My Son Watched Me Bleed

Chapter 3 Fractured Dreams

As the call ended, Nina remained standing, phone still in hand, feeling a heavy weight settle around her.

Years ago, Simon was just a struggling dreamer. To stay with him, she had severed ties with her own kin, believing their love could conquer all.

She once thought he was her everything, the only thing that mattered.

It felt laughable now, looking back.

Discharged from the hospital, Nina returned to Moore's Villa by mid-afternoon with only a single suitcase in tow, ready to gather her essentials and leave.

The divorce papers, freshly signed, were slipped into her bag, intended for Simon upon his arrival home.

The villa was eerily silent, with Mary, the housekeeper, absent from sight.

Ascending the stairs, Nina moved toward the master bedroom.

The door was slightly ajar, allowing voices to drift into the hallway.

Her fingers hesitated on the doorknob.

Vivian's voice carried with a sickening sweetness, "Simon, any chance she'll ever suspect what really happened with those miscarriages?"

"No chance," Simon replied, his voice thick with a post-coital laziness. "She's too gullible. A simple trinket was enough to keep her in the dark."

A dagger of pain twisted deep within Nina as she stood in the doorway.

It wasn't just the soup. The father of her babies had been responsible for their deaths.

Vivian's voice turned syrupy as she pressed, "So, when's the divorce happening then?"

"Divorce?"

Simon's voice carried an ease that hinted at his satisfaction with the current situation.

"When did I ever mention divorcing her? The title of Mrs. Moore is hers."

His words were steady, allowing no room for doubt. "It was hers once, it's hers now, and it shall remain hers."

A sense of tension gripped Vivian's body, but then she spotted a corner of clothing at the door and managed a cunning grin.

"Simon," she inquired, "what do you reckon will happen if she discovers the baby I'm expecting is actually yours?"

Could Vivian's baby really be Simon's?

Nina's heart sank as tears brimmed in her eyes, her body quivering in shock.

Simon had fathered a baby with his adopted sister?

When Vivian moved into Moore's Villa, she claimed she was pregnant before tying the knot, with the father conveniently disappearing.

Nina pitied Vivian, taking charge of everything only to learn she had been unknowingly caring for the offspring of a mistress.

Both Simon and Nate knew and chose to deceive her!

Inside, Simon's voice carried firmly.

"Behave, and you won't fare poorly under my watch."

His tone shifted, almost as a threat. "But forget about being Mrs. Moore. If Nate didn't need cord blood for his cancer treatment, this pregnancy wouldn't have happened."

Nina's eyes went wide, her heart pounding.

Nate had cancer. But how serious was it? Could it be treated?

Just as she was about to march in and confront them, Nate's pleading eyes flashed before her, from when he handed her the herbal remedy.

Best to let it be.

Nate had convinced Vivian to give him a brother. So where did that leave her as his mother?

Nina turned and walked away, her heart heavy.

It wasn't until she reached the end of the hallway that she realized she had unconsciously stopped in front of the nursery.

This was the room she'd lovingly prepared for her unborn baby.

For three long months, she had been down on her knees, her belly round and heavy, laying out the play mat and imagining the joy to come. Simon had always been there, laughing and supporting her.

But now...

Nina inhaled deeply and eased the door open.

What she saw made her stagger backward a few steps.

Crimson paint stained the walls, and the play mat lay toppled in disarray in one corner.

The baby clothes she had carefully folded were scattered about, trampled and dirty.

In the center of it all was a fire pit filled with charred remains of baby clothes.

These were the garments she'd sewn by hand, lovingly prepared as she counted down the days.

As Nina stood there, frozen, Simon's voice came from behind her.

He entered, face tense with barely restrained fury. "How could you let this place fall into such chaos after just getting out of the hospital?"

Vivian followed, stepping in with a feigned look of concern. "I know it's tough, Nina, losing the baby, but you can't take it out on this nursery."

She leaned in closer and whispered, "How does it feel to see your cherished efforts go up in flames, courtesy of me?"

Nina's response was swift, a sharp slap across Vivian's face.

Vivian stumbled back into Simon's arms, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Simon, you convinced Nina to end the pregnancy for her health. Now she wants to punish our baby for it."