REBIRTH FOR YOU

Ella Blackwood blink her eyes repeatedly as Dr. Watson’s words echoed in her mind with each syllable sinking in slowly. Tear laced her eye as her hands moved towards her belly. Pregnant? After four good years of waiting, and praying for a child, she’s finally going to be a mother. "I’m… I’m pregnant?" Ella whispered, her voice trembling with joy. "Yes, you are pregnant," Dr. Watson confirmed. "But, Ella, there’s something else we need to discuss." The joy in Ella’s heart was now overshadowed by the doctor’s change of tone. "What is it?" Ella asked Dr. Watson sighed heavily as she looked at the poor Ella. "Ella, I’m afraid the news isn’t all good. We ran some additional tests, and… we found something concerning. You've a type of brain tumor called malignant glioma." Ella’s breath caught in her throat as she froze at her spot, looking at Dr. Watson. She could not believe what she had heard. Brain tumor? Dr. Watson who gave her a sad look, as Ella struggled to process the information she just received. Ella had just gotten good news with bad news. "A… a brain tumor?" Ella repeated and Dr. Watson nodded gently. "Yes. It’s a serious condition, Ella. The tumor is in a dangerous location, and it’s growing. If we don’t treat it immediately, it could be fatal. That’s why I need to advise you that carrying this pregnancy to term could put your life at even greater risk as your body might undergo a lot of stress which will make the tumor to grow faster. I recommend considering terminating the pregnancy to focus on your treatment." Ella’s heart pounded in her chest and she quickly hold the chair for support. The happiness she had felt a moment ago has now completely overshadowed by fear and sadness. How could this happen to her when she was finally going to be a mother? She felt this was too cruel for her. "No…" Ella shook her head. Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes. She could not believe she was asked to choose between her life and her child. "I can’t… I can’t do that. I’ve waited so long for this… this baby is a gift. I can’t just let it go." Dr. Watson reached out to her, placing a comforting hand on Ella’s. "I understand, Ella. This is a difficult decision to make, but you need to think about what’s best for you and make the right decision." Ella’s mind raced as her mind drifted off to her husband Lance, who had always been there for her. She knew that Lance would tell her to give up the child and focus on saving herself. But Ella couldn’t bear the thought. This baby… this baby was a part of her and she couldn’t just give that up. Ella begged Dr. Watson to hide her sickness from everyone, even from her husband as she needed a little time to make up her mind. Dr. Watson hesitated for a while as she was clearly torn between her professional duty and her compassion for Ella, but she finally nodded. Ella nodded too, though her mind was still in turmoil. She had decided she would tell Lance about the baby. But she couldn’t—no, she wouldn’t—tell him about the tumor. Not yet. He loved her too much, and she knew he would insist on her choosing her own life over their child’s. But she really wants the child and had already made up her mind to keep it. She knew that even if she died, Lance would definitely love and cherish their child. As she left the doctor’s office, Ella decided to go to Lance’s office to break the news about the pregnancy and put aside the bad news. But as she was about to head to Lance’s office, her phone rang. Ella stopped in her tracks and reached into her purse to pull it out but the name on the screen made her freeze. Ella’s hands trembled slightly as she looked at the phone and it's her mother-in-law, Laura Blackwood, that was calling her. She took a deep breath before picking up the call. "Hello, Mother," Ella said. "You fool, where are you? Get to the department store immediately!" Laura barked on the phone. Ella's heart sank as she heard her mother-in-law calling her a fool in a public place—a*****e that was owned by Ella. The department store was one of her many businesses that she inherited from her father. Her father had willed everything to her, leaving nothing to her stepsister and stepmother. Even Ella had been shocked by her father’s cruel decision when the will was read after his death. But despite the will, she still let her stepmother and sister manage some of the businesses, believing they were family. Ella stared at the phone and her heart became heavy as she realized there was already another problem. Laura always blames Ella for things. Even if Ella bought something for her Lance, Laura would say she's looking down on them because she was richer than her husband. Being married to Lance came with the burden of dealing with his overbearing mother and sisters. Ella quickly got into her car and drove straight to the department store where Laura awaited. She was still reeling from the doctor’s news, and now this. When she got to the department store, Ella saw Laura standing in the middle of the crowd. Next to her was Mrs. Hargrove, Laura's best friend, and they were surrounded by several shopping bags. The sight of the bags made Ella’s stomach churn; this definitely couldn’t be good. “Ella! What took you so long?” Laura snapped the moment she saw her. Without warning, she raised her hand and slapped Ella. The sharp sting of the slap echoed in the silence that followed. Gasps filled everywhere as everyone was watching what was happening. Ella’s cheek burned with pain, but she didn’t raise a hand to it. “How dare you humiliate me in front of everyone!” Laura yelled, her voice dripping with disdain. “I come to this store, and your staff dares to disrespect me? They refuse to let me take what I bought. Do you teach your employees to treat me like this because you think you’re better than us?” Ella shook her head, trying to calm Laura down. “No, Mother! I would never do such. I’m very sorry. I’m sure there’s some sort of misunderstanding somewhere. Please, let me speak to them and find out what happened.” Turning to the store manager who was standing nearby, Ella asked, “What happened here? Why did you refuse to let her take the items?” The manager who was nervous, spoke softly. “Ma’am, actually, they picked out a large number of items. The total was about $3 million. When we asked for payment, they said they wouldn’t pay, claiming they should be allowed to take the goods because… she’s your mother-in-law.” Ella blinked in surprise. $3 million? That was a huge amount, even for a wealthy store like this. But what shocked her even more was that Laura expected to take everything without paying. Were they trying to ruin her? “Mother,” Ella began carefully, turning to face Laura, “I’m sure we can sort this out. But mother… $3 million is a lot of money. Are you sure you don’t want to settle any of the bills?” Laura’s eyes flashed with fury. “You think I can’t afford it, don’t you? You think just because you inherited your father’s wealth, you’re better than everyone else! My friend’s daughter is getting married, and I can’t even buy things for her? Her daughter is like mine, and the only thing you can do is humiliate me in front of my friends?” Ella swallowed hard and her eyes stinged with tears. She knew arguing with Laura would only make things worse but Instead, she took a deep breath and said, “I’m very sorry, Mother. I’ll handle it. Please, take whatever you need.” Laura smirked, clearly satisfied with Ella’s submission. “That’s more like it,” she sneered before turning to Mrs. Hargrove. “Come on, let’s go.” Ella watched as Laura and her friend left the store, their arms loaded with the expensive goods. They had even hired people to carry some stuff for them, including a newly made bed and other items. Once Laura was gone, Ella turned back to the manager. “I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said quietly. “Please add everything to my tab. I’ll take care of the payment.” The manager nodded, looking at Ella with a mixture of sympathy and respect. Ella offered a small, sad smile before turning to leave. She felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but she knew she couldn’t let it show. Not yet. She still had to go to Lance’s office and share the news she had been looking forward to all morning. Ella arrived at Lance's office and walked through the glass doors. Immediately Lance's secretary, Margaret looked up and saw Ella, her eyes widening in surprise. It was clear she hadn’t expected her. “Mrs. Horace… I—I didn’t know you were coming,” Margaret stammered. Ella forced a small smile. “Is Lance in his office? I need to speak with him.” Margaret hesitated, glancing nervously at the closed door to Lance’s office. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Horace, but… Mr. Horace isn’t here right now,” she said, the words tumbling awkwardly out of her mouth. Ella’s heart sank as she heard that. Feeling a little disappointed, she decided to take her leave. But just as she began to walk away, she suddenly stopped on her track when she heard some voices coming out from Lance's office. One of the voices was unmistakably Lance’s, which Margaret told her that he wasn't around and the other… belonged to her stepsister, Briselle. Ella’s heart pounded as she slowly turned back toward the office door. The voices were muffled, but she tell that they were arguing about something. Ella took a step toward the door, and Margaret quickly stood up, trying to block her path. “Mrs. Horace, please—” Ella gave Margaret a cold stare. “Move aside.” Margaret faltered under Ella’s gaze and she knew there was no stopping Ella now. Slowly, she stepped back and allowed Ella to pass. Ella leaned closer to the door, listening intently. “I’m done with this, Lance,” Briselle’s voice was sharp and frustrated. “I’m getting married to Kayden Bane. So, I don’t need this affair anymore.” “Briselle, please,” Lance’s voice was desperate. “I can’t lose you. I’ll do anything you want. Even if you want me to leave Ella, I’ll divorce her immediately. Please, just don’t leave me.” Ella's perfect life which she had built for a long time crumbled at the moment. Lance was willing to divorce her? For Briselle? Her chest tightened as the reality hit her. She could not believe that the man she loved with all her heart, was having an affair with her step sister. Briselle scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re this dense. I never loved you, Lance.” She chuckled. “I just wanted to see what was so special about you since Ella was always head over heels for you. But now that I’ve had you, I see you’re not worth it. Ella’s just dumb and foolish to love you.” Ella’s eyes widened as she listened to Briselle’s cruel words and her heart shredded into pieces. Briselle had seduced Lance just to hurt her? Just to prove she could take what Ella loved most? As she listened to their sickening conversation, she felt dizzy. Her vision became blurry as the pain was becoming too much for her to bear. She quickly tried to find something to lean on and her hand grabbed the door handle. But as she leaned on the door handle, the door suddenly swung open, leaving her exposed.