When Louis stepped in, he couldn't recognise the room anymore. The room was painted and decorated with children's paintings, hanging on the wall.
Different types of toys and playthings were there and four baby cots were placed on the different sides of the room. He knew that the wardrobe was opened deliberately for him to see the interior.
Baby clothes everywhere in the wardrobe. He saw the baby toiletries, lotion and all that a baby needs to be taken care of.
He stood with his back to his mom. He knew why his mother called him. She wants him to see what she had prepared for his unborn babies and how they all are going to go to waste or at most, packed and sent to a charity home.
Leah Hayden stood with a cold stare, staring at her son's back view. She could guess what was going on in his mind. She needed to see him sob, and plead for him to be forgiven.
She had staged everything and then invited him. She wanted to see how amazing it would have been for him to walk through the door of the room that was once occupied by him and see four little fellows lying in those cots.
She wants him to regret how much happiness he had eluded himself when he pushed the joy and responsibilities of fatherhood away and even ruined that innocent woman's life.
Pamela was definitely dead or something terrible had happened to her. There is no way she could still be alive and not have come to her. She knew how much she loved her and desired to see her grandchildren.
Still standing with her hands folded, Leah saw Louis cleaned his eyes. He dropped tears, he feels the pain she felt that day when she discovered his inhuman treatment and despite many months having passed, she hasn't been able to recover from what he did to Pamela and her unborn grand babies.
It took a few minutes more before Louis gathered up courage and turned gently to face his mother with reddened eyes.
"I'm sorry mum…"he choked. He couldn't say anything else. He couldn't even raise his head to look at his mother but stared at the floor.
He had grown up in absolute love from his parents. He never lacked a single thing and even those things that he didn't need, his parents made them available to him.
He was a typical born with a silver spoon. He had never felt so remorseful over anything like he was feeling at the moment in his twenty six years of existence.
He gets only a single scold each time he crosses the line, but never like this. His mother hadn't said anything yet but the room she made him see now, the pain and regret he felt as he watched, was enough to last him a lifetime.
"No, you shouldn't be sorry just yet. When you need to be sorry, you will fully have absorbed the reason why I called you over" Leah chided and walked over.
She brought out her phone and showed him a particular day in the calendar. "Tell me, what date is this?" Leah asked.
With a heavy heart, Louis replied "23rd of August". Leah Hayden smiled and nodded "good boy. And can you remind me of today's date?" She asked again.
Louis squinted. His heart was already beating very fast. He could guess where his mother's question was heading. "23rd of August" he replied.
Then Leah dropped her phone and stood before Louis, held his two shoulders and pushed him backwards. The latter staggered and regained his balance.
"Stupid boy, today was the day I would have been declared a Grandma. Today was the day your babies would have been born. Today was the day they were meant to see the light of this world and breathe in the air for the first time.
Their existence on Earth was supposed to begin today. Today, this family would have thrown a party, a merry, anything possible to express our happiness and fulfilment.
And this wouldn't have been for me or Ellis alone, this would definitely have involved you the most. You would have joined the wagon of fathers.
Ellis would have been the proudest father today to see his little boy have grown into a man and also have become a father.
And me, how would I have been able to express my joy, huh tell me Louis? I waited for 26 years to hold another baby of Ellis in my arms, can you imagine what my excitement would have been like?
I couldn't have another child after you Louis. I really wished and wanted it but the doctors said my uterus was weak. It wouldn't be able to carry another Foetus after you.
I loved Ellis with my life and I want him to have all he could ever dreamt of, and that includes having another child. I pleaded with him to have another trial, but guess what, he refused.
Your father refused to place my life at risk to satisfy his desires. He loved me very much and we eventually showered you with so much love.
And now, all I needed was just your sperm and that I got. I found a pure woman, kind and humble who accepted to have your seed grown in her belly and you couldn't even offer me the least of the things you've got?.."Leah was still talking when Louis couldn't take it anymore.
He went down at his mother's feet with clasped hands "Enough mother, I can't take it anymore. Please forgive me…" Louis was sobbing now.
"I am not done yet, Louis Hayden" Leah yelled at him and moved away, keeping a distance between them before she continued:
"It was my money I spent. Those babies would have been mine, mine and Ellis blood. You can choose to avoid them, that wouldn't have been a problem to me, Louis.
But you took my hope away. You quenched my rising star and made me go back to the past, when I cried, and sob in the privacy of my room and soak my pillow with tears.
It wasn't your money that was spent. For the wedding and the insemination, it wasn't your money. I ensured that no one tampered with your bogus account and large income from the company all these years.
No one, not me, not Ellis. We wouldn't let anyone touch it. We paid your employees with our money and took care of all the bills with our money.
Because we had hope that you would come back to us. That one day, you will wake up and we will be happy again. We decided to take another chance, when the doctor said you might not wake up from the unconscious state you were in.
Who would inherit your hard work, your labour, our fortune and the entire Hayden's investment and wealth. Who would carry our bloodline if anything happens to you?
Then I suggested, It was my idea, and you know why? because I won't let Ellis die without an heir or a child to carry on his dynasty. I suggested surrogacy and your dad was sceptical about how the child will be accepted in the society, as an illegitimate child?
The best option was to marry a decent woman to you in your name. And your blood was the signature on that marriage certificate.
We wanted a legitimate child. That's how far we protected your reputation Louis, and you know why we did that, because we love you.
Pamela accepted the surrogacy without complaints and I was impressed that the woman carrying my grandchildren in her belly was pure, a virgin, decent and beautiful woman.
Did we do wrong Louis, did we? Ellis and I meant you no ill, we could only wish and plan the best for you. But how did you pay us back, huh?
You shattered our hopes. Insulted our love and kindness. What about the innocent Pamela, what did she get by going ahead to marry a man who couldn't even make love to her on her wedding night?
The taunting from her family, the betrayal from her ex fiance that she got married to you didn't pay off. She accepted her fate and married you, Louis Hayden!
I wish I knew this is how you would pay us, Louis…" Leah couldn't keep talking. She started sobbing.
She had put up her entire strength to keep pouring her heart out. And now, her strength was gone and her emotions had taken over.
Louis was on the floor sobbing. His mother's words were like a time bomb, each word was breaking his self defence, his senseless reason for pushing Pamela to the point he did.
Everything his parents did was just for his good. The marriage, the surrogacy, the innocent Pamela, all were for him.
But he failed them. Every single one of them he failed them. He couldn't live up to the standard of a son and a husband. But he could at least try to live up to the expectation as a father to be.
On every side, he failed. That was too stupid of him. He is wealthy and can afford anything money can afford, but he didn't have the cheapest thing that any pauper would definitely have: a common sense.
He was sweating and sobbing. He had never sobbed like this in his entire life. In fact, he has never gotten any reason to sob besides the death of his grandparents.
But today, he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't hold back his tears. Mum had been disappointed at him, no wonder she wasn't interested in seeing him all these months.
He removed his suit and his shirt was rolled up to his belly. His heart was heavy, so much burden and heaviness he was feeling.
He glanced at his mom and saw her sniffling. She had cried for months and possibly decided not to cry again.
Louis crawled to her and wanted to hold her but Leah raised her hand and stopped him. "Forgive me mother. Please forgive me" he couldn't bring himself to say anything else.
As Louis was sobbing in Oak City, Pamela Grayson has just been discharged from the hospital…