Chapter 29:

SLOAN'S POINT OF VIEW

I woke up to see a ceiling. I looked around and noticed I was in the hospital. I saw Ivan sleeping on the couch. I thought Kiel came and ran me to the hospital, where he is. I tried to slowly sit in bed, but it was hard for me to straighten my hand.

"Ahh!" I scream when I try to make myself pull up. Ivan Rush went to me and helped me sit in the bed.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to call the doctor?" He said this while looking at me. He looked so worried at me.

"I'm fine; don't worry about, uh, Ivan, where is Kiel? Before I passed out last night, I saw him carrying me here."

"Kiel went home when he assured me that you were safe and stable last night. Maybe he'll be back later after his shooting. Don't worry, I'll just go out for a while later, but my secretary will be here to look after you. If you need anything later, you can tell her; I'll get you some clothes too. I will be here for a while; the doctor said you need to undergo some tests before we finally get home. They want to know that you and your baby were fully recovered, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Ivan." I don't know what I will do without you guys."

"Don't worry, we're both your friends, and we should take care of you no matter what happens." I'll peel you some apples if you want."

"Thank you." He peels some apples, even orange, and feeds me.

Ivan turned on the television, and the news started.

Trending all over social media, Kiel Calvin Lopez is flexing his fiance. The two seem to be getting stronger even after the issue regarding Kiel's cheating on his fiancée, Odette Lim.

The photos of Kiel and Odette flashed on the screen. I never saw that smile for the past three years because Kiel became busy with his schedule. I saw his caption, 'A night with my queen.'

I smile while remembering what happened between us.

Flashback:

"My queen, I love you," Kiel said while recording me while I was cooking for us. Kiel was sweet. childish guy; no one knew about this side of him. Kiel was a cold and serious guy when it came to his work, but when he was with people he liked, he was so sweet and childish that you didn't expect him to be like that.

"Babe, can you stop filming? Can't you see I'm cooking? Just wait for me there at the table. Or you should just prepare everything, okay? I'll be done in a few minutes." I saw his smile fade, and I kissed his cheeks to turn back his smile. But it didn't; he turned off his phone and put the plates on the table. I sighed after finishing pizza, spaghetti, and cake. I put everything on the table.

I hug him from the back and kiss him a lot on his cheeks. But Kiel didn't look at me; instead, he sat in the chair.

"What's the problem, babe?" Instead of answering me, he just continued getting spaghetti and eating. Without any response to the taste of the spaghetti.

"Are you mad because I stopped you filming?" I held his hand, but he was still in cold treatment. I sighed, held his cheeks, turned his head to me, and kissed his lips. But this baby didn't respond; did I hurt him that much?

"You know how much I love filming every single thing we had for our memories, so we can show our kids how much we love each other. But if you find it too cringeworthy and a waste of time, I won't film us again." He finished eating and went to the couch to watch football.

I grab my phone and start filming. I jump on his lap on the couch and kiss his lips.

"Babe, I'm sorry; forgive me." He held my waist and hugged me tight.

"Sorry, I just want to cherish every moment we have until the last breath we can have."

"I know. Sorry if I sort of hurt your feelings earlier. I promise I will cooperate." He laughs and kisses my lips again and again.

End of Flashback

It's just one of those moments when we have a little quarrel because of his childish act. I didn't realize at the time if he just did that because he loved me that much. A few years passed in our relationship, and I liked him for being childish. Change the way I see him; I easily get irritated when he acts like that. He was not a kid anymore, but he still wanted to be a baby.

Maybe now he's doing that stuff with her; obviously, she will get annoyed soon with those acts he wanted to do.

"Are you okay, Sloan?"

"Of course, maybe the doctor will come later; do you want to go out later and breathe some fresh air?"

"Maybe later, Ivan, can I ask you about Kiel?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Does he like her? I mean, did he love Odette?" Ivan sits beside me and looks at me.

"Yes, he is; I can see in his eye how much he loves her. The way he looks at me in the press conference and the way he talks to me after he hears the issue, Kiel's mind is full of thoughts of her. Maybe he found something in her that we didn't know about. You should focus on yourself and your baby; don't worry about Kiel's fine." I bitterly smile and grab my phone. My home screen wallpaper was our photo from a couple of eight years ago.

He was my home for eight years, but he will not be mine until we get old.

"Good to hear that. After running some tests, you can go home once I see the result. Lucky for us, we get to have the baby on time. The bleeding was caused by too much stress. You need to not feel stress, and any movement that you do requires a lot of strength." He looked at Ivan and

"Your wife needs to eat a lot of healthy foods, especially those with vitamin C, iron, and protein. For her fast recovery and a healthy baby, we should double the way we take care of mommy, okay, daddy?" I see Ivan's eyes wide open and blush when the doctor calls him Daddy.

"N-Noted, doc, I'll keep it in mind."

"I'll leave now, Ms. Payne; I still have some patients to see." I nodded, and the doctor went out of my room. I and Kiel burst into laughter at Ivan's face, still in shock.

"Daddy, I want an apple." I laugh, and he looks at me. He didn't say a word, but he gets the apple.

"Good thing you're okay now. What happened last night, Sloan?"

"There were three guys who just came in last night. I don't know if there were people in the house. I was in Ivan's room yesterday since the air conditioning was broken in my room, and I felt sticky when I wasn't in a cold atmosphere. So I decided to go to Ivan's room when it was about my medicine time. I was surprised to see that those three had just entered the house. I was lucky that after the stairs there was a wall. I hid and called Ivan, but he didn't answer. Then I decided to call you when you said that I should. I was hiding in the cabinet restroom of Ivan when they shot it and went it. When they saw me, they forced me to go out to the restroom, and the next thing I knew, something was dripping from my legs. They got panicky and shut me up. I don't know what will happen next."

"Who do you think they are?" Ivan said this while cutting the apple.

"I don't know; even any hint in my mind was nothing. I don't know who wants to hurt me." Kiel looks at Ivan.

"What if Ivan, the father of Sloan's child, found her?" Ivan dropped the knife and looked at Kiel. I felt nervous when I heard what Kiel said.

"Do you think he wants to kill me? Kill the baby? Sorry, Ivan, I put your life in danger." While my eyes were moving in different directions, I didn't notice I was crying. Is my baby safe? Are we both still safe? What if he was just hiding anywhere, finding great timing just to kill me? Kiel hugged me tight while tapping my back.

"Don't worry, we will find out who the hell made this okay; you'll be safe no matter what happens; we will protect you."

That hug made me feel like I had a safe place with him. I miss Kiel's hugging. I wish I could hug him the way I did before. But I was too late for that. Am I regretting losing him in my life? But no matter what I do, I know Kiel will not hurt the girl he loves.

Kiel drew his face away and looked at me. Please, Kiel, don't look at me like a pity; I don't need to see you care for me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I let go of his hug and distanced myself. Sloan said he did not belong to you anymore, and I should forget him. Kiel looked at his phone, then showed a flash of a smile on his face.

"Guys, I've got to go now; my girlfriend was looking for me. Sloan, get some more rest for your baby, okay? I hope you get well soon. Don't worry, I'll visit tomorrow." He smiled at me and waved before he went out to my room.

"Seeing the way you look at him, I can tell you still have feelings for him, right?" Ivan stated that he would sit on the couch.

"I do, but I know it was my fault that we broke up."

"Why should it be him, Sloan? When will you see me? When will you love me too? I was the one who was by your side, but you still look back on him. I was the one who was with you that night when you called his name when you got into danger. Yet even after all that I did, you still can't let go of him and look at me just the way you look at him. I hate seeing how he ignores you right now. Seeing him happily in love with Odette while you are miserable and still holding on to his promise to the guy who broke everything he said Like when he said he would fight for you in front of his parents no matter what happened, but it was cowardly of him to turn his back and leave you behind. While you are holding tight to the rope, he uses it to hold the other side. Can't you see he let go of that rope a long time ago? You're the only one who's still holding. Let go; don't be scared to fall into the deepest I can be everything you want. I can be the parachute that pulls you up from the rift craft into which you fall. Or maybe I can be the trampoline on which you can jump with all your problems. I'm willing to be your pillow, which you can hug tight while crying at night. I'm willing to be anything you want me to be. Just to see you smile again."

"Ivan."

"I know you don't have to say any words; this one-sided love was nothing to deal with. Just let me love you until I can't hold my breath anymore. And once it happens, I won't bother you anymore. Just for now, let me breathe the same air you are breathing. Just let me see you the way I saw you before. I'm willing to be that baby's father without hesitation. I don't need an answer because I will do it even if you don't agree."

"But Ivan, it will be unfair on you." He smiled and held my cheeks.

"Then be fair if you want; give me time to prove myself to you and your baby. And when the time comes that you feel fair with me, marry me." He grabbed a ring from his pocket, held my left hand, and put the ring on my finger.

"Ivan"

"I will wait for your answer, no matter how long it takes. I'm willing to wait because it's worth it, Sloan."

Ivan left the room, and while I was looking at the ring, I saw my phone screen light up. Between my past, present, and future, what will I choose? Will I choose to be someone's charlatan or someone's wife? Should I accept Ivan into my life? Or should I get what belongs to me? After all, I was his first love. I was Kiel's first love, whom he can't forget. He belongs to me for eight years, and I won't make it stop in those eight years.

I should be Mrs. Lopez, not her. Anger burst into me seeing the news flash again in the news. He was mine and would always be mine.

"It looks like someone wants to get what belongs to her. It's nice to see you again. Sloan, do you think that will be easy to hide from me? That man who's walking towards me—his deep voice—I don't want to hear anymore. I don't want to see those hostile stares from him or the way his lips smirked while he was walking my way. Shit, why should it be him?

"Oh, why did you shut that mouth?" He held my chin and forced me to look at him, but I refused.

"Do you think you can hide me for such a long time? No matter where you go, I will be able to find you." Those cringe-red eyes looking at me He was like ripping my soul from my body with those looks.

Kiel, please come back. I need Kiel, please.

I was wishing for him, but he hadn't come. He went on top of me and ripped the hospital gown.

"Those breasts were full of milk for our baby; how about Daddy try it first before he comes out?" He licked my ears and bit me.

"Please leave me alone; I don't want to do this anymore, please." His devilish laugh makes my hair follicles go up.