Chapter 4 Goodbye, Baby!

As Gerald walked back to Gloria's ward, he got lost in his thoughts along the corridor, replaying the joy and excitement of welcoming their newborn twin daughters. He had not expected his joy to be doubled like this. He felt overwhelmed and indeed very lucky seeing himself as a father of twins. Though he didn't know how he was going to clear all his bills, the twinnies sure gave him hope. He knew he would somehow find a way or the other to sort it out as long as his family were here with him. Suddenly, his footsteps were disrupted by a faint cry. Initially, he thought it was just the usual hospital noise, but as he drew closer, the cry grew louder and more insistent. A shiver ran down his spine as he recognised the voice - 'It was Gloria's'

He quickened his pace, his heart raising with a sense of foreboding. He reached the door to the ward and hesitated for a moment, his hand trembling as he grasped the door handle. Steeling himself, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. The sight that met his eyes made his blood run cold. Gloria sat in the bed, her face contorted in anguish, clutching one of the babies to her chest. Tears streamed down her face as she rocked the tiny form back and forth, whispering a mournful melody.

Gerald's gaze fell on the small, still body, and his heart shattered into a million pieces. One of their precious little ones was gone. Standing by Gloria's side was a female nurse patting her shoulder consolingly. He felt this was not the moment to be downcast. His wife needed him now more than ever. His pain was nothing compared to what his wife must be going through. Nothing hurts a mother the most than to see their child dead or suffering. He braced himself up and walked beside her.

Realizing her husband's intention, Gloria clutched the baby tightly, not wanting anyone to get hold of the body. That had been the nurse's intention all along, but she refused to give her child to anyone. Like a magical medicine, she felt Gerald's warm touch on her cheeks, and she understood she needed to let go of the pain and allow the baby to rest in peace. Tears further flew freely out of her eyes as Gerald stretched his hands forward to get the baby.

"Please don't. Our baby needs us." She shook her head in pain. Her reluctance was evident, but she knew it was a sacrifice she must make.

"It's going to be fine."

Gerald's insisting hands were still in the air. He couldn't just force the baby out of her hand except she gave in herself. Seeing her in such agony made his own tears come running out without delay. He felt so sorry for the baby, and most especially Gloria, carrying two babies in her womb, and eventually, one of them had to die. If he were the mother, he was sure he'd feel the same.

Gloria finally resigned, handing over the baby to her husband even though it was hard. She knew there was nothing she could do anymore to bring back the child's life. Her eyes moved along Gerald's hands as he passed the still body to the nurse. "Please do something, Gerald. She's taking our baby away," she stretched her hand forward in the nurses' direction as she began to move away.

Gerald immediately held her closely and gave her a comforting embrace. "Let it go dear. It's going to be alright," he consoled. Even his own voice was shaky. However, he reminded himself of his gender, and that he needed to be strong for his family. "We still have one baby left to take care of, right? We can still be happy again with her. We don't need to let her know she used to have a twin. We will take care of her like she's the only one, and together, we will raise her to be a good woman who will be proud of herself."

Gloria opened her mouth but no words came out of it. It might be difficult to get over the pain now, but she knew with her husband's support, things would eventually fall back to place.

2 Days After...

(The Anderson's Mansion)

As Rico pulled the Range Rover into the garage, he came down to open the back door, where Madam Anita slowly emerged. He hurried to the other door and opened it, and then Vanessa came out of the car, cradling the baby snugly in her arms. Madam Anita waited while Vanessa advanced towards her with a warm smile. And together, they approached the front door, which Madam Anita opened with a flourish.

As they stepped inside, a loud popping sound filled the air as a bunch of balloons burst forth, startling Vanessa.

"Congratulations!" The voices echoed through the room as a crowd of people emerged from their hiding spots.

"Oh my goodness!" she muttered, her face alight with shock and amazement as she took in the sea of familiar faces– workers from the company, Madam Anita's friends and many others. The room was filled with colorful decorations, a big banner that read 'WELCOME HOME VANESSA & BABY!' And a long table with food, drinks and gifts.

Eduardo stepped forward from the crowd and approached Vanessa with flowers in his hands. "Welcome home my love."

"I'm sure this was your idea," Vanessa smiled. "Well, not just mine."

"Who else?"

Eduardo donned a smile as he tossed his head in Madam Anita's direction. Vanessa shifted her gaze at her grandmother in astonishment, and she saw her beaming at her. Quite funny, they were both coming all the way from the hospital, but she didn't mention what they were planning. It didn't even slip out of her mouth by mistake.

"Grandma, you are aware of this?" "I'm not just aware. We actually planned this together," Madam Anita responded with a confident smile.

"Oh my God! You sure know how to keep a secret."

"Are you just going to let the flowers waste?" Gerald cut in. "The flowers are getting sad already."

With a gratitude smile, Vanessa accepted the bouquet from him, her fingers brushing against his as she took the flowers. "Thank you, honey." They both exchanged a kiss on the cheeks before joining her well wishers. "Thank you everyone for coming. It really means a lot to me."

A gentle voice rose from the crowd, belonging to a female worker who had been working with them for ages. "You don't need to thank us, ma'am. You've been so kind to us, and we'll forever be grateful for that. That's why we are very proud and happy for this new addition in your family. I pray this kind of joy doesn't end yet. You deserve more."

Vanessa's smile deepened. "Thank you, Suzanne... Thanks to you all. I really appreciate everyone's effort to congratulate me. You should enjoy yourselves. Today is a day of joy. Don't be shy."

As they all indulge in the celebration, Vanessa couldn't help but notice Gloria's absence in the crowd in spite of the many people that showed up. She looked around, but it seemed Gloria wasn't there at all.

"Are you looking for someone?" Madam Anita asked her.

"I was just thinking about Gloria. I don't understand why she's not here."

"Gloria again?" Madam Anita's expression turned stern. "I thought we had an understanding. Why do you keep looking for that woman?"

"Come on, Grandma. You know I never agreed to that idea of yours. I'm sure Gloria must have given birth too by now. That's why I want to see her. I want to share my happiness with her."

"No, you are not seeing her," Madam Anita's voice grew louder, causing all the people's attention to divert to her. She looked around and saw a lot of eyes staring at her. Embarrassment washed over her– 'of all days.' She didn't expect her voice to increase like that.

Eduardo raised his hand in the air to get the crowd's attention, and they all turned to face him. "It's fine, everyone. There is nothing to worry about. You should all continue with the celebration." He strode towards the two, his face displayed worrisome. Some questions began to load up in his head. Questions like if the old Madam Anita was actually back again. He hoped not. He couldn't afford to let that happen, especially now that things are starting to go well for them. "What's going on, Grandma?"

"Please talk some sense to your wife. She refuses to listen to whatever I tell her."

Before Eduardo could say anything, Vanessa spoke defensively. "Don't listen to Grandma. You know how she is. She's at it again. I don't understand why she kept insisting I should stay away from Gloria when she had not done anything wrong to us."

"You should both calm down please. We are in the middle of a party. We can all discuss this once the celebration is over," Eduardo urged.

"There is nothing else to discuss because I'm putting a stop to all this nonsense today," Madam Anita said.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Vanessa.

"I have already booked a flight for you all including the baby. You are leaving for the States tonight."

"What!" Vanessa muttered. She was clearly caught off guard. She darted a quick look at Eduardo to see if he had an idea of it, but Eduardo seemed equally surprised to hear that. She directed her attention back to her grandma, her tone demanding. "Who came up with this idea?"

"I did... That's my gift to you. I want you to raise the baby away from the troubles here, most especially from that Gloria," Madam Anita answered.

"No one is causing trouble for anyone. In fact you are the one making this a big deal. Gloria isn't the kind of woman you think she is."

Eduardo flicked his gaze to the crowd and he noticed all eyes were still on them. He reached out a comforting hand on Vanessa's shoulder. This shouldn't have been causing an argument. From his perspective, he found Madam Anita's idea to be a great one, and it was better to accept her offer now before she changed her mind. This was the first time he would be getting such kind of respect from her, and he couldn't miss that chance for the world. "Keep your voice down, Vanessa. The guests are watching us. Let's not create a scene here."

Vanessa looked at the guest and observed the same. She agreed Eduardo was right. This wasn't the best time to discuss this. However, she didn't want to give her grandma any hope of considering her opinion. "I'm sorry, grandma. I'm not leaving. You cannot decide for me."

"You are leaving, Vanessa. And that's my final decision," Madam Anita said authoritatively before walking away.

Eduardo's gaze fell on the baby, and he realized how tight Vanessa had clutched her. The baby seemed too fragile to be carried in such a manner. "The baby!" he said alarmingly, and Vanessa instantly looked at the child in her arms, realizing how unfair she had been in carrying the young girl. She could only have her grandma blamed for it. Eduardo looked back at the crowd and signaled at Beatrice to come over. He took the baby from Vanessa and gave it to the maid. "Let's talk outside," he said to Vanessa as he led the way.

Vanessa could read through the guests eyes– they were confused. Their eyes demanded an explanation. Some of them were actually thinking if it was best to continue with the celebration or to just leave. Looking at the weird faces, she decided to approach them. "I'm really sorry for everything that just happened right now. You don't need to worry, everything is under control," she assured and they all nodded collectively. Glancing back, she realized Eduardo had gotten outside already. She turned to face the group again, and said to them. "Please excuse me. I'll just be outside." Without waiting for a response, she hurried out.

She appeared behind him as he folded his arms and stared at the pool from a distance. Her perfume preceded her, and Eduardo felt a sudden awareness of her presence. He pivoted around to face her. But before he could start a conversation, Vanessa interjected, "I know what you are going to see, but I'm sorry, you can't convince me."

"Relax Vanessa. I'm not saying Grandma is right with everything she said earlier. All I'm saying is that we should try honoring her gift. You know she's getting old already. The last thing I want for her is to be unhappy because of us. I hope you understand where I'm coming from."

"You don't understand, Eduardo. Gloria and I have been friends for years. I can't bring myself to leave her now and go to the States. Even if I decide to go, I still need to talk to her and let her know my plans. I don't ever want her to feel betrayed again."

"I know Gloria. I believe she would understand why you are doing this. She's not inconsiderate. Besides, you can always give her a call when we get there." A slight happiness grew within him as he saw Vanessa was on the brink of accepting the offer, given her expression. With just a little push, he knew she would eventually give in. "We both know this is the first time Grandma is contributing to our marriage. Let's not make her feel she's making a big mistake... Please, do it for me."

As expected, he knew those words would blackmail her emotionally. They had long waited for Madam Anita to accept their marriage. Now that she had finally accepted, they couldn't just throw away the opportunity. He could feel Vanessa was having a hard time accepting that offer, but after all he had said to persuade her, she had no other choice than to comply.