Chapter 2

Kahl's gaze was intense, almost predatory. Fiona felt like she was at the mercy of a dangerous predator. She stood before him, unsure of what to do or say. Fiona tried to read the emotions in Kahl's eyes for a long moment, but they were as inscrutable as ever.

Attempting to shatter the deafening silence around them, she mustered up the courage to say, "Mr. Kahl Brown, you're here..."

Kahl had never been this gravely concerned about her when they were still together. The man had always been busy throughout their marriage.

He was unfaithful but letting Alice carry his child was almost unbearable. She didn't know whether to hit or confront him about his betrayal. God! It was only because of Alice that Fiona learned of his infidelity.

Right then, Kahl finally spoke, "How is she?" His voice was cold and indifferent. "Is the baby fine?"

Fiona was taken aback. She had been expecting anger or defensiveness, but Kahl's detachment was almost worse. It was as if he didn't care about her at all. For a moment, Fiona was tempted to lash out at him, but then she remembered Alice, who was carrying Kahl's child, and she felt sympathy.

"Kahl, listen, Alice is fine now, but-"

"But what?" he sternly demanded. "What happened to my son?"

When Fiona remembered Alice's bad condition, she tried to hold back her emotions and be professional while caring for the patient.

"Alice is out of danger, but the child couldn't make it. I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. Your girlfriend's and your son's conditions are critical. We must take him out, or both of them will die," Fiona answered professionally.

"You--what?!" Kahl gritted his teeth; his voice was quivering in anger. "You killed him?"

Fiona tilted her chin and faced him squarely. "We have to take him out, or Alice would have--"

"Fuck!" he cursed out loud.

She bit her lips as she watched him bury his face in his palms. Feeling empathetic, Fiona said, "Kahl, I suggest—"

"What did I just hear, huh?!" A familiar voice interrupted her from behind.

It was Laura Davis, Kahl's mother.

She appeared out of nowhere just as Fiona spoke. The woman quickly stormed over to them with the babysitter, Megan Johnson.

"Mom!" she gasped. Fiona's heart sank as she saw fear and dread etched on their faces.

Laura wasted no time confronting Fiona. "What did you mean? "How come you didn't save the baby?"

Of course, Laura knew about Alice and the baby. It's unlikely she didn't know about Laura's pregnancy.

Fiona explained, "It was a complicated surgery, and unfortunately, we couldn't save the baby. She underwent premature labour, and we had to extract him before both died."

But Laura was having none of it. Her anger seemed to grow with each passing moment. "You're a doctor, for Pete's sake! How can you not save my grandson?" she demanded.

Fiona was taken aback. Did they think she could perform miracles just because she was a doctor? She couldn't help but feel like they were expecting too much from her.

"As I told Kahl, Mom, Alice was in a critical state. We have done what we could do to save her," Fiona calmly explained, despite the anger bubbling inside her.

"Save her? You didn't manage to save my grandson, Fiona! How could you say the operation was successful?" Laura screamed, catching everyone's attention in the corridor. "You call yourself a doctor but couldn't even save my grandson! How pathetic!"

Fiona felt a lump form in her throat as the words hit her. She couldn't believe what her mother-in-law had just said. Of all the people, she thought Laura would understand her.

She was Kahl's legal wife, and Alice was his mistress! Why were they blasting at her when she had more reason to be irritated than them?

"Mom... I know you're mad, but if—"

Laura interrupted her again, "Stop calling me mom, Fiona! No one needs a daughter-in-law as useless as you! You can't even save my son's kid?"

Taking a moment to compose herself, Fiona quizzically probed, "Can you believe your son was cheating on me? I'm his legal wife, while Alice is simply his other woman."

Laura scoffed, "A mistress? There's no comparison between you and her. Well, at least Alice is fertile enough to have his kid, unlike you!"

"Like how I couldn't give him a son?" Fiona argued, finally having enough of Laura and her prejudiced antics. She couldn't believe the audacity of it all. She was Kahl's wife, yet she was treated like an outsider.

"How dare you talk back to me? It's because of you that Kahl had Alice, Fiona!" Laura retorted, her lips pursing in contempt.

Fiona couldn't believe how twisted Laura's mind was. She shook her head and crossed her arms. "So, it's my fault that your son had a mistress and can't get his cock out of the bitch's pussy?"

However, Laura relentlessly protected her son, which Fiona found nearly impossible to counter. The situation seemed to escalate until Kahl stepped in, his voice acting like the blocking agent amidst the chaos.

"That's enough!" His firm command made them abruptly halt, realizing they had crossed the line. "If the two of you are going to fight, take it outside the hospital."

Without another word, Kahl turned and left, leaving Fiona without any explanation. His coldness left Fiona reeling, and she felt despair washing over her as she watched him walk out.

"We're not yet done, Fiona..." Laura grimaced and pointed her index finger at her before leaving Fiona in the corridor. She then followed her son, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

While watching their backs vanish from her sight, Fiona felt a shock wash over her. Fiona couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal, both from Kahl and Laura. She was the last to know about Alice's pregnancy.

Even worse, she was the reason Kahl's son died!

Fiona had married him, thinking she was building a life with the man she loved, only to find out that he was cheating on her and expecting a child with another woman. The weight of it all was suffocating her.

Realizing the gravity of her situation, Fiona fell to her knees, her sobs echoing through the hospital hallway.

Its walls felt like a prison, trapping her in a life she no longer recognized.

***