Love in Shadows

"I found a recipe online and followed it to the letter. If it's not to your liking, I can whip up another batch, no problem."

I did not object, and she took that as her cue.

As Joanna reached for the soup on the table, the sleeve of her blouse slid up, revealing the pink scars of a burn on her arm.

Shane's expression turned stern, and he quickly took the bowl from her, turning to me with a coaxing tone.

"Come on, chicken soup's good for you. It will help you heal."

I met his gaze, my voice flat as I said, "I can't have chicken soup, remember?"

Shane was momentarily at a loss for words.

Beside him, Joanna's eyes brimmed with tears. "Ms. Smith, I've been making you chicken soup every single day you've been out.

"If there's something you're not happy with, just tell me. Please don't take it out on Mr. Jackson."

The bodyguard added his two cents from behind, saying, "That's right. Ms. Rogers has been slaving over a hot stove for hours every day, using only the best ingredients.

"They say she even got sick a few times today handling the chicken."

I remained silent, just lifting my eyes to Shane.

"Must I drink it?"

Shane let out a resigned sigh, as if dealing with a petulant child. "Lily, don't make this difficult."

With that, he spooned up some of the shiny broth and guided it to my lips.

I swallowed down the tears, forcing myself to drink the entire bowl of revolting chicken soup.

At last, Shane looked pleased.

He adjusted the blanket around me with a gentle touch and murmured, "I'll be right outside. If you're not feeling well, just call out for me."

However, in the dead of night, a sharp pain ripped through my belly, jolting me awake.

Without thinking, I cried out for Shane.

At the sound, Shane snapped to alertness, ready to burst through the door.

However, before he could act, a heart-wrenching scream echoed from Joanna's room.

Her voice was faint and desperate.

"Mr. Jackson, my stomach hurts so much, and there's so much blood!

"Please, come save me. I'm afraid for the baby..."

Joanna crumpled to the floor, clutching her belly, her eyes wide with terror as she looked up at Shane.

Shane's panic spiked, and he moved to take Joanna away.

"Shane!"

The pain left me too weak to talk. I could only gasp out a plea.

"Save me..."

Shane's heart raced as he saw my agony.

He almost stayed, torn by the memory of the child in Joanna's womb and the intense, tangled love they had shared for three years.

However, as he wavered, Joanna's eyes brimmed with tears again.

"The doctor said Ms. Smith's stomach pain is just a normal reaction to taking too much medicine.

"Ms. Smith, I know you're scared of losing Mr. Jackson and want to draw his attention, but I'm truly in pain. Please, just let me have this moment. You can punish me any other time."

With those words, Shane's hesitation vanished.

He turned to me.

"Lily, cut it out. Your stomach pain is normal. I'll call the doctor."

Then, holding Joanna, he strode away without a backward glance.

The ward was eerily quiet, but the pain inside me was screaming loud enough to drown out the silence. I listened to the sound of his footsteps growing fainter, and despite my best efforts, tears betrayed me again, trickling down my cheeks.

I had been waiting for what felt like an eternity: half an hour, to be exact, and not a single doctor had shown up. With all the strength I could muster, I kept hitting the call button, over and over.

My vision started to blur when, finally, a flurry of doctors rushed in. As darkness edged in, their murmurs reached my ears: "Mr. Jackson is really overreacting, isn't he? All that fuss for a bit of fetal movement?"

When I came to, a nurse was by my bed, hanging a new IV bag with a frown. "You're up? What did you eat last night? You know you've got to watch it with certain foods when you're on meds."