As soon as Andrea got home, she hurried to her son's nursery. A warm smile spread across her face when she saw Kai's nanny playing with him, gently shaking a toy above his head.
Noticing her presence, the nanny quickly straightened up and greeted her.
"Good evening, Madam."
"Did my baby behave himself?" Andrea asked as she excitedly carried Kai from his crib.
The thirty one years old caretaker named Kristen replied "He has been a good boy. I have already bathed, change and fed him but I think he didn't want to sleep without seeing his mother."
"Is that so?" Andrea asked Kai in a baby voice and then proceeded to shower him with kisses. She gently hugged him and whispered, "I love you so much, my little dumpling."
Kristen smiled when watching the mother and son interaction. Even though she may not have a child of her own, she has been in this job for ten years.
For ten years she has taken care of and protected other people babies until they could no longer afford to pay her or until their contract expires.
Her contract with Mr. Ashford was for two years, and after that, she will return back to her agency.
Andrea turned back to Kristen and said, "Thank you so much for taking care of him."
"Should I come at the same time tomorrow?" Kristen asked.
"Yes, please," Andrea answered with a smile. She waved goodbye as Kristen left, then looked down at her baby. "What should we do now, little dumpling?"
Kai let out a happy gurgle, making Andrea chuckle. She began singing him a soft lullaby, her voice gentle and soothing. After a few minutes, Kai's tiny eyelids fluttered shut, and he drifted off to sleep in her arms.
Andrea walked to the window, gazing up at the evening sky. "Are you watching over him, Henrick?" she whispered. She let out a quiet sigh before carefully placing Kai in his crib.
Gael arrived home at eight in the evening. As usual, he was ready to head straight to his room, but his steps slowed when he noticed Andrea sitting on the living room floor, leaning against the couch. Two cans of beer sat beside her and one in her hand.
She noticed him and waved excitedly. "Sorry, I started without you."
Gael frowned as he walked over. "Are you drunk?"
Andrea chuckled and handed him a can. He took it, sat beside her, and opened it, taking a sip.
"Is it okay to drink while breastfeeding?" he asked.
Andrea shrugged. "Kai is mostly on formula these days, so it's fine."
Gael nodded and shrugged off his jacket. Rolling up his sleeves, he let out a sigh of relief before bringing his beer to his lips again.
Andrea turned to him, her eyes curious. "Did you send me flowers with a note?"
"I did. Did you like them?"
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm allergic to roses. And the note… Are you sure you wrote it?"
Gael paused mid-drink, suddenly wary. Had Cedric written something strange?
"I asked Cedric to write, 'Good luck on your first day,'" he admitted, as if defending himself.
Andrea let out a sigh of relief. "I knew it wasn't you. Do you have any idea how weird I felt when I saw the word 'wifey' on the note?"
Gael nearly choked. "What?"
Andrea laughed softly at his reaction and couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever been in a romantic relationship before?"
"I have."
"Really?" Her eyes widened in surprise.
"It didn't last." Gael added and realized that his can was empty.
"Sit right here; I will go get more." Andrea said and was about to stand up when Gael held her hand.
"It's alright. I have a meeting tomorrow, so it's best I remain sober." Gael said, and she sat down. He asked, "How was your first day?
Andrea scoffed as she replied, "I met your sister. She is a brat, by the way."
"Half-sister and try to ignore her as much as you can. Samuel has a soft spot for her, since she is his only daughter."
"Do you think it was Diana who planned Henrick's accident?"
Gael remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "It could be her, it could also be Lucas, or it could even be our father."
"You think your father would...."
"The greed for power and money makes a man unrecognizable, Andrea."
"If you are suspecting even your father, it makes me wonder what kind of life Henrick lives in the Ashford family."
Hearing the concern and sadness in her voice, Gael collected her drink from her and gulped it all before replying, "He didn't live a sad life; I made sure of that."
"When Samuel got married to Diana, I begged our grandfather to let me and Henrick live with him, and he agreed. Grandpa took us in, and after finishing my high school, I went abroad to further my studies, but even when I was far away, I always ensured that Henrick was alright.
"When.....when did he tell you about me?"
"I don't remember the exact day but I do remember it was after a long surgery. I saw that I had many missed calls from him so I decided to call him back and the first thing he told me was that he was going to be a father. He sounded so excited over the phone that I knew it wasn't a prank."
"I think between the both of us, Henrick was even more excited to meet Kai." Andrea said with a smile, and after a while, her smile became sad as she said, "I also know that's the reason he wanted us to get married."
Gael turned to Andrea as he asked, "Do you think Henrick never loved you?"
Andrea became silent as she remembered that night. Up till now, the memory still makes her feel as if someone has stabbed a knife in her heart.
"Do you think he loved me?" Andrea asked, instead.
"Yes, he did. Henrick would always tell me how happy you made him, so I'm certain he did." Gael answered with no hesitation.
Andrea's eyes became teary as she asked, "If he did, then why did he mention another woman's name two nights before he died?"
"What?"
"He was drunk, so I'm certain he never remembered, and I...I couldn't bring myself to confront him about it because I was scared that the newfound family I had found would shatter, but from that day, whenever he would tell me he loved me, my heart always doubted if he actually meant it. And that's why on the day he died, when he told me he loved me, I couldn't say it back to him, but if I had known that I would never see him again, if I had known that I would never be able to tell him how much I loved him, I would have said it." Tears flow from Andrea's eyes as her trembling voice continues, "I would have said it, Gael."
Seeing her tears, Gael didn't even know what it was that pushed him to pull her into his arms. He hugged her tight as she continued to cry, not being able to find any words of comfort in him.
Realizing that she had lost herself, Andrea pulled away from Gael's embrace and cleaned her tears, saying, "It's my fault. I fell in love with a heartbroken man I met at the club."
"Andrea, I..." Gael's words got interrupted by the ringing tone of a phone.
Realizing that it was her phone ringing, Andrea began searching around her for it.
Gael sighted the phone on the couch and gave it to her.
"Thank you." Andrea said, and then looked at the caller ID of the person calling her, and it was the principal.
Why was the principal calling her so late? Andrea wondered as she answered the call.
"Hello." She said, and soon after, her soberness returned as she heard the news the principal was giving her.
"Wait for me; I will be right there." Andrea said and ended the call.
"What happened?" Gael asked after hearing the urgency in her voice.
Andrea turned her gaze to him with fear in her eyes as she said, "They found a body at the school."