CHAPTER 49

CHAPTER 49
BLAIR

My breathing is rapid, barely feeling the air reaching my lungs. Sweat covers my entire body, my hair sticking to my forehead, my whole body aching. I feel my hips gradually relax. I'm exhausted, sleepy, hungry, and the list goes on, but none of that matters to me, I just want to see him. It's all I ask for.

"Congratulations," Gwen says, squeezing my hand.

Loud crying fills the room, and a big smile spreads across my face. My baby is fine. We did it, we're both here.

"Congratulations, Blair. It's a beautiful big boy," the doctor says, standing up and approaching with my baby wrapped in a small blanket.

I start crying, and I haven't even held him yet. I try to sit up, but the pain prevents me from doing so quickly.

"Here you go," she places my little one in my arms.

And my tears flow faster down my cheeks.

Then I take him in my arms, feeling him move and snuggle as if trying to fit against me, and he looks at me with those big green eyes, his little pinkish face, slightly swollen, those beautiful rosy cheeks, his eyes struggling against the light to open wide, that hair between blonde and dark. He's perfect. I kiss his little forehead and continue admiring his precious face.

"Hello, Eros," I whisper. "I'm Mom."

My voice is a complete whisper as if I only want this moment to stay between us.

The door suddenly opens, and Gavrel enters.

"Is he here?"

"We're here," the doctor says with a smile from ear to ear.

Gwen steps away from my side, but at that moment Gavrel takes her place. I slowly bring my finger to Eros' tiny hand, hoping he'll grasp it, and he does. It's a strange sensation to feel his small and delicate fingers holding onto my index finger.

And that's when I realize that I'm the only security for Eros at this moment. It's Eros and me against the world, my little one. He will undoubtedly be the man of my life.

What I feel now is something that cannot be explained in words. It's a feeling you'll only know when you become a mother when you hold your little one in your arms. But it's a memory that will be etched in my mind with fire.

He looks just like him. Only those eyes.

DALTON

My son had already been born, wherever he and his mother were. My son had already been born, but they weren't by my side.

And I don't know what made me so angry. That my son, my firstborn, wasn't by my side. Or maybe someone else was enjoying moments that should have been mine. I don't know.

They were my family, and I had lost everything. Now I had nothing. Everything I could have once called home was gone, disappeared. And truth be told, I didn't blame her. A guy like me kept making her go through all the shit that surrounds my life.

No matter how much I tried to start a new life with her, to hide all the things that happened in my childhood, to be the best for her, it was never enough. And I knew it. Out of love for me, she endured all the humiliation, all the sadness I put her through.

But what amazed me the most was that, despite everything, she cared about me. If I had eaten, where I was. Something no one had ever done. If I could, I managed on my own. And if I couldn't, well, tough luck. I spent a long time scraping by on my own.

And I had never suffered because of it. But now that I knew what it was like to have someone by my side, someone to team up with, someone who cared, I felt desolate, and alone. I heard her laughter everywhere. I thought I saw her amidst the sea of people I passed by, but it wasn't her.

I missed her and longed for her presence here again. I would give anything for her to come back, even if it was just for a moment. But to come back, please.

I still remember the first day I talked to her... and also the last.

Maybe I wasn't the best for them, and that's why she left. But in my way, I always tried to be the best I could. And I'm sure no one will love her like I do because she's mine, and that will never change. I'm her partner, and no one can change that.

"Sir, she's here," one of the guys says, opening the door.

"I'll be there in a moment," I close again in my mind the only thing that makes me more human, kinder to people: the memories of my family.

BLAIR

It's been two days since Eros was born. The first night, I can say, was complete chaos. As if Eros didn't feel secure in this environment. He's my little angel wrapped in those small green blankets. We're both lying on the bed. He was peacefully asleep while I watched him.

His little face was still reddish, but he was still completely adorable. What I loved most about Eros was his delightful baby smell. I could spend hours just smelling him. It was soothing.

It was incredible that I had been able to create and have this little one growing inside me. It was simply incredible. Between Dalton and me, we could create such a beautiful child.

I slowly stand up, trying not to wake him, and walk towards the kitchen to check the mail I took from the mailbox earlier. As I pass by a stack of envelopes, one catches my attention. It's an ivory-colored envelope, sealed with a dark navy blue wax seal bearing the capital letter "D" as its symbol.

I open the envelope, tear it on one side, and take out a thick ivory-colored sheet of paper. Written in perfect handwriting, it says:

"Congratulations on the heir to the throne, another one in the lineage of the Blacks. I wonder when we will meet."

I scan the room in all directions, looking for something unusual, as if someone could be inside my house. But I know it's not the case. This must be a joke.

One month later.

Eros is now one month old. He is more alert than when he was just born, but he's still a great sleeper. During the day, between his naps, he's only awake for about forty-five minutes at a time. Gavrel comes to visit him every three days.

Eros's eyes have lightened and have a pale green color, almost identical to Dalton's eyes. Another trait he shares with Dalton is a cleft chin. Dalton has been asking me what I would think of our little one if he met him. I'm completely sure that he would love him and cherish him just the way he is, but I would love to see his expression when he sees him.

I enter the kitchen with Eros in my arms, but before I go in, something catches my attention in the hallway, near the entrance door. I walk down the hallway and reach the door, picking up what's lying there: another ivory-colored envelope with the same wax seal.

I quickly make my way to my room, place Eros on the bed, and tear open the envelope to retrieve the letter, almost dying with its contents:

"I think leaving the service elevator door open is not a good idea. Maybe we'll meet sooner than you expect. See you soon."

Whoever the damn person is writing these letters, they had already managed to enter my house.