CH 2: The Angel Came to World

Jason Oswald’s POV

That night I drove my car alone. All I wanted at that moment was to see Lizzy immediately and bring her back to my house. I just wanted to be with her forever, even though I was still waiting for the right time to confess everything to my parents.

Why did you leave, Lizzy? Did I offend you? Can’t you wait a little longer with me?

Shit! Everything was getting complicated and messy.

Moments later, the car I was driving stopped right in front of the entrance of her apartment. After getting out of the car, I observed the window of her room on the third floor of the apartment building. The room lights weren’t on.

Could it be that she had left Maldiva? I had to find out right away.

I hurried up the elevator to the third floor. One minute felt like an hour. My eyes kept staring at the numbers above the elevator doors.

“Come on, hurry,” I muttered.

The elevator doors finally opened. I ran as fast as I could to his apartment unit. Arriving at the door, I pressed the password to open the door. Instantly, it opened, but the sight inside made me weak and desperate.

Lizzy had left Maldiva. She left without giving me a reason or saying goodbye. Why did you do that to me, Lizzy? Where were you?

Everything in her apartment was gone. Her bed was neatly made. And there was no message or anything from her to say goodbye to me.

With sluggish steps, I walked out of her apartment unit and back down to the lobby. I had to ask Mom for an explanation. She must know something. I was sure Mom must have done something to her because Lizzy wouldn’t just leave me without a good reason.

Arriving home, I walked quickly to Mom’s private room. She usually does embroidery before going to bed.

I opened the door to her room in such a hurry. Mom looked up and stared at me in surprise. “Can’t you open the door more slowly?”

“Explain to me what happened to Lizzy. Did you kick her out?” I asked.

“Sit down, please. Let me explain,” Mom replied as she put her embroidery on the nightstand.

“Answer my question quickly, Mom. Do you want to see me suffer from curiosity?”

Mom took a deep breath. “I didn’t kick her out. I just dismissed her this morning. I gave her a large sum of money and you know, without refusing or saying anything, she took the money. I didn’t realize that she was just after our wealth. She took advantage of your kindness.”

“No way! Lizzy is not that kind of woman.”

“Huft! You’re too innocent. One day you’ll know the truth,” Mom said.

“What truth do I need to know? And why did you dismiss her? She never makes mistakes. I don’t know who to believe.”

Mom took another deep breath. “The truth about her true character and that I dismissed her because I didn’t want you guys in a relationship. One more step and you’ll soon have half of your stepfather’s fortune. I can’t stand by and watch you crumble because of that woman or all our efforts will be in vain. Trust me, I’m your mom.”

Mom walked closer to me. While stroking my arm, she again said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you won’t be lonely. Clara, your ex-girlfriend, is on her way to Maldiva.”

“Sorry, I don’t want to discuss anything more about Clara. I’ll be staying in my apartment from now on and I hope you guys won’t bother me.” I left the mansion and didn’t want to hear anything more about either Clara or Lizzy.

Deep in my heart, I wanted to believe that Lizzy was not a materialistic woman. But, I didn’t know who to believe.

**

Eight months later

Lizzy Ford’s POV

“Mia, please! Help me. I’m bleeding,” I cried out in panic as blood flowed from my vagina, soaking my clothes and legs.

That night, as I was getting out of bed, I noticed fresh blood soaking my lower body. I knew my baby was on the way and I panicked to death.

Mia was my aunt. Since leaving the Oswald family mansion, I’d been staying with my aunt in Everbury. Being pregnant, I couldn’t go back to my mother’s house in Ponia Village, Maldiva City. Besides, I didn’t want to trouble and worry her about my single-parent situation. So, I stayed with my aunt and we settled into a modest but sizable apartment unit.

From the direction of the living room, I saw Mia running fast towards my room. Her face looked panic.

“Oh, my God. You’re going into labor soon. Where’s the bag you’ve prepared? Wait here. I’ll be right back after calling the hospital and getting my car keys,” she said.

She ran inside her room. A few minutes later, she came out and called the hospital. After that, she came back into my room. I was cleaning the blood on my feet and changing my clothes.

“Let me help you get dressed. You can still walk, right?” Mia said.

“Yes.”

“Ok. Let’s go,” she said.

We limped to the car. Mia drove the car quickly to the hospital. I endured the pain of contractions all the way. It was unbearable, as if I was at the crossroads between life and death.

“Hold on, Anya. Let’s fight together,” I said to the baby in my belly while gently stroking my belly. I named her Anya because the doctor said my baby was a girl.

Mia drove the car like a Formula One driver on the racetrack. She slipped past all the cars in front of us. The way she drove that night made my heart beat quite fast and my hands clung tightly to the safety belt.

“Hold on, Lizzy. We’ll be at the hospital soon,” she called out.

And sure enough, we arrived at the hospital not long after. Several nurses rushed me to the maternity ward and prepared all the equipment needed for the birth process.

As time went on, my belly became more painful and the distance between the first contraction and the next contraction became closer. My body was sweating profusely. Even though I was in pain, I couldn’t scream. One hand clung tightly to the edge of the bed, while the other squeezed the pillow.

“Mia, it hurts,” I said. It felt like I was running out of energy from the pain.

“Hang on, dear. Once the baby is born, you won’t feel the pain anymore. Fight for it,” she replied as she hugged me.

A few moments later, the next thing I felt was that my hospital clothes were wet. I thought it was blood coming back out of my vagina, but Mia panicked and approached a nurse.

Right at that moment, Doctor Austin, who was also Mia’s best friend, arrived. He gave the signal and asked me to push the baby out strongly. It turned out that pushing the baby was not as easy as I imagined, even though I had exerted all my strength. It took up to four pushes to deliver Anya into the world.

I felt Anya come out through the birth canal and cry. Her loud cries made me cry tears of joy. Mia brought her face closer to mine. I could see the clear liquid that soaked her eyes and face.

“Congratulations, Lizzy. You’re a mother of a beautiful daughter,” she said.

“Thank you, Mia. Thank you.”

Not long after, Doctor Austin came and showed me Anya. Her small body, her round face, and her red lips looked adorable.

“Congratulations, Lizzy. She’s perfect and beautiful, just like you,” Doctor Austin said.

“Thank you, Doc.”

**

Five years later

“Anya Ford, come out now or I won’t let you go to the carnival with Mia,” I said as I searched for Anya’s hiding place.