Chapter XV: Won’t beg for your love anymore

“What happened, Louise? What the hell happened?” Monique was on the verge of going mad.

Louise stood with her head hung low. “I’m so sorry MrsWhat happened, Louise? What the hell happened?” Monique was on the verge of going mad.

Louise stood with her head hung low. “I’m so sorry Mrs. Monique, it was my negligence.”

“I don’t want your damned sorry Louise, tell me what the hell happened?” Monique’s voice rose frantically.

Louise looked up with an apologetic face and teary eyes. “She got upset and ran away…she was unfamiliar with the grounds and fell into the pond.”

Blood drained from Monique’s face, her breath catching in her throat. When she got that call, her world had spun out of control. Now, seeing the stark white walls of the ICU, the sterile smell hitting her senses, the reality slammed into her.

“Upset with what?” she demanded, her voice a choked whisper.

Louise couldn’t bring herself to repeat the overheard conversation that echoed in her mind. And then there were the hurtful and vile words from Constance. How could a child stay calm after all that?

“Louise!” Monique barked, her voice raw with barely contained emotion.

The nanny swallowed hard. “Mr. Clinton is getting remarried the day after tomorrow,” she mumbled.

Monique stared at her, the world blurring at the edges. Tears stung her eyes as her heart twisted in unbearable pain.

Did she really mean so little to Clinton that no sooner had he announced the divorce, he was already tying the knot with his mistress Lydia?

He chose a homewrecker over her. The mistress, Lydia and her bastard son would be his cherished family from now on.

Then again, Monique snorted in a self-deprecating manner, from the moment Clinton had developed feelings for that serpent, she hadn’t mattered to him anymore.

“I see,” she mumbled, trying to keep her composure. But her heart ached for her little girl Sahara. Only 5 years old and already dealing with such a devastating betrayal.

Monique ran a weary hand over her face as Louise hemmed and hawed, before giving her the full story of the cruel words Sahara had overheard about Clinton’s upcoming quickie wedding to Lydia.

Her blood was boiling, and rightly so. Constance had tormented her daughter with vicious insults about being unwanted baggage.

At that moment, a worried Clinton burst through the ICU doors. “Monique, how is Sahara? Is she going to be okay?”

Seeing red, Monique charged at him and landed a thunderous slap across his cheek. Her eyes were filled with hatred for the man who had allowed this whole nightmare to unfold.

Clinton, knowing his selfish acts had directly led to his daughter’s near-drowning, lowered his head and accepted her unleashing her anguish.

“Get out!” she hissed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t protect her better,” he started.

“Are you?”

He looked up, hurt by her dismissive insinuation.

“Because it sure as hell doesn’t seem that way! You wanted this to happen,Clinton. Even if you don’t want to admit it, Sahara is your daughter. Your blood runs through her veins!”

Gut-wrenching guilt washed over Clinton’s face. “Don’t say that. I may have been preoccupied lately, but I love her. Mom just misspoke in anger…”

A bitter cackle of laughter escaped from Monique’s mouth. Fury contorted her face as she jabbed at his chest with a trembling finger. Her voice shook with barely contained rage. “Misspoke nothing! Your mother wouldn’t have dared treat Sahara that way if you hadn’t opened the door for it with your actions! This is the last time you hurt my daughter. Leave, I don’t want you near her, leave!”

Panic filled Clinton at the thought of losing his daughter forever. Though he knew he hadn’t been as attentive as he should have been, he did love Sahara. His total self-absorption had clearly crushed her little heart.

“She’s my daughter too, Monique! How can you expect me to leave without knowing if she’s going to pull through?”

“You’ve repeatedly made it abundantly clear that she’s not welcome in your life. Stop this charade! Why are you even here? Haven’t you hurt her enough, beyond repair?” Monique’s voice trembled, each word laced with pain. She wiped furiously the tears blurring her vision.

How could Clinton argue with that? Their raised voices brought a nurse over, asking them urgently to keep their voices down in the hallway.

Monique fought hard to regain her composure, wiping angry tears from her cheeks. In a low, trembling voice she spoke. “From this moment on, Clinton, you are nothing but a vague, haunting ghost to my little girl. She won’t be begging for your love anymore.”

Clinton opened his mouth to protest, anguish etched across his features. But Monique cut him off, her eyes blazing like a woman possessed.

“You’ve made your choice abundantly clear, Clinton,” Monique said, her voice trembling with hurt. “She apparently has no place in the life you’ve built. The life you chose is yours to keep. But don’t expect my daughter to be a sacrifice on the altar of your happiness.”

Clinton stood frozen, wanting to argue but knowing he had robbed Sahara of so much.

Monique’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with fury. “Now get out of my sight before I lose it. And you tell that slithering snake you call your mother, that this is far from over. I will collect tenford for every tear my daughter shed cause of her. ’’

Hanging his head low, his shoulders slumped in defeat, Clinton turned and slowly walked away from his daughter’s ward, leaving it just as he had abandoned his family days ago. He felt hollowed out by the realization that he had brought this anguish on himself and his little girl through his selfish, calloused actions.

As his footsteps receded down the hospital hallway, Monique crumpled to the floor in the waiting area, letting her anguished sobs finally escape. She had to be strong for Sahara, but the injustice and heartbreak were suffocating.

When she discovered the truth about Lydia and their son, the unfolding events felt like a cruel echo. Monique had always harbored a deep-seated fear that the same heart which had broken hers could one day shatter their daughter’s spirit too. And her fears had come to pass. Now, the weight of that fear settled into a cold, hard knot in her stomach.

But she had never imagined it would happen this brutally, this suddenly. That her baby would be lying comatose, hovering between life and death because of his spineless infidelity.

Rocking back and forth, hugging herself tightly as if it could hold the pieces together, Monique finally released the anguished scream that had been clawing at her throat. She had handled this with grace for too long, put on a brave face for too long. It was too much for any mother’s heart to bear. Monique, it was my negligence.”

“I don’t want your damned sorry Louise, tell me what the hell happened?” Monique’s voice rose frantically.

Louise looked up with an apologetic face and teary eyes. “She got upset and ran away…she was unfamiliar with the grounds and fell into the pond.”

Blood drained from Monique’s face, her breath catching in her throat. When she got that call, her world had spun out of control. Now, seeing the stark white walls of the ICU, the sterile smell hitting her senses, the reality slammed into her.

“Upset with what?” she demanded, her voice a choked whisper.

Louise couldn’t bring herself to repeat the overheard conversation that echoed in her mind. And then there were the hurtful and vile words from Constance. How could a child stay calm after all that?

“Louise!” Monique barked, her voice raw with barely contained emotion.

The nanny swallowed hard. “Mr. Clinton is getting remarried the day after tomorrow,” she mumbled.

Monique stared at her, the world blurring at the edges. Tears stung her eyes as her heart twisted in unbearable pain.

Did she really mean so little to Clinton that no sooner had he announced the divorce, he was already tying the knot with his mistress Lydia?

He chose a homewrecker over her. The mistress, Lydia and her bastard son would be his cherished family from now on.

Then again, Monique snorted in a self-deprecating manner, from the moment Clinton had developed feelings for that serpent, she hadn’t mattered to him anymore.

“I see,” she mumbled, trying to keep her composure. But her heart ached for her little girl Sahara. Only 5 years old and already dealing with such a devastating betrayal.

Monique ran a weary hand over her face as Louise hemmed and hawed, before giving her the full story of the cruel words Sahara had overheard about Clinton’s upcoming quickie wedding to Lydia.

Her blood was boiling, and rightly so. Constance had tormented her daughter with vicious insults about being unwanted baggage.

At that moment, a worried Clinton burst through the ICU doors. “Monique, how is Sahara? Is she going to be okay?”

Seeing red, Monique charged at him and landed a thunderous slap across his cheek. Her eyes were filled with hatred for the man who had allowed this whole nightmare to unfold.

Clinton, knowing his selfish acts had directly led to his daughter’s near-drowning, lowered his head and accepted her unleashing her anguish.

“Get out!” she hissed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t protect her better,” he started.

“Are you?”

He looked up, hurt by her dismissive insinuation.

“Because it sure as hell doesn’t seem that way! You wanted this to happen,Clinton. Even if you don’t want to admit it, Sahara is your daughter. Your blood runs through her veins!”

Gut-wrenching guilt washed over Clinton’s face. “Don’t say that. I may have been preoccupied lately, but I love her. Mom just misspoke in anger…”

A bitter cackle of laughter escaped from Monique’s mouth. Fury contorted her face as she jabbed at his chest with a trembling finger. Her voice shook with barely contained rage. “Misspoke nothing! Your mother wouldn’t have dared treat Sahara that way if you hadn’t opened the door for it with your actions! This is the last time you hurt my daughter. Leave, I don’t want you near her, leave!”

Panic filled Clinton at the thought of losing his daughter forever. Though he knew he hadn’t been as attentive as he should have been, he did love Sahara. His total self-absorption had clearly crushed her little heart.

“She’s my daughter too, Monique! How can you expect me to leave without knowing if she’s going to pull through?”

“You’ve repeatedly made it abundantly clear that she’s not welcome in your life. Stop this charade! Why are you even here? Haven’t you hurt her enough, beyond repair?” Monique’s voice trembled, each word laced with pain. She wiped furiously the tears blurring her vision.

How could Clinton argue with that? Their raised voices brought a nurse over, asking them urgently to keep their voices down in the hallway.

Monique fought hard to regain her composure, wiping angry tears from her cheeks. In a low, trembling voice she spoke. “From this moment on, Clinton, you are nothing but a vague, haunting ghost to my little girl. She won’t be begging for your love anymore.”

Clinton opened his mouth to protest, anguish etched across his features. But Monique cut him off, her eyes blazing like a woman possessed.

“You’ve made your choice abundantly clear, Clinton,” Monique said, her voice trembling with hurt. “She apparently has no place in the life you’ve built. The life you chose is yours to keep. But don’t expect my daughter to be a sacrifice on the altar of your happiness.”

Clinton stood frozen, wanting to argue but knowing he had robbed Sahara of so much.

Monique’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with fury. “Now get out of my sight before I lose it. And you tell that slithering snake you call your mother, that this is far from over. I will collect tenford for every tear my daughter shed cause of her. ’’

Hanging his head low, his shoulders slumped in defeat, Clinton turned and slowly walked away from his daughter’s ward, leaving it just as he had abandoned his family days ago. He felt hollowed out by the realization that he had brought this anguish on himself and his little girl through his selfish, calloused actions.

As his footsteps receded down the hospital hallway, Monique crumpled to the floor in the waiting area, letting her anguished sobs finally escape. She had to be strong for Sahara, but the injustice and heartbreak were suffocating.

When she discovered the truth about Lydia and their son, the unfolding events felt like a cruel echo. Monique had always harbored a deep-seated fear that the same heart which had broken hers could one day shatter their daughter’s spirit too. And her fears had come to pass. Now, the weight of that fear settled into a cold, hard knot in her stomach.

But she had never imagined it would happen this brutally, this suddenly. That her baby would be lying comatose, hovering between life and death because of his spineless infidelity.

Rocking back and forth, hugging herself tightly as if it could hold the pieces together, Monique finally released the anguished scream that had been clawing at her throat. She had handled this with grace for too long, put on a brave face for too long. It was too much for any mother’s heart to bear.

Find the rest of the chapters on https://inkedimagination.online/novels/a-heart-betrayed-2/