Letter
When Austin arrived at the hospital, he was met with an empty room. Paulina was gone. A nurse handed him a letter, explaining that Paulina had been discharged and left this for him. He opened it, his heart heavy, and began to read.
By the time you read this, I’ll already be gone. I thought about seeing you before I left, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I know you’re carrying a lot of weight right now, and seeing me would only add to your pain. I wish I could help you, but I need time to heal from everything that’s happened.
I don’t blame you for what happened to me. Yes, I was hurt, and I kept asking myself why Ruby Aunty did what she did. Why did she go so far? What did she gain? But when I saw her pale, broken face, I found myself forgiving her.
That day, you said you’d forgive your mother only after earning Dora’s and my forgiveness. I’m lifting some of that burden from you, I forgive Ruby Aunty from the bottom of my heart. Now, go and win your wife back. I would’ve loved to stay and watch you fight for Dora’s heart, but I need time for myself.
One request, though. Please keep what happened to me a secret. Bringing it up will only reopen old wounds and hurt more people. There’s no end to the pain it could cause, so it’s better to let the past stay in the past.
Stay strong.
Paulina.
Austin folded the letter and sighed, closing his eyes. He rubbed his face with his hands and slumped into a chair. He wanted to fix everything, but it felt like there were too many mistakes to correct, his own and his mother’s.
Feeling disheartened, Austin walked into Dora’s hospital room, only to be met with a hard slap across his face. When his vision cleared, he saw his petite wife gripping his collar, screaming, “You promised! You promised you wouldn’t hurt my child, you bastard! What did you do? Why did you do it? I already signed those stupid papers!”
Austin didn’t move or try to stop her. He let her slap him again and again. It was only when Sienna walked in that Dora finally let go of his collar and rushed into her friend’s arms, sobbing, “He killed my child! He killed my baby again!”
“Dora, relax,” Sienna said, holding her tightly to keep her steady. “Your baby is fine and healthy.” She gave Austin a sympathetic look, his face now marked with red handprints.
“What did you say?” Dora asked, pulling away in disbelief.
“Last night, you passed out because of anxiety and high blood pressure. Austin brought you to the hospital and called me to stay with you,” Sienna explained. Though she disliked Austin for his past actions, she wouldn’t lie to her friend.
Before Dora could fully process what was happening, Austin quietly left the room.
I deserve it after everything I’ve done to her, he thought as he walked away.
Sienna watched the door close and then turned to Dora. “Well, that was something to see. But don’t you think you were a little harsh with him? I mean, I’ve always wanted you to slap him, but I hate to say this, he wasn’t at fault this time.”
“He forced me to sign the document,” Dora whispered, her body slumping as the energy drained out of her.
“What document?” Sienna asked, helping Dora sit on the bed and handing her a glass of water.
Dora took a sip, her hands shaking. “He said if I didn’t sign the divorce cancellation papers, he would hurt my baby,” she said, her voice barely audible.
“What?!” Sienna exclaimed, her anger flaring. Dora hugged her tightly and started crying.
“That bastard! And here I thought he was actually concerned about you. I swear, I want to smack him and…” Sienna was cut off by Douglas, who walked into the room.
“Sienna, baby, watch your language. We’ve got a kid around now,” he said, pointing at Dora.
“Don’t worry, Dora. We’ll find a way out of this mess,” Sienna said, stopping herself from cursing. “We’re here for you. No one’s going to hurt you.”
Dora mumbled something inaudible, making Sienna and Douglas exchange a worried look.
“Dora, you need to relax. This stress isn’t good for the baby,” Douglas said gently, trying to calm her down.
For Dora, Douglas’s words always had a soothing effect. She let go of Sienna and grabbed his hand. “Please, I don’t want to be with him. I’m scared,” she said, her voice trembling.
At that moment, Austin walked back into the room. Seeing him, Dora immediately hid behind Douglas, feeling vulnerable both emotionally and physically.
“Visiting hours are over,” Austin said, his eyes narrowing as he noticed Dora holding Douglas’s hand.
“Mr. Jess, I hope you don’t mind if Sienna stays here tonight,” Douglas said, feeling Dora’s hands shake in his.
“I do mind, Douglas. I know how to take care of my wife,” Austin replied, emphasizing the word wife.
“Oh, do you? Do you really know how to take care of her?” Sienna shot back, marching toward Austin. But before she could say more, Dora held her back, her grip weak but determined.
“Please, don’t,” Dora whispered, her eyes filled with fear and exhaustion.
Sienna stopped, glaring at Austin but staying silent for Dora’s sake. The room was tense, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved pain.
Austin stood there, his expression unreadable, but the weight of his actions, and the consequences, was clear in his eyes. He had a long road ahead if he wanted to fix what he had broken.
Austin stood at the doorway, his arms crossed, his expression cold and unyielding. “As a courtesy for last night and for coming to help at my request, I’ll give you two minutes before you leave. Otherwise, I’m not sure how the hospital staff deals with unauthorized visitors,” he said, his tone sharp and dismissive.
“Please don’t go,” Dora whispered softly, her voice trembling as she hid behind Douglas.
“Austin, can we talk?” Douglas asked, his voice calm but firm.
Austin frowned, clearly annoyed, but he nodded and gestured for Douglas to follow him out of the room. They walked down the hallway to the waiting lounge, the tension between them palpable. Douglas had noticed something in Austin’s eyes earlier, a flicker of remorse and pain, a longing glance toward Dora. He wanted to confirm if what he saw was real or just his imagination.
“Let’s get to the point, Douglas,” Austin said, his irritation evident. He didn’t like being scrutinized, especially by someone he considered an outsider.
“Why don’t you start, Austin? What is it that you want? And when I say want, I’m asking about your intentions in this relationship,” Douglas said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
“That shouldn’t be your concern, should it?” Austin retorted, his annoyance flaring.
He’s not her father or brother, so why is he acting like one? Austin thought to himself.
“I lost my sister once, and I’m not going to lose another. All I want is for her to be happy and safe,” Douglas said, emphasizing the word safe.
Austin looked directly into Douglas’s eyes, surprised by the sincerity he saw there. For a moment, his guard dropped. “I’m never going to hurt her again. You can trust me on that,” he said, his voice low and steady. Then he turned his face away, not wanting Douglas to see the pain and remorse he was trying to hide.
Douglas nodded slowly. “I thought so. We’ll come again in the morning, then,” he said before turning to leave.
Unlike women, men often communicated without many words. They didn’t need long conversations to understand each other. Douglas knew Austin would keep his word. There were many things Austin was trying to hide, but that wasn’t Douglas’s concern. His only priority was Dora’s well-being, and he believed Austin would ensure that. Something had changed in Austin, and Douglas could sense it, no matter how much Austin tried to act cold or indifferent.
When Austin returned to the room, he was greeted by a loud shriek from Sienna. He was already annoyed with her, and her constant meddling only made it worse. As an excuse to get back at her, he smirked and said, “Ms. Addison, this is a hospital. Please maintain some decorum.”
“Leave me, Douglas! How could you believe him? I’m going to shove this scissor up his—” Sienna’s angry rant was cut off as Douglas muffled her with one hand while holding her in place with the other. He turned to Dora, who looked hurt and saddened by his decision to leave her alone with Austin. Douglas gave her an apologetic smile as he dragged Sienna out of the room.
Before leaving, Douglas glanced at Austin, who met his gaze with the same intensity. Douglas’s look was clear: Take care of her.
Even as they left, Sienna’s curses echoed down the corridor.
God, that woman is unbearable. I’m not letting my kids anywhere near her, Austin thought as he locked the door. When he turned around, he saw Dora shrinking into the corner of the room, her arms wrapped protectively around her belly. She stared at him, wide-eyed and unblinking, her face a mirror of fear and mistrust. She was still afraid he would hurt her in an instant.
“Like what you see?” Austin smirked, trying to lighten the mood, but Dora’s expression didn’t change. Her face remained tense, her fear evident.
“Dinner’s already delayed, thanks to your crazy friend. You better eat before it gets cold. You don’t like your food cold, do you?” he said, arranging the food on the table.
When she didn’t respond, he looked up and saw her pitiful form. She was in a hospital gown, her hair disheveled, her nose and cheeks red from crying. Her hands shielded her belly, and against her fair skin, the marks and bruises from their earlier encounter stood out starkly. For a moment, her vulnerability stirred something in him, but he quickly pushed the thought away.
What’s wrong with me? How can I even think like that in this situation? he scolded himself mentally.
He was hurt, shattered even, realizing how much damage he had caused to their once-blissful relationship. It was going to be a long road to repair what had been broken.
Be the devil until she settles down, he thought, steeling himself.
“Are you going to move your ass over here, or do I have to do the honors?” he asked, his tone indifferent.
Dora flinched visibly at his words, and Austin could see her struggling inwardly, torn between fear and defiance. To push her into action, he stood abruptly from the couch. As expected, she began to take small, hesitant steps toward the bed, her eyes never leaving his.
She didn’t trust him. He knew that. And he couldn’t blame her.
As she sat down, Austin placed the food in front of her, his movements careful and deliberate. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes never left her. For the first time in a long while, he felt the weight of his actions pressing down on him.
“Eat,” he said softly, his voice lacking its usual edge.
Dora hesitated, then picked up the fork, her hands trembling slightly. Austin watched her, his heart heavy with regret. He had a long way to go to earn her trust again, but he was determined to try.
For now, he would be patient. For now, he would wait.
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