Chapter 3 Too Close to Date

Did the news come as shocking to Talia? Frankly speaking, no. She and Lucien might not have fallen in love and gotten married out of their own free will, but they'd spent nearly three years together. She liked to think she knew him well enough. Lucien was a decent man, nothing like those aggressive, arrogant, fictional CEOs who could needle anyone with just a single word. No, Lucien was gentlemanly and thoughtful, not to mention attentive. He was a sweet, grounded, responsible man. On that note, the pregnant woman couldn't be someone ordinary if Lucien was so on edge because of her. Talia was practically gearing herself up for a dramatic and tearful family reunion where everyone gathered to reminisce on the good old days. Alas, reality proved her expectations wrong. Upon reaching the Reese estate, Talia learned that there was, indeed, a pregnant woman in the residence. However, the said pregnant woman was sitting with Talia's mother-in-law, Brenda Campbell, while Lucien had staked a seat on the armchair. When Lucien saw Talia, he quickly stood up and took her coat and purse as usual. "I'll hang these up for you." Brenda greeted Talia warmly. "Hello, Talia. Come sit down with us!" Talia returned Brenda's greeting before looking at the pregnant woman. "And who's this?" Brenda chuckled, explaining, "Allow me to make introductions. This is Lia, Mr. Griffin's daughter from next door. She was staying abroad with her husband and just recently came home. Lia, this is Lucien's wife, the one I told you about earlier." The pregnant woman smiled at this. She had one hand on her belly as she slowly stood up. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Thalia." Talia froze. "What… did you say your name was?" "What a coincidence, right? We have the same name, but mine's spelled differently. T-H-A-L-I-A." With a lighthearted laugh, Brenda chimed, "A coincidence, indeed! I was surprised as well when I found out Lucien was marrying a woman named Talia. I'd call it fate that Lucien has met two women who share similar names, only to become best friends with one of them and marry the other." Thalia remarked, "Fate is a funny thing. You might not know this, Mrs. Reese, but Dr. Ainsworth here was the one who operated on me the other night." "Really?" Brenda was even more astonished. "Yes." Thalia extended a hand toward Talia, an open and polite gesture. "I've yet to thank you for saving my life, Dr. Ainsworth. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here with my baby, safe and sound." It would look bad on Talia if she shrank away from the other woman, especially after the latter's show of graciousness. So, she took Thalia's hand good-naturedly. "Don't mention it. It was all in a day's work for me. Your condition might seem a little precarious, but it's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine after recuperating for a couple of days following the cervical cerclage, though you must be careful for the rest of the pregnancy." "Thank you for the advice, Dr. Ainsworth. I'll keep that in mind," Thalia replied. The housekeeping staff set the table and brought the dishes out. After that, Brenda called everyone over to the dining table. Lucien had never liked grand, over-the-top affairs and preferred to keep a low profile. To him, a 31st birthday didn't warrant a huge celebration, so he kept things intimate. As such, they celebrated with family over a home-cooked spread. Talia had a quiet nature, to begin with. Brenda and Thalia made most of the conversation at the dining table. As the two women swapped stories about their families and home lives, Talia listened and picked up on a few things. The Griffin family had been next-door neighbors with the Reeses for decades. Thalia and Lucien were born in the same year, though she was six months younger. They'd gone to the same grade school and high school and hadn't parted ways until college. Lucien majored in business management at the country's top college, while Thalia went to a law school abroad. To quote Brenda, Lucien and Thalia were so close that they were practically "woven out of the same fabric". Brenda was an intellect and a cultured author, and she spoke like one, too. She was implying that Lucien and Thalia were as close as siblings, but they weren't drawn to each other romantically. Perhaps worried that a doctor like Talia might not have gotten the hint, Brenda even patted her hand. She elaborated for good measure, "Lucien and Thalia were so close that I mistakenly believed there was something more between them and that they were dating! But it turned out I was jumping to conclusions. Silly me!" Brenda laughed, turning to look at Talia as she explained, "I later found out that Thalia had a crush on one of Lucien's buddies. She even had Lucien pass love notes to that young man every day!" A rueful look crossed Lucien's face as he interjected self-deprecatingly, "I was just a messenger to her all along." Talia laughed and asked, "So did everything work out between Thalia and Lucien's friend?" Thalia, who'd been silent all this while, beat Brenda to answering. "We got together, but it didn't last. It was puppy love, after all. Everyone was hormonal and impulsive, so lasting relationships were few and far between." "Fair point," Talia agreed. Brenda questioned half-jokingly, "Why did you never have a crush on Lucien, Lia? I didn't think the young man you liked was any better than Lucien." Thalia put up her hands as if to show reproach and clicked her tongue. "Lucien and I know each other too well to date." Brenda had achieved her goal, and Thalia's playful response eased the tension in the atmosphere. Brenda's unbridled laughter reverberated throughout the dining room. Talia knew Brenda had done her a huge favor. The older woman had sensed Talia's doubts, knowing she was too embarrassed to voice them outright. As such, Brenda took matters into her own hands and put everything out in the open. To be fair, Talia had no complaints about her marriage. Lucien was kind and considerate, and Brenda was easy to get along with. Brenda was nothing like those overbearing mothers-in-law from prestigious families who would have forced Talia to bear a child by now. In sharp contrast, Brenda was highly supportive of Talia's career. Save for the loveless part, Talia might even go so far as to say she had the perfect marriage. Still... The fact that Thalia's name was so similar to hers set her thoughts running wild. According to Brenda, Thalia's father had moved into a hillside sanatorium with his wife a few years ago. His wife was ill, and the fresh air on the hillside was good for her. As such, the property next door had been left vacant for the last three years and was in no shape to house anyone. Thalia was pregnant, and be it out of safety concerns or neighborly affection, it seemed almost natural for the Reeses to take her in during her stay. After Talia had showered and returned to the bedroom, she found Lucien already leaning against the headboard. He wore his gold-framed glasses and was flipping the pages of a book. When he saw Talia, he set the book aside and took the towel from her. He began to towel-dry her hair as he asked, "Are you tired?" She'd worked for 24 hours straight just so she could come to the Reese estate with him. She'd barely rested at home before enduring the family niceties during the day. In other words, it had been 36 hours since she last had a shut-eye. "I'm fine," Talia replied. Lucien's movements were gentle, and his tone was even more so. "I was so nervous at the hospital the other day that I didn't get to tell you about Thalia. She flew home specially to celebrate my birthday, but we got into a car crash on the way back from the airport." "I see." So, Lucien hadn't rushed out the other night because something urgent had come up at the company, but because he needed to pick up Thalia from the airport. He added, "Thalia and I are best friends." He slowed down at the word "friends", biting it out clearly as if to emphasize it. Talia hummed in response, then said, "She's six months pregnant, but she flew back to celebrate your birthday with you all the same. I doubt any friend would do that." Lucien's hands paused. His reply was a low and hesitant. "Right." A second later, he changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, you said you got me a birthday present. The day's almost ending. Where's my present?"