The Second Wife by Melinda Mulera (good books to read for 12 year olds TXT) 📖

(Twenty two weeks later)

Nearly twenty two weeks had passed since that day Avery showed how affected he was than most of us. Hazel didn't bring up the issue since then and luckily enough, Avery had fallen asleep on my chest that day, making it less awkward for Hazel since he had been eavesdropping. He advised me to just spend the night where Avery fell asleep after dinner so he would wake up and see me beside him. Hazel overall seemed really concerned about Avery for the first time. He looked guilty and didn't try to brush him off of me even after Avery had woken up. Unexpectedly enough, Avery was back to his normal self in the morning and acted as though he couldn't remember anything. He just seemed himself and fighting with Hazel who also pretended not to have witnessed it. Though I could see through their skin that they were both just trying not to feel awkward. Avery just didn't want Hazel to find out that he cried, despite the fact he already knee, and Hazel didn't want to let Avery know he had watched him cry.

Overall, I didn't pretend about it. I couldn't. Avery just didn't look the same after then. He didn't look so brutally strong anymore. He didn't look like the selfish cold man every one at work knew him as. He looked completely fragile now.

He noticed I had stopped insulting him or biting at him with anything he did and began to complain that I was now looking at him in pity. But I couldn't help it. How did he expect me to act knowing his chances are too slim and he would actually end up losing. Nothing was okay. I felt scared and so did Hazel. We found yourself not wanting to know so soon.

"I hope you've all be well." The voice we all did not want to hear so soon beamed into the kitchen where we were, preparing breakfast.

It was mostly Avery and Hazel since they were having a cook off at who would make a better egg dish for me. I and the maid, that had actually became a good friend of mine, decided to sit back and watch them compete while we talk about off topic things.

"It's been 6 months and two weeks." She smiled slightly and I clenched my jaw as I stared at her.

She was right. I was officially six moths and two weeks pregnant. She actually didn't come the exact month she said she would. We all actually lost track of time ourselves despite the fact my belly was humongous and I was more limited than I ever was in my life.

"I didn't come on my specified month as promised because I had to travel to have checkups. I had minor complications but they are fine now." She smiled and that's when I noticed she didn't look pregnant at all.

Did she miscarry?

"Did you..." I trailed off when she looked at me.

"I gave birth, five weeks ago actually." She smiled triumphantly. "I was a month and some weeks pregnant before I came here. My child, however was born a month before the actual date but is perfectly healthy. They suggest that it might be because he was in a lab for atmost two weeks. So he might really be on time according to how long he was in the lab."

"It's a boy?" Avery asked and she nodded. "Why was he in a lab that long?"

"The doctors had suspicions that he wasn't going to develop normally. He showed signs of a genetic mutation even at the earliest stages. He was about to die in other words. Many women undergoing were told about him when they had to select their children and they all avoided him, but I insisted he just needed an actual womb to thrive in and I was correct." She grinned again.

"He has no complications!?" The maid gasped in shock and she paused for a moment.

"No, he simply has Heterochromia. Nothing too alarming." She smiled and I suddenly found myself admiring her strong will to keep a baby no one wanted. "Doctors, however, believe he might have some mental illness as he progresses from the donor who was later found that is bipolar. He deliberately excluded that valuable detail when applying just because he wanted a child to exist under his name. He's not very old to be thinking such things. Rather, he's just a year younger from Iris but he thinks he won't find anyone due to his episodes."

"Did you meet with him?" Hazel asked in wonder as we were all shocked.

"Well, I did. He already knew I was the one who took the baby and had been keeping a close eye on me since. In the birthing room, he walked in so suddenly and claimed he was the donor and wanted to see the child, that was all he wanted. So I allowed it, however, after giving birth and resting for nearly a day, he suddenly switched character and tried to steal the boy when the nurses asked him to leave. Such a persistent bastard, tried to force me to marry him or else he would kill the baby. I dared him to do it." She said with a grin and we all widened our eyes at her. "He couldn't. I knew. So they ended up just dragging him away." She sighed out with a slight frown. "Enough of that, Iris, we need to go this morning and get done with this."

"We haven't had breakfast yet." Avery spoke out and yet his voice cane out dry and somewhat breathy. "She needs to eat first."

"Okay." She nodded. "But you have to drop the fear, Avery, take it like a man if you've lost."

Avery didn't answer except turn back to his dish, finishing up as Hazel shot me a worried glance and I shrugged at him.

What would I do?