A shrilly sound woke him up from an already restless sleep. For a moment he continue to stare at the ceiling with bland eyes and then he started to recall everything that had happened mere hours ago and a frown appeared on his forehead. The shrilly sound was continuing in the background. Realizing that it was his cell he absentmindedly reached for it, put it against his ear and muttered "hello"
"Is it Mr. Mikaelson?" a female voice asked
"yes" he rubbed his eyes.
"Mr. Mikaelson I am calling from Central Medic in New York. I …."
He sat up in confusion, picked up the fifty thousand dollar Rolex from the bedside table. Glancing at it, realizing that it was two in the morning the dread in the pit of his stomach intensified. Despite the call at the odd time, despite the intensified dread his mind again drifted to the events of the evening and the voice on the other side of the phone became hazy. Eden! Suddenly he wanted her back, back in his life, back in his bed but how was that possible now after what she had done. He squeezed his eyes shut in anguish.
"I am sorry what did you say?" he asked when he realized that the person on the other end was saying something.
His mind vaguely registered to the earth shattering information given to him by the stranger on the other end. Knowing that he should be saying something but what? What do you say when someone tells you that the wife who deceived you, who was alive a few hours ago had died? But he had to say something so he said "Thanks for letting me know. I will see to it" and put the phone down slowly. He sat there for a few minutes staring at the wall opposite the bed. Whatever happened between him and Eden this was never what he wanted for her. She was only twenty two years old. How could this have happened? He got up from the bed and his feet took him automatically to the adjoining room. He stared in the darkness still unable to believe what he had heard. Eden dead!
Few minutes later he opened the door to the room opposite his room and entered the softly lit room. With heavy heart he walked to the white crib set near the window. He looked down at the small bundle swaddled in a pink swaddle. He gently touched her chest as if that will induce some kind of hope in him. The gentle, rapid butterfly heartbeats, for some reason made his already heavy heart heavier. Getting angry and confused at himself for feeling shattered at the loss of the woman who had deceived him, he picked up his daughter who squirmed in her sleep but he held her close to his chest calming her down. He went to sit on the nursing chair and cuddled her. He could still feel warmth of Eden's lithe body on the nursing chair, her soft perfume in the air. Was it just yesterday morning that she was sitting here nursing Hope? Was it just yesterday when he had found those pictures? Recalling her unsuccessful attempts to convince him that she was innocent when those pictures spoke otherwise brought bile in his mouth but still his heart was being shattered at the thought that she was gone. Even the small possibility that with her the humiliation she had caused him and his family especially Hope will be gone too was not making him feel better. What was left was for sure was anger and regrets and a desire to protect his daughter from any scandal that her mother brought in her life. He will do anything in his life to protect Hope from her mother's bad decisions. Why was he feeling that way? Love! How could he have fallen in love with her? When did that happen when he didnt have the capacity to fall in love? But he had and she broke him. After everything that had happened between them how could he still feel so shattered at her death? Did he still love her? No. That was not possible! Thankfully she never found out. Thankfully she never knew that he was hopelessly in love with her. She was gone. She was not worth remembering after everything she had done to him but how was it possible? He knew that he will never forget her especially now that she has met her end like that. Was it her punishment for her crime against him and their daughter? No, she didnt deserve that. She was so young. How could he have thought that he would be able to simply write her out of his life just like that? She was a part of him not just because of Hope but also because even though she was his first love she has taught him one thing through her deception. She had taught him to fall in love but she had also taught him not to trust anyone let alone any woman ever again. No one needs to know that he loved his traitorous wife. No one needs to know that he was weak enough to fall in love with his wife. That will be his secret, his shame and his alone.
A/N: Tell me what do you think?