Chapter 76 Chapter 26.1
Desmond had stayed in Germany for almost a week. I didn’t go to the company the whole time, out of fear. I didn’t want him to find out I was here, and even more, he could never know that our child was alive. Even after almost two years, the pain still throbbed in my chest whenever I remembered what happened. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from hurting all over again.
I let out a long, heavy breath and shook my head, trying to clear my mind of the thoughts that refused to leave me.
When I finally finished what I was working on, I stepped out of my small home office. I looked for my son, but he wasn’t in the living room, so I headed straight to the garden, he was usually there with his babysitter.
“Hi, Daryl. My baby,” I greeted with a smile. Even though I saw my child every day, I still missed him the moment I spent a few hours away. His entire face lit up when he heard my voice.
He was still in his stroller, he couldn’t walk yet, even though he was almost two. When he neared his first birthday, he had to undergo heart surgery. I thanked God every day that my little boy survived that major operation. I was so proud of him.
I lifted him gently from his stroller.
“How’s my baby?” I cooed. He burst into giggles, his laughter instantly melting away every trace of exhaustion from my body. “Go take your snack first, Jessica. I’ll take care of him.” She nodded and went inside the house.
I devoted my quiet afternoon to my son, doing nothing but holding him close. When my phone rang, I placed him back in his stroller so I could speak properly with my sister.
“Anica? Why’d you call?”
“We brought Daddy to the hospital, Heaven,” she said quickly, breathlessly. “He suddenly collapsed earlier and couldn’t speak. The doctor said he had a stroke.”
I shot up from my seat, heart pounding.
“What? How is he? Have you seen him already?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“Yes. But he’s still unconscious. I’m here with Mom—”
\[Anica, come here.\] I heard Mom calling her in the background. Anica didn’t end the call, so I stayed silent and listened.
The only sounds on the other end were the beeping of machines.
\[Are you feeling better? Can you hear me? Do you want to say something?\] I heard Mom speak softly to Dad. I could hear him trying to respond, his voice low, strained, almost unintelligible. My throat tightened as tears streamed down my face.
It had been so long since I last saw them. Guilt struck me hard, I had stayed away for almost two years, thinking only of myself. I left them behind in the Philippines, and now that they needed me, why was I even hesitating?
\[Mom, I think he’s looking for Heaven.\] Anica’s voice carried through the speaker.
My knees weakened. Daddy… was calling my name.
\[Heaven. He keeps saying your name. I think he wants to see you.\]
My teeth sank into my lip, trying to stop the sob threatening to escape. I breathed in deeply, but the ache inside me only grew heavier.
After our call ended, I sat frozen, lost in thought. Should I fly home? Should I finally face everything I’d run from? For almost two years, all I did was protect myself. But now… now my family needed me.
Jessica came to take Daryl, just as my secretary arrived. I composed myself, walked into the living room, and accepted the documents she handed over.
“Everything you need is there, ma’am. And about the proposals I gave you last week, I wanted to ask if you’ve finished reviewing them.”
“I’ll send them to your email,” I replied quietly.
“Oh, and one more thing, I received an invitation for you. They want you to attend the biggest conference, which will be held in the Philippines.” She handed me the envelope.
I took it and scanned its contents. It felt like fate was pushing me home.
I sighed. I wanted to see my parents and siblings again. But what if I ran into Desmond?
A hollow laugh escaped my lips. Why was I even worried about that? He probably didn’t care anymore. It had almost been two years. I was sure he had already forgotten everything about us.
I told my secretary that we would return to the Philippines the next day. Then I started packing our things, mine and my son’s. Every time I glanced at Daryl, my heart clenched with fear. What if Desmond found out about him? If he no longer cared about me, one thing was certain, he would fight for our child if he knew he was alive.
What if he tried to take Daryl away from me?
I exhaled shakily. No… my in-laws wouldn’t allow that to happen. They wouldn’t let Desmond steal my son from me. They wouldn’t.
Days later, we finally arrived in the Philippines. We headed straight to the condo my mother-in-law had given me. She was already there, waiting. She greeted me with a smile, kissed my cheek, then eagerly took Daryl from Jessica.
“How was your flight?” she asked, her attention still on Daryl.
“Long, but it went well, Mom.”
“Did he cry during the flight?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“He slept the whole time.”
She nodded, satisfied. I checked the time, Jessica and my mother-in-law were both here, so Daryl would be in good hands.
“Mom, do you have anything to do today?” I asked.
“No, why? Do you need something?”
I nodded.
“I want to leave Daryl with you for a while. My dad is still in the hospital… I want to visit him.”
“Don’t you want to rest first? Have you eaten?”
“I’m fine, Mom. I really want to see Daddy. I need to make sure he’s okay. I won’t feel at ease until I see him myself. And yes, we ate on the plane.”
She sighed softly, then nodded.
“All right. I’ll take care of Daryl. Please be careful.”
I smiled faintly and nodded back.