~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rome gazed at his sleeping son, marveling at the peaceful expression on his face, oblivious to the world. His son had drifted off after nursing from Phoenix. His eyes briefly flickered to Phoenix’s nipples, on the verge of slipping from their son’s mouth, before he averted his gaze. Now was not the time for his mind to wander.
He knew Phoenix hadn’t forgiven him for his past actions. How his son had returned to them remained a mystery, but he was certain it wasn’t through Phoenix.
Doctor Phil entered the room, accompanied by Camilla, who hurried to Phoenix’s side.
“Are you feeling better?” Camilla asked Phoenix, who nodded wearily.
Camilla’s gaze met Rome’s, but she remained silent, her dissatisfaction evident.
“Is Mom okay?” Rome inquired, turning to Camilla, who nodded.
Rome’s gaze turned towards Doctor Phil as he rose from his seat, the weight of uncertainty heavy in his chest.
“Rome,” Doctor Phil called, his smile unable to conceal the seriousness in his eyes. “Can we have a word?”
Rome nodded, his heart pounding as they made their way out of the room together. Each step felt like a march towards an inevitable truth he wasn’t sure he was ready to face.
Once they were alone, Doctor Phil cleared his throat, his expression shifting to one of understanding mixed with apprehension. “I think I have an idea of what’s been troubling you,” he began cautiously.
Rome’s arms tightened across his chest, a silent invitation for Doctor Phil to continue.
“The thing is,” Doctor Phil started, choosing his words carefully, “I believe Phoenix may have already told you by now that Georgia isn’t actually dead.”
Rome’s breath caught in his throat, a wave of disbelief crashing over him. “What… what do you mean?” he managed to utter, his voice barely above a whisper.
Doctor Phil’s gaze softened with sympathy. “I had assumed Phoenix had already disclosed this to you. I’m sorry for any confusion, but I felt it was necessary to use your sperm to fertilize Phoenix’s egg. It was a decision made with the best intentions, to bring happiness to both of you.”
Rome’s mind reeled, struggling to grasp the enormity of Doctor Phil’s revelation. “No, there’s more,” he interjected, his voice trembling. “You mentioned something about my late wife being alive. What does that mean?”
Doctor Phil’s expression faltered, a flicker of regret crossing his features. “I… I didn’t mean to cause further distress,” he stammered, searching for the right words. “What I meant to say is that Georgia… she’s not gone. She’s alive.”
The world seemed to spin around Rome as the weight of Doctor Phil’s words sank in. Confusion gave way to a flood of emotions as he struggled to come to terms with the truth he had spent so long avoiding. Today, it seemed, was a day filled not just with confusion.
“You have to emphasize, I saw her body, Doctor Phil, and we buried her,” Rome insisted, his voice tinged with disbelief and urgency as he recalled the painful memory.
“That body you saw wasn’t hers; it was someone else’s body. Remember, it was burnt and black,” Doctor Phil explained patiently, his tone calm yet determined to make Rome understand.
Returning to the room, Rome felt like he was walking through a fog of confusion and disbelief, each step heavy with the weight of uncertainty.
“Is what Doctor Phil saying true? Is Georgia alive?” Rome’s voice trembled slightly as he posed the question, his eyes searching desperately for confirmation from Camilla and Phoenix.
Camilla and Phoenix exchanged a knowing glance, silently affirming what Doctor Phil had disclosed, before nodding in unison, their expressions a mix of sympathy and concern.
“Yes,” they both murmured softly, the word hanging heavy in the air like an unspoken truth too monumental to comprehend.
“What the hell…” Rome’s voice trailed off, his mind struggling to process the revelation, his heart torn between hope and disbelief.
“How… how is that possible?” Rome’s voice cracked with emotion, his words barely above a whisper, his thoughts spinning as he tried to make sense of the incomprehensible.
Amidst the turmoil, his son’s cries pierced through the haze of confusion, a stark reminder that Rome just disturbed his sleep.
Rome’s gaze softened as he looked at his son, a mixture of love and apology reflected in his face.
Turning back to Doctor Phil, his voice trembled with a newfound resolve tinged with frustration and desperation. “Where is she? And why hasn’t she come to meet me? I’m her husband; I don’t understand,” Rome’s voice wavered, his eyes pleading for answers that seemed to elude him.
“I think you should sit down, Rome,” Doctor Phil’s voice was gentle yet firm, his eyes filled with understanding as he urged Rome to confront the truth with a sense of calm.
“Why should I sit?” Rome’s tone bordered on defiance, his frustration bubbling to the surface as he struggled to reconcile the pieces of a puzzle that seemed impossibly complex.
“Rome,” Phoenix’s voice cut through the tension, her gaze unwavering as she met his eyes with a mixture of compassion and determination.
“I think you should sit,” she repeated softly, her expression urging him to comply.
Rome nodded solemnly and took his seat, his mind swirling with disbelief and confusion as Doctor Phil continued to unravel the shocking truth.
“So about the accident, it was all fake,” Doctor Phil revealed, his words hanging heavy in the air.
Rome’s heart sank as he processed the revelation, his thoughts racing as he struggled to comprehend the extent of the deception.
“I’ve known Miss Georgia for years now, and what she always came to the hospital to do was multiple abortions,” Doctor Phil disclosed, each word hitting Rome like a sledgehammer.
Rome felt a surge of nausea rise within him, his stomach churning at the horrifying truth laid bare before him. The woman he loved, the woman he had cherished and adored, had been concealing a dark secret.
He wanted to scream, to rage against the injustice of it all, but he swallowed down the torrent of emotions threatening to consume him, mindful of his son and Phoenix in the room.
“So when you guys came for IVF, we tried multiple times before she could finally conceive, and remember, your sperm was kept frozen in the hospital in case anything happened to the baby,” Doctor Phil continued, his voice steady despite the gravity of his words.
Rome nodded numbly, his mind reeling with the realization that his hopes and dreams had been built upon a foundation of lies and deceit.
” we told her that the next abortion she was going to do might kill her, so she kept taking harmful things to try to end the pregnancy. But it seems your child was really strong then, so she came up with the plan to fake her death so you would stop using her as your personal machine to produce children,” Doctor Phil explained, each word cutting through Rome like a knife.
Rome felt as though his world was crumbling around him, the facade of love and happiness he had clung to for so long now shattered beyond repair.
“I was against it. First, killing children wasn’t what I do, but Doctor Jeff offered to do that. And her faking her death was also illegal. But she threatened the lives of my two daughters and my wife. I was really scared, but I thought about my family,” Doctor Phil confessed, his voice filled with regret and resignation.
Rome could only nod in response, his throat tight with emotion, his heart heavy with the weight of betrayal and deceit.
” Georgia faked her death and we had to take her eggs so we can proceed with the procedure,” Doctor Phil concluded, his voice heavy with the burden of the truth.
As Doctor Phil’s revelation unfolded, the air in the room grew heavier with each passing moment. Rome’s heart raced as he braced himself for yet another shocking twist in the already tumultuous saga.
“We were prepared to proceed with the transfer,” Doctor Phil began, his voice weighted with solemnity,
“but during the process, we made a distressing discovery.”Rome’s breath caught in his throat, his pulse quickening with apprehension.
“The baby,” Doctor Phil continued, his tone measured yet laced with sorrow, “the baby was already deceased.”
The doctor’s revelation hit Rome like a ton of bricks. He felt a mix of shock, disbelief, and betrayal. It was incomprehensible that Georgia would go to such lengths, even risking her own life, to deceive him and everyone else involved.
The news that the baby was already dead added another layer of tragedy to an already devastating situation. Rome struggled to process the enormity of it all, grappling with feelings of anger, sorrow, and profound loss. The truth was a bitter pill to swallow, shattering the illusion of the life he thought he knew.
“Where is Georgia now?” Rome’s voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and apprehension as he sought answers to the unsettling truth that had been laid bare before him.
“She was arrested today,” Camilla interjected, her voice cutting through the tension in the room like a knife.
Rome’s eyes widened in shock, his mind struggling to grasp the sudden turn of events. How had she been caught? What had led to her downfall?
“How?” he demanded, his voice tinged with urgency and confusion.
“Remember how you blamed Phoenix for kidnapping your son? Well, guess what, it was your precious little wife,” Camilla’s words hit Rome like a tidal wave, leaving him reeling with disbelief.
“Wait, what?” Rome’s voice cracked with incredulity as he turned to Doctor Phil, his eyes pleading for clarity amidst the chaos unfolding around them.
“Georgia had the motive to kidnap your son, thinking he was hers. She collaborated with Doctor Jeff, and she made sure I was never in the hospital on any day that Phoenix was due to give birth. I couldn’t communicate with her; she controlled the narrative,” Doctor Phil explained, his words like a dagger to Rome’s already wounded heart.
“What does she want to do with my son?” Rome’s voice was barely above a whisper, his worst fears threatening to consume him.
“She wanted to kill him,” Doctor Phil’s words hung in the air like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over the room and sending a chill down Rome’s spine.
Rome’s gaze darted between Doctor Phil and Phoenix, his mind struggling to comprehend the depths of depravity that his wife had sunk to. How had he fallen in love with her without truly knowing her? What kind of monster had he unwittingly welcomed into his life?
Anger and confusion surged within him, mingling with a profound sense of betrayal and grief. What the hell was wrong with that toxic woman? And how had he failed to see the darkness lurking beneath her facade of love and affection?
As he grappled with the painful truth of his wife’s betrayal, Rome’s heart ached for his son, for the innocence that had been threatened by the very person he had once vowed to love and protect. But amidst the turmoil, one thing was clear – he would stop at nothing to ensure his son’s safety, even if it meant confronting the demons of his past and facing the harsh realities of the present.
~~
Rome’s mind buzzed with a whirlwind of emotions, each thought jostling for prominence as he cradled his son in his arms, his heart heavy with the weight of the revelations that had unfolded before him.
First and foremost, he was consumed by a burning desire for justice – justice for his son, for Phoenix, and for himself. Georgia belonged behind bars, he resolved, never to see the light of day again. Her betrayal had shattered his world, and he vowed to ensure she paid the price for her crimes.
Secondly, he was adamant about keeping his mother at arm’s length. The woman who had raised him had also played a role in perpetuating the lies and deceit that had clouded his life. He couldn’t trust her, couldn’t bear the thought of her presence tainting his newfound clarity and resolve.
And thirdly, there was Phoenix. Sweet, strong, resilient Phoenix. The woman who had stood by him through thick and thin, who had fought tooth and nail to protect their son even when the odds seemed insurmountable. He would move heaven and earth to win her back, to rebuild what had been shattered by Georgia’s deception.
As he looked at Phoenix, sleeping peacefully on the bed, a surge of gratitude washed over him. She was his rock, his guiding light in the darkness, and he knew he didn’t deserve her unwavering love and support.
Leaning in, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, silently promising to be the man she deserved, to protect her and their son with every fiber of his being.
But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a realization – Jess. He had forgotten about her, left her waiting in the car without a second thought.
“Shit,” Rome cursed under his breath, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had completely forgotten about Jess waiting in his car. With a sigh, he carefully retrieved his phone from his pocket, noting the missed calls from her.
Dialing her number, he braced himself for the inevitable conversation, his heart heavy with guilt.
“Rome,” Jess’s voice greeted him as she answered the call.
“I am so sorry,” Rome apologized immediately, his tone filled with genuine regret.
“No, don’t worry. I understand you were with your mom,” Jess reassured him, her understanding tone offering a small measure of comfort.
“Yeah, I was,” Rome confirmed, grateful for her understanding.
“Where are you?” he inquired, his concern evident in his voice.
“Oh… just went to get some things. I’m okay,” Jess replied, her voice light and casual.
Rome nodded, relieved to hear that she was alright. But before he could say anything else, his son’s cries pierced through the air once more, demanding his attention.
“So sorry, I’ll call you back,” Rome apologized hastily, ending the call before Jess could respond.
Turning his focus back to his son, Rome gently rocked him in his arms, whispering soothing words in an attempt to calm him. But it was clear that the baby was hungry, his cries growing louder and more insistent with each passing moment.
“Don’t cry, you’re gonna wake up your mom,” Rome murmured softly, his heart aching at the sight of his son’s distress. It was evident that he was famished, his tiny fists clenched in frustration as he sought comfort from his father.
With a sigh, Rome shifted his gaze to Phoenix, who had stirred awake at the sound of their son’s cries. It was time to feed him, and Rome knew that there was no one better suited for the task than Phoenix.
“He’s hungry,” Rome explained softly, handing their son over to her waiting arms.
“Here he is,” Rome said softly, carefully placing their son onto Phoenix’s lap, ensuring he was settled and comfortable.
As Phoenix brought her breast out of her clothes, Rome watched with a mixture of awe and tenderness, marveling at the innate bond between mother and child. His heart swelled with love as he witnessed their son latch onto Phoenix’s nipple, his tiny mouth eagerly seeking nourishment
He smiled looking at his son suck on the nipples which he had sucked multiple times. Now his son gets to suck and he doesn’t because he fucked up big time.
“You can stop looking at my breast now,” Phoenix said, a playful smirk dancing on her lips as she caught Rome’s gaze lingering.
“I have seen it multiple times,” Rome replied with a grin, unable to resist teasing her. Phoenix rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.
“Just shut up,” she retorted, though there was a softness to her tone that betrayed her amusement. Rome nodded, his eyes still fixed on her, unable to tear himself away.
There was a warmth in his gaze, a silent appreciation for the woman before him who radiated strength and beauty in equal measure.
The door opened, and Camilla walked into the room, her presence drawing Rome’s attention away from the intimate moment shared between him, Phoenix, and their son.
“Rome,” Camilla called softly, her voice carrying a sense of urgency.
Rome turned to look at her, his brow furrowing with curiosity as he wondered what could be so important.
“Georgia has some things to tell you,” Camilla said, her words hanging in the air like a weighty secret.
Rome’s gaze shifted to Phoenix, who seemed lost in thought as she gazed down at their son, her expression unreadable.
“I will talk to her tomorrow,” Rome replied firmly, his decision made in an instant.
With a nod of finality, he turned his attention back to Phoenix, his heart full with the love and devotion he felt for her and their son.
To be continued…