A Son for A Son

“Eden… I think it's time! Please take me to the hospital,” I begged my husband to take me to the hospital during the eighth month of my pregnancy.

“No, I can't…” He said, his tone firm. His cold refusal sent shivers down my spine. But, he added, “My rivals are lurking beneath only to hurt my hier, Honey! Try to understand, we have to perform the surgery here.”

There was a huge risk in going through the Csection surgery at home but Eden insisted on doing it at home. He promised me he would not let anything happen to my child.

However, after giving birth, when I was still under medication, and was unconscious, I happened to hear the doctor’s conversation with Edan.

“Mr. Knight, You could arrange another right match for the heart of Miss Lyra’s child. Why must you take the life of Miss Ramona’s child to get his heart? After all, it's your child as well!” The doctor asked.

“It's not the time of discussion, doctor. Do your job quickly. I didn't let it come to the world for nothing. It was meant to be the donor of my child with Lyra. Sharing the same blood as me, they will have a high chance of matching,”

Edan's reply was cold and distant, as if he didn't even see our child as a person but as a tool to revive Lyra’s child.

Is this why he agreed to conceive a child? Only to rob his tiny organs and dump his body as if he was only a necessary medicine for Lyra’s child?

—

During five years of marriage, he never agreed to have a child. He always said he wasn't ready to take responsibility for being a little in the crimson world.

Considering his shabby business, I thought he was afraid of his children getting hurt. That's why he didn't want any child. But who had expected that he could be the first person to hurt my child.

It was not like he wasn't ready to take the responsibility of a child, he just didn't want to take the responsibility of my child, because for Lyra's child, he went so far as to kill a newly born baby.

No wonder, he was in a hurry to have me conceive a baby when Lyra was one month pregnant, and the doctor told them that their baby might have heart issues.

I couldn't even get to see what my baby looked like before he was taken out by Edan’s men. My heart was bleeding for him.

I wanted to get up and snatch the baby from their hands, protect him from these wolves like every mom would do at this very moment.

But, I was under heavy medication. I struggled hard, but couldn't get to move my fingers, let alone moving my body. I heard him crying, the first and last voice of my baby that I was never going to forget in my whole life.

After the baby was taken out, the Doctor asked Edan, “Mr. Knight, do you want to go and witness the heart transplant of your children?”

“No,” He refused bluntly. Doctor sighed in grief as he began, “Good decision, Mr. Knight! It's not easy to witness your child losing his life to save another. You should”

“I trust my men. So, I don't need to be there in person. Besides, I have an important thing left to finish here. Only then will I go to see Lyra and my healthy child.”

Doctor and Edan said in unison. It wasn't that he could not see our child dying. He couldn't care any less about him. He was only staying to finish his dirty work as he continued, “I want a medicine that can destroy Ramona’s uterus, making her unable to bear a child.”

“WhWhat?” Doctor hesitated. He blurted out in desperation, “Mr Knight, you feed her the medicine that could lead to an early labor only to get her child one month early to donate a heart for Lyra's son.”

“She has just lost her child and her body is too weak because of the excess consumption of medicines. Are you sure you want to do this? It could lead to severe injuries to her body.”

“What if she finds out? What if she comes to know what you have done to her or her child?” He asked.

“That's the very reason I'm doing it, Doctor Steve. Her family is in no condition to help her. She can't turn to her family. She has only me to rely on. She can't harm Lyra or her child unless she has a capable child of her own.” He replied, his voice cold and distant.

“So, that's why you are doing it? You are afraid her rainbow child might avenge their older siblings’ death and harm Lyra and her son. You are just taking early measures to erase the future threat.” Doctor asked, his voice laced with surprise.

“That's right!” Edan replied, “Even if Lyra is married to someone else, I’ll make sure she and our child stays safe now and later.”

“And what about Miss Ramona? Don't you feel bad about her?” Doctor Steve asked. In his response, Edan took a long sigh, saying, “I’ll accompany her and take care of her if she suffers any side effects. But, that's the only thing I can do for her.”

I layed over there, listening to the man I loved for five years. The man I thought loved me, was a monster, who couldn't even spare his own child. I couldn't move, couldn't speak. The medication still haunted me until I couldn't hear anything.

When I opened my eyes, I wanted to run away from the castle I thought was my home, but was a graveyard for my baby. I tried to get up only to be held by Edan.

He stood by my side, saying in a soft voice, “Honey, your body is too weak to move. Keep laying for sometime.”

I turned to look at Edan. His eyes were swollen red. A hint of guilt and regret?

No, it was a feign act of remorse and grief as he held my hands, his voice trembling while whispering my name in a low voice, “Ramona…”

“You couldn't save my child! He was not breathing when he came out of my womb.” I said, my tone indifferent. Edan was taken aback with my response.

He hesitated for a long while before he finally managed to speak, “HHow do you know, Ramona?”

‘That’s because I heard you, Edan. I heard what you planned to tell me after killing our child monstrously,’

“I had a feeling,” I said, my voice still distant.

The lines of curve from Edan’s forehead loosened as he leaned closer to me, saying, “The child… he was too weak, Ramona. Doctors did their best, but they couldn't save him. Maybe, God has given him only that much time to live.”

‘No, it wasn't God’s will, Edan. It's you who wrote his fate before he came to my womb. You planned this eight months ago. Have a little shame to blame God for it. It's not God, it's you who killed my child,’

I cursed him in my mind, but said nothing.

After a moment, I raised my head from my stomach to look straight into his eyes. I smiled faintly as I said, “It's okay, what's taken is already taken. Let's not talk about him. We can have another child later, can’t we, Edan?”

I saw a moment of uncertainty in his eyes as he quickly moved his gaze off my eyes. While avoiding eye contact with me, he said, “You are right, Ramona. You are still young, and can have as many kids as you want.”

“Are you sure, Edan?” I asked, “Will you let me?”

Edan’s eyes flickered. He looked up at me with anxiety written all over his face.

“Why are you talking like this, Ramona? Why wouldn’t I let you. I too loved our child as much as you did. I didn't take you to the hospital because I didn't want to take the risk. You know everything about my profession, Ramona. How can you doubt my intention?”

He said, his voice laced with sincerity. But, only I knew his words were as hollow as the love he pretended to have for me.

He then came near me and supported me to sit while leaning over his shoulder as he pushed a tablet inside my mouth, saying, “You should take painkillers. It will reduce your pain and let you sleep comfortably.”

‘You just killed my child and now you won't even let me be a mother in future. Why was I so blind to see how cruel you were, Edan?’ I thought, staring at his desperate eyes.

After making sure, I gulped the medicine and didn't throw up, he smiled in satisfaction.

“Good girl,” He appreciated me for being obedient to him, “Now, take your rest, Romana and don't think too much. Everything will be alright. We will come through this together.”

After throwing out these words, showing how concerned he was about my health, he stood up, saying,

“Ramona, I have a few things to handle. I’m going to punish those who stopped me from taking you to the hospital. It's because of them that we lost our child. Just wait for me, Ramona! I’ll be back after avenging our child.”

Another lie!

We both knew how my child died. He was the murderer himself and now he was in a hurry to see the child for whom he strangled his own blood.

He waited for my response, maybe waiting for my approval, but I looked up into his eyes and asked, “Where is my child, Edan?”

“WhWhat? What do you mean, Ramona?” He asked nervously. I could see the panic in his eyes.

“I want to see his body, Edan,” I said, my voice trembling, “I want to see what he looked like. I want to… hold him in my lap for one time.”

His Adam’apple moved up and down. For a moment, I couldn't understand the expression he wore. But, his eyes were moist. However, the next words coming out from his lips were like a reminder to me of his lies and deception,

“I ordered my men to bury him already. I didn't want you to look at him and feel sad, Ramona. I love you so much and I can't see you crying, remembering how distorted our son looked.”

I clenched my fists in anger. Was killing his own child not enough for him that he had the audacity of insulting my dead son like that?

‘You killed my child and now you don't want me to even have a look at him, Edan. You are such a liar. I heard Doctor saying how beautiful my baby was!’

The truth was he didn't want me to look at the scars on his body and discover his monstrous act. That was why he didn't even let me have a look at him.

Hesitantly, he walked closer to me, and leaned closer to my cheeks to place a kiss. But, I layed down, not letting him touch my cheeks.

“I’m feeling tired, Edan. I want to sleep now.” I said. He smiled and immediately added, “You should take a rest then. I’ll soon be back to take care of you.”

After throwing out these words, he left our room. But, we both knew he wasn't coming back any sooner.

Soon my phone buzzed with several notifications. It was Lyra who was posting pictures with her son on a social media app.

One of the pictures caught my attention. In the picture, Lyra was holding the baby in her womb while a hand rested on her shoulder.

It was Edan’s hands. I could recognise the watch he was wearing in the picture. It was the limited edition watch that I gifted him on our anniversary. The caption of the picture read

[I just gave birth to a healthy baby! All thanks to this guardian angel who always accompanied me to the regular checkup and has taken care of me during these nine months.]

I scrolled down to look at her older posts that I never bothered to spare a glance before. Almost all her posts were the updates of her maternal checkup, carrying pictures with Edan.

He had accompanied her throughout her pregnancy. He took her to the hospital regularly, prepared nutritious dishes for her, and fulfilled her midnight cravings. He did everything a father of an unborn child would do for his baby’s Mom.

But, for me, he did nothing!

Despite my continuous begging to do a maternal checkup in the clinic, he insisted not to go out of the castle. He scared me by mentioning his rivals lurking behind to hurt our child.

He said if they got to know he was becoming a father, they would come for his son. So, he wanted to keep it a secret.

But it was only a facade. The truth was he couldn't care any less about my child. During the nine months of pregnancy, he wouldn't have stayed with me more than a few weeks.

Be it the heavy vomiting or the morning sickness, or the false pain, I suffered all alone. I had no one to be taken care of while he was doing everything himself for Lyra.

She had posted a picture of a man’s back, cooking healthy porridge for her. I recognised him at one glance. It was Edan. She also wrote a caption.

[I could hire a cook, but he insisted on doing everything for me personally. My baby is going to have the best Godfather in the world.]

I couldn't remember the last time Edan had done anything as extravagant as this for me. Oh, well I remember. Never!

I shut the phone off and threw it aside. After a long hour, I hear a knock at the door of my room.

“Mrs Knight, can I come in?”

It was our butler’s voice.

“Come in,” I said, sitting up on the bed. He walked inside.

His expression filled with guilt as he said in a low voice, “Mrs Knight, Mr Knight called me and said he had to leave for an urgent trip. He can't return for a week. In the meantime, I’ll be taking care of you.”

“And yeah! Mr Knight said that he was really apologetic to leave you in this condition,” he added these words of his own.

It wasn't the first time I was listening to him saying this. He had delivered the same message several times during this year of my marriage. That was why he seemed disheartened saying those lines. Even he was tired of pretending his boss cared about me.

“Alright Robin, you can leave now.” I asked him to leave and laid down on my bed. My phone again buzzed with a notification. It was again Lyra’s post.

[He left all his work aside and insisted on taking care of me during my postpartum period. My baby and I, we both are so lucky to have him by my side. My guardian angel!]

During the next two weeks, I didn't receive a call or message from him. Robin kept telling me that his boss called him and reminded him to prepare nutritious meals for me along with giving me medicine on time.

But, I knew he was lying just to ease my heart. He didn't know that I no longer cared about Edan’s care or love.

In the meantime, Lyra kept posting pictures with Edan taking care of her and the baby. Every picture was a clear depiction of a happy family of three.

I was done with looking at how happy they were after my child’s death. So, I blocked Lyra’s number and decided not to think about them.

Just when I thought about moving on, my phone rang. It was Edan's call. He looked desperate as he kept calling me despite my ignorance to receive it. He usually didn't call back if I missed a call from him. But, this time he called me five times before I finally picked up.

“Ramona…” he called my name, his voice laced with panic and anxiety, “Thank God! You picked it up.”

"What happened, Edan?" I asked, my voice showing no emotions at all.

"Nothing..." He continued, "Christian, my biggest rival of all time, the only enemy I hate so much... I heard he is after you, Ramona. He wants to use you in some way. I don't know how but he wants to. I called you to be wary of him, okay?”

“If he ever tries to contact you, just let me know. And, please don't listen to him no matter what he tells you."

"Okay," I said, not that I was going to obey him. He took a sigh of relief, and then made himself sound as if he really cared about me, saying,

"Ramona, I know I should have been with you at this moment. But, I'm stuck with some urgent work. I'll be back soon. Please take care of yourself, okay?"

"It's okay, Edan," I said, "Take your time and don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

After throwing out these words, I hung up. As soon as I hung up the call, my phone rang again. This time from an unknown number. I recalled what Edan told me as I instantly picked up the call.

"Hello, who is this?" I asked,

"I'm sure your husband would have given you a million reasons not to talk to me but I'll give you only one to talk," a deep male magnetic voice sounded from the other end, each word carrying the weight of millions, forcing me to listen more.

"Are you Christian Williams?" I asked, my voice laced with suspicion and anxiety.

"Yes," he replied, "I'm the one who knows what you don't."

"What do you want from me, Christian?" I asked.

"Want something from you? Nothing! I just want to give you something." He replied, his tone mysterious but sounded sincere.

"I know what you have lost and that nothing can compare to it. But, what I know might give a direction to your life. Do you want to take a risk and meet me?"

He asked in a deep magnetic voice. He had something in his tone that was sending shivers down my spine but I agreed to our meeting.

The time and location that Christian shared on my phone led me to a very extravagant auction, running in a very luxurious hotel. An act of showing off your wealth and power. Having been raised in a well known Mafia family, I was completely aware of these cultures.

In the name of charity, undercover agents and people involved in illegal business gathered in these kinds of events to share some information or meet some people who they couldn't meet in broad daylight.

After coming out of the cab, I asked the chauffeur to leave. I was standing nervously near the main entrance, because I knew entry to these kinds of events needed special invitation but I was empty handed.

The guards were staring at me as if I was a trespasser. I could feel their eyes scanning me from head to toe, sizing me up. I knew I had to think fast, or I'd be turned away at the door.

Just as I was about to come up with a plan, a sleek black car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face Edan. The chauffeur opened the door for him. He came out, holding Lyra’s hands affectionately.

Lyra smiled at the faces staring at them with adoration. She had held her baby in her arms, and a dozen guards dressed in black and laced with weapons followed them.

Seeing such a high class security after Lyra forced me to think how Edan kept telling me to stay inside the castle for my security but didn't bother to keep any guards for me and here he was, arranging dozens of guards for his beloved.

I was still standing at the entrance, listening to the sneers and whispers of the guards while Edan walked past me with his ‘family’. I was standing so close to him but his gaze was too occupied staring at Lyra to even notice my presence.

However, his ignorance had no effect on me. My heart was already dead. I didn't feel hurt anymore. I was about to turn and leave, thinking it was a bad idea to trust somebody on a phone call, that someone called me from behind.

I turned back only to find a man dressed in a well tailored grey suit.

"Need a ride?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by his sudden appearance before I said, "I think I need more than a ride, Mr. Williams?"

“Mr. Williams doesn't meet people very often. I’m his assistant, Miss Ramona. But, don't worry, you will get to see him very soon.”

He replied before walking over to the guards, flashing a charismatic smile. "Gentlemen, this is Mr Williams’ guest. Please, let us through.”

After leading me in Christian’s man slipped away, leaving me alone in the crowd of strangers yet familiar faces.

Out of all the people my gaze was fixed on Edan, whose eyes were not moving from Lyra’s child. He seemed quite content with Lyra and the child by her side.

So, this was why he murdered my son. To get this family of three, he sacrificed the family we could build together. For him, it was a son for a son.

After a few while, Edan took the baby from Lyra's hands and kissed his cheeks, began playing with him while making funny faces, a very rare sight to witness. He called him ‘Roney’.

So, they had already named the child while my child passed away unnamed. I couldn't even remember my baby by his name.

Soon after the auction began and Edan won the highest bid for a pink diamond necklace, the hall erupted in appreciation and praise as the Mafia lord just won the most expensive artifact.

When the host presented him the necklace, he didn't hesitate putting it on Lyra's neck as he said, “To the most beautiful woman who brought the most beautiful child to my world,”

“Omg! Edan, it's so beautiful.” Lyra exclaimed with joy. “Thank you so much for the precious gift, Edan. You always surprise me with something extraordinary.”

“For a moment, I thought you were buying it for Ramona. After all, she is your wife and your wedding anniversary is coming.”

“Don't think too much, Lyra. It's for the mother of this cute little baby. I can give anything to Ramona, but this necklace. It looks good on you.” He replied, his voice soft and gentle, and a smile on his lips that I never witnessed for me.

“Are you sure, Edan? Don't you think your wife will get jealous if she ever finds out? You know the media is taking our pictures. They are surely going to make headlines for tomorrow. Do you really not care about your wife's feelings?”

She asked, however, her voice was teaseful as if she was enjoying hearing Edan saying he didn't care about me.

However, before Edan could say anything further to humiliate me before his mistress, someone recognised me and said, his voice loud enough to reach Edan’s ears, “Isn't she Mr. Beckham’s wife? What is she doing alone in the corner while her husband is presenting such an expensive gift to the wife of his business partner?”

Only now did Edan notice that I wasn't standing very far from him.

“Ramona…” he whispered, the lines of curve visible on his forehead. He walked up to me as he asked in a panicked voice, “What are you doing here, Ramona?”

“Shouldn't I be the one asking the same question to you, Edan? As far as I know, you were out of the city on a business trip.” I replied, voice distant.

“Ramona… I’ll explain everything to you once we go back to our home. Please don't overthink anything, okay?”

He said, his voice lacking the confidence he always carried with him.

“Congratulations, for winning the highest bid.” I said, my tone sarcastic.

He bit his lips, his eyes appeared to be regretful as he stepped forward, reaching out to hold my hands. But, his hand paused in the air as he heard Roney crying.

He immediately turned back to look at Lyra and Roney as he asked, “Why is Roney crying?”

“He is probably hungry, Edan, and I can't feed him in front of so many people, can I?” Lyra said, trying to make Roney stop crying.

Edan looked terrible watching Roney crying. He immediately took Roney in his arms, saying, “Come on, I’ll lead you to our private suite. You can feed Roney there.”

Without sparing a glance at me, Edan took Lyra and Roney upstairs. After his departure, the auction hall filled with snickers and whispers, directed at me.

“I heard Mr. Beckham’s wife was also pregnant but went into labor one month earlier, resulting to lose their child,”

“A woman who can't keep the child in her womb for nine months, deserves to be treated like this.”

“Lyra is so kind and gentle. In this modern world where people leave their child for the caretaker to feed formula milk, she is breastfeeding. She is an amazing woman unlike Mr. Beckham's wife.”

“We all witnessed how much Mr. Beckham loves children. Lyra is giving him what he needs unlike someone who is just robbing him off his money, living like a lazy ass in his castle.”

Just then my phone rang. It was Christian’s call. His voice sounded as soon as I picked up the call, “Miss Ramona, I’m waiting for you.”

“Mr. Williams? Can you stop being so mysterious and show up instead of just waiting in a private room?” I asked, my agitation directed at him.

“Just come upstairs! You will get the answers to all of your questions.”