The CEO’S Orphan Wife

“Yes…” I hesitated. “This is H-Heather’s mom…”

“She’s with us.” The man on the other line provided his address.

I might not have grasped the situation fully, but I recognized it as the address of Ivan’s parents. Heather was there, and I’m uncertain about how she got there.

This caught me off guard. What have you done, baby?

I stood up, picked up my bag, and prepared to leave.

“Come on, let’s go see Heather.” I had no choice but to face the person I didn’t want to see just yet.

I ponder about Heather’s well-being in that place. Is Maureen accompanying her?

I earnestly hope that she is providing kind care for my child. I am determined to shield my daughter from any emotional distress, and this is precisely why I was initially reluctant for them to cross paths. She does not know about what happened and is unaware that her father had another family.

I booked a rental car, and within half an hour, arrived at the Greco mansion. The mansion was still the same. Nothing had changed, just like before.

With anxious anticipation, I stepped out of the car.

The front door of the residence stood ajar, giving the impression that someone was expected.

As I entered the expansive foyer of the mansion, I could immediately hear Heather’s voice.

“I’m Heather Costa…” I altered our last name as mother and daughter. “I am five years old, turning six next month.”

Her grandparents exuded pride, and her uncle and aunt shared the same sentiment. Other children, her cousins, were also present in the house. Ivan appeared to be in a world of his own, gazing at his energetic daughter.

“My mother’s name is-”

“Heather?”

Heather glanced in my direction, and the entire family shifted their focus to me.

“Mommy! Mommy!” She rushed towards me, prompting me to kneel and embrace her tightly.

“My baby… Mommy was so worried about you.”

“I’m sorry, mommy… I saw Daddy at the mall earlier, so I followed him, but he was already inside his car. Then I saw Grandpa, so I went with him. I told him I was Daddy’s child. He didn’t want to believe that I was Ivan Nicholo Greco’s child. I told him I’m his child with Myla Costa,” she explained, pouting her lips.

I could picture the expression on her face as she explained it to her grandpa earlier. Heather may have seemed upset because my former father-in-law didn’t believe her.

“I even showed him my pillow!” She exclaimed, referring to the small pillow in her backpack.

“And then he believed me… I asked him to take

me to my daddy…”

Amidst all her explanations, I found myself rubbing my temples.

“You know, mommy? They’re in the Philippines now! They’ve come back to the Philippines. Even my daddy is in the Philippines now!”

Nervously, I nibbled on my lower lip, feeling the difficulty of meeting the collective gaze of the entire family, their unwavering focus now directed at us.

I stood up and turned towards them. Uncertain of what to say, I opted for a simple greeting.

“Hello, um, how is everyone?”

My gaze shifted to my former mother-in-law, who was approaching me at a measured pace. Tears welled up in her eyes, and as she drew nearer, she embraced me tightly.

“Oh… Myla! You can’t imagine how much I’ve been fretting over you. You’re in my thoughts daily. Every day, I’d pray for your return…”

Tears welled up and streamed down my face without restraint.

“I-I’m so sorry, Mom. I apologize for causing you concern.”

My father-in-law approached us, accompanied by Ivan’s brother and sister, who enveloped me in their embrace. Uncontrollable sobs overcame me, feeling their love for me so deeply.

Once they released me, I turned my attention to Ivan. He stood with his hands tucked in the pockets of his slacks.

I mustered a forced smile and stammered, “H-Hi.”

His furrowed eyebrows heightened my unease, causing me to shift my gaze away.

“Have you eaten? We’ve been waiting for you, so we can all dine together.”

Despite my embarrassment, I had no option but to accept my ex-in-law’s invitation.

Heather wasted no time heading to the dining area.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“I’m so hungry, Mommy!” Her eyes practically sparkled. Quite the drama queen!

I took a seat beside her, while Ivan occupied the spot on her other side, maintaining his silence. I served a portion of the food onto Heather’s plate.

“Daddy, why haven’t you started eating?”

I cast a glance at Ivan. He hadn’t made a move to fill his plate with food; instead, he was focused on my daughter.

“I’ll help you, Daddy…”

Ivan’s face lit up with a smile, and the entire family shared in the moment’s warmth.

“Our baby is so sweet…”

My daughter fed her father and gently wiped a smear of sauce from the corner of his lips.

“Was it delicious, Daddy?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Heather grinned and tilted her head as if lost in thought. “Mommy’s cooking is delicious too.”

I offered a smile but shied away from making eye contact, sensing Ivan’s lingering gaze on me.

“Start eating your food, baby,” I instructed.

“Yes, Mommy… Oh, Grandpa, I’d like the same dish, please!”

“Of course, I’ll dish it up for you.” Ivan promptly attended to her request.

Heather was quite talkative while eating, lavishing praise on the dishes.

“I want some ice cream too! Mommy, can I have ice cream?”

“Of course, baby. But just a small portion, okay?” She looked longingly at her cousin, who was eating an ice cream. We typically avoid giving her this food in the evening because the last time Rachelle and I did, she woke up with a cough the next morning.

We were almost done with our meal, and I didn’t know how to tell everyone that we were going back to the apartment, bringing Heather with me. She appeared so comfortable here, and I wasn’t certain whether she even wanted to leave. It was as if she had forgotten that we didn’t live in this mansion.

“Where have you been living all these years, dear?” My mother-in-law inquired after we had finished the meal. We were now in the spacious living room, with Heather playing alongside her cousins.

I didn’t answer right away.

“We’ve been living on an island!” Heather began to gesture dramatically with her hand. “We took a helicopter, then a boat, and, finally, a car to get to the condo hotel where we were staying!”

Thankfully, she’s unaware of the address; otherwise, she might have blurted it out, too. Ivan looked at me, and I could discern the tension in the movement of his jaw. Was he angry, perhaps with me? Why?

“Daddy, have you ever been on a helicopter?” Our daughter stood up and perched on her daddy’s lap.

“Yes, baby… We have a chopper and a helipad on one of the towers…”

“Wow! Daddy, are you rich?”

Ivan laughed, but his expression swiftly shifted to seriousness when he realized I was watching him. I averted my gaze and began fiddling with my fingers. On the other hand, Lucinda quietly observed from one side. However, I know that she’ll have plenty to say once we leave this place.

It had gotten late, and Heather was growing drowsy, so I mustered the courage to say our goodbyes.

“Um, we’re heading out now…”

“Huh? You’re not staying overnight?” Mom, or rather Auntie, asked in surprise.

“We’ve already rented an apartment for our stay.”

“You’re welcome to stay here.”

Heather said, “Mommy, I want to sleep here…”

I hesitantly looked at my daughter. Meanwhile, Ivan cleared his throat, and it left me uncertain about how to explain to my daughter that we needed to leave for now.

Ivan needed to go back to his own home with Maureen as well.

“Let’s plan to come back here tomorrow, baby.”

Staying here wasn’t an option. I wondered about Maureen’s perspective. By now, she surely had no idea about what was happening. She might suddenly appear later. I was confident that there would be a significant commotion if she harmed my child.

“You can sleep here. We can retrieve your belongings from the apartment you rented,” my former father-in-law suggested.

I furrowed my brow in thought.

“Your clothes are still in the cabinet…”

My tongue felt as if it were glued to the roof of my mouth, rendering me unable to speak.

“Do you want to sleep here?” Ivan gently inquired of his daughter.

“Yes, Daddy. I want to sleep beside you… Please, Mommy… Please!”

I contemplated the decision for a brief moment.

“Alright, you can sleep here…”

My child clapped with joy, and Ivan beamed. He kissed his daughter’s cheek while carrying her.

“As for your clothes…”

“I brought three sets of her clothes!” Lucinda chimed in, extracting the clothes from her bag. Was this premeditated?

“Alright…”

“Um,” I nervously scratched my arm. “It’s time for your nightly bath so you can get ready for bed.”

“Okay, Mommy…” She extended her hand to me.

“You’ve grown quite heavy, baby. Daddy will take you upstairs.”

Ivan led the way up the stairs with my comment. I felt a touch of shyness but still managed to smile at my former in-laws.

I followed them, but when I noticed Lucinda didn’t follow me, I shot her a look.

“Oh, am I supposed to come too? Am I a member of the family?” She’s absolutely insane!

It was exceptionally awkward, particularly as we entered the room where Ivan and I had once stayed, where he had treated me as his wife.

Myla, you’ve moved on. Don’t dwell on the past. He has Maureen now. Maybe his children were waiting for him at their house.

Ivan escorted Heather to the bathroom.

“Where are you going, Daddy?”

“I’ll be waiting for you outside…”

“Okay, please don’t leave, okay?”

“Where would I go?”

“Maybe you’re going to another country again. We don’t have the money for the fare to come after you…”

Ivan raised an eyebrow. “I’m not going to another country. Is that what your mommy told you? That I left you and went to another country?” His gaze was serious as he looked at me.

My eyes widened. Heather remained silent, glancing at me before turning her gaze to Ivan.

“Why are you mad at my mommy?”

Ivan let out a sigh. “No, baby… Daddy is not angry with your mom.”

“I thought you were upset. We should share love, love…”

I smiled. Love, love? If only you knew, baby, I was never truly loved or cherished by your daddy…

“Come on, baby… It’s bath time.”

“Okay, Mommy…”

As I bathed Heather, I spoke to her gently.

“Mommy didn’t like what you did earlier.”

“I know, Mommy. I was naughty. I’m sorry. I saw Daddy, so I ran after him.”

I sighed and gazed at my daughter with affection.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes, Mom! I met Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and I even have cousins now!”

A warm smile graced my lips. “Mommy is happy too because you’re happy…”

Following her refreshing bath, I dressed her. Ivan, too, looked like he had just finished his shower; it seemed like he had used the guest room.

“Daddy, can you read me a book?”

“Daddy doesn’t have a children’s book, sweetie. We’ll buy one at the mall tomorrow.”

“Okay. Just tell me a story about monsters.”

“Monsters? Aren’t you scared of monsters?”

“No, Daddy. Monsters are just imaginations…”

Ivan began narrating a story, and Heather kept contradicting his story, leading him to laugh.

“Why don’t you carry on with the story? Daddy will be the one to listen.”

I sat in one corner as they reclined on the bed, with Heather snuggled up in Ivan’s arms. About half an hour later, she peacefully drifted off to sleep.

I stood up.

“I’ll fetch her tomorrow morning.”

Ivan’s face displayed surprise, but he remained silent.

“I’m heading back to the apartment for now,” I said with a smile and didn’t linger for his response.

As I was leaving, I noticed Lucinda lying on the floor next to Ivan’s room, sprawled out on the carpeted surface. This woman seemed to nap everywhere.

“Lucinda…”

“Oh, babe! Are we leaving now?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

She rubbed her eyes and stretched, and then teased, “Are you going to sleep here, next to your daughter and husband?”

I pinched her side for her naughtiness.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying; we’re leaving!”

As we descended the stairs, Ivan’s parents were still in the living room.

“Oh dear, are you leaving already?”

“Yes, Aunt…”

“What? Why just ‘Aunt’?”

I scratched my eyebrows and mustered a smile. I was genuinely feeling tired and eager to rest.

“Alright, dear. We’ll chat another time.”

“Your dad and I were thrilled that you’re doing well. However, when we reflect on the challenges you faced during your pregnancy with Heather, it deeply saddens us. Why did you have to leave back then?”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I chose to remain silent, believing that delving into the past was unnecessary.

“We’ll have our conversation tomorrow. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Alright, dear.” They embraced me.

Their driver drove us to the rented apartment. It felt unusual not to sleep beside Heather, but knowing she was peacefully resting next to her father, I could enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.