Behind the Facade

Chapter 1

One stormy night, Jessica was screaming for help, tapping Benedict so hard. Benedict woke up and said, 'Jessica, what is the issue?' She screamed! 'The baby is coming,' Benedict said. 'Oh, by this time, in this stormy night.' Then she moaned loudly again. Benedict ran downstairs, took the car key, and drove her to the hospital. He could barely see the road because it was raining heavily. They finally got to the hospital; Benedict went in, called for help, and the nurses came. They helped Jessica into the labor room and told Benedict to stay at the reception. Benedict waited patiently until he heard his wife screaming.

A few minutes later, the doctor called Benedict into his office. He told him that they weren’t expecting the baby today, and because of that, they are having difficulty bringing the baby out. The doctor suggested surgery, but before surgery can be done, he needs to sign some documents. Benedict signed, and they carried out the operation. It was a successful operation, and a beautiful baby was born. Benedict was happy, and his wife was discharged after some days.

The following week, Jessica started bleeding continuously. She was rushed to the hospital, but it was so serious that Jessica called for Benedict to speak to him. She started crying, pleading with Benedict to take good care of their daughter. 'Please make sure nothing happens to her; don’t make her feel like she has no mother. Promise me that.' With tears rolling down Benedict's eyes, he said to her, 'Jessica, why are you saying this? We will be there together to take good care of Jane.' Jessica said, 'Promise me, Benedict,' and those were her last words. Benedict shouted and called the nurses. They tried to calm Benedict, but he was crying so much. Jessica was buried a few days later.

Benedict went back to his normal life and resumed work. With the help of Athalia, his coworker at the office, they took good care of Jane. "Daddy, I’m back!" That was Jane talking to her dad. Benedict told her to stop the noise. Jane had grown up so fast; she was already in elementary school. "Jane, do you have homework from school?" Benedict asked. Jane said, "Yes, daddy." Benedict told her to do it, as he still had some work to do at the office. Jane told her dad that she was hungry, but Benedict laughed and told her to check the fridge for something to eat. They left the office really late and branched off at Jane’s favorite restaurant to grab dinner.

When they got home, Benedict asked how her day went. She told him how her day went, and he saw that she had no issues in school. They prepared for the following day, read bedtime stories, and then she slept. At 5 a.m., he went to her room and woke her up. He prepared her for school, dropped her off at school, and told her to come and meet him in the office. Jane hugged her dad and said, "Bye, Daddy. Love you." Benedict replied to her and smiled.

"Good morning, Benedict," Athalia greeted." Benedict replied to her with a smile on his face. 'Madam Veronica would like to see you,' said Athalia. Benedict nodded and went to see Madam. They exchanged pleasantries, and Madam Veronica told him about a presentation they would have in a few days. She explained everything about the presentation to him and also said that she didn't want any excuses if they ended up losing this contract. Benedict promised to do his best to secure the contract. Then she asked him to leave after their discussion.

Benedict invited Athalia to his office, and they started working on the presentation. They worked all day until Jane arrived. Athalia told Benedict that Ethan would go to Jane's school starting the next day. Ethan is Athalia's son. Jane was happy about it. Then Benedict asked about his former school, but Athalia said that she doesn't really like the school because they focus more on social activities than on schoolwork. Athalia then told Benedict how Ethan got first place in his class even though he played all through the session. They all laughed about it, and everyone went home.

When Benedict and his daughter got home, he prepared dinner, and they discussed how their day went. They watched television until Jane fell asleep. The following morning, she prepared for school while Benedict prepared for work. When she got to school, she saw Ethan. They were both happy to see each other. They ran to each other, and Jane whispered into his ear, 'Now we get to see each other every day, not just on special occasions.' They both laughed and went into their classes. After school closed, Ethan and Jane went to the office together.

The following day, Benedict told Jane to stay in school and that he would come to pick her up after his presentation. Benedict then went to his office, and from there, they all went to the venue for the presentation. After the presentation, they got the contract, and Madam Veronica took them out to celebrate. After that, they left, and Benedict went home. He felt something was off, and immediately he jumped out of bed and shouted for Jane. He went to the school immediately, and the time was 6 p.m. He searched everywhere for his daughter, but he didn’t find her, so he called the school authorities and the police immediately. The police told him to put his mind at rest as his daughter would be found. When Benedict got home, he heard a knock on the door. He hurriedly opened it, thinking it was the police, until he saw Athalia with his daughter, Jane. He hugged her and said he was so sorry that he forgot to pick her up after the celebration at the office. Athalia then told him that Jane and Ethan went home together, so she brought her back home when she saw her at her place. Athalia also told him that she had eaten dinner and he shouldn't bother cooking. Benedict was so happy, and he hugged Athalia. He escorted her to the gate and told her bye.

Benedict got back inside and apologized to Jane. He promised her that something like that would never happen again. The next day, he took Jane to a supermarket to treat her and apologize for what happened. Jane bought a new collection of Barbie toys, and she totally forgot about the whole incident.

Ethan and Jane became best friends. They also got admitted to the same secondary school. Athalia got promoted; she also received a nice pay, so she moved to Benedict’s neighborhood. They took turns picking up the kids from school. One day, Madam Veronica called for Benedict. He went to meet her, and she told him that there would be a 3-month training out of town, and the company had nominated him to be the head of his department when he returned. Benedict sighed and explained that he is a single father and nobody would take care of his daughter if he left. Madam Veronica didn't want to listen to anything. She told him that they could pick another person if he was not ready. He told her that he would think about it, and then he left her office. Benedict thought about it for a while, then he told Athalia about it. Athalia then told him that Jane could stay with her. 'After all, she’s like a daughter to me,' said Athalia. Benedict was happy that at least Jane could stay somewhere, but at the same time, he was scared because he didn't know how to tell his daughter. He had never left her alone.

One evening, he called Jane and told her that he had something important to tell her. He sat her down and looked at her for a long time. Jane was getting scared and asked her dad what was wrong. He told her that he would be promoted at his workplace. Jane jumped and shouted, 'Yeah, congratulations, dad.' Benedict then told her that he would be out of town for three months. Jane sighed and reminded him that he had promised to never leave her. Benedict told her that he knows, but Aunty Athalia has agreed to take care of you while I'm away. Benedict hugged his daughter and told her to promise him that she would be a good girl. She promised him before they went to bed.