Noah's outburst took everyone by surprise. Throughout the times Gu Yanxi was missing, Noah was the most composed amongst them all. He calmed everyone down and assured them that she would return soon but now she was back, he had lost it. It was then that it dawned on them that everything he did was as the head of the family and if he too panicked, there was no way others would not.
“Take it easy, Noah. You will frighten her,” Jessy, Aidan's sister interjected.
“What do you mean by take it easy? I flew back to the country to meet my father like this because of her and all she has to say is that she needed some time alone? What kind of nonsense is that? Does she know how she kept us all worried? Listen Gu Yanxi. You better start talking or you will not like the consequences. Do you realise how much damage you've caused?”
“Noah please. Let's all be happy that she's back,” Aidan said. He too was at the hospital to see Mr Joshua.
When Joshua Harper learnt that his daughter was missing, he passed out and had been hospitalised since that day.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten everyone. I only wanted to think and be alone, so I turned off my phone and travelled,” Gu Yanxi explained.
“I know you are lying but I'll only listen to that cock and bull story when dad wakes up.” Noah said and left the ward. A tear drop fell from Gu Yanxi’s eyes and Aidan, who was standing beside her pulled her into his embrace.
“Don't cry, please.”
But it was too late for Gu Yanxi let it all out and cried like a baby. Noah seldom got angry with her but now, he was very mad at her and her father was sick. They knew that Noah meant his words because he didn't joke with his father for any reason.
“But it's not my fault,” Gu Yanxi cried.
“Who's fault is it then?” Noah thundered from outside. He hadn't gone far and he heard her last statement. His question helped her tears to flow even more.
Truly, it wasn't her fault but Elisha's fault and partially Aidan's too. If he had told her the truth, or told her about Elisha, his ex, maybe she, Gu Yanxi would have known jay something was amiss when Elisha came to her for friendship.
“I'm still waiting for your answer. If it's not your fault, who's is it? Mine?” Noah roared.
“Noah, please, let her be. She's already crying,” Jessy pleaded. Noah sighed audibly and finally left the hospital.
“I'm sorry I left you all alone after our marriage. I should have been more careful. Please, forgive me,” Aidan pleaded. Gu Yanxi shoved him aside and walked away. He was the main reason for her kidnap but she could not say it out loud.
Fortunately for Gu Yanxi, Joshua Harper opened his eyes two days later. Only then did Noah give her a listening ear. Elisha on her own part made a good escape and Gu Yanxi fulfilled her own part of the bargain. The case was dropped and both ladies became strangers again. Each time Gu Yanxi thought about Elisha, she sighed and shook her head for she lost a very good friend.
Emily was on her bed, doing her research on the best schools in New Jersey and available houses for rent. Now that Noah had signed the divorce papers, she was making plans to leave the house and the state too. She wanted to travel and stay far away from Noah and start life all over again. Schools were rounding up the term and preparing to write exams and vacate for the session. It would be much easier for Liam to begin from a new class when he goes to another country. This was what she was doing when a message popped up on her phone. She checked it and it was an unknown number. She sighed but went ahead to open the message. It turned out to be a message from Grace and it was no different from the messages she used to send. As she finished reading the message, the number called,
“Hello…”
“Grace, this nonsense has to stop!”
“You have seen my message, right,” a voice she would recognise even in her sleep responded.
“You again. What do you want?”
“Nothing. I only want to ask you when you will shamelessly…” she rambled on but Emily didn't give her a chance to exhaust her jargon.
“Enough of that. Do not, I repeat, do not call me again or I'll be forced to get a restraining order,” Emily replied and hung up.
As Emily dropped the phone, Liam came into the room crying.
“Mummy!”
She turned immediately and the thought of Grace vanished.
“Baby? What's the problem?” she asked in a voice laden with concern.
“Mummy, daddy hasn't been responding to my messages. There's something I wanted him to teach me about coding and I have an online exam for it tomorrow. Daddy always answers me and he teaches me new things every Thursday,” he wailed.
Emily then recalled that she had asked Noah to cease all forms of communication with her son. According to her, she didn't want him meddling in the boy's life. He should focus on his unborn child. Noah didn't argue with her, he however requested to come and see his son at least, two or three times in a month.
“Maybe he's very busy, that's why. You know daddy's busy.”
“But this hasn't happened before. What about my exam tomorrow? How am I going to pass it if I don't revise mummy? I've been practicing for this for a very long time now. I don't want to fail any questions mummy!”
Emily was at loss of what to do. She had no idea on coding and there was no way to hire a coach for him that night.
“It's okay. I'll get a coach for you first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I want my daddy. I already prepared questions to ask him and I understand him better. Call him, mummy. His phone isn't ringing. Mummy call daddy,” the little boy continued crying. Everything Emily did to console and stop him from crying didn't work out. She became afraid that he would fall sick.
“It's okay. I'll text Daddy and ask him to respond to your messages. Go to your room. If he does not reply in thirty minutes, come back and I'll call him.”
Voilà! That did the magic and calmed the boy down a little bit. Left with no other choice, Emily took her phone and sent Noah a detailed text, explaining the situation and the need to answer Liam’s messages.
Noah didn't respond to hers either and she feared that he would not reply Liam too. But when thirty minutes passed and Liam didn't return, she figured he must have slept off.
In the morning, a bright eyed lad came downstairs for breakfast. She expected him to continue crying from where he stopped but he wasn't.
“Did your dad reply to your messages?”
“Yes mummy. Thank you for telling him to do so. He said that he was busy, just like you told me. He also apologised for keeping me waiting. He answered my questions, taught me new things and even showed me simple methods to answer the questions! Daddy's so smart!” he rambled on, filled with awe and admiration for his father.
Deep down, Emily was grateful to Noah for helping her but she didn't bother sending him any message.
When evening came, Liam wrote the exam and came to her, telling her how easy the exams were and how everything Noah taught him came out!
Emily noticed something about Liam. For the past few days, he had been a bit withdrawn but after speaking to his father, he had been super excited and back to his usual self. There was this excitement, encouragement and confidence that speaking with Noah gave him that he didn't get elsewhere. This got her wondering if she should let him remain in contact with his father. The next thing Liam said surprised and pleased her at the same time.
“Mummy, I want to tell daddy that I wrote well and I'm waiting for the results. Daddy said that when next I want to speak to him, I should go through mummy. He said it would be faster if I did that. He also said you know his schedule too well and knew when to call and he would answer.”
Emily was pleased to learn that Noah kept to his word of staying away from her and her son's lives. It also pleased her to see the way he structured his sentence and made the right choice of words that even an adult wouldn't find out the meaning underneath the message. But what confused her was why he didn't want to be in communication with Liam without her permission. He was his biological son too! However, Noah was a gentleman and didn't want to wrong her. The reason he stopped replying his son was because Emily asked him to keep away from the boy. It hurt him but he had to respect her decisions. It was only when she gave him a go ahead order that he replied the messages. Liam spoke to his father with his mother's phone. They spoke at length and afterwards, the boy went to bed happily. But before he left, Emily asked,
“Did daddy say when next he would be teaching you?”
“No mummy. He said school will soon vacate and we should take a break too. He also asked me to ask you if you can get me a coach but I don't need one. I'll wait for my daddy until school resumes!”
Poor boy. If only he knew that his father was gone and had left their lives for good.
Some days later, Emily started feeling sick and weak. She had not be resting and feeding well lately because she had been disorganised by the Harper family news and stressed with the divorce and all that. She took routine drugs and placed herself on maximum rest for two days but that didn't help matters. When there was no improvement, she was forced to go to the hospital.
“I should go for body check up. It must be some minor illness due to lack of body maintenance,” she said to herself.
The doctor conducted some tests and soon, the result was out.
“Congratulations madam. You are eight weeks pregnant!”