Alexander hesitated, looking down at me with a wary expression. But to my surprise, after considering for a moment, he nodded. “Alright. Since it was partially my Beta’s fault you missed your interview, I’ll give you another chance.”
“Thank you.” I puffed my chest out and went to walk past him, heading straight for the nursery.
“Where are you going?” Alexander called after me.
I froze at the base of the stairway, cheeks reddening as it hit me–I wasn’t supposed to know where the nursery was. I wasn’t supposed to know anything about the house that had been my home for six years.
Forcing a smile, I turned back to Alexander. “I’m sorry. I assumed the nursery was on the second floor.”
Alexander blinked in confusion. “Well, it is, but…” His shoulders deflated with a sigh, and for a second, I almost thought I could see the faintest flicker of amusement in his tired green eyes. “Nevermind. Right this way.”
I let Alexander lead me upstairs and down the hall, where I knew the nursery was. The door was already cracked open when we approached. My heart thudded as the soft sounds of a lullaby playing on a speaker
-the very speaker I’d picked out, which had a spinning feature that cast shapes of stars and moons across the walls to the tempo of the music–emanated from within.
I wanted to run straight to my son and hold him in my arms so desperately. But I restrained myself, focusing instead on making a good impression.
“He’s just in here,” Alexander said, his hand resting on the doorknob. “I’ll give you five minutes. After that, I’m taking him back.”
Five minutes. For all I knew, this could be the one and only time I would ever get to hold my son. The thought shot through me like a knife stabbing directly into my heart, but I maintained my cool smile on
the outside.
“Of course. I can have him soundly asleep by then.”
Alexander once again looked disbelieving, but swung the door open and gestured for me to enter. The moment I stepped into the nursery, I felt something inside of me crack. It had only been a week since I’d last set foot in here, but it felt so… different. Like stepping into a life that wasn’t my own anymore.
And I supposed, in a way, it was. I had built this nursery with my husband, intending to welcome a child into our lives. Things had been different then. I had been different–quite literally.
Now, the little boy that was currently fussing in his crib would never get to know me as his mother. Only
1/3
Chapter 239
+15 BONUS
his nanny. If I even got the job.
Lucien was swaddled in the crib Alexander had built as I approached, little feet and hands straining against the soft blue fabric. His tiny face was scrunched up and red with frustration, and he was letting out little hiccups that weren’t quite cries–more like croaks.
“Has he lost his voice?” I asked, glancing at Alexander over my shoulder.
Alexander ran a hand through his hair, mussing the red locks further, and nodded. “He cries so much, plus the oxygen tubes dry out his sinuses. The doctor gave me drops for his throat, but he spits them out.
“Can I see them?”
Alexander hesitated once more, then reached into his pocket and withdrew a small vial of medicinal drops for lubricating the throat. I took it and set it aside before gently reaching for Lucien.
My hands shook as I took my son into my arms for the very first time.
Verify captcha to read the content
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Sickened Luna's Last Chance