"Don't you know that Rachel is the heart of my life? If anything happened to her, do you think I could survive? Didn't you see how devastated my life was when she disappeared for months?"
+++
"Xavier..." Hannah tried to grab her son's arm. "I'm sorry, Son."
"Don't apologize to me, Mom," Xavier turned his head sarcastically. "Apologize to Rachel and our near-death baby. You also have to take responsibility for your actions. If you still deny it, I'll never recognize you as my mother again."
Hannah's heart shattered to pieces when she heard that her beloved son didn't want to recognize her as his mother anymore.
Xavier stepped out of the room leaving his mother alone.
.
(*)
Arthur sat quietly lost in thought. He twirled the wedding ring he had prepared for his wedding to Rachel.
The marriage that Arthur knew would never happen, though he himself didn't know how Rachel would avoid it later.