When I reached home, the first thing I did was take a quick bath. I knew the day would be hot and humid, so when I got out of the shower to change, I put on a pink flounce dress. The hem bounced every time I moved. It was comfortable too. Satisfied with what I was wearing, I slipped a sweater into my bag just in case it got cold in the evening.
While waiting for my hair to dry, I made buttered toast and coffee for breakfast. Still not satisfied with what I had for breakfast, I looked for food in the refrigerator and found yogurt.
I sat down at the table and ate my breakfast.
The house felt quiet and lonely with only me inside. Gone was the liveliness that used to be there. With Mom and Celine in the hospital, the house would remain lifeless until they returned.
After breakfast, I washed the dishes. When I was done, I made my way upstairs and entered Mom's room.
Opening her cabinet, I took her favorite knitted sweater. Mom would be elated once I gave it to her.
I was closing the cabinet when something dropped on the floor. Looking down, I found myself staring at an aging photograph with a faded cover.
I had never seen this photograph before. Intrigued, I picked it up and slumped down on the side of the bed. Flipping the cover open, the picture of a married couple holding a baby girl greeted my eyes, making my breath hitch in my throat.
The woman was in her early twenties, tall, slim, and very attractive. The photograph was taken on the very day of the wedding. The bride was wearing an outrageously sophisticated gown, one that reminded me of Princess Diana's wedding dress but a bit more modern. The undoubtedly expensive gown was decorated with white Swarovski crystals. Her midnight black hair was pinned in a delicate chignon at the base of her neck, and atop her head stood a tiara.
Beside the bride stood the groom—an equally good-looking man in his early twenties, clad in an expensive black tuxedo. He was taller than the bride; in fact, her head barely reached his shoulders. He was broad-shouldered and very attractive, almost reminding me of a Hollywood star with his extraordinary features. Possessively, his right arm was placed on the bride's shoulder while his other hand protectively held the baby’s side.
Immediately, I recognized the baby. Mom had shown me pictures of myself when I was a baby, so I knew it was me. However, the couple holding me in the picture were strangers. I couldn’t recall ever seeing them.
Overwhelmed by the image of the couple, my heart raced inside my chest. What was I excited about? I asked myself as I skimmed the pages with growing interest. Emotions I couldn't name sprung inside me. It was a weird feeling of wanting to cry and laugh at the same time while looking at the wedding pictures.
I was at the last page of the photograph when I finally found Mom. She was so young and healthy in the picture. If I wasn’t wrong, she was twenty-five years old in the photo. But what piqued my interest the most was the black-and-white maid's uniform she was wearing. I noticed that there was no picture in the album showing that she was holding me—not even a single one. Everything was about the couple holding me like a real family.
Deeply intrigued, I wanted to know who the couple was, but there was no one around to answer my questions.
Could the couple be related to Mom?
I returned the old photo album to Mom's cabinet while still wondering who the couple was. Mom had never mentioned them to me before, and that was what I was most curious about. She had told me once that she'd worked in a wealthy family as a maid, but she never gave me any information about them.
Why would she keep such details from me? Was her experience with them so bad that she wouldn’t even share it with me?
The woman in the photograph looked familiar, though, but I couldn't remember where I’d seen her face before. And the man looked familiar too, and I was certain I’d seen him before.
With a shrug, I let the subject drop from my thoughts. I thought it would be better if I asked Mom about the couple. I was sure she would tell me everything I wanted to know if she wasn’t trying to hide something. But if she didn't want to tell me, I wasn’t going to force her to.
I left the house shortly afterward, but I didn’t head straight to the hospital. Instead, I went to Mom's favorite bakery and bought her favorite vanilla cake. It was a single-layer cake, decorated with pink roses. The words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM" were written on top in pink icing.
Mom would surely love the cake, I thought to myself. Mom’s most favorite cake flavor is chocolate, but she’s not allowed to eat something too sweet. I asked her doctor if vanilla was allowed, and he said okay as long as she wouldn’t eat too much. Aside from the cake, I also brought mocha cupcakes for Celine and me.
With the box of cake and cupcakes in my hand, I returned to my car.
On my way to the hospital, I passed a famous restaurant known for its palatable menu. I wanted to go there and buy something fancy to celebrate Mom’s birthday, but her exact words suddenly rang in my ears. “I only want a cake, Lily. If you want to make me happy, don’t buy me a gift or any fancy food. Let’s save the money for my hospital bills. I don’t want to burden you by spending more money on me.”
A sigh emerged from my lips as I struggled with the decision. Mom’s birthday happens only once a year, and I wanted to buy her something nice, but she knew my plans and warned me in advance. In the end, I drove past the restaurant to make Mom happy. Maybe when I got to the hospital, I could convince Mom to order something fancy to make her celebration special. She wouldn’t like the idea at first, but I was sure I could convince her anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, I was parking my car in front of the hospital. With two boxes in one hand and a bag in the other, I skittered across the cement pavement, excited to greet Mom with a happy birthday.
A gentle smile emerged on my lips as I ran to Mom's room. Within seconds, I reached her room and pushed the door open. The first thing that greeted my eyes was the empty bed. The color drained from my face, and my chest heaved in alarm. The room was completely empty. Even Celine wasn't inside.
Fierce fear gripped me. I stood frozen in place, gasping for air.
"Mom?"
“Celine?”
No one in the room answered. When I checked the bathroom, it was empty too.
YOU ARE READING
Billionaire's Pregnant Ex-wife
Romance[COMPLETED] [Slowly editing] Lily De Silva had been married to the devilishly handsome CEO of Bradford Enterprises for four years, but their marriage came to an abrupt end when he asked for a divorce due to her inability to bear him another son. Rel...
