Forever My Love Ch. 09

She moved closer and held his hand lovingly. Ben opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I don't know what went on six years ago, what led to these events but I still believe my brother loves you so much. He's hating and you avoiding him is not making it any easier."

"Amber?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "What are you trying to say?"

"I have given so much thought about this and I gotta ask, is there really no hope for you two?"

Ben felt a shiver go down his spine at the question. His heart began racing and he visibly trembled.

"Hope?" He sighed. "David is a married man and not just to someone random but my brother. And in case you've forgotten, I was left for dead in the hospital while he was getting married."

"We don't know what happened, Ben!" Amber shook her head. "But all I know is that what you and David had was the realest love that I have ever seen. He left everything just to be with you. David didn't care about anything as long as he was with you."

"Please, Amber,"

"That's the truth." Amber continued. "David and Jim may be married but they've never been happy, trust me. I have been with them the last six years and although David had tried to make it work for the sake Michael, look where it has led."

"That still doesn't make what you're suggesting right." Ben shook his head. "What David and I had ended six years ago. If David really wanted to be with me, he wouldn't have gone ahead with the wedding vows. I was there, Amber." He said with tears in his eyes. "I watched him say I do. He looked at me and still agreed to go ahead with the marriage. Do you know how painful that was?"

"We're not disputing that." Isaac said abruptly. "But I've seen you both and believe me, you're miserable without each other."

"What I had with David was deep and the bond we formed was strong." He sighed, rubbing his tears. "But his betrayal hurt deeper. You don't know what I went through after that. It took a miracle for me to even be here."

"I'm not here to make excuses for him. What he did to you was inexcusable. But I can't ignore the fact that he's miserable now, trapped in a marriage with someone he doesn't love."

Ben looked at Amber. "It's not my fault. That was a decision he made."

"I know you love him too, Ben." She slightly smiled. "We heard what you said at the party. You said you had more rights to be with him than Jim. What did you mean by that?"

Memories flooded his mind, painful reminders of a past he couldn't escape. In that moment, his heart felt like a shattered mirror, each piece a jagged shard that cut deeper with every beat. He took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to the marbled floor.

"When David and I left the city, he didn't want to lose me ever again. So, he promised to make us whole." He paused for a long while. "We found this temple and we... we got married there before we proceeded to the village where we stayed for months."

"What?"

Amber and Isaac looked at each other in shock.

"Are you serious?" Isaac gasped. "Do you know what that means? You're still married to David, and according to the law, you're still the legal husband."

"No!" He shook his head, rising from the couch. "It doesn't mean anything, not after what happened in the past. David made his decision and, in the end, he chose the one he wanted to be with."

"But..."

"Right now, I have been given a new purpose and it's what I wanna focus on." He said confidently. "Everything else does not matter. I don't want to linger in the past. I just wanna be happy with my child."

With those words, he took his phone and started heading out.

"David and Jim are getting divorced!" Amber hollered.

Ben stood for a second but never looked back. Instead, he went his way, leaving the two leaving more confused and desperate than ever.

***

Ben was driving while also trying his best to get unnecessary thoughts out of his head. That conversation with Isaac and Amber had brought him memories he had forgotten about. But he knew that he needed to focus. He was so close to finding his child and that was the only thing that mattered.

Taking a deep breath, he turned on the radio and started listening to some music, trying to relax himself. However, he had only driven for a few minutes when out of the blue a wave of dizziness swept over him, disorienting his senses. The world outside the car seemed to blur and sway, the lines on the road merging into a disconcerting dance of patterns. His stomach churned, and a nauseating sensation crept up from the pit of his stomach.

As the nausea crept in, Ben's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning pale. The scent of the car's interior, once unnoticeable, now exacerbated his discomfort. His breath became shallow, and he felt a subtle lurching motion beneath him, as if the vehicle was floating on unsteady ground.

He tried to steady his driving but the sensation of dizziness only intensified, threatening to overwhelm him entirely. Fear gnawed at his insides as he realized he couldn't continue driving like this. Ben slowed down and parked under a huge, tree.

He got out and took a deep breath, feeling a little better. He scanned for water but there was nothing in his car. Lucky for him, the area he was had some shops. He slowly walked to one and got himself two bottles of water, emptying one into the mouth with a long gulp.

Feeling a bit relieved, he went back to his car and just stood outside, trying to get some fresh air.

As he took another sip and looked up, his eyes widened with horror. A speeding car, seemingly out of control, was hurtling directly towards him. Time slowed as Ben's mind raced to comprehend the impending danger. Panic gripped him, and he froze in place, the water bottle slipping from his hand.

Fear gripped him like a vice as he realized he was rooted to the spot, unable to move. The sound of screeching tires filled the air, and Ben closed his eyes, bracing for impact...

There was a violent exploding sound that was heard by everyone that was near by.

1 second

2 second

3 seconds

10 seconds

"Are you alright?"

When Ben came back to reality, he was lying on the ground. His heart was pounding violently on his ribcage like it was trying to run away from him. He felt very cold, disorientated and bewildered.

"Hey!" He heard a voice again. "Are you okay?"

His mouth shook uncontrollably, he couldn't speak. He was in shock. However, when he raised his face to look at the man, his savior, he got another surprise. It was blurry at first but everything became clear. Those sky-blue eyes that looked like the sun shone through then... smooth mixed skin, pink lips. It was Brandon.

"Ben!" Brandon called, helping him up. He cupped his cheeks and began inspecting his face. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

But Ben was too stunned to speak. Gasping for breath, Ben tried to process what had just happened. It was only when he turned his attention to the scene unfolding before him that the shock transformed into sheer horror. The speeding car had crashed violently into the front of his car, glass shattering into a thousand pieces with smoke billowing from the engine.

A few people had come rushing and they were shouting, asking for help. Unconsciously, Ben stumbled towards the wrecked car and saw the door wrecked and open. A figure slumped over the steering wheel, blood pooling around them. It was only when he got near that the realization hit him like a tidal wave, leaving him breathless and disoriented.

"Jim!" He managed a word. "Jim!"

Rushing forward, Ben's hands shook as he reached out to his brother.

"Jim! Jim, can you hear me?"

But there was no response. Jim lay there, unconscious and bleeding. Some people came rushing and they helped get Jim out of the car carefully, laying him on the ground. Ben stayed by his side until paramedics came to pick him up.

***

Ben was seated on a chair opposite the emergency room, his heart racing and flickering with that light at the entrance. He was still shook from what had happened and those images kept on playing over and over again. He stared at his hands, seeing that blood just made things worse. He wanted someone to wake him up from that nightmare, a nightmare of his brother...

"Ben!"

Ben was gotten out of his thoughts when he heard his name. He looked up and saw the hunk handing a bottle of water to him. Hesitantly, he took the bottle and took a sip, feeling a little calm. Brandon knelt beside him and took his hands in his, rubbing on them sweetly.

"You're still shaking. Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor too?"

Ben shook his head.

"What is happening Ben?" Brandon asked with a frown on his face. "What's going on because that didn't seem like an accident to me? That seemed like he was trying to make an attempt on your life. Last I remembered, you two were very close, inseparable. What happened?"

Ben's mouth opened to speak but no word came out of it.

"I am sorry." Brandon apologized. "You're still in shock. You should rest."

He sat beside Ben and couldn't tear his eyes off him. He stayed with him until...

"Ben,"

Ben almost jumped out of his seat when he heard his father's voice. With tears in his eyes, he rushed to him and wrapped his arms tightly around him. Feeling his father's embrace, Ben was able to feel much better.

"How did this happen?" Jerome asked with tears in his eyes, breaking from the hug. "And you two..."

"Ben is still in shock, sir!" Brandon chimed in. "But from what I have seen, I think the attempt was to kill Ben. Luckily, I was there too and I managed to get him out of the way."

"What?" Jerome's face lost its color. "Jim tried to kill you? Why? How?"

"I don't know." Ben managed to speak. "He... he is in there bleeding and he lost a lot of blood, dad. I am so scared."

"Shhh..."

Jerome held his son in his arms and the two just embraced each other. Jerome was scared after hearing the news of his son's accident but what he had found out was just horrific. As they embraced, the doctor came out and they all rushed to him.

"Doctor, how's my son doing?"

The doctor sighed. "He sustained a few injuries and lost a lot of blood. Right now, he needs urgent blood transfusion."

"Then what's holding you back?"

"Well, his blood type is rare and we don't have it right now."

"That's not a problem. You can take as much as you want from me."

"Alright, come with me so that we can do some tests."

Jerome quickly left with the doctor. Ben started pacing slowly, trying to relieve the tension that had built up. But as he did, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. It felt as though the room was spinning around him.

He blinked rapidly, trying to shake the sensation off, but the dizziness only grew worse, swirling through his head like a whirlpool. He felt lightheaded and disoriented, his heart pounding in his chest. He swayed unsteadily on his feet, feeling as though the ground was shifting beneath him. Panic surged within him, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps.

"Ben!"

Brandon rushed to him and got him in his arms before he could fall. And then, with a soft groan, Ben's world went dark as he went unconscious, his body succumbing to the overwhelming sensation of dizziness and fatigue.

***

As Ben slowly regained consciousness, the world around him began to take shape. The harsh, white light overhead made him squint. He groaned, his head pounding as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He was lying in a bed and he didn't need to be a genius to figure that out. He had passed out after all.

As his vision cleared, he noticed Amber and Isaac standing nearby, their gazes fixed on him. They both wore a mixture of concern and astonishment on their face. Ben's confusion deepened.

"What happened?" His voice sounded hoarse.

"You fainted," Isaac said, his tone serious. "But... there's something else and I don't know how to explain this to you."

"What-what do you mean? Is something wrong with me?"

Isaac gestured toward the ultrasound machine, and Ben's eyes followed his movement. His heart raced as he saw the image on the screen, an image he knew very well - a tiny, pulsating heartbeat. It took a moment for the realization to sink in.

"That's...?" Ben stammered, his breath catching in his throat.

"You fainted, Ben," he explained gently. "We were worried, so we ran some tests, including an ultrasound." He took a deep breath, not knowing how Ben was gonna take this. "You're pregnant!"

'You're pregnant!'

Those words echoed in his head, awakening a fear that he hadn't felt in a long time. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as the words hung in the air. Ben's mind raced, grappling with the unexpected revelation. Pregnant? The shock spread across his face, mirroring the astonishment in both Amber and Issac's expression.

"Pregnant?" He repeated, the word tasting foreign on his lips.

***

Elena stormed into the doctor's office, filled with anger. When she saw him there, her anger just overshot.

"This better be some very good news, doctor!" She said harshly, hitting her fists on the table. "I haven't seen my son and some of your staff told me to bring me here."

"Welcome, Mrs. Henandez." The doctor said, gesturing for her to sit.

"Do I look like I am here to sit on this cheap seat." She rolled her eyes. "I came here to see my son. Why was I called here?"

"Alright!" The doctor sighed before clearing his voice. "Your son had sustained some injuries and lost lots of blood. However, his blood type is rare. We ran some tests and we found a problem."

Elena's breath caught in her throat. She exchanged a worried glance with the doctor before mustering the courage to speak. "What do you mean by that? What's wrong with my son's blood?"

The doctor hesitated for a second. "Well, it appears that Jim's blood type doesn't match your husband's."

Elena felt a chill run down her spine. Her mind raced, and for a moment, she was frozen where she stood. A surge of fear washed over her as she realized the implications of what the doctor was implying.

"I called you here because I didn't want to give the news to your husband first." The doctor sighed. "However, it's crucial that we identify a suitable blood donor for your son as soon as possible."

"Find another blood for him." Elena said, almost as a command. "The blood doesn't match, so what?"

"Mrs...."

"Do I need to do your job for you?" She snapped.

"No, it's just that I wanted you to know this. According to your husband, both of you share the same blood group. If your son has a different one, it means that..."

"Means what?" She yelled.

"Means that Mr. Henandez is possibly not Jim's father."

Elena chuckled bitterly, leaning on the table, close to the man. "No, it doesn't. Find that blood for my son as soon as possible. My husband will not be told anything. You and I never had this conversation. You will keep this to yourself and take it to your grave." She warned, raising her finger at him. "And the reward is gonna be life changing. However, if you decide to go against, just know I can make you disappear just like that." She snapped her finger in his face.

The doctor gulped. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Now get out and do your job!"

The doctor nodded and rushed out of the room. In anger, Elena cleared everything on the table, throwing it on the floor.

"Fuck!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, gripping her hair.

She furiously turned, but in that instant, her world seemed to stop. She felt as though she had been plunged into an icy lake, her entire body frozen in shock. Her husband stood at the entrance, his blood red eyes staring deep into her soul. His first were clenched, trembling as if there was a storm going on inside. The room seemed to freeze around her.

"J-j-jerome," She stammered, her voice catching in her throat.

To be continued...

***

Secrets,

Deception,

Betrayal,

And confessions...

Will Ben get reunited with his child or will the truth crash him for life. The grand finale you can't afford to miss.

Stay tuned....