Chapter 8.1 - My Wife's Friend
734 Words
This was all kinds of messed up.
He never paid much attention to that pregnancy stuff and wasn't exactly thrilled about having a kid with Alice. The death of that tiny being wasn't even on his radar, especially considering that having an heir from both families was crucial to keep things running smoothly. He had always kept both of them pretty much locked up in that house, oblivious to the fact that he might need them someday, that his dad had some deal going on with the Taylors.
Why the heck didn't his old man clue him in on this?! Maybe if he'd known, he would've at least given Alice and her pregnancy a bit more thought. Could it have been his fault? Did the way he treated his wife the night before have something to do with it? Nah, that couldn't be it.
"No way, it's not my fault. She must've messed something up to lose our kid. If there's blame to toss around, it's on her, she was the pregnant one. Definitely not my fault," he muttered to himself, trying to avoid carrying the weight of that burden. He headed to the hospital where Alice was, feeling the obligation to visit his wife after the loss of their child, feeling guilty for taking so long to go. Or for not answering any of the calls.
The heavy rain was still doing its thing since the night before.
When he got there, the Taylor family was waiting. Sofia stood up and welcomed him with a slap across his face.
Smack!
"You jerk!" she yelled at her brother-in-law. "How could you leave my sister alone in a moment like this?! Your son died! And you weren't here," she scolded, making quite a scene.
"I was away on business trips," he tossed out that excuse, not having a better one. While he was messing around with his lover, his wife was giving birth and their son died.
"And cut the crap, Robert! You have a lover, and we all know it. Think I haven't seen you with her? You kept my sister locked up while you paraded her around without a hint of shame. But I swear on everything I love, you'll pay for what you've done!" she threatened.
"I wanna see my wife. Where is she?"
"Now you remember you have a wife?" she raised an eyebrow and twisted her mouth. "Now she's your wife, right?"
"Alice has never stopped being my wife, Sofia. And watch your tone when talking to me, stop being so rude to your brother-in-law."
"You can't see her now, she's resting." She knew Jared was still with her and wanted to give them privacy. Robert's presence wasn't necessary, especially if he interrupted the moment between Jared and Alice. She wanted them to have more time together since a lot of time had passed, and Alice hadn't asked Jared to leave, indicating she was fine with him being there.
"Now is when I can see her. I have to travel again."
"Sure." She turned around, arms crossed. "So, to be crystal clear, you're only here out of obligation, right? Realized you made a mess and came to see if you can fix something? Go back where you came from. You weren't needed now. Your son had a few hours of life, and still, you couldn't even meet him. And just in case you're curious, his name was Ethan. A beautiful baby that you definitely didn't deserve." She stepped up to Robert, placing a hand on his chest. "Give my sister the damn divorce. I don't know what happened, but you locked her up in that damn house! But I swear... I will make my sister leave you!"
"In which room is my wife, Sofia? I have to see her," he impatiently asked, tired of his grumpy sister-in-law's words, who even dared to hit him. He didn't buy her threats because a divorce didn't depend on her, and the Taylor family had already made it clear to Alice that she had to stick with the marriage.
"That's enough, Sofia," Mr. Taylor complained, watching how Sofia treated his son-in-law. "Show a little more respect and let his wife be the one to scold him for missing a moment like this," he said. "It's that room," he pointed, indicating to him.
Robert walked over there, rubbing his cheek where Sofia had hit him.
- Writer
