CHAPTER 66 - I have Jade

I stepped back into the hospital room, my legs unsteady, my mind still spinning from the conversation with Jayden. He had left me with so many emotions—anger, confusion, frustration. I had asked for space, but he wasn’t giving me that. He was determined to stay involved, and no matter how much I tried to push him away, I could feel him lingering in my life like a shadow I couldn’t shake off.

As I entered the room, I found that the others had begun to filter out. Jayden’s grandfather had gone already, along with my father. They had likely gone off to settle whatever business they had to handle. But that still left Anna and Cara, both standing by the window, talking in low voices as if they hadn’t noticed my arrival. And Jayden's mother was sitting beside my baby's crib, looking at my baby with so much admiration.

“Excuse me,” I said, my voice cold and commanding. “But I need everyone to leave. I don’t want anyone here right now.”

Jayden's mother was still busy fawning over my sleeping baby.

Anna turned first, her eyes narrowing as if she were about to make some cutting remark. But I didn’t care. I was done playing games, done pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t.

“We don’t answer to you,” Anna said, her tone dripping with contempt. “You’ve managed to trap Jayden, haven’t you? This marriage was always a sham. And now you’ve decided to keep him tied to you by getting pregnant.”

I froze, her words cutting through me like a knife. My chest tightened with a mixture of rage and disbelief. “You think I did this on purpose?” I asked, my voice trembling with the weight of my emotions. “You think I wanted this? That I wanted any of this mess?”

Anna didn’t back down, and Cara stood beside her, her arms crossed and her expression smug. “Oh, come on,” Cara said, her voice sneering. “You’ve secured your wealth and status now. What’s a little baby to make sure Jayden stays with you? You’re no better than the rest of us, playing the game for what you can get.”

I could feel my blood boiling, but before I could respond, a sharp voice rang out from the doorway.

“You don’t speak to my daughter-in-law like that.”

It was Mrs. Horton, standing tall and resolute in the doorway. Her eyes were sharp, her voice cutting through the tension in the room. “You will not harm her, not while I’m here. Understand?”

I didn't even notice when she had packed her handbag and headed to the door.

Anna and Cara immediately stiffened, exchanging uncertain glances as they assessed the situation. They hadn’t expected Mrs. Horton’s intervention, and for a brief moment, I saw a flicker of fear in their eyes.

“Get out,” Mrs. Horton said firmly, her gaze never leaving Anna and Cara. “Now.”

For a long moment, there was only silence. I could hear the faint rustling of fabric as Anna and Cara exchanged looks, each weighing their next move. In the end, Anna gave a small, reluctant nod and motioned for Cara to follow her out of the room.

The door clicked shut behind them, leaving me alone with Mrs. Horton. I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of gratitude and unease. The Hortons, for all their wealth and influence, had a way of getting what they wanted, and it wasn’t always in the most comforting or honest ways.

But at that moment, I didn’t care. I was too tired, too drained to deal with any more confrontation.

Mrs. Horton stepped closer, her gaze softening as she looked at me. “You don’t have to listen to them,” she said gently. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. But you need to understand something.”

I didn’t look at her, instead focusing on the crib where Jade lay sleeping. My daughter’s tiny chest rose and fell with each breath, her face peaceful and innocent in a way that almost broke my heart.

“What?” I finally asked, my voice flat.

Mrs. Horton hesitated for a moment, as if weighing her words carefully. “You’re not just carrying Jayden’s child,” she said, her tone unexpectedly tender. “You’re carrying the future of this family. I know it doesn’t seem fair. But we don’t change the way we feel about people just because they surprise us. You’re part of this family now. And whether you like it or not, we’re here to help.”

I turned away from her, unsure how to respond. Part of me wanted to yell, to argue, to demand that I be left alone. But there was something in Mrs. Horton’s gaze that made me stop. She wasn’t like Anna or Cara. She wasn’t pretending to care for my baby or my marriage. She was offering me something—something I didn’t quite understand but was, for some reason, willing to accept.

“I don’t want your help,” I said quietly. “I just want my daughter to be healthy and safe.”

“Then you need to let go of the anger, Daphne,” Mrs. Horton said softly. “It won’t do you any good to keep fighting all the time.”

She turned and left the room, leaving me to process her words in silence. I stared at Jade for a long time, the weight of everything settling heavily on my chest.

Weeks passed, and Jade’s health slowly began to improve. There were days when it felt like I was winning the battle, and others when the weight of everything around me threatened to crush me. But Jade was strong, stronger than I ever gave her credit for. Her little fingers curled around mine, and I found solace in the simplicity of those moments. It wasn’t much, but it was something I could hold onto.

As Jade’s discharge date approached, Jayden’s presence loomed larger and larger. The extravagant gestures, the flowers, the balloons, the ice cream, his petty talks about rebranding the room and childproofing everything. But I couldn’t help but feel suffocated by it all. Nothing he did felt genuine. Nothing felt like it came from a place of real love or concern. It felt like a performance, a show to prove that he could be the man I wanted him to be, if only for a moment.

After a normal early morning routine check up on my child, the doctor told us we've been discharged. The joy in my heart knew no bounds. Jayden stood by the door with a baby carrier, balloons and a bouquet of flowers, watching as I carefully gathered Jade’s things. His expression was unreadable, but I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands clenched at his sides.

“This is... a lot,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “I don’t need all this, Jayden.”

“I just want to make things right,” he said softly, taking a step forward. “I want to give you everything, Daphne. I know it’s not enough, but I’m trying. For you. For Jade.”

But his words, his gestures, felt hollow. They didn’t touch me the way they once might have. They didn’t erase the hurt, the betrayal, the months of being manipulated. I had seen this side of him before, the side that was willing to do whatever it took to win me back, even if it wasn’t real.

“I don’t want your things, Jayden,” I said, my voice firm, though my heart twisted with the weight of my decision. “I want trust. I want honesty. And right now, I don’t have that with you.”

His face fell, and for the briefest moment, I almost felt bad. Almost.

“I know,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “But I’ll be here, Daphne. Whenever you’re ready.”

I said nothing in return. I couldn’t. I had already made my choice, and the road ahead was one I would have to walk alone, no matter how hard it was.

As I carried Jade out of the hospital, her small body nestled against my chest, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of everything pressing down on me. But in that moment, I had something more precious than any gesture, any promise, any grand display of affection.

I have Jade.

And that is all that mattered.