âLetitia, youâve gotta have a thing for the kidâs dad, right?â he said, âThatâs why youâre making such a
big deal out of this! You wanna have babies for him, stay in touch, and youâre itching for the day you
two can shack up together, arenât you?â
âYes!â
âSay it again!â
âYes, yes!â Letitia went all in. Screw it, she thought. If heâs not gonna believe the truth, might as well
play his game and tick him off!
âThe kidâs dad said heâd marry me, and Iâm waiting for him!â Letitia blurted out. âHeâs sweet to me,
cares about me, he promised me a future! Compared to you, heâs a thousand, no, a million times
better!â
Elginâs temples bulged with veins, âYouâre just trying to tick me off, Letitia!â
She scoffed and curled her lip. âCanât handle a bit of talk, huh
And what about her? She lost her child.
Letitiaâs hands trembled non-stop as she slowly covered her now flat belly.
it was fiat as before, but she knew the child was there, alive and well with her.
But nowâ¦the baby was gone, nothing left
The child was her reason to keep on living, and Elgin snuffed it out with his own hands
Now, the only thing Letitia had left to care about was her aging parents
But her parents will get old and one day theyâll leave her too.
Then sheâll be all alone, no strings attached, no one to hold anything over her.
Elgin stood by the bedside, looking down at her. âLetitia, you sure you wanna go head-to-head with
me?â
She ignored him, her palms gently stroking her belly, pretending the child was still there.
âYou have two choices, Elgin said. âYou better play smart and pick the easy path.â
âWhat choices?â
âOne, live a good life with me, as a real husband and wife. Or two, hate me, defy me, and your life will
only get tougher.â
Even a blind man would know which road to take when the choices are so stark.
*Real husband and wife, those words meant wealth and honor, all the perks that came with being Mrs
Ramirez. But Letitia couldnât do
it
She couldnât let go of the hate, forget everything, and live meekly and without dignity at Elginâs side like
a pet canary, like his pet.
She wasnât the kind of woman to live off someone else, that wasnât the life she wantedâ
âAnd if I choose the second option?â Letitia looked him in the eye. âI wonât walk the easy path youâve
laid out for me, Iâll take that second choice.
âLetitia, youâre biting the hand that feeds you!â
The one whoâs biting the hand is you!â she retorted, her head held high. âIâve given ground over and
over, only asking to give birth to the child, just wanting him to live, even if I never see him⦠but you just
had to crush all my hope!
âOnly this way, we canâ¦â
âNo we! Thereâs no âweâ!â Letitia cut him off. âElgin, I am me, and you are you, not us!â
It was a strong rejection.
Elgin had never been rejected like this! His hands by his side clenched and unclenched.
Letitia struggled to sit up from the hospital bed, the blanket sliding off to reveal her patient gown,
making her look even paler.
âYou never asked if I wanted this, Letitia said. âElgin, itâs always about you, your feelings, making
everyone do as you pleaseâ¦â
âNow let me make it clear, I wonât listen to you. We are enemies, sworn enemies for life!*
The grief of losing her child, the heartache of her parents suffering, her own helplessness and guiltâ¦
All these emotions entangled Letitia pushing her to a complete breakdown, to lose control.
the tossed a pillow at Elgin, throwing anything she could get her hands on.
glass on the bedside table was swept to the floor.
shattered into pieces.
The noise alarmed the bodyguards outside who thought something was up, and they kicked the door
open and rushed in, âMr. Ramirez!â Letta, feeth clenched and eyes red, braced herself on the bed.
She was on an IV drip, but her movements had been so violent that the needle had dislodged.
She just pulled it out and knocked over the IV stand,
The bodyguards were stunned. âMrs. Ramirezâ¦â
Elginâs face was ashen as he silently watched her temper tantrum.
âI really hate you, hate you!â Letitia said âElgin, youâre so cruel to me yet you expect me to forget
everything and stay by your side⦠Impossible, you think Iâm like Shela?â
He watched her quietly. âAre you done?â
âNot even closeâ
âFine, then keep going
Letitia glared at him, âWhy are you so calm? Because youâve got no heart, you donât feel pain!â
âYes, I have no heart, Elgin agreed, then sharply ordered the bodyguards, âGet out!â
âMr. Ramirez
âOut!â He commanded. âNo matter what you hear, donât come in, and donât let anyone else in!â
The bodyguards had to obey and left.
Elgin grabbed Letitiaâs hand, looking at the beads of blood welling up on her hand.
She tried to pull away, but he held on even tighter.
He pressed the call button for the nurse, âGet her a new IV.â
âRight away, Mr. Ramirez
Letitia resisted, covering her hand, âNo need, you can leave.â
âJust do it, donât mind her.
The nurse was caught in an awkward position.
Elgin held Letitiaâs other hand tightly, not allowing her to move.
Letitia snorted, âWhatâs the point? Iâll just pull it out again.â
âYou want to die?
âYeah, Iâve wanted to die for a long time.â
Elgin said flatly. âIf you die⦠your parents wonât live either.â
She suddenly looked up, snapping. âWhat the heck are you going to do to them?!â
âIâm not planning anything, Letitia. Just think about it once your folks hear youâve kicked the bucket, do
you really think they can go on living without a care in the world?â
Letitia stunned.
Her parents only had her as a daughter. Without her, theyâd be absolutely heartbroken
Letitia gradually calmed down.
The nurse slipped out quietly, and the hospital room fell into complete silence, leaving just the two of
them.