenty NineThe next evening Marianne and Lucy were pacing around the kitchen and living room impatiently waiting for George.“Are you sure he told you that he will be here or was that another lie? What if he has just forgotten about all this?” Marianne kept asking.“You have got to stop with all your negative questions and answers, for real this time”, Lucy answered back.Even though Lucy kept asking Marianne to calm down, she herself, kept opening and closing the curtains to check if George had arrived, she kept checking her phone incase she missed the notification as well.There was always something about the evening that Marianne found confusing, how was it that the most peaceful time of a day would also turn out to be the most risky part as well? Even back when she was a child, she always noticed that most of the arguments between her and her mother usually started in the night time, but since they were both lovers of the
He turned to face Rose and began conversing with her. He asked her how physiotherapy was while he was gone and if she had fun without him.“Mr. Raphael, you’re the only fun man I’ve ever met, and I was very strong when you were not here. But Mummy was there sometimes, so it was fine”, she responded.“I missed you a lot, Rose. Thank you for calling me funny too, I mean, in a good way, that is. To show you how happy I am, why don’t we go out for some ice cream?" Raphael asked,“well, I don’t think mommy would allow it”.“Well, since your mother and I are good friends, there will be no problem, I want to get you any flavor you like for being such a good girl okay. Come on”, he stood up and helped her put her crutches in place, clueless, she accepted and left out the door with him and into the car.***Marianne sat motionless on the sofa, hoping that Raphael could just come back with Rose. Sh
Time had gone by faster than Marianne could blink. Her palms got sweaty every time she thought about the evening dinner date with Raphael, she never thought that she could actually ever be able to go on a date or have any conversation with a man other than Greg.She was joyful and welcoming to patients more than the usual days. She snack out a few conversations with the doctors and nurses when they passed by her and asked a few questions. There was much to look forward to.During her lunch break, she went to check up on Rose and make sure that she was having the meal that Raphael had paid for. Rose had been working so hard with her physiotherapy, so hard that even in her spare time, she isolated herself in her room so that she could fall freely if she wasn't doing well.Eventually, Rose was able to stand properly, not excellently, and not good enough for her to not need the wheelchair anymore. The physiotherapist started by giving her crutches that she could u