Chapter 26
As the days passed and Cynthia’s due date approached, the Tracey household grew increasingly anxious.
Everyone took turns keeping vigil at her bedside, and though she was in the best maternity suite the hospital had to offer, it did little to ease their nerves.
Nathan never once let go of her hand, watching her every expression like a hawk. The moment she so much as frowned, he was there massaging her legs, easing her discomfort.
To him, nothing-not even the child she carried-was more important than her well-being. He never let his guard down for a second.
When Cynthia was finally wheeled into the delivery room, a team of doctors stood by. Nathan, dressed in sterile scrubs, stood right at her side, holding her hand, whispering encouragements into her ear.
Outside the delivery room, Alexander Lowell had just landed and rushed straight to the hospital.
“Has the baby here yet? Is Cindy okay?” he asked, breathless, as if he were the father himself.
Ms. Tracey gave him a knowing look and gently took him to a seat.
“She just went in. Sit down and wait like the rest of us. Pacing won’t help anything.”
“Alright,” Alexander murmured, his shirt already soaked in nervous sweat. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might crack open. He was so anxious that nearly stood up a few times to rush in and shout, “Save the mother-no matter what it takes!”
But just as he rose to his feet, the delivery room doors burst open.
“It’s a boy!” a nurse announced joyfully. “Would the grandparents like to come meet him?”
Mr. and Mrs. Tracey took one glance at the swaddled newborn before immediately brushing past him to check on Cynthia. Before rushing into the delivery room, they placed the baby in Alexander’s arms.
He looked down at the child awkwardly, stunned to find himself holding a warm, wiggling bundle.
With no one else available, he followed the doctors to have the infant examined. Still, his mind wasn’t on the child-it was with the woman behind the operating doors.
Soon, both mother and son were declared safe and sound.
When Cynthia woke up, Nathan, who hadn’t left her side once, broke down in tears of relief.
“Cindy, that’s it. No more. We’re never doing this again,” he whispered, voice trembling.
She nodded weakly. Boy or girl, it didn’t matter. She didn’t want to go through that pain again,
Alexander returned the baby to the nurse.
“Take him to his mother,” he said flatly. “I won’t be going in.”
The nurse blinked, confused. “Aren’t you… family?”
But he just turned and walked away, pausing briefly at the door to steal one last glance.
That was enough. He had no right to be by her side anymore. Seeing her healthy and safe was all he needed.
Chapter 26
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Moments after he left, Cynthia held her baby close, breathing in a familiar scent of cologne.
“Was… was my uncle just here?” she asked softly.
Mr. and Mrs. Tracey nodded.
“Oh,” she replied, her tone light and distant. As if he were merely a distant cousin, not someone who had once shattered her heart. Knowing he was well was enough.
The baby grew quickly.
At the baby shower party, Alexander arrived, as promised. He brought extravagant gifts-real estate, company shares, gold, diamonds-and left just as quietly as he came, not even staying for a single bite of the banquet.
What Cynthia didn’t know was that Alexander followed every detail of her life from afar.
He knew when she smiled, when she cried, whether the baby slept well, whether she was adjusting.
But he kept his distance. Because once, she had told him: “Let’s see each other less.”
And so he did, as promised.
The first word their son ever spoke wasn’t Mommy, or Daddy..
It was Amaris.
The moment Cynthia heard it, she froze.
They had never taught him that word.
None of them had.
Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks as she hugged her child tightly, whispering shakily, “My boy… are you Amaris? Did you come back to find me?”
The little boy didn’t answer-he just repeated the word Amaris, then reached out his tiny hand, gently pressing her eyelid with soft fingers, just the way her cat Moon used to do. Pawing, but never clawing.
At that touch, Cynthia broke down completely.
From that day on, their son’s nickname was Amaris.
Far away in Capital City, Alexander heard the news and saw the photo-a serene, tearful Cynthia holding the child who
bore the name of the one she loved most.
His heart skipped a beat.
Regret, thick and suffocating, rose in his chest.
He stood before his floor-to-ceiling window, eyes empty as he stared out at the setting sun. A pale silver moon was rising slowly into the night sky.
“So… you came back to her after all, Amaris,” he murmured.
“But I… I can’t go back anymore.”
His voice was barely audible, lost in the silence of his empty world.
Chapter 1 Mr. Nathan
