She's My Sleeping Pill

“I know. Thank you for not letting my father find her. I don’t want more trouble in the family.” Stefan went out of the room and closed the door behind him. “I’ll go back to my wife now. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know. Also, we’ll have breakfast together at 7:30 AM tomorrow. I know both of you are early birds.”

“Got it. I’ll take her there for a walk as well.”

“Cool.”

Stefan finally left the cabin and returned to the mansion. He found that Cayenne was still awake, listening to soft classical music with her phone pressed on her lower tummy. He removed his coat, took a short half bath, and changed his clothes to a pair of pajamas that match his wife’s.

“Are they okay?” Cayenne asked while putting away her phone. She moved closer to him and hugged his waist but her baby bump still put a little distance between them.

Stefan nodded and kissed her nose. “Dad didn’t see mom there. I wonder if he could recognize her if he ever sees her; not that I plan of letting them meet again. I just don’t want the current peace to be broken.”

“But there is no secret that can be kept forever. Hon, you have to prepare yourself if ever Dad finds out the truth – grandpa and grandma, too.”

Stefan sighed and closed his eyes to focus on her warmth alone. “I’ll worry about it when the time comes. For now, I don’t want to think of anything else but you and the children.”

.....

Cayenne grinned when she heard him say the last word. He may not have realized it but he was being considerate of the children.

The next morning, Cayenne woke up to the sound of Stefan retching once again. It has become her usual view already in her day-to-day life. “My little cupcakes, you can’t cause trouble to your father in the future. He’s suffering already before you could even come out. I’m already feeling bad.”

“What are you mumbling?” Stefan asked after coming out of the bathroom. He looked exhausted even though it was early in the morning.

“I want the children to bully you more.”

“Hey!”

“I can’t bully you so, they have to do it on behalf of their beloved mother.”

“Oh? So, you have accomplices now?”

“That’s right. These children will bully you until I give birth to them.”

“I’m not worried. I can bully you after giving birth to them.”

“See?!”

Stefan burst out laughing and Cayenne smiled as well. He finally looked a little better than earlier. “Do you want to have coffee in the garden? I want to walk around with mom.”

It was just one of their normal days with no work waiting for them or classes for her. They got to spend their day however they wanted without worrying about anything. Or so they thought. It was Christmas and people associate this word with merry. Everyone should be happy this season.

At the same time, you could not erase the fact that some people out there might be suffering. For example, little Chloe. It was supposedly also a normal day for her. She woke up early, brushed her teeth, ate her breakfast, and washed the plates.

Justin was coming home and he promised to buy her a new dress and a new batch of school supplies. You could say that among the children, she was his favorite. [Of course, I would be his favorite. I’m going to be his wife in the future.] This would be most likely her answer if she hears people say about the difference in treatment.

Although Justin gave her special treatment, he was still kind to the other children in his home.

Perhaps it was because of too much excitement or maybe it was because she was tired; no one really knew why she collapsed on the floor. It was Molly who heard the crashing sound coming from the kitchen and when she got inside, Chloe was already lying on the floor with her deathly pale face.

It was so timely that Erwin came to send Justin over with the Christmas gifts that Cayenne and her family gave when the children came running out of the house to call for help. He even almost hit one of the children if it wasn’t for his quick reaction to step on the brake.

“What happened?” Justin asked at once before he could even step out of the car. His worry clouded his face as he ran to the house without even taking his things with him.

“Chloe collapsed! She’s in the kitchen.”

Erwin, being the bigger person who has basic knowledge of first aid, ran inside and told everyone to give him a big space for air circulation. The other children were already crying and Justin stood there in shock. He wanted to save her but he didn’t know how to. He wasn’t taught how to save someone.

“Justin! Call someone! Call an ambulance!”

Justin was jolted awake by the angry shout and he instantly called the emergency hotline. It was the first contact that Cayenne saved on his phone just in case something happens. He didn’t expect that he would be calling the number for Chloe.

“She’s breathing. She’s breathing now.” Erwin announced after doing a Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He didn’t realize he was sweating until he slumped on the floor beside the little girl. “We still need to bring her to the hospital to know what caused this.”

“Where’s granny?” Justin asked when he realized that the old woman wasn’t around. The children suddenly turned silent and they avoided his gaze. “Why aren’t you saying anything? I told you that you have to tell me everything.”

“Sorry, Justin. Granny asked us not to say a word. We didn’t want you to keep worrying about us.”

Erwin felt sorry for the kids. They were all orphans who relied on each other but at the same time, they were aware of the fact that Justin shouldn’t feel responsible for them. It was creating a rift between them.

“Calm down for now. Go and wait for the ambulance to come. I will monitor Chloe from here. Don’t think too much. Everything will be fine. Also, don’t contact Ms. Yen. I’ll inform them about this personally.”

Justin only nodded his head and left. His tears fell on the ground but he didn’t try to wipe his face because they would know he was crying. He already lost their grandpa and most likely, their grandma was also in the hospital. Now, Chloe will be sent as well. He felt helpless.

[Please don’t take her away.]