Chapter 127

127 Finally

Tia

THREE MONTHS LATER.

I woke up from the bed with my entire body aching. I was going to be due in two weeks, and I couldn’t

wait. My bathroom rounds were very frequent now. Luke was sitting on the couch, working on his laptop.

As usual, I wanted to brush my teeth before interacting with him.

I went to the toilet to ease myself and brush my teeth. I returned to the room, and Luke was still busy

with this computer.

“Good morning, darling?” he greeted me, and I sat on the other couch in the bedroom. He put down his

computer and came to kiss me. “What are you doing?” I asked him, and he smiled and kissed my belly.

“Searching for a real vacation home by the beach in Eastwood,” he said, and I raised an eyebrow.

“Have you decided on the names yet, as we discussed?” I asked him, and he had a guilty face that

screamed ‘No’.

“Luke,” I complained, and he squatted by my feet to massage them.

“Don’t worry, darling, we will sort that out soon,” he said, and I moved my foot away.

“I do not want it to happen like you named Paul. You did not think of it; you just said the first name that

came to your mind. I want this to be special,” I complained, and he took my foot and continued to

massage it.

“You choose the names you are most comfortable with. We will discuss and then decide.” He said and

stood up. I knew why he got up. It was breakfast time. I wasn’t looking forward to it because Alpha Aesop

was always gloomy. Since Stacy left, he hadn’t been himself, and I did not think he would adjust anytime

soon.

I have tried to reach Stacy several times, but it seemed she did not want to be contacted. I decided I

would try again after breakfast. Hopefully, I can reach her this time. I wanted to tell her to return.

We showered together. I wasn’t thankful for the space in the shower until my belly grew. Luke washed

me every day, making me feel over pampered. We played a bit which made us linger in the shower. We

left the bathroom to get dressed for breakfast.

Putting on my short-free grown, I grumbled a bit.

“What is the matter, darling?” Luke asked me, and I looked at the door. “I am not looking forward to

breakfast,” I said, and he understood why and sighed. “I do not know why she left in the first place. I can’t

understand it. It wasn’t like she was a saint either. He had apologised to her, and I know he meant every

word he said, ” Luke said, a bit annoyed at Stacy for leaving his father, and I sighed.

“She is hurting, Luke Do you think I would hang around if you treated me the way your father treated

Stacy? He was unfair I guess he was confident he was doing her a favour, and she could never leave

him, he continued in that fashion,” I said, and he shook his head.

“No Tia, my father is jealous, and Stacy is a beautiful woman. I learned he never let my mother out of his

sight either,” He said, and I bored my eyes at him.

“Did he throw your mother out often and humiliate her in public?” I asked him, and he could not answer

the question.

“I thought as much Stacy is hurting, and he has to give her time to heal” I pointed out, and he nodded I

knew he disagreed with me but avoided arguments because his grandaunt was very good at picking up

emotions Amirah and Ummul had moved in with us permanently, and they were a joy to have around.

They brought joy to the breakfast lounge and our home. We were all taking sign language classes so we

could communicate with her effectively. She was the only reason why I did not avoid breakfast altogether.

It is tough to eat with a depressed man that never speaks

“Have you been able to reach Stacy?” He asked me, and I shook my head. I knew it won’t be easy since

Caleb, her son, had been unable to reach her. He travelled to Dome two months ago when she opened

the foundation, and he did not meet her. She had been MLA since then. It was as if she deliberately

blocked out everyone and everything that had to do with Aesop. I could not understand her reason

because I knew she loved him dearly

“Olivia is in town. I sent her a message last night, and it was delivered this morning I will call her and find

out if she knows how I can reach Stacy. It is established that Stacy isn’t in Dome I hope she hasn’t left

the island like your father feared,” I said, and Luke sighed.

“Olivia is still training female fighters in Santa Braee, I suppose,” he asked me, and I nodded.

“Yes, and the Alpha is paying her well for it. She is also training his luna she told me I inspired him.” I

said, and he smiled. There was still worry in his eyes, but his smile was genuine. The whole Aesop and

Stacy situation was complicated and stressful

We made our way to the right-wing breakfast lounge, where Alpha Aesop was in his pyjamas. His beard

was bushy, and his hair was long and unkempt. He was a mess. I doubted he had showered, and it was

unhealthy behaviour. He also reeked of Alcohol I could not sit through breakfast in those moments.

Ummul and Amirah looked worried, and so did Caleb and Kimberly There was a gloom in the lounge as if

life had been taken away from our home Aesop was usually quiet during breakfast until Stacy stirs some

shit up, but now, he was just silent Being an Alpha didn’t help because we could feel his depression The

people safe from him were Luke, Caleb and Baby Emma The rest of us were unfortunate I could not take

it anymore

At the rate he was going, he might lose it. I knew I needed to speak to Olivia and find out what she knew

Texcused myself from the lounge and went to Luke’s office to make a call. Olivia answered on the first

ring, and she seemed excited

‘I was going to call you just now, Tia I have good news about Stacy” she said. I was glad she knew the

situation’s urgency because she skipped the greetings and went straight to the point

The news was important.

“She is in Woodclaw city on Barn road, number six. She moved there three weeks ago and is trying to

open a small pastry shop downtown,” she said, and I was elated.

“Do you think she will be home now?” I asked.

“Yes, she is waiting for me to come so we can go shopping together.” She replied, and I knew it was

Olivia’s way of keeping her at home so I could see her.

“Thank you, Olivia. I am very grateful,” I said and hung up with excitement. Finally, we will have a chance

to fix this.

I exited the office and went back to the lounge. We all had our breakfast in silence. Kimberly and Caleb

were the first to leave. Luke and I left Alpha Aesop in the lounge with aunty Amirah and her mother. He

didn’t utter a word to us, and just like always, I knew he would be going back to his room. He was a

broken man.

“I just got off the phone with Olivia, and she has good news,” I beamed at my husband when we walked

into his office.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Stacy is in Woodclaw. I am going to see her now,” I said, seeing the relief in his eyes.

“Are you sure father shouldn’t come with you so he can plead his case?” He asked, and I shook my

head.

“No, Luke. Let me see her first, then I will call you to bring him,” I said and Took out my phone to text him

the address.

“I am sending you her address right now,” I said, and he looked a bit worried. “What is the matter,

darling?” I asked him, and he sighed. “You are almost due, Tia. I would not want you all by yourself.” He

said, and I smiled at him. “I will be fine,” I said, placing my head on his chest and wrapping my arms

around him. “I will be going with Bart,” I assured him, and he sighed and wrapped his arms around me.

We kissed, and I left. Bart drove me to the address Olivia gave me. The house was small and pretty with

a white fence. I left Bart in the car and went to knock on the front door. I waited a few seconds and heard

the lock turn.

The door opened, and Stacy stood staring at me, surprised. She looked at my bump and smiled at me.

“Tia,” She said with surprise and asked me to come in. She looked pretty. It was apparent that she was

happy. We managed to hug, and she offered me a seat in her modest living room. It was very homely

and peaceful. Nothing extravagant, plain and simple. I never knew Stacy could settle for something like

this. “Tia, how are you? How is everyone?” She asked, and I touched her hand, a bit hurt by her

behaviour

“I thought we connected, Stacy. Not even a call. Kimberly, Caleb, Emma? Why didn’t you reach out?” I

asked her, and I felt tears stinging my eyes.

“Tia,” she said, her smile dropped.

“I wanted a break I needed it. I needed to find myself. If I had reached out, I would be tempted to come

home.” she said, and I sighed. She looked at me, contemplating speaking. I knew she wanted to ask me

a question.

“Olivia gave you my address,” she said, and I nodded.

“Congratulations on the Women Empowerment foundation you started in Dome,” I said. She beamed at

me and touched my hands.

“I got all your donations, Tia. Thank you so much.” She said, and there was an awkward silence between

us.

“Would you like Tea,” she said, and I started laughing.

“What’s funny she asked, confused.

“When we visited your friends to get fighters, I drank so much Tea. I soon picked up that it was used as

an ice breaker and not a means of refreshment,” I said, and she nodded and began to laugh with me.

I stopped and looked at her thoughtfully.

“You need to come home, Stacy. He isn’t faring well without you.” I said, and she shook her head.

“I can’t deal with his jealously and his derogatory words. It has just been three months, but I had three

months to build my confidence, discover my strengths and love myself. I can’t go back to a one-sided

relationship, Tia. I yearn for him, but I can’t put myself through that again. You are lucky because you

mean the world to Luke; he loves and respects you. Aesop might think he loves me but has no respect

for me. I do not blame him, but I can’t live like that anymore,” she said; her eyes were filled with tears.

“I would have believed you, Stacy, if you did not have tears in your eyes right now,” I said and moved

closer to her. “Why did you come back to Woodclaw City if not for him? It is because you want to know

how he is doing and if he has moved on. I will spare you the trouble of asking. He isn’t doing well, Stacy,

and he hasn’t moved on. He barely speaks, and he drinks a lot. His beard is over overgrown, and his hair

is unkempt. He comes to the breakfast table in his pyjamas and locks himself in his room all day. He has

lost much weight, and we fear his mental health.” I said to her, and she began to weep.

“I know you didn’t think your exit would affect him much, but it did. When he said he loved you, he meant

it. When you were poisoned, he never left the hospital until the day he brought you home He remained

by your side. When he pushed you out of his room, he gave them an order at the gate not to let you out.

We must be honest, Stacy. Your secrets and past were shocking and quite unsettling, it takes a lot of

love for anyone to move past the things you hid and did Please, come home. Do not leave him damaged.

Both of you clearly love each other There is nothing you want to do that you won’t be able to do there.

List your terms and conditions. I can assure you he will agree to anything at this point. Please don’t

waste any

more time when you should be in the arms of the man you love. Please, Stacy.” I pleaded with her, and

she began to cry.

“At least come and see him, then make your decision,” I said and got up. She wiped her tears and looked

confused.

“You just got here, Tia,” she said, and I nodded.

“I miss you too, but I have to go home. We all miss you. The house isn’t the same without you; Breakfast

sucks without you. Everything is just bleak. You bring colour to the mansion, please bring it back, Stacy.

The place is Grey. Caleb and Luke need their mother, and Aesop needs his mate. Emma needs her

grandmother, Paul too.” I said and placed my hand on my belly. We need you back. Aesop fought Regan

for you. He did it all for you; please do not let it be in vain. Chloe is in the past. There was a day he came

to Diamond corp to threaten me because of you, Stacy. He made a statement that I will never forget. He

said you have been in his life longer than Chloe, and he will do anything for you. He had no reason to

say those words, but he did. I want you to think about it and come home,” I said, and she stood up and

hugged me.

The moment I broke the hug, I felt wetness. Stacy looked down, eyes wide.

“You water broke, Tia. You might be in labour,” She said, and I felt a sharp pain in my lower belly to the

back

“That’s a contraction, Tia. We need to get you to the hospital. Is there a driver with you?” She asked me,

and I nodded.

“Okay, come on, Let us go now.” Stacy helped me out of her house into the car, and we headed to the

hospital. The contractions were five minutes apart, leaving me time to call Luke and tell him what had

happened.

Stacy helped me with my breathing. We were taken to the maternity ward when we got to the hospital.

Doctor Genevieve Nelson was waiting for me at the maternity ward. They wheeled me into a private

room, and Stacy held my hand, teaching me how to breathe and manage the pain. It was excruciating.

“Where is she,” I heard Luke’s voice in the corridor. He walked into my room and rushed to my side.

Holding my hand, he brought it close to his lips and kissed it. He then kissed my

forehead.

“I am here, darling. I am here,” he said, and I nodded. He looked at Stacy, a bit surprised.

“Hello, Luke, It’s been three months,” she said, sounding nervous.

“Yes, Three months, Stacy, and it is time to come home.,” He said point blank. He sounded a bit

annoyed, too, and I could understand. He was yet to understand why she had to leave. I guess he never

would. She smiled nervously and focused her attention on me. Doctor Genevive walked in and checked

between my legs. “Okay, Luna Tia is fully dilated,” she said. I was wheeled to the delivery room with Luke

and Stacy in tow. The doctor leaned close to me and spoke softly.

“Every time you feel a contraction, I want you to push,” she said, and I nodded. The first contraction

came and I pushed as instructed

ONE HOUR LATER

I had delivered twins. A boy and a girl and the nurses had taken them to clean them up. I was anxious to

see them. They had wheeled me back to the private room, and Stacy sat on the couch while Luke sat on

a chair close to my bed, holding my hands. He touched my hair gently and kissed my hand and forehead

several times, thanking me. I could feel his joy.

“We have twins, Tia. A boy and girl.” He said, and I nodded and smiled at him. The nurses brought the

babies, and Stacy collected the girl and played with her before handing her to me. Luke took the boy and

admired him.

“Both your children have Key Marks, Tia,” Stacy said, and I looked a bit worried. “Is that alright?” I asked

Luke, and he nodded.

“It is amazing. It means they will be strong pups with all the freedom that being an Alpha brings.” He

said, and I giggled because it was our private joke. His father could threaten and force me because I

wasn’t an alpha breed. Cutting me off would have been dire for me, but as for the twins, no one can ever

threaten to cut them off. They owned their marks.

Tasha and Mike came bearing gifts and balloons. They were surprised to see Stacy, and they greeted

her with respect. She wanted to leave, and I insisted that she stay.

Caleb arrived with Kimberly, Emma and Paul. They were shocked to see Stacy, and without warning, she

ran to hug her son. He wrapped his arms around her, and I knew he was glad to see her. Caleb’s eyes

were filled with tears.

“Why did you leave like that, Mother? We were worried. We couldn’t reach you. We did not know where

you were. Father was..” He said, and she shut him up gently and hugged him.

“I know, Caleb, I know. Tia told me everything, and I am sorry. If I had known you would feel this way, I

would have stayed in touch. Please forgive me, darling,” She said, and he hugged her, letting her know

all was forgiven. I smiled, looking at them. My babies were a blessing. If it weren’t for their birth, there

might not have been a reunion. I doubted she was ready to face anyone yet.

Stacy played with Emma while Luke and I did back and forth on names. I guessed what I feared was

precisely what was going to happen. We will have to choose a name off the bat.

Luke excused me for a few minutes and returned to the room ten minutes later. When he returned, Stacy

stood up, saying she was ready to leave again. Everyone stopped her. Even Mike and the very heavily

pregnant Tasha stopped her. Everyone knew how important it was to keep her in the room. I intended to

make her follow us to the mansion.

“Do something, Luke,” I linked Luke, afraid she might try to leave regardless of our pleas. “Father is on

his way,” he said, and I realised he must have stepped out to call him when he excused himself

“You cannot leave this room, Stacy. You have three months of absence to make up for,” I said, adding to

the pressure, and she squinted at me. She knew something fishy was going on, and I knew she might

have a clue about what was happening