𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙪𝙤 ; 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [ BOOK 2 ]

EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN; WHITE MADONNA LILIES

It was the stress, they told her. Stress of continual criminal activity, extreme bereavement from losing loved ones, but overall, agony from being betrayed on several occasions by the man that promised to cherish her forever.

 It was sad, truthfully. Caroline tried to protect everyone except herself, but in this instance, she couldn't save her unborn child from the woes of the love it had been conceived amongst. When she had one shot at redemption, she'd failed, and in her bedroom just three days after she'd been released from hospital, she lay, open eyes with her hands over her now flat stomach, hoping and praying to feel a kick that would never come.

"Come on, love. We've got to do this as a family."

Despite his flaws, Thomas always showed up. He had been busy wallowing in his sorrow elsewhere, but with a shove from Polly, he put his booze aside for a day and retreated back to his former house, a bouquet of white lilies in his hands, tears in his vision. He tried to blink them away, but they multiplied, even more so to see the ghastly look on Caroline's face.

"Daddy, she hasn't moved in forever." Charles frowned from beside his father. "I told her that the baby went to heaven and she cried even more!"

Thomas crouched down to Charles's level with pleading features. "That's true, son, but mummy's very upset right now. Instead of reminding her, why don't we do our best to make her happy, eh?"

Charles nodded, smiling softly. "I know just what to do! I'll give her my teddy that always makes me feel better!"

As Charles's rapid footsteps left the room, Thomas lifted himself from the ground and slowly walked closer to Caroline who remained unspoken and unresponsive on their bed. Her skin whiter than milk, colder than ice. Brown curls unruly, dishevelled beyond recognition. She wasn't herself, nor would she ever be again, because it was different to lose a being created by loving parents.

She stumbled on her words, and with each sentence formed in her brain, her stomach tightened and ached all the more. She kept swallowing, and her throat kept clenching, but no matter what she could not stop the warm feeling rising through her chest. Then she could taste it at the back of her mouth. Caroline buckled over. A warm, clouded, cream coloured liquid spilled from her mouth, and sizzled as it splashed over the cold stone floors.

"You did this to me!" Her voice surfaced from the depths of overwhelmingly powered grief. "I want you gone!"

If he could feel, Thomas would definitely feel the sting of her words, but instead of fleeing like anybody else would've, he stayed. On the edge of the bed, he pulled her close, enclosing his large arms around her petite form, holding her thrashing form in place until she gave up due to weakness, her attempts of breaking loose falling short, replaced with the intense wails of mourning.

"It will get better, Caroline I promise." Thomas's tone like grit. "Polly referred a doctor to help with the pain in our heads."

Caroline muffled a sob against his jacket. "I'm not going to no doctor! I needed you then, but I don't need you now. You need to leave me alone for the rest of our lives or else it'll be more than just our baby who dies."

"You know you wouldn't kill me."

"No, but I would kill myself."

Frantic, Thomas held her tighter whilst signalling the nannies to tend to the children. "If you won't attend doctor appointments for the mind then at least give marriage counselling a go."