Chapter 75 Chapter 25.3
Daryl was finally discharged from the hospital.
Since then, Mommy Shiermy and Grandma Mariam visited often, eager to see him and help me care for him so I could rest properly. Sometimes even the chairman and Daddy Romulo would drop by. Only Desmond remained unaware that our son was alive. I no longer knew whether he still cared or if knowing the truth would even matter to him now.
Would he even be happy if he learned Daryl survived? Or would he react the same way he did when he first found out I was pregnant? Everyone would probably think again that Daryl was nothing but a threat to his relationship with Macie.
Once the doctors cleared Daryl for travel, we left immediately for Germany. Desmond’s family supported me completely, asking no questions.
I wanted to return to work right away, but Mommy Shiermy refused. She wanted me to focus solely on Daryl, assuring me that they would handle everything we needed.
Little by little, Daryl began to gain weight again. Every time I looked at him, it still felt unreal, my son was alive. A miracle. His heart had stopped, his tiny body had been covered in tubes, yet he chose to fight. Chose to stay. Chose to live with me.
Back in the ICU, time had crawled painfully slow. Now that we were finally together, days flew by too quickly. He no longer resembled the fragile little newborn who looked no bigger than a bottle of 1.5 liter soda. Now he was growing so fast.
His doctors warned me that he might experience late developmental milestones because of everything he’d endured. I didn’t mind. He would catch up someday.
All that mattered was that he survived.
A year passed.
He still couldn’t walk. He couldn’t roll over or crawl yet. He had physical therapy sessions, but progress came slowly. And every time I thought of his upcoming heart operation, fear crawled up my spine again.
What if he couldn’t make it?
What if his heart suddenly gave up?
What if complications arose?
Facing everything alone was exhausting, terrifying, even, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to keep going.
“Ma’am Heaven, you have a visitor,” Daryl’s babysitter called from outside my home office. I stepped out, wondering who it could be.
A smile broke on my lips when I saw Mommy Shiermy. I rushed forward to hug her.
“How are you both doing here?” she asked as I led her to the sofa.
“We’re okay, Mom. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you.” She reached for my hand. “How’s work? Are you adjusting? Is it difficult?”
I shook my head. My coworkers had all been kind, maybe because they knew how close I was to her.
“And where’s my precious grandson? I want to see him.” She looked around eagerly.
“He’s in the garden with the maid,” I told her, guiding her outside. She hadn’t seen Daryl in months, of course she missed him terribly. She immediately took over caring for him for the day, insisting she had nothing else to do.
Days passed, and I eventually returned to my regular schedule at the company. I still brought Daryl with me every day. I couldn’t bear to leave him, and sometimes he refused anyone but me.
One afternoon, I gathered the printed documents on my desk and stepped out to deliver them to the head of the marketing department. But halfway down the hallway, I froze.
There was a man speaking with several high-ranking officers in the company.
A man whose silhouette I recognized instantly.
I hid behind the wall, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Slowly, I peeked again.
My breath hitched.
Desmond.
What was he doing here? Why hadn’t Mommy Shiermy called? Did no one know he was coming?
My gaze darted across the hallway, Jessica was walking with Daryl in her arms, showing him around the office. I wanted to rush to them, afraid Desmond might see, but then I remembered…
He didn’t know his son lived.
My phone rang. Mommy Shiermy.
“Heaven, are you at the company right now? I didn’t know Desmond flew to Germany. Do you think you can avoid him? He still doesn’t know you’re there. None of us have seen him in months. Zachary only told us today that Desmond’s in Germany.”
“He’s here, Mom,” I whispered. “I’m just thankful I saw him before he saw me.”
Since the day we left the Philippines, I’d heard nothing about him. The last thing Mommy Shiermy said was that they no longer knew where he lived. He never visited them. Only silence.
I called Jessica and told her we were leaving immediately. We would wait until Desmond left the country.
I went downstairs ahead of them to get the car. I kept my eyes fixed on the lobby entrance.
And then I saw him again.
Desmond.
Still speaking with executives.
Still unaware of me, of us.
Jessica walked right past him with Daryl. I saw Desmond’s head turn. He looked at my son, looked longer than necessary, following them with his eyes.
I ducked lower in my seat inside the car, terrified he might look outside and see me.
Jessica secured Daryl into the car and folded the stroller into the trunk. I couldn’t help her, not when Desmond was steps away.
As soon as she was inside, I drove off, my hands shaking.
Seeing him again felt like losing my breath. I didn’t know what I would do if he confronted me.
If he looked me in the eyes.
If he asked questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
As long as I could hide our son, I would.
He forgot our baby’s death too quickly.
He moved on too easily.
He had no right to this child anymore.