Chapter 48 CHAPTER 48: The Detour
Hazel
As I was preparing for my antenatal appointment, my mother walked into my room, taking advantage of the slightly open door. I turned to her from the mirror where I was applying my lip balm.
“Good morning, mom”. I greeted her with a smile while I applied my lip balm, blending it smoothly.
Returning the greeting, she approached and affectionately kissed my cheek. "Good morning, my baby. I wanted to let you know that your driver is waiting downstairs. He arrived with groceries and some prepared meals from Maria."
Surprised, I turned to her. "Really?"
Her smile confirmed it. Then she came close, then assisted me in styling my hair into a bun, noticing my struggle.
"I miss doing this for you," she remarked softly, taking over the task. After finishing, she brushed my hair back and applied hair cream. Then she put her cheeks in mine and that made me smile.
Before leaving, she reminded me, "don’t forget to call your husband and thank him." With that, she handed me the brush and stepped out, closing the door gently behind her.
I smiled as I picked up my phone to dial William’s number. I called the first time and there was no response, so I decided to try again, but this time it went straight to voicemail. I furrowed my brows and wondered if he was okay. I picked up my handbag and left the room. As I stepped into the living room, my father was seated on the sofa watching a soccer game. I smiled at him and greeted him warmly, but he turned and looked at me, then nodded his head and turned his focus back on the television. I gulped as I felt a lump in my throat. I shook my head and stepped out, wondering when he would forgive me – it's not like it was my plan to come back home.
As I opened the door and stepped out, the driver waved at me and smiled. I returned the smile as he came down and opened the back of the vehicle for me, then helped me to climb inside before he closed the door and turned to the drivers’ side.
On the way to the hospital, Adam called and said that he was already there waiting for me. He has always come to all my doctor’s appointments since I got pregnant. I could not tell him to stop so as not to hurt him, but then again, I was scared that if Williams found out, he would not be happy with our decision. I smiled and decided to scroll through my news feed to occupy my time, but as I scrolled through, a news update blinked, and I opened it “CEO OF G TEXTILES, WILLIAM THORN SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY”.
I gasped as my hand flew to my mouth. I immediately dialed William’s number again, but he did not respond. I shot a quick text to Adam letting him know I would be taking a detour to see Williams, also explaining everything in detail to him. Two minutes later, he replied and asked me to let him know the update.
“Take me to Williams' ' I instructed the driver as he made a U -turn back to William’s mansion. As I alighted from the vehicle, my heart was beating in my chest and I felt a knot tightening in my guts as the automatic doors leading to the entrance opened and I walked in. Maria came out and when she saw me she gave a half smile and bowed slightly.
“Welcome Madam Hazel” she greeted
“Thanks Maria” as I entered the house and climbed the stairs to our bedroom. I knocked on his bedroom door and called his name twice, but there was no response. I pushed the door open gently, my eyes scanning the room, but he was nowhere to be found. I opened the door fully and stepped in. His bed looked rumpled as the duvet was pushed aside and his favorite pajamas which I gifted him laid there. I stared at it as I felt a pang in my chest. I took it up and sniffed it, inhaling his masculine heady scent mixed with his perfume. I closed my eyes and breathed in, and I realized how much I'd missed lying next to him. I came back to my senses as I remembered why I was there. I looked in the bathroom and toilet, but he was not in his room. I left the room and checked mine just to be sure, but he was not there either. I headed back downstairs and I went straight to the kitchen. Maria was bent on the kitchen sink washing dishes. As I walked in, she turned to face me with a little smile, but when she saw my countenance, the smile drained from her face.
Where is my husband”?, I asked without preamble. She could feel the panic in my voice as her face turned clouded in worry.
“He left this morning, but he didn’t tell me where” she replied.
“So why didn’t you tell me that when I came in,” I asked her, a little bit angry.
“Sorry Madam Hazel, I didn’t think it was my place to tell you. I mean this is also your house” she said. I thought about what she said and realized she was right. I nodded
“How was he dressed”? I asked
“He wore some casual outfits, but I don’t think he was in a good mood because when I greeted him, he did not reply, and he has never done that before. I told him breakfast was ready, but he didn’t say anything either”, she explained.
I was very worried as I dialed my father-in-law's number to check if he had gone there. He answered the call as if he was just on the phone expecting my call.
“Good morning, sir, please. I was wondering if my husband was there with you”, I asked.
“Good morning, Hazel, I said I would call you, but I’m putting up something first. Then I will invite you over” he said.
“William told me. Please is he there? I came to see him, but he wasn’t home.”
Mr Thorn chuckled “Hazel, you don't need to worry, your husband is fine okay. He just needs a little bit of time to piece things together. You don’t have to worry, I have him followed” he replied. I heaved a sigh of relief and that was when I knew I had been holding my breath all through our phone conversation.
“Okay sir”, I replied, because I trusted him. If there was one thing I knew, Mr Thorn adored his son and if he said he was okay, then he was.
“Don’t worry Haze, your husband will be back home later in the day” he assured me.
“I’ll be waiting for your invitation sir” I smiled a little.
Then I hung up and dialed Adam, letting him know I would be there soon.
As the automatic doors of the hospital swung open, I sighted Adam from the back. Apparently, he was discussing with the receptionist, who was smiling from ear to ear. I walked up to him as he turned and saw me. He gave me one of his cheekiest grins and pulled me in for a hug.
“Everything okay” he asked.
“Sure, sorry I kept you waiting” I said. He looked at me keenly.
“You are sure everything is fine, you look a bit pale” he asked again. I nodded and walked on as he followed behind.
We walked into the antenatal room and waited as the nurse was attending to another patient. A few minutes later, I was ushered into another secluded room by a nurse while Adam waited outside. As I walked in, the obstetrician smiled at me as she removed her glasses and dropped them on the table. My obstetrician, Dr Priya Singh, had warm brown eyes and always had a smile on her face which immediately put her patients at ease. Her face was framed by softly curled black hair, brown skin and her peaceful demeanor always put me at ease.
“Welcome Mrs. Hazel” she smiled as she turned all her attention to me.
I smiled “thanks for having me, Mrs. Singh.
“Let’s see what’s happening inside there” she said and stood up.
She got up and checked my blood pressure, weight and overall physical health. Then she asked me to lay down as she performed a pelvic exam to assess my baby’s growth. After concluding her research, she went back to her seat.
“Hazel, is everything OK”? You’ve lost a lot of weight, and it feels like you're stressed. Once your test results are out, I will let you know if you will have to be on bed rest. I don’t want to scare you, but as it is, it’s not looking good…you will need to really take care of yourself Hazel '' she said as she looked sternly at me as I nodded. She then wrote out some prescriptions for me to take to the pharmacy.
After getting the medication the doctor had prescribed, I rejoined Adam, who had been waiting for me at the reception.
"Everything good?" he inquired as I approached.
I laced my hands in his "Yes, but William isn't doing well with everything that has been happening. I took a quick detour to check up on him this morning while coming to the hospital, but he wasn't there. Maria just texted that he is home now". Adam looked up, his expression tense, but he nodded.
"I'll drop you off," he offered.
"My driver is already here," I told him, eliciting a wry chuckle as he stood.
"I guess I'll see you another time," he said, pausing to gaze at me before walking toward his car.
On the way, I quickly typed a text to my mother that I was at William’s house and might return late. She acknowledged my message almost immediately as I tucked my phone away.
Upon arrival, I was greeted anxiously by Maria at the entrance, her hands twisting nervously.
"I'm terribly sorry for calling you, but Master William is quite unwell. He’s refused to come downstairs or allow me to assist him," her tone laced with panic.
My brow furrowed with concern. "Where is he now?" I inquired.
"In his room," she responded. I nodded and ascended the stairs.
Upon reaching his room, I discovered it was empty, a chill of apprehension swept over me. "Where could he have gone?" I whispered under my breath. Stepping into the bathroom, my eyes widened in shock at the sight that greeted me, but before I could react, the shrill ring of my phone pierced the silence.