Chapter 8

OLIVIA

“Mom, we forgot to get Coco.”

I furrowed my brow. “Who’s Coco?” I asked, a bit confused.

“It’s the puppy I saved earlier. I named her Coco,” Hannah explained.

We weren’t too far from the hospital, and I could have asked the Uber driver to go back, but I didn’t. I had been so anxious the whole time we were with Noah, especially in the hospital when almost all the medical staff kept commenting on how much my daughter resembled him.

“Hannah, don’t ever do that again, do you understand? It’s too dangerous,” I scolded her, remembering the stunt she pulled to save the puppy.

I knew how kind and caring my daughter was, but I didn’t want her to risk her life. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if something happened to her.

“I know, Mom. I’m sorry. But the car wasn’t going fast. It didn’t hit me. I was just startled, that’s why I fell and got these bruises,” she reasoned.

“I don’t care. It’s still dangerous. Don’t ever do that again, promise me,” I said, my voice serious.

Hannah bit her lip and nodded. “Promise, Mommy.”

“But… Mom, what about Coco? We left her in Doctor Morgan’s car,” she asked again, her concern for the puppy still evident.

Even though Noah gave me his number, I had no plans of contacting him again. Besides, Margareth would definitely not agree to keep a dog in the house—dogs can be noisy and might disturb her and the neighbors.

“Hannah, we can’t keep Coco. Margareth might not like having a dog in her house,” I explained.

Hannah lowered her head, looking disappointed. I knew how much she wanted a dog; she loved playing with them whenever we saw one on our walks in the park.

“After your surgery, I’ll work hard to buy a house for us. Then, I’ll get you a dog,” I promised, hoping to comfort her.

“But that’s not Coco,” she muttered sadly.

When we got home, the disappointment was still visible on her face. I decided to distract her by playing with her so she could forget about the dog.

“Mom, did you hear the doctors and nurses saying I look like Doctor Morgan? It makes sense since he looks like Dad too,” Hannah suddenly brought up.

I froze in my seat. “Hannah, listen to me, sweetie… Don’t let anyone know that Doctor Morgan looks like your dad, especially not the people at the hospital,” I told her firmly.

She looked at me with innocent eyes. “But why, Mommy?”

I sighed. “Because people might misunderstand, and it could affect Doctor Morgan’s reputation. He’s unmarried, and we can’t put him in that kind of situation.”

Hannah nodded and returned to her drawing. I glanced at it—she’d drawn a dog, one that looked strikingly similar to the puppy she had saved earlier. It wasn’t perfect, but I could tell what she was trying to depict.

I couldn’t bear to see the sadness on my daughter’s face as she finished her drawing. So, I made a bold decision. I was going to call Noah.

I grabbed my phone, excused myself from Hannah, and went to the balcony to make the call about the dog.

“Hello, who’s this?” a woman’s voice answered.

I froze for a moment. It was a woman. My mind went blank, and I couldn’t find my voice.

She said “Hello” a few more times before I regained my composure.

“Sorry, wrong number,” I muttered quickly.

I was about to hang up when she spoke again. “No, you’re not. You’re calling Noah, right? He’s in the shower. I’ll tell him to call you back later.”

“Okay, thank you,” I replied quickly, then ended the call.

I sat in the chair on the balcony, trying to clear my thoughts. It was getting late, and Noah was still with her. She was probably Noah’s girlfriend.

The woman’s voice was warm and calm, which made it clear that Noah had a good relationship with her. She didn’t even question why I was calling him so late.

It’s no surprise that Noah has a girlfriend. Besides being good-looking and having a successful career, he also comes from a great family.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air. I raised my head, letting my gaze drift toward the sky.

I know I shouldn’t let it bother me. Noah and I are a thing of the past. We were never actually in a relationship. If I hadn’t blackmailed him, he never would have agreed to slept with me.

I was pretty sure Noah had long forgotten that night—that one time in his life when he’d slept with a fat, ugly girl like me. I was nothing but a stain on his reputation.

As I stood up, a wave of dizziness hit me. My blood sugar was probably low, a result of the hypoglycemia I developed after giving birth. It flares up whenever I’m overly tired, anxious, or stressed.

I almost dropped my phone when it suddenly rang, and I saw the caller ID. It was Noah.

I took a deep breath before answering.

“Hello, may I know who’s calling and why did you call?” Noah’s voice came through the line.

Before I could speak, I heard a woman’s voice in the background.

“Be gentle, Noah. You’re being too harsh.”

I gripped the phone tighter, clenching my jaw. An image of Noah and the woman in his bed flashed in my mind.

I couldn’t believe Noah was calling me while she was right there, probably flirting with his girlfriend.

“Hello?” Noah asked again, his voice more insistent.

“It’s me, Dr. Morgan,” I finally managed to say. “I just wanted to ask about the dog my daughter saved earlier.”

There was a brief silence before Noah answered.

“I took the dog to my place,” he replied flatly.

“Are you free tomorrow? Can I pick up the dog? My daughter really likes the dog…” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I won’t be available tomorrow,” he said. “I have a business trip. I’ll contact you next week.”

“Okay,” I muttered, pursing my lips. “Sorry to bother you.”

Just as I was about to end the call, Noah’s deep voice came through the receiver again. “May I know your name, so I can save your number?”

“Olivia,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Olivia… Hmm, okay.”

After the call, I went back to the living room where my daughter was. She looked so sleepy, her eyes barely open. I picked her up and carried her to her room, gently patting her to sleep. I placed her favorite pink rabbit doll in her arms, tucking her in.

As I was tidying up her things, I noticed her finished drawing. I sighed.

I can’t wait for next week. But for now, I’ll just buy my daughter a new dog tomorrow.

As I was organizing my daughter’s things, I noticed her finished drawing again and sighed.

I couldn’t wait for next week. Tomorrow, I’d make sure to get her a new dog.