My joyful humming echoed in the hallway. It made me unexpectedly nostalgic when I gave good news to the man who had been the victim of Nathan’s cruelty. The memories it brought back were that of my grandfather’s country estate. As a child, I used to spend the entire summer there. The countryside was serene and peaceful, and I had made the most joyful memories of my life due to my grandparents' immense love. What stayed with me was how they treated their employees. They made them feel so much like family that I believed most of his workers to be our friends during my younger years.
“Thank you so much,” the man had said to me. His name was Antonio, and he couldn’t believe his ears at first. “I didn’t expect to get another chance on my first day. Someone told me that I had more chances of finding myself buried alive in the middle of the night than getting mercy from Nathan Sinclair. They didn’t tell me what he looked like and where his room was. I came here searching for Doctor Williams and accidentally opened the wrong door.”
He then continued to tell me how grateful he was for another chance because his situation wasn’t as kind as others. He was an undocumented immigrant. His parents had brought him to the country, and he died in an accident when he was eighteen. After that, he tried his best to stay hidden from the government because he had no other option.
I was glad to help, but it was better to hide that from Nathan. I didn’t know anything about his views on that.
“Amelia.” Mrs. Sinclair stopped me on the way when I was barely a few feet from Nathan’s room. “Sweetheart, can I have a word with you?” she asked with so much affection and respect that was missing from her tone before.
“Of course,” I replied unwillingly. We both knew what she was about to say. She wanted an heir by any means. All that was left there to see was
What she was ready to sacrifice for it. Hopefully, it wasn't her son’s peace because Nathan had created a soft corner in my heart for him. I couldn’t betray him. Not without a damn good reason.
Mrs. Sinclair smiled from ear to ear. It was a bit creepy, to be honest. She touched my arm before beginning. “Have you informed your family yet about your engagement? I am looking forward to meeting them at the party.”
“My parents?!” I exclaimed. Her question had caught me completely off guard. Even though it wasn’t the question I wished to evade, it was another problem. How would they react to not having any family to celebrate my happiness with me? A wealthy family like them had a reputation. What would they say to people about my family background? There shall be so many eyes on me, demanding information all about me.
“My parents are no longer with me,” I choked on emotion. It had been a while since the news of their death, but the wounds were still fresh. Because of John, I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to them. “And the rest of the family has nothing to do with me because I had eloped with my ex-husband against their will.”
Mrs. Sinclair’s expression dropped. She seemed deeply disturbed by my answer. Did it matter to her? Would she break off the engagement of her extremely choosy son? I suppose not, but deep down, I still feared rejection.
“Well, that’s alright,” she began with a nervous smile. “They’ll come around after finding out who your fiancé is. Let them see your face on the news or the newspaper. You will also form lots of new connections as well. You’re not alone in this. We all are with you.” She pressed my arm reassuringly.
“Seriously?” I confirmed. Her swift acceptance was hard for me to digest. She could have at least expressed some concern. “I didn’t know that the engagement party shall be broadcast on television.”
“It won’t be. We enjoy our privacy. I was hoping for you two to interview after that,” Mrs. Sinclair clarified. “You shall be briefed about what to say a day before. I want to show the whole world how well Nathan is doing now. Especially those who had wished ill upon my son when he was healthy.”
“I can do that,” I said, hoping that would end our conversation. However, something about her unrelaxed eyes made it seem like there was a lot more. My gut feeling told me she had been saving the worst for the last.
“There is something else,” Mrs. Sinclair started. Her fearful eyes looked around before continuing. “I need you to follow me to a safe place before I can say anything.”
She took my hand and made me follow her. I walked with her without a word. I had a grim feeling about it and was experiencing heart palpitations, but I still wanted to hear what she had to say. Mrs. Sinclair wasn’t an ordinary mother. She had a life and dark secrets of her own. I expected something awful from her.
Was she and Mr. Sinclair in an open marriage? But too afraid to say anything because they feared judgment from their only son? Or was it something more darker than that? I was so out of there if she required my assistance in the murder of her husband. Adulterers have committed terrible crimes for the sake of their forbidden love since the beginning of time.
Mrs. Sinclair opened a locked room, asked me to get inside, and locked it again before opening her mouth.
“Amelia. I know you will judge me harshly for this, but...” She took my hand and placed it on her belly. “I am pregnant with Doctor Williams’ child. And I wish to keep it.”
My jaw fell open. She must be kidding me. How old was she? I imagined her to be post-menopausal. “What do you mean? How is this possible? And isn’t it madness to keep the evidence of your infidelity? Are you planning on leaving your husband?”
“No.” She shook her head. She was upset but didn’t seem ashamed of her actions. “I already feel connected to the person growing inside me. I am not sure what I want to do. Maybe I want to lead a separate life with Williams, or maybe I want to give my marriage another chance. Nathan is very sick. He may never have a healthy child or any child at all. If you get pregnant now, we can pretend this baby is yours. We can say them to be twins. Or maybe it’ll be a single child if any of our babies die before birth?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I didn’t expect that load of crap from a sensible woman like Mary Sinclair! What was I supposed to say when all I wanted to tell her was to get her brain examined by an expert?