Page 5 of Cayden

Chapter 2

Blair gripped her pocketbook tightly as she waited for the doctor to finish making his notes. She had heard from her husband last night. For the first time since their argument, she felt a sense of relief that he was extending his trip for another two weeks.

“We have some things to tie up!” He had paused significantly. “Are we okay?”

“Yes.” She had decided that it was no use prolonging an argument while they were thousands of miles from each other and the decision she had spent sleepless nights considering was a done deal. His absence was going to make things easier.

She refused to think about the consequences of what she was about to do. But as she had told her father, it had to be done. It was the only way to save her marriage, and she desperately wanted to be a mother.

Step one had already started. The controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), as the doctor referred to it as, was already in place. Shehad read upon the subject extensively and knew the pitfalls and risks.

She might end up with multiples and the more embryos, the greater the risks. All of it had been explained to her in details. The clinic was a private one and benefited from her husband’s family money significantly.

Dr. Melbourne was a family friend, but Blair had prevailed on him to keep her visits confidential. He had been skeptical at first, until she produced a reasonable explanation. “We have been through a lot of disappointments; I just want to surprise him. And I do not want this turning out to be yet another one.”

Step two had been a success as well and she was keeping her fingers crossed.

The doctor cleared his throat, bringing Blair back to the present moment. “Mrs. Caruso, it seems everything is in order. However, I would advise some rest and perhaps a bit of time to yourself to reflect.”

Blair nodded, her mind already racing ahead to the plans she had meticulously laid out. There would be no turning back now. She gathered her belongings and left the office, a determined expression on her face.

Driving back home, Blair thought about the early days of her marriage to Cayden. It had been a whirlwind romance, filled with passion and excitement. But over the years, the weight of expectations and the constant scrutiny from his family had taken its toll.

She wanted to believe that there was still hope left for them, that they could find their way back to each other. But it required a drastic change, a leap of faith that she wasn’t sure she was ready to take.

Upon arriving home, Blair got out of the car and took a deep breath, looking at the sprawling estate that had become a symbol of both her dreams and her struggles. She resolved to have a candid conversation with Cayden upon his return, to lay everything bare and see if they could rebuild what had broken.

As she walked through the grand entrance, she felt a wave of determination wash over her. For the sake of her marriage and the future she envisioned, she would have to take this bold step.

*****

“Would you like me to respond to these invitations?”

Blair looked up from the list she was perusing as her secretary came inside the room. It still felt weird to her that she had her own personal assistant and had balked at the idea at first. Until Marianne had insisted on it.

Rather than arguing with her mother-in-law, a task that often ended in futility, she had acquiesced and reluctantly agreed that it was needed.

As the wife of an immensely powerful man, there were lots of responsibilities and their social calendars were often overflowing. Cayden had an assistant at the corporate office who often liaised with her assistant so that things ran smoothly.

“I need to see them before you do anything.”

Glenna brought them over and placed them in front of her.

Blair had chosen to use the smaller library as her office and as soon as she had settled on the lovely green and gold room, with the sliding glass doors that looked out onto the east side of the garden, provisions had been made by her husband to outfit the room and turned it into a fully functional office.

She seated herself at the elegant desk, its surface an immaculate expanse of polished wood. Blair took a moment to absorb the tranquility of her surroundings, letting the serene ambiance bolster her resolve.

The estate was not just a place of residence; it was a testament to the life she had built and the sacrifices she had made. Yes, it had its burdens, but it also held the promise of the future she yearned for.

Her thoughts drifted back to the forthcoming procedure, a culmination of hope, desperation, and careful planning. She could almost feel the weight of the tiny embryos, the potential lives, cradled in the safety of her womb.

She knew the risks, each one a specter looming over her dreams. Blair had always been pragmatic, but this venture required a blend of pragmatism and unrelenting hope.

Marianne’s insistence on a personal assistant had been just one of the many adjustments Blair had had to make since marrying into the Caruso family.

It was a world of opulence and influence, where every move was scrutinized and every gesture held significance. Blair had navigated this world with grace, but it had not been without its challenges.

She picked up the invitations, each one a symbol of the social duties that came with her role. As she scanned through them, her mind was already aligning them with the other demands of her schedule.

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