Chapter 170: THE END

Chapter 170: THE END
Third person

Valerie dragged her heavy eyes open. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision.

The smell of drugs and antiseptic and hospital filled her nose. Beside her, Lucas sat with his eyes closed. 

Almost immediately she jumped up on the bed. “Let me go,” she shouted, startling Lucas. 

He climbed the bed and pulled her into his arms. “It's okay, you're safe now,” he whispered softly, planting kiss after kiss on her hair and forehead. Valerie relaxed into his embrace, her racing heart finally calm.

A tear slipped from his eyes and he wiped it. He'd thought he'd lost her. “I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe. I should have anticipated it, I should—” 

“It's not your fault,” she cut him off gently. “It's not.” Tears trailed down her own cheeks and she sniffed. “What happened to Matthew?”

A muscle ticked in Lucas's jaw, he felt Matt had an easy fate after everything he did. "Dead."

Valerie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, her body shaking with relieved sobs. Lucas brought her closer, kissing every inch of her skin to comfort her.

The memory of what happened came flooding back. She'd screamed when she thought that Matthew fired his gun, but her man was faster. Almost as if he'd been waiting for Matt to take the gun away from her temple.

At first, when the gunshot rang in the air, she shuddered. Her breath hitching and oxygen went extinct, because she thought Lucas had taken the bullet. 

But then Matt's grip on her loosened and he fell behind her. She'd turned to see a bullet hole in his forehead, blood oozing out. 

And… and that's the last thing she could remember.

Valerie squeezed her eyes shut, willing to erase the memory of this week. "H-he told me so many scary things…” she sniffed. 

Lucas stroked her hair tenderly. “I'm here now,” he whispered softly. He was dying to know what happened, but he wouldn't push. He wouldn't push it out of her when she wasn't ready.

As if reading his thoughts, she began telling him everything that happened, from the text messages down to how she threw her necklace out and all, she didn't leave out any details.

He listened attentively, clenching and unclenching his fists while still stroking her hair, and hugging her and giving her all the emotional support that she needed.

“You're safe now, my love. You're safe." If Matthew wasn't already dead, he'd have made him suffer first before killing him.

Finally, her sobs slowly subsided, her eyes locking onto his. "What about our son?" 

“You already checked the sex of the child?” He arched a brow and then placed a protective hand on her belly. “The doctor said he's fine.”

Her eyes shifted to where his big hand rested on her flat belly, and held there. 

She understood that it'd been confirmed that she was pregnant, but she wasn't talking about that son. She was referring to the one who had been cruelly taken from her, almost two years ago. She didn't correct him though, at least not yet; she allowed herself to bask a bit in this moment before she brings that up.

Silence stretched between them… Comfortable silence. Lucas watched her intently for long moments as if she was going to disappear if he looked away.

Then his lips curled into a grin as he rubbed her belly so tentatively. "Oh dear. We're going to be a family."

Those soft spoken words were her undoing. She began crying again in relief and happiness at the same time.

These same words from Matthew's mouth sounded to her like a nightmare. But when Lucas said it, it made her world better again. He'd given her a dream she'd always wanted to come through.

Just then, the door to the ward burst open. Frances and Grandma stepped in. 

“My goodness dear, thank the heavens that you're fine.” Martha raised her hands in the air, tears flooding her face. She walked to Valerie's bed, cupped her cheeks, and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “My baby.”

“Mama,” Valerie embraced her and cried into her arms. 

They remained like that for a moment before Martha pulled away and examined her granddaughter. “I hope that beast didn't hurt you?”

She shook her head in response. 

Frances, who was standing beside Valerie, wiped her own tears. “You're very lucky that you're fine, else I wouldn't have forgiven you,” she sniffed.

Val laughed. 

“Who would I tell about my sexcapades?” she whined and Val smiled again.

Frances bent down and hugged Valerie, more tears pooling down her cheeks. “Sorry for everything that happened to you.”

They disengaged from the embrace and then Valerie wiped her tears. “Uhm, Grandma… Frances.” Her eyes darted between the women. “Please can you give us a moment, I need to talk to my boyfriend.”

Frances nodded in understanding, then she eyed Valerie suspiciously. “Don't you think it's a bit too early for that?” She teased.

“You're crazy! Just leave,” Val snapped playfully. 

Frances laughed, already heading out. “I'll go call your colleagues. They've been here waiting for you to wake up.” She shot Val a quick glance. “How fair of you to wake up just after they left.”

Grandma stood up and left too. Once they were alone, Lucas reached for Valerie's hand and kissed it. “What is it?”

“Our son is alive,” she murmured. 

Lucas frowned in confusion as he stared at the woman he loved so much.

“What do you mean?” 

Valerie's eyes welled up with tears again. "The one from that one-night stand two years ago... he didn't die. Matthew sent me a picture."

He stared at Valerie—like she needed a therapist to talk to about the hallucination that the trauma caused—until she pulled out her phone, and showed him the picture Matthew had sent.

His jaw dropped, his eyes scanning the image. The resemblance was uncanny and the same birthmark on the boy's neck was the icing on the cake. Then he looked up at her with bewildered eyes, his lips still apart. “H-how is this even possible?”

Two days later, 

Valerie’s heart pounded in her chest as she stood outside the orphanage, Lucas by her side. Even though he had been quiet throughout their drive here, she could tell that he was just as anxious as her.

They walked in, showing the authorities the picture of their son and the orphanage staff led them to the boy's quarters, their hearts racing with anticipation. Lucas reached for his girlfriend's hand and squeezed tightly.

Valerie rubbed the back of his palm reassuringly, even though she was on the brink of tears herself. None of them said a word to each other, they didn't need to.

As they entered the room, Lucas's eyes found the boy. He was sitting on a bed, looking up at them with curious eyes.

They moved to the bed and Valerie carried the boy in her arms. Tears flooded her cheeks as she pressed his tiny body against hers. It was real… He was real. Her son…

Oh goodness… Her heart swelled. She couldn't describe the joy that she felt.

Finally… finally…

The boy rested into his mother's warmth, his gaze meeting Lucas who was standing beside Valerie, a hand on his jaw while the other patted his woman's back gently as he struggled to stop himself from breaking down. He had to be strong for them.

"Hey, Mister," the boy said, his voice innocent. "We look alike."

Just those harmless soft spoken words from his son broke the dam. Tears flooded his eyes. He sobbed, his body shaking with emotion.

Valerie kept crying too, filled with emotions. After a long moment, Lucas took a deep breath, composing himself.

"Hey, son," he whispered, his voice trembling.

The boy looked up at him, a smile spreading across his face. Lucas took him in his arms, holding him close.

More tears streamed down Lucas's face as he hugged his son, his heart complete. He had found his miracle, his family.

Everything else that occupied his mind faded into the background—the proposal he had planned for Valerie, his private resort, the guests. None of it mattered right now.

Since everything was over, he’d already made the perfect arrangement to propose to her this weekend. Everyone will be there—Calvin, Frances, Martha, Denver, Gabriel, Tessa—to witness him profess his undying love for this woman. This woman he loved to the end. Vessel has never mattered with her. He’d loved her as Valerie too, even when he didn’t know that she was Ashley.

All that mattered was this moment, this boy, this family. Lucas held them close, his heart overflowing with love and gratitude.

He knew he would protect them with his life, and love them until his last breath. They were his everything.

THE END.