Chapter 26: I'm Not The Replacement
Knock knock
There was a knock on the door as a ginger-haired woman knocked on the door of her husband's study. From inside the room, the husband allowed his wife to enter.
The woman walked into the room, carrying a tray with sandwiches and juice for her husband who was busy working on something.
"I brought sandwiches for you, lunch is still 3 hours away but you might be hungry. So I made this for you," she said as she placed the food and drink on the table.
"You don't need to, you should rest because your belly must be getting heavy, Odelia."
Odelia smiled then shook her head, "It's not that heavy, I can still do my homework. So you don't have to worry too much."
Hearing that, Sean felt more relieved and ate the sandwich Odelia had brought him. He touched his wife's now 6-month-old pregnant belly, which already looked very round.
"I can't wait to feel her little kicks," Sean said as he continued to rub her belly.
"I don't think it will be long now. Sometimes I can feel her touch from inside, and I'm sure she's fine," Odelia replied.
Sean nodded his head then refocused on the blueprints on the table. She joined him in looking at the blueprints and realized the design was similar to one he had seen on Vincent's desk.
A design of the latest technology that Vincent is currently developing as well. She felt confused as to where Sean could get it from, especially since the design depicted looked a little more perfect than Vincent's.
Realizing that Odelia continued to pay attention to the blueprints he had, Sean could understand what was on her mind.
"These are the blueprints that my grandfather gave to my family. I know you must have seen it belonging to your ex-husband. And you must have wondered why TechnOzone could have the same technology as Yozara's but be superior and better than that company," he said.
Of course Odelia felt curious about that, until finally Sean explained that indeed the Percy family also got the same blueprint. However, theirs was not as perfect as the one he got from his grandfather. Percy's was just a copy of the original version.
"When my grandfather made this blueprint, I was 8 years old. I was his first and most beloved grandchild. He always taught me about technology and what inventions he used to make. That's why he gave me a complete and better version than Vincent's," he explains.
"So because you were always with him while he worked and he always showed you the results, your grandfather preferred you to continue his inventions?"
He nodded his head and said that although his was quite perfect, there were still many things that needed to be improved.
"Will you also pass on your blueprints to our children someday?" asked Odelia.
"I'm not sure. I don't want to force her to continue the company if she doesn't want to."
In his opinion, it was better for someone to do things the way they wanted rather than the way others wanted them to do them. Therefore, when their child was born, Sean would introduce her to many things so that she could find what she wanted when she grew up.
"What about your opinion? You are also the mother of this child, you can also choose decisions for her," Sean asked.
The man sat down in his chair and then gently pulled Odelia's hand to sit on his lap, so that she wouldn't feel exhausted standing with a heavy-looking stomach.
"I like your opinion. I want her to do what she's interested in as long as it's a positive thing. Maybe she'll enjoy opening her own company one day," Odelia replied.
He nodded in agreement and said he would support that if indeed their daughter had her own choice.
She continued to sit on his lap as Sean finished the sandwich she had made for him. Odelia stared at her husband's face, slowly getting used to Sean's habit of being happy with her sitting on his lap.
His hands were wrapped around her waist occasionally rubbing it to keep it from hurting.
'Every time I see him, he looks at me with a sincere and gentle gaze. But sometimes I still see a look of guilt in his eyes. Does he still remember his ex-fiancée whenever he's with me?'
Odelia recalled Megan's story a month ago about Sean's fiancée who ended up dying in an accident.
Flashback
"Sean had a fiancée named Jessie. She was a beautiful, kind and innocent woman. Sean was 23 years old at the time and they had been engaged for almost 6 months. Everything was fine until Jessie was 7 months pregnant when the accident happened," Megan explained.
She shared that her parents took Jessie to the hospital for a doctor's check-up. However, an accident occurred that killed Jessie and her father and mother-in-law, as well as the baby she was carrying.
"I was in Paris, and I was so shocked to hear about the death of my parents along with Jessie. I went straight back to Zondalia and saw Sean sitting alone crying over Jessie and our parents. After that day he was never seen approaching any woman again," she explains what happened 10 years ago.
"I never knew that. Do you think Sean asked me to stay with him because he misses her?" asked Odelia, who was feeling a little sad because she thought that Sean only saw her as a replacement for Jessie after losing his fiance and their baby.
Megan, however, shook her head and was sure that Sean wanted to be with Odelia because he wanted a family. He had lost it once, and when he found out Odelia was pregnant with his child, Sean felt he had a second chance and this time he didn't want to miss it.
"Trust him, you've both been hurt in the past and are trying to fix it now. I can't force your decision to stay with Sean, but you must know what decision you can make, once you feel how Sean has treated you so far," explained her sister-in-law while holding both of Odelia's hands.
Flashback End
She smiled then rubbed his cheek gently with her thumb, making him turn his head with a slightly surprised face but he immediately returned her smile
"Your touch is so soft, your cold hands make me feel so comfortable and I can't lose it," Sean said bringing himself closer to Odelia's touch on his face.
He knew that Odelia was still learning to love him as well as he was trying to improve himself. Sean knew the past could not be turned back, therefore he wanted to heal his wounds and continue his future together with Odelia.
Sean realized that avoiding his pain by no longer dating women was not the solution. But loving someone new is the cure for him, if that person is the right person like his current wife.
"I can't wait to meet our little angel who will be born from a beautiful angel like you."