Chapter 76

POV Clayre

After a long bath, we head to the kitchen to make dinner. I've been spending many nights here, actually, every night. Jack won't let me leave, and I don't want to go either. He walks over to the fridge to grab a beer. I sit on the stool at the island and bite into a green apple. My phone rings on the counter, and I quickly pick it up, noticing it's a call from an unknown number.

"Hello! Good evening!"

"Good evening, is this Clayre Stuart Freburg?" My heart starts racing.

"Yes, this is her."

"Good evening, Clayre, I’m the nurse from Los Angeles General Hospital, and I’m calling to talk to you about your mother." I feel confused.

"Emma? What happened?"

"No, Liana. It’s listed here that you are her daughter, is that correct?" I stand up and slowly walk to the living room, nervous.

"Yes, that’s right, my mother Liana. What happened?"

"Well, unfortunately, she had complications during the delivery. Could you come to the hospital?" My heart races at the news, and I start pacing back and forth.

"Of course, yes, I live in Miami, but I promise I’ll get there as quickly as possible."

"Alright, we’ll be waiting."

"Is she alright?"

The nurse falls silent for a moment, carefully choosing her words.

"We can’t discuss it over the phone, but unfortunately, no."

A deep, heavy breath escapes my lips, and I know what she means—she’s gone.

"And the baby? Is he okay?"

"Your brother is fine. We managed to save him; he's a healthy boy." A smile escapes from me, and I nod in agreement, even though she can’t see me.

"I’ll be there soon!"

"Goodnight! He will be waiting."

I hang up the phone with trembling hands, and Jack looks at me, concerned.

"Is everything okay? What happened to Liana?"

"Jack, it was a call from a hospital, the baby was born." His face turns pale, his eyes widen, his breathing becomes shallow, and his shoulders tense.

"Where is he?"

"We’re going to get him," I inform him.

"What do you mean?"

"Liana lost her life during childbirth. They called me because, legally, I’m the baby’s sister." Jack turns white, his breath stops, and he places his right hand over his mouth, pressing it tightly, holding back his emotions.

I approach him, wrap my arms around his waist, and rest my face against his chest. He gives in to the gesture of affection, pulling me into his embrace. He gently rests the side of his face on the top of my head and sighs.

"I’m scared. I never wanted to have a child."

"Jack Bourbon, you are the second most protective man I know, only after my father." We smile together. "He will have the best father in the world."

"I’ll call the airport now," he says, walking away, flustered.

The next few minutes are tense. Jack walks around aimlessly, then stops and sighs. We grab only a bag with documents and a change of clothes and rush to the airport. Jack gets the tickets, and when we sit down in the airplane seats, we can finally breathe. Everything happened so quickly, and now we sit in silence, motionless, anxious to understand everything. When we land, we take a taxi. Our hands don’t let go, supporting each other, looking for strength to comprehend the future that has just changed.

We arrive at the hospital with the dawn, and a nurse is at the reception.

"Good morning, I’m Clayre Freburg, and I’m here to pick up my brother. The patient is Liana Stuart." The woman nods in agreement and takes my document to check.

After all the procedures, we’re directed down a large corridor and sit in chairs to wait.

"Well, he won’t be able to go in with you," another nurse announces, staring at Jack.

"He’s the baby’s father." Jack hastily grabs the document and hands it to her.

"Alright, the name matches the one given by the patient, everything seems fine, you can follow me."

We enter the maternity ward, and on the right side is an incubator. I see a small creature wrapped in blankets, and I approach slowly. The soft blankets are blue, and the little curious eyes are scared.

"He’s doing great," the nurse informs us as we look at him through the transparent glass, and my heart fills with emotion.

"He’s so beautiful, so tiny," Jack says, his voice choked.

Carefully, the nurse takes him and hands him to Jack, who is breathless, pale, and emotional. Jack hugs him and closes his eyes, sniffing him lovingly. One hand cradles the back of his head, the other supports his back to avoid hurting him.

"Oh my God, I’m a father, I can’t believe it. I’m happy," he says, admiring the baby with tears in his eyes.

"What happened to Liana?" I ask.

"I need you to follow me to the doctor’s office, where everything will be explained and all the documents will be given to you to sign."

"Good morning. I’m Dr. Mayer, and I’m sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, we couldn’t save her. Liana had eclampsia along with severe hemorrhaging. Her advanced age and the lack of proper prenatal care in the last few months of her pregnancy worsened the situation. Even though her life was at risk, she refused to leave, and we fought to save her, but unfortunately, it wasn’t possible."

"I want to see her." Jack looks at me, hesitant.

"I need to."

The doctor nods and stands up.

"Alright, please follow me." Jack kisses my face.

"I don’t want to see her." I agree, understanding, and follow the doctor.

We walk through the cold, white corridors with our hands clasped together. A great agony rises in my chest, and I hold back my emotions, clenching them tightly to prevent them from spilling over. We pass through a door, and the room is extremely cold and lonely. Ahead is the covered body, and the doctor carefully removes the covering from only the face so I can see her.

"I’ll leave you alone for a moment, to say goodbye."

I confirm with a nod, unable to speak.

The man leaves, and I briefly close my eyes, taking a deep breath. It’s real; she really is gone. I bring my right hand to her face and touch her cold skin. She doesn’t move, and my chest explodes, releasing the pain. Tears uncontrollably escape as I feel relieved. Why do I feel this way? The truth is, a weight has been lifted off me. She caused me so much pain, and knowing she can never hurt me again brings relief. I sniffle, trying to control my crying, and clear my throat.

"Goodbye, but I needed to say that I will take care of your son too, and I swear, I never imagined this or wished you harm. In the end, you wanted to be saved, and that’s how I felt, wanting more life. I promise I will be a great mother, different from what you were to me, and I will love him the way you never could love me. We will meet again after the stars, beyond infinity, when they no longer shine, and I hope you are regretful. Maybe one day I will forgive you. Goodbye, Liana."