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Your consolation

"I love you, Alice Taylor. And I have since the first moment I saw you. You are and always will be the woman I'm in love with, even though it can never be."

Alice heard every word that came from her beloved Jared's lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, as well as her hands against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart and absorb this confession, which felt like a balm for her wounds.

What should she do? Should she open her eyes, tell him she heard everything, and confess the love she felt for him from the moment she first saw him? Should she reveal that her love was reciprocated?

She didn't know what to do, but she began by opening her eyes.

Seeing that she was awake, Jared's pale face turned even paler, and his cheeks flushed red. He quickly stood up, embarrassed because she had probably heard that confession he had poured from the depths of his heart.

"I-I..." Alice had never seen him so nervous, and he was usually quite serious. This brought a fleeting smile to Alice's lips.

"You were awake," she said softly.

"Yes, I didn't know who had come in until you started talking, and then I couldn't say anything because all I wanted was to hear you."

Jared turned away, contemplating changing the subject before Alice could comment on what she had heard. He hadn't intended for her to know what he felt, and now he felt like a fool in front of her.

"I'm so sorry about what happened, Alice," he said. "It's been such a great sadness, and it's all been so painful for me. I won't ask how you're doing because that's quite obvious. I just want you to know that I'm here to help and support you in any way I can, Alice."

"I need you," Alice wanted to say, as in her mind, he had always been there with her, even when her husband dared to touch her and claim her. She only thought of him. But Jared, even though he had feelings for her, saw her as something forbidden, a married woman, his friend's wife. And yet, Alice loved him from the moment she saw him.

"Thank you," she said. But that wasn't enough for Alice. "A hug," she added in a quiet, hesitant voice, lacking confidence in her words and filled with the sadness that was enveloping her once again. "A hug would be nice," she managed to say clearly before bursting into tears.

Jared joined her on that small bed and embraced her gently.

Alice felt his arms wrap around her, offering comfort, making her feel safe and warm. They shared their sorrow, burdens, and pains.

She didn't know how long they stayed there in each other's arms. It could have been hours, days, or an eternity because Alice felt so comfortable there, and she didn't know if time had stopped or just ceased to exist for the two of them in that much-needed embrace.

What she did know was that she fell asleep, surrounded by his scent, receiving the calmness he transmitted, thinking about Ethan's face.

Someone's hands were gently stroking her hair, and Alice's heart kept pounding as she knew she was lying beside the man she loved.

"His name was Ethan," she began to say, noticing her voice was thick, partly due to her crying and partly because she hadn't had water for hours. "You should have seen his face; he was beautiful, so soft, so mine. My son. All these months, I thought everything was fine, that we would see each other soon when he was born, and then we would be happy together, just him and me. Now I see that it didn't work out, that the plans fell apart, and here I am, with empty arms, without my baby. How can happiness last so little, Jared? How can I have had him in my arms and now he's gone? To know him, to love him, and to lose him. It's not fair; it doesn't seem fair."

Jared remained silent, listening to her words, without having anything that could serve as comfort for her. But for Alice, just knowing that he was listening was enough.

He settled onto the bed, and she rested her head against him, feeling incredibly good, soaking up the calm he exuded.

She fell asleep again.

(…)

Mr. Graham urgently called his son when the angry Taylor family contacted him, announcing the terrible news of the death of the child that united the families, the Graham Taylor they had hoped for, the child who would save them.

The Taylors expressed their anger at Robert's absence from his wife's side during the birth, his lack of interest, and the shame this brought upon the family.

"He wasn't there for the birth of his child!" they exclaimed, as if that weren't an event worthy of him dropping everything and rushing to the hospital.

Nor was he present when his child died, which aggravated things further.

The Taylors felt humiliated by Robert's neglect of his wife and their deceased child. Thus, Robert's father demanded that he go and make things right. They couldn't afford to be on bad terms with them, even though a marriage now bound them.

"Why didn't you pick a better day to be with your mistress?" they accused him. "We wanted a blood union with the Taylors!"

"And I gave it to them!" Robert responded defensively. "I left my wife pregnant. What more can you ask for? I did my part; it seems everyone is pleased."

When Robert gave that response to his father, the older man furrowed his brow and then slapped him.

"Smack!"

The palm of his hand struck his son's face. He was an elderly man, but he still had a lot of strength, and he wouldn't allow Robert to ruin everything at this stage of the game just because he was being foolish.

"To whom are you raising your voice?" he demanded. "Ungrateful boy! Have you forgotten I'm your father? Don't forget that you owe me your life!"

Robert lowered his gaze, his jaw clenched. He didn't think he had gone too far, but it was clear that his father was very angry. What had he said wrong?

"Don't forget that this wasn't just a marriage," his father continued. "Through this union, we received a substantial secret loan from the Taylors."

When Robert heard that, his eyes nearly popped out in astonishment.

He had no idea about this, just like Alice.

"A loan from the Taylors?" His hands trembled, believing this made him less than Alice.

"You said you'd sorted everything out!" he accused his father, never imagining that this had been the solution he'd found. His father had never told him.

"I did!" his father retorted. "The wedding was the perfect arrangement."

"But..." Robert hadn't realized this was the solution his father had found.

"A child between the two of you strengthened the union and set aside that loan," his father explained.

Robert sighed with relief, but not completely.

"Now, I don't understand your anger, Father. My wife has given birth, and everything's fine."

"Died," his father said coldly and without any hint of tact, as he knew Robert didn't care about it anyway. It was clear from Robert's absence during his child's birth that it was all a game to him. But it wasn't to his father, who understood the importance of the marriage working.

"Your son died several hours after being born. And you weren't there, Robert. How are you going to fix this? You'll have to make amends with the Taylors; only you can do it. What will your excuse be this time? They are very angry, and they have every reason to be."

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