ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ˡᵉᵗ ⁱᵗ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵏ ʸᵒᵘʳ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ♥︎

Chapter 14

As Alana's car screeches to a halt in front of Harry's house, her heart is pounding with a mix of anger, determination, and nervousness. She opens the car door with force as she steps out. Alana knocks furiously at the door when it finally opens, revealing her 6-year-old son, Charlie. His eyes meet hers, and she can see the hurt and resentment in them.

"Charlie-"

"I don't want to see you! You left me!" Charlie blurts out, tears welling up in his eyes. Without waiting for a response, he turns and dashes away from the door.

Alana's emotions waver between heartbreak and frustration as she faces Harry, who now stands before her, his expression guarded. "Alana, I think it's best if you leave," he says firmly.

"What the hell did you say to him?" She snapped at him. "The truth. You chose Louis over him-" "What the fuck are you talking about! You wanna talk about leaving, let's talk about you leaving me alone to raise your son while trying to hold two jobs." Alana snaps as tears welled up in her eyes

"He's my son. Not yours. And if you really want to test me I'll gladly take this to court," she announces firmly, her voice trembling with determination.

Harry sighs heavily "I hoped it wouldn't have to come to that," he says, shaking his head. "He's happy, Alana. Let him be happy." He said then shut the door. Alana kicked the door "fuck you!"

As the day progressed, Robyn's symptoms showed no signs of improvement, and Jack's concern grew stronger. He couldn't shake the thought that there might be something more to her illness.

"Rob," he said gently, "I know you said it might be a bad cold, but I can't help but worry. What if you're... pregnant?"

Robyn's eyes widened in surprise, and she considered Jack's words. Her thoughts raced as she realized that it could be a possibility. She had been feeling off for a while but had brushed it aside as stress.

She looked up at Jack, who was now waiting anxiously for her response. "I hadn't really thought about that," she admitted, "but it could explain a lot. Maybe we should take a pregnancy test, just to be sure."

Jack nodded, relieved that she was open to the idea. He fetched a pregnancy test kit, Robyn held the pregnancy test in her trembling hands, her heart racing as the seconds on the timer counted down. Jack sat beside her, his own emotions running high. The room seemed to hold its breath as they both anxiously awaited the result.

As the timer beeped, they turned their attention to the test, and their eyes widened in disbelief and wonder. Two distinct lines appeared on the test strip, confirming what they had suspected. Robyn was indeed pregnant.

Tears of joy welled up in Robyn's eyes, and she let out a surprised giggle. Jack couldn't contain his excitement and pulled her into a warm embrace. They both laughed and cried, overwhelmed with happiness at the prospect of becoming parents.

"I can't believe it," Robyn whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "We're going to have a baby."

Jack kissed her forehead, his eyes filled with love and awe. "I can't wait to start this incredible journey with you, Rob. We're going to be parents, and our lives will never be the same."

Louis sat patiently across from his four-year-old daughter, Rhiannon, at the small wooden table, a chessboard set up between them. Rhiannon looked at the chess pieces in wonder.

"Okay, Rhiannon," Louis began with a warm smile, "today, Daddy is going to teach you how to play chess. It's like a puzzle game, and it's lots of fun!"

Rhiannon's eyes lit up with excitement as she nodded enthusiastically. She loved spending time with her dad and was eager to learn something new.

Louis pointed at the chessboard. "This is the chessboard, and these are the chess pieces." He picked up the pawn and showed it to her. "This is a pawn. Pawns move forward one square at a time."

Rhiannon giggled and imitated her dad, moving her pawn forward. "Like this, Daddy?" Louis chuckled and nodded. "Exactly, Rhiannon! You've got it."

They continued their lesson, Louis explaining the movement of each piece, from knights to queens. Rhiannon listened intently, absorbing the rules like a sponge.

"Now, Rhiannon," Louis said, "the most important piece is the king. The goal of the game is to protect your king while trying to checkmate your opponent's king, which means trapping their king so it can't move."

Rhiannon frowned, trying to grasp the concept of checkmate. Louis could see she was deep in thought, so he decided to make it simpler. "Think of the king as a superhero, and your job is to keep him safe from the bad guys, okay?"

Rhiannon's eyes sparkled with understanding. "I'll protect my king like a superhero, Daddy!"

As they began their first game, Rhiannon moved her pieces with a mix of strategy and childlike imagination, her giggles filling the room.

Just then, Alana walked into the house, the door slamming behind her. Both Louis and Rhiannon jumped at the sound. "Mommy!!" Rhiannon exclaimed and rushed over to her mom. Alana put on a fake smile and picked up her daughter.

"Daddy is teaching me chess," Rhiannon told her mother with excitement. Alana forced a smile and replied, "Is he?"

Sensing that something was wrong, Louis gently took Rhiannon from Alana's arms and whispered to her to go play so they could talk in private. Rhiannon obediently went into her room to play, leaving her parents alone.

Louis sat Alana down on the couch, concern in his eyes. "What happened?" he asked softly.

Alana's face clouded with frustration. "Harry refuses to let me see Charlie and is blocking his visitation. I don't understand how he can do this to me, keeping my son away from me and turning him against me," she ranted, her voice filled with anguish.

Louis listened attentively, his heart aching for Alana and the difficult situation she was facing. "He can't do that—" he began, but Alana cut him off, her frustration evident.

"Yeah, well, legally he can," she said with a heavy sigh.

Just as Louis was about to respond, his phone started ringing. He reached into his pocket and saw that it was a call from his parents. With a glance at Alana, he answered the call.

"Hello?" Louis said as he picked up the phone.

Louis exchanged a glance with Alana and then smiled. "That sounds lovely, Mum. We'd be delighted to come. Let me check with everyone and get back to you with the details."

His mother expressed her excitement, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, they hung up.

Turning to Alana, Louis relayed the invitation. "My parents want us to join them for a family dinner this weekend. They'd like Robyn and Jack to come too. What do you think?"

Alana considered for a moment, a small smile playing on her lips. "It sounds like a nice way to take a break from all the stress. Sure."