Dangerous Love: You Are My One and Only Bride novel Chapter 1757

Jackson brought a bowl of hot soup to Tiffany’s lip. “Alright, alright. Drink this while it’s still warm quickly, please; I gotta get to my office today. Anyway, Alejandro managed to return just in time to give those Larks a piece of his mind, so everything’s even. ‘Sides, he even capitalized on them showing up at his front door to make them sign the contract right there and then, so hey, not exactly a fruitless fiasco, is it?”

Tiffany looked at the soup and felt her stomach churning in retaliation. “I. Don’t. Want. It,” she declared. “I’ve been drinking the same damn soup every day! I wasn’t even this chubby-lumpy when I was pregnant, but since this confinement happened, I’ve been adding thirty pounds to myself! Thanks to this soup, I need to trim all of this fat now. So, nope! Take this away, please. Oh, oh—and don’t let your mom see you do that, thanks. I just really don’t wanna drink it anymore—the taste just makes me siiiiick!”

Jackson started on, helpless. “Bae, you know my mom means well, especially since the circumstances of your childbirth is… well, less than ideal. Your body needs to recover, and we gotta make sure we don’t leave any malaise or nasty side-effect behind, okay? C’mon, honey, you can always get toned and lean in the future, but damaged heath? That’s irreparable,” he admonished. “Just go through with it. It’s just a bowl—slurp it and gulp it down and before you know it, you’re seeing the bottom of the bowl!”

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “What do you think this is, the lousiest booze you can just gulp down? I’m tellin’ you, hon, this soup is waaaaay too strong! Hell, it gets stuck on your tongue and I ain’t drinking it! Take it away!”

Skeptical, Jackson took a sip. It was a little bitter, as medicinal herbs were wont to taste, but it did little to tarnish the overall tang. Either way, Jackson had no habit of forcing Tiffany to drink something she did not like, so he said, “Fine! I’ll drink it, okay? Better than letting my mom see this and getting her nerves all knotted up. You know she’ll be screaming about you not eating enough, and then there’ll be nothing to sate your voracious appetite that results from it.”

He had only taken two sips of the soup when Summer suddenly burst through the door. “What’s the big idea?! This soup isn’t for you, Jack! If you want it so much, then get your butt to the kitchen and pour yourself a bowl!”

Jackson was positively crossed. “B-B-But it’s not that I want to drink it! It’s that she doesn’t wanna—”

He did not have the chance to finish his sentence before Tiffany snuck a clandestine punch on his thigh. “What are you sayin’, silly? I didn’t say that!”

Honestly, he could never understand why women had to be so darn complicated. He gritted through the pang and forced a smile. “Eh heh, enjoy yourself then, sweetie…”

Tiffany stared at him.

Summer read the air between them and caught the hint bubbling beneath. “You’re sick of the same soup, aren’t you, Tiffie? Gosh, silly girl, you could have just told your Mom! No need to be coy and bashful about it—we’re family after all. What, you’re afraid of offending my sensibilities? A woman’s at her weakest after childbirth, which is why she’s gotta eat good to be better! If you think this soup is a displeasure to have, then you’ll feel terrible too. Lord, you should have just told me upfront.”

Tiffany steeled herself for a confession. “Okay, maybe I am… a bit sick of it, just a little itty-bitty bit? I’ve been drinking the same soup every day since returning from the hospital, three times a day! It’s enough to make me full. I know it takes you a lot of time to prepare this soup, Mom, but I just can’t take it anymore…”

Summer sighed. “Oh, you silly summer child. I can’t believe that, after all this time, you’re still acting as though we aren’t close enough! Don’t worry, I’ll switch up the flavors every now and then; you can bet that you’re never gonna be sick of the soups again. Honestly, I would have done that earlier if you’d just told me—it’s precisely because you’ve been keeping quiet about it that led me to think you love this flavor, okay?” she said, before suddenly barking, “Oi, Jackson! What the hell is keeping you from going to your office already, huh?! You have two kids now, boy; get your arse to earning more benjamins for the household! It's not like you’re the one who’s just given birth, right?”

At that moment, Jackson felt the sting of being abandoned by his own mother. “Holy cow, Mom. Ouch? I’m leaving, all right? Wouldn’t wanna bomb y’all’s quality mother-daughter bonding, after all. I’m just an extra NPC anyway…”

“Oh, oh! Don’t you forget to visit our precious girl in the hospital! Take a picture of her for me! And then ask the doctor when our girl will be discharged!” Tiffany reminded him.

Something locked behind Jackson’s eyes dimmed. “Right…”

He left the residence and stood at a crossroad, lighting his cigarette. Once Tiffany’s confinement was over, there would be virtually no way of hiding the grim truth. She had always imagined their daughter to be healthy, rationalizing the child’s extended stay in the hospital to her being a prenatal baby.

It could not be further from the truth—the baby was in a very, very dire situation. She was weak from being prematurely birthed and she suffered from birth asphyxia, which heralded a slew of short-term and long-term effects that made the baby’s likelihood of survival up in the air. Jackson dared not even hope for the girl to be hale and hearty the way other babies were.

When his cigarette died, Jackson got into his car and drove to Tremont Enterprise. There was a contract to be discussed, but more importantly, there was something Jackson would like to confer with Mark.

His arrival was met with the peculiar sight of Arianne being chastised by Mark in his office. Apparently, she committed a folly in her design draft, which was entirely her own fault. Hence, she bore the brunt of Mark’s criticism, who did not bother to mince his words. “Seriously, a rookie mistake from a veteran like yourself? Have you not learned anything from Sylvain?” he chided. “What could possibly dominate your head while you’re physically in the office, huh? Rubbish, garbage, trash of all kinds?”

“We’re talking about a life—and a part of Tiffie’s life. I understand what you’re feeling, Jackson, and I don’t think you’re wrong necessarily, but I still think you shouldn’t give up. Give her more time… What if time is all you need for a miracle to happen? Don’t doubt the tenacity of life, Jackson; life isn’t as weak as you’d imagine. If you really think she can’t make it, then wait until Tiffie’s confinement is over, and the two of you have a discussion over it. The worst thing you could do in this situation is to make this choice on your own. Knowing Tiffie, doing that would instantly make her hate you forever.”

Jackson leaned onto the couch and stared ahead of himself, his hollow eyes unseeing. “But I… I can’t bear seeing her suffer like this any longer. The agony she must be going through… I don’t even have the heart to see her in that terrible state for a second time…”

Mark shot Arianne a loaded glance. “Excuse me, but are you fresh out of agendas? Put the tea down, thanks, and get back to fixing your draft!”

Arianne pouted and placed a glass in front of Jackson. “I’m going to work on my stuff. But remember, Jackson, don’t be rash.”

Jackson nodded stiffly. Mark, meanwhile, waited until Arianne left before giving his verdict. “If I were you, my decision would be based on the doctors’ opinion. If they opine that there’s no reason to let her go on, then her chance of survival must be very slim. It will be a mercy to let her go earlier by then, but this is truly an excruciating choice… Have the experts come to that conclusion yet?”

Jackson released a long sigh. “Well, he mentioned something similar to that. Didn’t outright tell us to begin considering giving up, natch, but he beat about the bush and told me that the kid’s chance of survival is not high. Even if she survived, her cognitive abilities are most likely impaired, so he asked if the baby’s family would consider giving up on treating the baby…” he explained. “One of the biggest determining factors is money, but there’s also the question of faith. When hope is low, people don’t typically place faith in holding on, because they worry that they’ll lose their wealth while their faith crumbles. As for me, money ain’t the Devil here—my concern is my daughter’s happiness. I don’t want her to suffer so many pains only to depart from this world without ever enjoying a scintilla of the beautiful things in life…”

Mark took one look at the indecisiveness Jackson displayed and decided to make his decision for him. “Well, since the doctor did not directly suggest giving up, you’re not poised to overthink in that sort of direction at this moment. Just be patient and wait—maybe, someday from now, the hospital might call you and tell you that things have taken a turn for the better, yes?” he said. “Jackson, look at how disconcerted and rattled you are while you are out here… And yet you put on this blithe, devil-may-care front for Tiffany’s benefit when you’re home. I earnestly pity you.”

That was hardly the biggest problem at hand right now. Tiffany wanted a picture of her daughter, while Jackson was too harrowed by the baby’s state to visit her. It did not take the man a long time to turn to Mark for help. “Hey, Mark? We’re bros, right?”

That was a red flag as bright as any. “We’re bros when everything’s a smooth sail, ‘bro.’ At other times? Nope,” Mark answered defensively. “You should tell me what’s on your mind first before I decide—don’t just cast that question out as an opener. I don’t want to be used by you…”

“What can I even use you for, bruh? I just want to ask you to help, uh, visit my daughter in the hospital and take a few pictures for Tiffany to see. She insists, you know. I’ve been cramming all sorts of excuses to delay it, but if I keep straddling at her limit, she’s gonna erupt in anxiety. I’ll be real with ya’: I just don’t have the courage to go look at her again, so please… Just help me out on this one. Visit my daughter and take a few photos of her with your phone.”