Chapter 1 Secret and Lies

Naomi lay in the hospital bed, her frail body barely a shadow of its former self. The room was quiet except for the faint beeping of the monitors. Her head was covered with a scarf, hiding the thinning hair underneath.

The door creaked open, and the doctor entered, clipboard in hand. "Naomi," the doctor called gently, approaching her bed, he looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and professionalism.

"I need to talk to you about your condition."

Naomi looked up, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. "Is it the baby, doctor?"

The doctor nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid you lost one of the twins. It appears to be due to a complication resembling an induced abortion, possibly related to something you ingested. However, by some miracle, the other twin is still alive, but you'll need to be extremely careful-no stress, no emotional upheavals, and you'll need to take a lot of vitamins and other supplements to ensure the baby's safety."

"Induced abortion?" Naomi whispered. "Was the miscarriage a deliberate abortion? I thought my illness caused it..."

A tear rolled down Naomi's cheek, and her hand instinctively moved to caress her flat abdomen. "I'll do everything I can to protect this little one," she whispered.

The doctor continued, his tone serious. "You also need to be aware of your illness. The tests confirm that you have a form of cancer called Hodgkin lymphoma. It's treatable, but the pregnancy complicates things."

"I know... I don't want to be reminded about my illness again," Naomi replied as tears flowed freely. "This isn't the first time this has happened. I lost a baby before, and now I've lost another. Why does this keep happening?"

"Naomi, I know this is hard to hear, but the miscarriage appears to be related to something you ingested. We have been doing all we can to give you the best treatment," the doctor said.

Just then, the door opened and Vivian walked in, her high heels clicking on the tiles. She was stunning as always, dressed in a chic designer outfit that hugged her figure. Her blond hair cascaded in perfect waves, and her presence seemed to light up the room.

Vivian was Naomi's best and only friend, someone she cherished deeply. To Naomi, Vivian was like a sister. Despite Vivian's wealthy background as the illegitimate and second daughter of Elijah Brook, she had chosen Naomi as her closest confidant.

"Good morning, doctor," Vivian greeted him with a sigh before turning her attention to Naomi. "Oh, Naomi," she said, her voice breaking as she rushed to her friend's side. "I'm so sorry for what happened. I can't imagine my life without you. We're sisters, and we need each other."

Naomi, overwhelmed by Vivian's show of emotion, started to cry as well.

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Vivian. Please don't cry. It breaks my heart to see you in tears."

Vivian smiled through her tears, wiping them away. "I'm just so scared for you," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

Naomi managed a weak smile, appreciating her friend's concern. "I'm okay, Vivian, I'm just happy to have you here with me."

Vivian's expression softened. "Of course, I'll always be here for you. We'll get through this together."

Naomi nodded, feeling grateful for Vivian's support. "What about Josh? How is he doing? Is he with his nanny?"

Josh was Vivian's one-and-a-half-year-old son. Two years ago, Vivian had visited Naomi and shared the news of her pregnancy. When Naomi asked who the father was, Vivian, who had been dating a famous actor at the time, confirmed it wasn't him and requested that no one question her about the father. Naomi had respected her best friend's wishes without hesitation.

Vivian smiled. "Josh is doing well. He's with his nanny and is safe."

Naomi felt a wave of relief. "I'm glad to hear that."

Vivian then asked, "Has Dominic come by to check up on you?"

Dominic was Naomi's husband of two and a half years. He had been her crush in high school. Although he had never noticed her, when her grandmother announced that she and Dominic had been betrothed since birth, Naomi was overjoyed. Marrying Dominic was the best decision she had ever made, and she dedicated herself to making him happy, believing in his love for her. Despite her grandmother's passing, she clung to the memory of that promise.

Naomi's face fell slightly. "No, he hasn't been by yet," she admitted.

Vivian's lips curled into a subtle, satisfied smile, but Naomi didn't notice. "I'm sure he'll come soon. You should get some rest," Vivian began.

But before she could finish, the door to Naomi's hospital room opened. A tall man with broad shoulders and black eyes entered the room. Wearing a sharp suit that accentuated his commanding presence-Dominic.

Naomi managed to utter in a weak voice, "Dominic Carson..." The first grandson of Sophia Carson, one of the wealthiest families in Los Angeles, smiled at her. His eyes flicked briefly at Vivian, and he gave her a subtle wink.

"My love, how are you feeling today?" he asked, walking towards Naomi to give her a kiss on the forehead.

Naomi's face lit up with love and trust. "I'm feeling better now that you're here," she said, looking at him with adoration.

"Oh, Vivian, you're here. I see you're keeping my jewel company. I appreciate that," Dominic said, turning to Vivian.

Vivian brushed a strand of hair off her face, revealing a diamond ring on her finger. Naomi gasped, then started to cough, a sign of her illness. Dominic patted her back gently.

"Are you okay, my love? Should I call the doctor?" he asked, his tone filled with fake concern.

Naomi shook her head, smiling weakly. "No, I'm fine. I'm just happy that both of you are here with me. Very soon there will be a little one among us."

Dominic's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what? I thought you lost the baby? How is the baby still alive?"

Naomi smiled, confused by his reaction. "Why do you sound offended? I was pregnant with twins. One of the babies died, but the other is still alive. The doctor said it was a miracle. We're going to be parents, my love."

Vivian's face contorted briefly into a frown before she replaced it with a smile. She reached out to hold Naomi's hand. "I'm so happy for you, Naomi, you deserve all the happiness in the world."

Dominic forced a smile. "Words can't describe how happy I am to know that I'm going to be a father finally. But what about your health? Being pregnant and having cancer is a lot of stress."

"It's fine, Dominic. All I want is to be called a mother. I've received so many judgmental glances from people because of my inability to give you a child," Naomi said, then remembered the ring on Vivian's finger. "Vivian, you didn't tell me you were seeing someone already."

Vivian chuckled softly, her eyes meeting Dominic's. "After everything that has happened to you, I didn't want to disturb you with my own stories."

Naomi smiled at her friend's understanding. "You're my best friend, Vivian. We're like sisters. I want to be there for you too. Now tell me, who is the lucky man who put that ring on your finger?"

Vivian gave a shy smile, biting her bottom lip. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Naomi frowned playfully. "I thought we would tell each other everything. Please, I'm curious."

Vivian smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "All I can say for now is that he's someone you know very well."

"Well, if you don't want to say, I respect your decision. But I'm so happy for you," Naomi said.

Vivian and Dominic shared a glance. "My love, I need you to check these documents for me," Dominic said, handing her papers. Ever since Naomi married Dominic, she had been the one advising him and giving him business ideas for the family's company.

To this day, no one except Dominic and Vivian knew that Naomi was the brain behind all of Dominic's brilliant ideas. She was always eager to help her husband.

As soon as Naomi finished checking the documents, Dominic kissed her on the lips.

"Oh, you love birds," Vivian squealed, her eyes gleaming with what appeared to be genuine joy.

"Thank you, my love. You are my happiness," Dominic said to Naomi, his voice tender.

Naomi smiled, feeling deeply appreciated. "I'm just glad I can help. Anything for you."

Vivian wiped an invisible tear from her eye. "I think I should be going now. I have an important meeting to attend, and I'm so sorry I can't stay with you for long."

Dominic looked at her, then suddenly offered, "Let me drop you off."

Vivian smiled politely, shaking her head. "There's no need."

"Really, I insist," Dominic replied firmly. He then turned to Naomi, who was already feeling drowsy.

"You should get some rest, my love."

Naomi smiled sleepily. "I am so lucky to have people like you in my life," she said slowly. "Do you remember what day tomorrow is?"

Dominic looked at her, confused. "What day is tomorrow?"

"Our third-year wedding anniversary," she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.

Dominic's face tensed momentarily before he forced a smile. "Of course, I remember," he said.

Vivian leaned down, kissed Naomi on the forehead, and patted her gently until she drifted off to sleep.

Once Naomi was asleep, the look in Vivian's eyes changed to one of hatred. "She's asleep," Vivian said, then turned to Dominic. They began to kiss passionately, their bodies pressing close together.

"We can't do this here. What if she wakes up or someone comes in?" Dominic murmured, his eyes closed between kisses.

Vivian kissed him more insistently. "No one is going to come in, and Naomi isn't waking up anytime soon," she whispered.

"Let's go to my house. We'll have all the space to ourselves," Dominic suggested.

"Good idea. I hope she sleeps and never wakes up," Vivian replied, picking up her handbag. Together they left the room.

The following day, Naomi slowly opened her eyes, feeling weak and exhausted. She sat up, only to find herself face-to-face with a nurse.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," the nurse greeted her. Her name tag read Nurse Mary.

"Afternoon..." Naomi asked, raising an eyebrow, "what's today's date?"

"April 19," Nurse Mary replied.

"Has anyone visited me while I was asleep?" Naomi inquired.

Nurse Mary furrowed her brow and thought. "Yes, a man visited you this morning. He looked very worried and angry when he came in. He introduced himself as being related to you."

Naomi's brow furrowed. A man? Who could it be? Was it Dominic? But there was no way Dominic would be looking worried or angry. She was confused and tired of thinking.

"What is his name? Did he call himself my husband?" Naomi asked.

Mary gave a small smile. "I only know what my colleague told me. I was on duty this morning. But I can check the register for you to see who has visited today."

Naomi sighed. "There's no need. So that man is the only one who visited me today?"

"Yes, he is the only one," Mary confirmed.

Naomi felt a pang of sadness knowing Dominic hadn't visited, especially since today was their wedding anniversary. She forced a smile, thinking maybe he would come around later in the evening.

"Ma'am, I came here because there is an issue," Mary said.

Naomi looked up at her. "What problem is that?"

"Your hospital bills haven't been paid yet, and I have been told to vacate you from the room," Mary explained.

Naomi looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that? My husband came yesterday."

Mary hesitated before speaking. "The bill hasn't been fully paid, so we can't continue having you in this room and providing treatment."

Naomi was more than shocked and confused by this revelation. Did it mean that Dominic hadn't paid her hospital bills even though he was there yesterday? Or did he forget to pay them?

"I will call my husband. Thank you for telling me," Naomi said to Mary, who then left.

Naomi looked around and realized she didn't have her phone.

"Nurse Mary, are you still there?" she called out, but there was no response. She looked around, wondering why there wasn't any emergency bell to press.

Tears started streaming down her face. "Why is this happening to me? Why..."

Slowly, she climbed out of bed, careful not to fall. She held onto the IV pole for support as she made her way toward the door, determined to find a phone to call Dominic.