Chapter 376: Chapter 376

Outside, Shelby stood in front of the ceiling-to-floor windows that separated her from the outside elements.

Currey watched her straight back and wished he could walk up to her to say some words of comfort, but this was not his place to say, and he knew that perfectly well.

More than this, Ian was the most worried about her because he could not even feel her emotions as he usually. He would have relied on this to reassure himself, but Shelby had mastered the art of keeping both her thoughts and emotions from him. He loved her for the rate at which she had mastered these things but not when he was at the receiving end of all.

Contrary to what these two were thinking, Shelby had a slight smile on her lips. This was not as a result of what had happened in the doctor’s office but from the person, she had just received a text from.

"Hi," the message read, simple but unexpected, and it was just what Shelby needed at that moment. She smiled as she pictured Ingrid’s little face as she typed those two letters. A face that was so similar to Aliya’s that it was concerting.

Despite this, Shelby was sure that she could never confuse the mother and daughter, no matter their similarities. Their differences were equally vast, especially after she had met Aliya herself.

With the smile still playing on her lips, she typed back, "Hi, sweetheart. Is everything okay?"

Shelby looked at the phone’s screen for a long time before the three little dots started dancing on the screen, indicating that Ingrid was typing back.

The simple "I miss you." that appeared later made Shelby tear up. Shelby’s heart softened, and all the undesirable things she had experienced that evening looked to fall away from her like the removal of onion rings,

"I miss you too, my love. Is everything okay? I am sorry that I left without a word, but I’ll be back soon...."

There was another pause, but Shelby did not urge her on. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the next message came through:

"Can I call you now, mama?"

Shelby furrowed her eyebrows, not sure what was wrong, but she had a hunch. She, of all people, had seen Ingrid’s progress over the past weeks and also knew how Ingrid had come to rely on her totally. With no hesitation, Shelby sent a simple "Of course!"

Mere seconds passed before Shelby buzzed with the incoming call, and she answered immediately.

Shelby thought she had been quick, but before she could even say ’hello,’ Ingrid’s familiar voice filled her ear. However, Shelby noted that the voice was shaky,

"I- I- didn’t kn-kow what to w-rite."

For a moment, Shelby was taken aback. It had been a while since she had heard that timid Ingrid who stammered.

Her heart hammered, but Shelby kept her composure,

"That’s perfectly alright, dear! You don’t need to have every word figured out. Sometimes, it’s like that for us as adults, too. Remember that it is what it is in the heart that always matters, even if you think that the words are all wrong. Just share what’s in your heart with me.

Ingrid hesitated. Her little sigh reminded Shelby of that ingrained shy nature. That little trait that made her stand different from the confident Aliya. But then, with her next words, Shelby could feel a little confidence creep in. It was as though she had been emboldened by the familiar comfort of Shelby’s voice.

"I... I wanted to say thank you.... for everything....."

At these words, Shelby’s heart sank. The presence of Aliya, even though it had been a few minutes to an hour at most since they had found out, was disconcerting for her in many ways, including the fact of the children.

Shelby had grown to love them and had almost forgotten that they were not her biological children. Therefore, Shelby of all people understood the fact that the three would have to go back to their mother. Ingrid’s statement, though unfinished, jolted Shelby up. Ingrid, unaware of this slight misunderstanding, continued,

"...for being here for m-e... I mean, for us, even when I wasn’t nice...."

Shelby found herself tearing up and struggled not to laugh through this. In as much as she found this a little cute, she did not remember a time when Ingrid had not been ’nice’. Samantha was a different story, though. "...for not giving up on me. for making me feel safe, even when I was scared. For m-"

Ingrid talked on and on, stammering through some of the words. Shelby leaned her head against the cold glass that separated her from the outside and clutched the phone tightly, her throat tightening with thick emotion.

Ingrid continued, her words flowing out in a warm and inviting rush, as if afraid she might lose her nerve:

"I heard this evening that my mum is back, and you went to see her. I- Mummy?

"Hmmmm," Shelby responded softly, encouraging her to talk,

"....now that my real mom is back, everyone keeps asking me how I feel, and I don’t know."

Ingrid’s voice fell into a whisper.

"I know that I used to love her.... no, I mean, I love her, but it’s scary, and I feel bad because..." She trailed off, then whispered, "Because I don’t want you to leave."

For a moment, Shelby was stunned!

She had not considered any of these from the children’s point of view at all. Ingrid was not the oldest, but Shelby knew that out of the three, she was the one who thought the deepest. If Ingrid was thinking this way, she could not even comprehend what the others would be thinking.

"Oh, sweetheart," Shelby said softly, her voice breaking. Shelby was overwhelmed, but before she could get any words out, Ingrid continued,

"I like being with you. I feel the best when I am with you, Mama." her voice was impossibly small but unwavering.

"When I’m with you, I feel like... like I’m brave. Like I can be myself. And I don’t want to lose that."

The two of them fully understood what being herself meant. But these words did not sound like words from a child. It was said with the wisdom and cognitive understanding of an adult.

The tears overflowed and streamed down her Shelby’s face. She took a shaky breath before replying,

"You’ll never lose me, sweetheart! No matter what, I’m here for you. It’s okay that you can be confused about certain things but know that your mother loves you very much! Also, you’re my girl... my Ingrid .....always."

Ingrid sniffled on the other end, her shy confidence giving way to relief. Shelby could literally hear the relief from her.

This made Shelby chuckle loud. Ingrid sounded just like Gabriel when he was soliciting a promise from someone.

"I promise," Shelby said firmly, her tone brimming with affection.

Ingrid nodded and then added something that caught Shelby by surprise,

"You’ll always be my mummy!"

"Hahahahahahahh.... Are you feeling better now?"

Shelby smiled and then wiped the tears from her eyes. She continued talking to Ingrid for a few more minutes before she finally hung up and then turned to see Ian leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the same waiting room in which she was.

Shelby looked around and did not see Currey, so she did not ask, nor did she make an attempt to go to Ian.

Back in the doctor’s office, he sat stupefied. He knew that it was not his place to talk about anything, but the unknown woman they had identified as Aliya Maybach was just too pitiful. What he had not expected was for Ian to ask him that question: "Is this observation medical or sympathetic?"

Ian was not chairman for nothing. He had dared not tell the truth that even though there was some truth to it, it was not as dire as he had painted it.

Despite this, the doctor still had keen eyes in order to see that the suggestion, even though it seemed to have been discarded by Ian, still weighed heavily on him. It was not his place to talk about someone’s marriage, but he felt sorry on Aliya’s behalf!

Ian had not bothered with the doctor’s gain and walked out. However, despite all of this, Ian knew that behind the polished walls of his power and control, his life was in a somewhat delicate house of cards, and the slightest misstep could send it all crashing down, especially with Alia’s presence.

Contrary to what his family believed, Ian knew Aliya best and, therefore, knew of the pros and cons of what her presence insinuated .... Or so he thought.

Ian said to Shelby, his voice low and soft. This was as soon as she had turned to meet his grey eyes across the room.

Shelby stared blankly at him, unwilling to make any move towards him.

Ian straightened and held out his arm as an invitation for her, but she ignored him and did not even take one step forward.

Shelby looked long and hard at him and then finally willed herself to close the gap between them.

She walked up to him and placed her smaller hand in his.

Ian pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, "I’m sorry."

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