Love in Shadows

When I came to, Shane was there by my bedside, looking worn out.

Seeing my eyes open, he was so overcome with relief and joy that he pulled me into an embrace, tears streaming down his face.

"Lily, you're awake at last. I've missed you so much..."

His tears dripped onto my neck, his body shaking as if I were a delicate treasure that could break at any moment.

The doctors in the room could not help but get misty-eyed at his display of emotion.

However, that overpowering perfume he wore brought visions of the shadows that had played across my hospital room time and again.

It made my stomach turn.

I tried to push him away, but he clung to me tighter. I had to fight the urge to gag as I told him, "I'm tired. Please let go."

Shane released me right away, stammering an apology. "Sorry, I got carried away."

His words had barely left his lips when Joanna entered, her smile the picture of decorum.

Shane's face fell, and he looked like he was about to shoo her out.

However, I was quicker.

Feigning ignorance, I asked Shane, "Do I know this woman? She looks so familiar."

A flicker of guilt passed through Shane's eyes as he cautiously replied, "She's the nurse I brought in to look after you."

A sharp pain pierced my heart, but I kept up the charade, smiling weakly as I said, "She must have been a great help."

Joanna approached, her voice sounding sincere when she said, "Congratulations, Ms. Smith."

However, her eyes danced with a challenge.

My hands balled into fists.

I wanted to call them out right there, demanding to know why they would sully my sickroom with their deceit.

'However, what good would it do to drag the truth out of them?' I wondered.

Shane mistook my silence for exhaustion and gently helped me back down, tucking the blanket around me. "You rest now," he said, before he and Joanna stepped out.

From the hallway, Joanna's voice carried back to me, laced with a cry.

"Mr. Jackson, I've made up my mind. Now that Ms. Smith is awake, my baby and I are just excess baggage. I'll be gone by tomorrow."

Shane's gaze was a tangle of emotions as he looked at her.

"Lily waking up doesn't mean you've paid for your mistakes.

"That baby you're carrying is mine, after all. Once you've had the baby, Lily can raise the child. I'll make sure you're taken care of."

A spark of hope flickered in Joanna's eyes as she reached up to trace Shane's throat.

"We have a deal then. You better not back out."

Shane felt a surge in his gut and pulled her close, his kiss desperate.

"Lily's just come around. I can't bring myself to lay a finger on her.

"Help me out, will you..."

Joanna playfully hit his chest, a blush on her cheeks.

"Cut it out, the baby's listening..."

The sounds from the hospital room door were all too familiar.

A pain tore through my heart.

Tears streamed down my face unchecked.

I bit down on my lip until after the sounds ceased. Then, I let out a cry.

The next day, my parents came to visit after hearing the news.

Seeing me awake, my mother clung to me, crying her heart out, and even my usually stoic father's eyes were red.

My mother held my hand and said, "Lily, Shane hasn't slept a wink taking care of you since your accident. Now that you're awake, you two need to be together for real."

Shane, with that same loving look, said, "I love Lily. I'm just doing what I should.

"I've made up my mind. We'll have an engagement party the day after Lily is discharged from the hospital. I'll invite all the big names in business to show the world she's the luckiest bride ever."

……

After my parents left, Joanna breezed into the room, a warm smile on her face and a bowl of chicken soup cradled in her hands.

"Ms. Smith, I made this chicken soup just for you."

I glanced at the oily sheen on the surface of the soup and could not suppress a frown.

Joanna's smile faltered, and her eyes darted down, her voice tinged with panic as she spoke.