Victoria sat gloomily on the couch, staring out the window of her apartment. The middle-aged woman was once again reminded of her conversation with Hannah earlier that day, and it worried her.
Victoria’s bedroom door was knocked on, then opened from the outside. Ashton entered with a beaming smile and hurried inside.
“Hi, Mom,” he greeted cheerfully.
“Close the door, son. I need to talk to you about something important.”
Ashton looked a little confused, but quickly complied with Victoria’s request. He sat down next to his mother and studied her with slight curiosity.
“What’s on your mind, Mom?” Ashton asked.
“Hannah,” Victoria sighed. “You both met Hannah’s ex-husband, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah…” Ashton cleared his throat. “But I think it was just a coincidence. Besides, Hannah seemed fine, like she didn’t even care.”
“Ashton, do you think you and Hannah should just go back to Europe?” Victoria suddenly suggested.
Ashton was taken aback by the idea. Hannah had already been introduced as the director of the hospital, and now to cancel that so suddenly? Wouldn’t that raise questions about the hospital’s reputation?
“Why, Mom? Are you afraid that something will happen between Hannah and her ex-husband? Don’t you trust Hannah?” Ashton asked.
Victoria shook her head. “It’s not that, Ashton. Hannah may be fine, but we don’t know what her ex-husband might do.”
“If Alden tries anything, I’ll be the first to deal with it.”
“No,” Victoria firmly refused. “Do everything you can to avoid talking to him or seeing him.”
Ashton realized that Victoria didn’t want any more scandals, especially one involving Hannah. What if people saw Hannah getting close to her ex-husband, who was now a successful billionaire at Summerhill? It made sense for Victoria to be worried.
But that didn’t mean Alden had to be avoided altogether. If Hannah and Alden were really over, why worry? That’s what Ashton thought.
“Okay,” Ashton said.
“You must marry Hannah as soon as possible. I don’t want you two to put it off any longer,” Victoria continued. “That way, both of you can have your focus on the hospital and family.”
“I’ll talk to Hannah about it. I don’t think she’ll mind,” Ashton agreed.
“That’s good,” Victoria nodded.
Ashton and Victoria chatted briefly about the hospital’s opening ceremony, which had gone smoothly. Then Ashton excused himself to go to bed and left his mother’s room.
Victoria’s concern became more apparent as she sat alone in her bedroom. She got up from the couch and sat on the edge of her bed. Picking up her phone, she unlocked it, revealing a picture of Alden in one of the articles.
“Oh God, what am I going to do?” Victoria whispered in confusion.
Her fingers brushed gently over Alden’s photo and she nearly cried.
“My son…”
From the beginning, Victoria had known that Hannah’s ex-husband was her firstborn son, Alden Harrison. But she had kept it a secret, not wanting Hannah to know who she and Ashton really were.
Victoria hadn’t been thrilled about Ashton’s relationship with Hannah at first, but over time she had grown to like her son’s girlfriend. Hannah was kind, hardworking, not the type to cause drama, and got along well with Victoria.
There was also a part of Victoria that didn’t want to lose Hannah to her eldest son. That’s why she had approved of Ashton and Hannah’s relationship, especially since she was quite fond of Henry.
“Now that this has all happened, I don’t know what to do,” Victoria muttered.
Victoria had deliberately built the hospital at Summerhill because she wanted to see what Alden looked like now. But she hadn’t considered the possibility that Hannah, Ashton, and Alden might cross paths.
Ashton might not remember Alden, but Alden? He certainly remembered his mother’s and brother’s names.
“I hope Alden thinks Ashton is someone else and not his long-lost brother,” Victoria muttered.
*
The next morning, after breakfast, Hannah prepared to leave for the hospital with Ashton. But just as they were about to leave, Victoria stopped them.
“Hannah, I need to talk to you for a minute. If that’s okay?” Victoria asked.
Hannah exchanged a look with Ashton, then nodded and sat back down.
“I want you two to get married as soon as possible. By the end of this month? Or early next month?” Victoria said.
“The end of the month?” Hannah gasped. “That’s three weeks from now, Victoria.”
“Too soon for you?”
“Well, I…” Hannah looked at Ashton, not sure how to answer.
It was way too soon for Hannah. They had just moved to Summerhill and were temporarily living in an apartment. She and Ashton had plans to find a house, then a preschool for Henry. Marriage? Hannah imagined that would happen maybe a year or two later.
Victoria’s request so soon shocked Hannah.
“Mom, we need at least six months to prepare,” Ashton chimed in.
“What are you waiting for?”
Getting Victoria’s approval should have made Hannah happy, but instead it made her anxious and confused.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Ashton said, “just the two of us, me and Hannah.”
Ashton stood and gave Victoria a quick kiss on the cheek, and Hannah did the same. Then, looking a bit rushed, Ashton took Hannah’s hand and led her out of the apartment.
Once outside their unit, Ashton let out a sigh of relief.
“Mom mentioned last night that she wanted us to get married soon,” Ashton admitted. “But I didn’t think she meant so soon. Don’t worry about it, dear, okay?”
Hannah chuckled softly. “It’s okay. I’ll go along with whatever you think is best.”
“Yeah, let’s aim for the next six months. Sound good?”
Hannah nodded in agreement.
“By the way, where is Henry? Didn’t he join us for breakfast? Hasn’t he woken up yet?” Ashton just realized that little Henry had been out of sight all morning.
“Actually, he already had breakfast and went out. He’s out walking with Maria,” Hannah replied. “I told her not to go too far from the apartment.”
“We really need to find a house soon. It must be boring for Henry to live in an apartment.”
“I think so too,” Hannah agreed. “I’m just not sure where we should live. It has to be close enough to the hospital and Henry’s school.”
“Yeah, we’ll find a realtor later. But let’s get to work first. Hopefully today won’t be too hectic.”
Hannah chuckled softly as Ashton kissed her forehead as they walked down the hall.
Living with Ashton, building a life together, Hannah knew deep down that it would be peaceful and happy. Ashton was so attentive, always giving her affirmations and full support. But why did Hannah always doubt Ashton?