Mira quickly wiped the tear off her face after sensing the door opened and she sniffed softly. "You're back,"? she greeted with a small smile then dropped the test kit on the bedside table.
" Yeah..." Zach walked toward her with a smile then slowly sat down beside her on the bed and glanced sideways at the test kit which only had one line on it.
"Don't be sad... Okay?" He mumbled softly while caressing her shoulders with another sigh.
"Okay..." Mira bit her lips and slowly nodded then rested her head on his chest as her sad gaze was still fixed on the bedside table. After a while, she watched as he stood up then walked inside the bathroom.
And she sniffed again then carefully picked up the test kit and sighed inside while staring gloomily at the single line as she wondered why she couldn't get pregnant. However, the doctor had said that nothing was wrong with her.
"Baby... Are you punishing Mummy?... I'm so sorry," She sighed again, as her thoughts drifted back to her dead baby then she slowly wiped the tear that had already trickled down her face.
After some time, she placed the test kit inside a nylon bag then walked out of the bedroom and disposed of it in the trash.
After coming back, she met Zach who had already come out of the bathroom and laying on the bed in his pajamas and she also joined him.
Zach wrapped his arms around the girl, then placed a long kiss on her forehead and chuckled softly. "Stop worrying... Okay? The fashion show is almost near and I don't want you to look all gloomy on the stage."
Mira laughed softly, remembering Maya's fashion line. After her first show, she had been coaxed by different agencies to groom her as their model. However, she had politely denied their offers, not wanting to dive into the entertainment world.
She only wants to be with her husband and live a quiet life. As they had already registered their marriage, even though they had not held their wedding yet, due to an important reason.
Sighing inside, she also wrapped her arms around him, remembering what date it is today. "Zach... Did you see Big brother?" She asked softly while staring up at him and Zach slowly nodded.
"He returned early today... I was lucky to see him while coming back," he softly replied, while stroking her hair.
"Oh." Mira nodded slowly, knowing well the reason why he had returned early. She sniffed back the tear that had already streamed down her face and tightened her arms around the guy then heard him sighed while he continued patting her back.
After that incident, his brother had shut himself out from everybody and had become more distant. He goes to work very early and comes back late, and they could count the occasions which they had only gathered at as a family.
Like on Maya's wedding day with Ken and after Maya gave birth, then on the day their stepmother's father died, shortly after the incident.
"Tomorrow is grandfather's death anniversary right?" Mira softly asked after some time and Zach slowly nodded an answer, remembering that it was the reason why his stepmother had called his brother.
"He'll also be there, " he muttered with a sigh and Mira slowly nodded, then watched as he turned off the bedside lamp.
********
** Meanwhile, at the other house. **
After taking his bath and changing into his pajamas. Carl dragged his feet toward the bed then sat down as his gaze lingered on the small frame which was on the bedside table.
Picking it up, after a while, he stood up with a sigh then walked out of the bedroom, and down the stairs.
When he reached the living room, his gaze landed on the bag which he had placed on the couch a while ago and he slowly walked toward it then picked it up before walking toward the wine cellar inside the room.
A sad smile slowly crept up on his lips as he sat down on the stool after putting down the frame and the bag on the counter.
He opened it and brought out the two boxes inside, then opened the box which contained a cake and carefully placed it down on the counter and after that, he opened the box which contained many candles then slowly arranged them in a circle around the cake. He shifted the frame toward them and lit up the candles.
After that, he took a wine bottle and a glass then slowly uncapped the bottle and poured himself the wine.
His gaze lingered on the frame for a long time with the wine glass still in his hand. And after glancing at the wall clock which had just struck twelve, he sigh heavily.
"Happy Birthday," he muttered with a sad chuckle while his distant gaze was still fixed on the frame then he carefully blew off the candles.
Clicking the wine glass on the frame, he gulped it down in a second while his other grip tightened.
"Happy Birthday my love..." He whispered again while slowly caressing the photo. "Happy Birthday, Clara..." He picked up the bottle then dawned the whole wine.
"I love you." He mumbled, now in a barely audible voice while his grip tightened on the frame as he longingly stared down at it. "I'm so sorry... I couldn't protect you."
He swallowed heavily then took another bottle again and dawned it.
And after some minutes, many bottles of wine were sprawled up on the counter, with the guy's head buried between his arms as it lay on the counter and the slight trembling of his shoulders was the only sign that he had not fallen asleep, inside the dimly lit apartment.
********
__ The Next Day __
** Cha Mansion **
The whole mansion was eerily quiet adding more to the gloomy atmosphere inside the large living room and the sounds of slow footsteps could be heard from the stairs.