Ellie woke up with a start, confused and slightly disoriented. Her eyes surveyed the surrounding and realized she's at Nathan and Alessa's house. She stayed on the bed and noticed it is still dark outside, she reached for her phone on the bedside table and saw that is only four o'clock in the morning. Her attention was caught by a sudden movement beside her followed by an arm that reached for her and pulled her close. But unlike before, she didn't shout or scream murder, she knows it is Ethan and she felt secured.

She turned to fully face him and stare at his profile for a while. A smile formed on her lips on how peaceful he looks. She tried to rein herself to touch his face but failed.

'Still so handsome.'

She shook her head and sighed at her thought and wanted to blame her pregnancy for thinking that way.

Moving slowly, she let herself out of Ethan's embrace and started her day. She cooked and made breakfast for everyone. She was busy mixing rhe waffle mix when she heard a gasp.

"Oh Ellie, good morning, you're up early." Alessa said while approaching her.

"Hey, Alessa, good morning. Yeah, I woke up early, maybe because I slept early too and I totally missed dinner last night."

"I didn't wake you last night, you are sleeping soundly. Even Ethan let you sleep." Alessa added with a fond smile.

"So, what is the plan for tonight's dinner?" She asked while she laddle the batter in the preheated waffle iron.

"Oh, just the usual for us women, we will prepare dinner while the boys will prepare the bonfire and other stuff." Alessa answered while starting the coffee maker.

She eyed the machine and thought that she had completely forgotten about the coffee. Alessa may have noticed it for she waved her hand as if telling that it is not a problem.

Though it is not prohibited for a female with her situation to drink coffee, she already started limiting her caffeine intake to just a cup. But the smell of filtered coffee makes her stomach churn, that is why, she decided not to drink it at all. She took a deep breath and willed herself not to be affected of the smell. She just hopes that she is not in the kitchen when everyone will start to drink their daily dose, otherwise, her morning sickness will be a dead give away to her current situation.

They were busy preparing the table when an arm snaked on her waist, followed by a kiss on her neck, and based on his scent, she knows it is Ethan.

"Good morning darling." he greeted while his face is buried on her neck.

"Good morning." she greeted back with a smile and accepted the kiss he gave on her lips.

She blushed with the act when she noticed the smile Alessa is giving them. By then, everyone went down for breakfast, except for the kids. The meal was full of boasting by the males and laughter mainly by the females and ended when everything was finished.

Afterwards, the males left to do their task and the females were left to do the kitchen chores. Claire left later when Luke became fussy, so she was left with Alessa.

She is busy peeling the potatoes when Alessa spoke.

"I am glad that you and Ethan are okay. I never thought that a day will come that I will see my firstborn so happy. I made a great mistake that cost his happiness amd I regretted it ever since. So, thank you for giving him another chance at that happiness he so longed."

She stopped whatever she was doing and faced the older woman. Her statement made her happy but something from what she said caught her attention.

"What do you mean that you made a big mistake?" She asked in confusion and Alessa may have note the edginess on her voice because she became wary.

"Oh, it was nothing dear." Her curt reply which made her more edgy.

She put the peeler down and went nearer.

"I am sorry if this may appear as disrespectful, but I want to know why you said those things." she said seriously eyeing the old woman.

Alessa may have felt how serious she is, so she left whatever she is mixing in a bowl and ushered her towards the island stool.

"Oh dear, I don't know where to start and I am going to ask for your forgiveness. I - I didn't thought that it will cost too much, to Ethan, to you, especially the twins. If I have known... If I just listened, things will turn out differently."

"I shouldn't have interfered. It was a big mistake but it gave me a great lesson, to not meddle with my children's affair, that as a parent, my only role is to guide them, not hinder or interfere with their choices, even if I think it is wrong." Now Alessa is full on crying.

"Forgive this old woman Ellie, I am asking you this first before I will tell you what I did, and I hope you will give me your forgiveness." She can only nod since words already escaped her and Alessa is holding her hands tightly, as if earning strength from her. She is afraid she might faint, but she wanted to know the truth, the truth that she so wanted to know.

"Her name is Faye, his ex-wife. She came to me claiming that Ethan is the father of her unborn child. At that time, I didn't know Ethan is wooing you and that it is something serious. Faye also demanded for Ethan to wed her, otherwise her family will disown her for being pregnant and unwed. She came from a prominent family and they don't like issues and rumors to spread about their family." Alessa took a deep breath before continuing.

"You know that Claire isn't mine, right?" Her question caught her offguard that she can only nod as her answer.

"Claire's mother, my twin sister, was disowned by our parents, and she lived her life miserably, she died miserable, and I don't want that to happen with anyone. So you see, I saw my sister in her at that time and I don't want it to happen to her. I didn't thought of other things, of the consequences, of Ethan's happiness. All I saw is this woman, crying her heart out, begging for me to help her. Help," she paused and smiled bitterly. "Something I didn't get to give my sister. Maybe it was my guilt consuming me, I haven't forgiven myself yet at that time. I am partly at fault why my sister was disowned, so the guilt of her living alone, miserable, her death, it bothers me too much and I was so afraid that it will happen to Faye as well, another guilt to burden me and I thought it will be too much for me to handle." Then Alessa stared at her and smiled.

"Ethan was resistant when I told him to wed Faye. He keeps on refusing, telling me that there is someone he loves, a woman he left without a word because I cornered him." Ellie remembered that time, when Ethan didn't came back and the pain she felt when she didn't heard anything from him. The pain may have been evident on her face, because Alessa immediately added.

"It wasn't his fault Ellie, I made him do it. I forced him to marry Faye, I pretended that I am suffering from a heart problem and that I must not be stressed. So, he did what I asked, though he kept on bailing out, but I stood my ground. He just doesn't want to hurt this old woman Ellie, that is why he did it. The wedding went on, and I think I have seen you on the church that day, crying at the very back." She said while cradling her face.

She sniffed before continuing. "Then came the day when Faye gave birth to this lovely little girl and a man came barging at the door, claiming he is the real father, the man who impregnated Faye. It was chaos, Ethan wanted to keep the baby. He already accepted the fact that he is having a baby even though at first he refuses to accept it. But the paternity test that came, proves that Ethan isn't the real father. The day Faye and the baby left devastated him the most. Mainly because he felt the loss, not of Faye and the baby, but of the love he lost, the love he had with you. He was so mad at me for pushing him to marry Faye that he didn't talk to me for several years. I felt he almost became destructive."

"I know that he kept on coming back to the place where he met you, his brothers told me so. He did that until even before he saw you again, hoping to see even just a glimpse of you. We just let him do that, I am thinking that maybe by letting him do that, he will forgive me and he did. But somehow, someway, the pain was still there, residing inside him, eating him alive."

"Then one day, he just came here, nobody's at home except me and he cried his heart out, in this very stool. He thought at that time that he is unworthy to feel and be loved, that he already let it slip off his grasp. That the restlessness and agitation he is feeling is his karma for hurting you. At that moment, I feel that he is blaming me, though unintentionally, I am part of his suffering you know." Alessa smiled bitterly.

"Ellie, I know that you still love my son, and that you are still hesitant about everything, but I am telling you, my son loves you so much. He never intends to abandon you especially if he had known that you are carrying his child or children for that matter. Let him feel the love you have for him, it was all my fault, be mad at me not at him." She said and cried louder, harder.

Ellie found herself outside the house, car keys in hand, Claire calling her name, but she never minded, she needed to leave the house. So she drove with no destination in mind with tears streaming on her face.