SWNOVELS Chapter My CEO 410
410 Taking Control (Winona)
The room is suffocating, even though Klara has opened the windows to let in the evening air. I'm lying on the bed, trying to keep my breathing even. My blood pressure has come down, but Klara's concern hasn't.
She sits beside me, her hand resting on mine, grounding me. The soft hum of conversation between Lisa and Lance fills the other room, but I'm barely hearing them.
Lance and Lisa come into the bedroom, looking just as exhausted as I feel.
Lance still has dried blood on his shirt, and his bruised face is swollen.
"I'm going to London," he says, his tone rough but resolute.
Lisa stares at him. "You can't be serious. Look at you! You're in no shape to travel, let alone deal with Jayden. Have you even seen your face?"
"I have to," he insists, his eyes blazing with determination. "Jayden's my friend-at least he used to be. I have to try and fix this before it's too late. Before he does something even more destructive."
The determination in his voice stirs something inside me, but I push myself up on my elbows. "No," I say, the word coming out stronger than I feel. "You can't tell him anything about the baby." Lance looks taken aback, his expression softening into confusion. "I wouldn't-"
"I mean it," I cut him off, my voice cracking. "He needs to hear it from me. I know it sounds crazy, but even if we're done, even if this marriage is over, he has a right to know in person. Promise me, both of you." Lisa reaches over, her fingers brushing mine, her eyes filled with worry and understanding. "We promise," she says softly. "Right, Lance?"
He hesitates, and for a moment, I think he's going to argue. The stubborn set of his jaw says he But then he nods, the tension draining from his shoulders. "Winona, I need to know. Is...do you know...?" "Jayden's. Yes. But you really can't mention anything. I will tell him, even if it's over a video call."
Klara clears her throat, drawing all of our attention. "High blood pressure can be fatal for the baby," she says, the seriousness of her tone making the room go silent.
"And for you, Winona. If it's preeclampsia, we're in dangerous territory. The best way to combat that is the delivery of the baby. If you won't go to the hospital, I'll need to arrange for doctors to come here. Do you understand?" "Yes. I will arrange for medical care. It's just that being in hospital all alone, that isn't good for my stress levels."
"I understand, and I agree. Keeping your daily routine, staying active, and dealing with the conflict, one way or another, is always best," Klara says.
"Yes, I want this behind me so I can focus on my baby. A sense of clarity comes over me. "I will speak with Jayden. If he can't come back anytime soon, then I'll arrange a video call."
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410 Taking Control
She nods, her expression softening, but the worry doesn't leave her eyes. "Try for no more arguments, no more worrying about things out of your control."
"The last thing I want is to argue anymore. Jayden has made his position clear."
Lance moves forward. "Don't give up on the big lug yet. Winona, you two have been through worse. Give me a chance to talk him off the ledge. I owe him that much, maybe we both do."
"Maybe it was a stupid idea, but I knew what I was doing at the time. I made my decision. Jayden needs to get that it was never about him, it was about me."
"But... you have to get that perhaps a stranger would have been easier for him to deal with. I was the selfish one. Jayden is right. I took advantage of the situation because I could. That wasn't fair to either of you."
"I wanted to see what was out there, I wanted to try it out. But in the end, doing any of that with a complete stranger scared the crap out of me. That's why I agreed. Because it was easier. I never took Jayden into consideration at the time either."
Lisa stands up, her hands on her hips. "Alright, enough pity party," she says, her voice firm. "We need to focus on what we can control. Lance, you do you. Your relationship with Jayden is between you two. Winona, you take all the time you need to decide where you want to go with Jayden from here."
Her take-charge attitude makes me smile, even if it's fleeting. Lisa has always had a way of making everything seem more manageable, even when the world feels like it's falling apart. "I feel better already. What would I ever do without you?"
Lisa waves me off, but there's a softness in her eyes. "You'd do the same for me," she says, her voice cracking just a little. "Now, I'm going to check on the kids and make sure they're not plotting some sugar- crash rebellion."
"Send them in to see me to say goodnight please."
"I will." She leaves.
Klara gets up to follow. "I'll make the arrangements for the doctors," she says. "You blood pressure is a lot better. Whatever you're doing, keep it up."
"It's just feeling like I'm in control again. It makes me calmer."
Lance stands, wincing as he moves. "I'll do whatever I can to fix this."
"I'll be calling Jayden in the morning. Tonight, I'll see the kids into bed and get some rest myself." I'm hurting inside. But we made vows. We dedicated ourselves to those children.
I'm not walking away from that. There has to be a way through this.
I can only hope that Jayden wants that too. But if he doesn't, if he continues down this path of self-destruction over this. I'm done,
I'm not putting myself through this ever again.