The Lie Of That Night Chapter 04
That night, Gretchen succumbed to a raging fever. It came on with a ferocious intensity, refusing to break as day bled into night.
Her cheeks were flushed a sickly crimson, and she was swallowed whole by nightmares.
Fragmented whispers spilled incessantly from her lips, the same haunting plea repeating over and over.
“Baby… my baby…”
Terrence dismissed the servants and took up the vigil himself.
Watching her brow furrow in agony even in sleep and hearing those faint, threadlike cries for her child, he felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around his heart. The grip tightened steadily, leaving him with a suffocating, dull ache that made it hard to draw breath.
He tried to soothe her with a damp towel. When his fingertips brushed her searing skin, the heat felt intense enough to burn him.
He summoned the city’s top specialists for a consultation, watching as expensive imported fluids dripped into her veins one by one, yet the fever remained stubborn.
After a thorough assessment, the psychiatrist delivered a grim verdict. “Mr. Mendez, this isn’t merely a postpartum infection or a physical fever. This is a severe psychosomatic reaction, accompanied by acute symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“The high fever is her body’s way of collapsing under extreme psychological distress. Her depression and despair have reached a breaking point. If we cannot find a way to ease her mind, she is highly likely to develop tendencies toward self-harm or even suicide.”
“Suicide?”
Terrence froze, then murmured in disbelief, “How could she…”
The doctor adjusted his glasses, his tone clinical. “She has endured a blow far too heavy for her to bear. Mrs. Mendez cannot reconcile herself with the loss of her daughter. The very pillar of her existence has crumbled. If she doesn’t find a new focus or an outlet for her grief, the consequences will be unthinkable.”
The doctor’s words struck Terrence like a sledgehammer, leaving his ears ringing.
He looked at the wasted, skeletal figure of Gretchen on the bed and, for the first time, felt the icy prickle of panic.
He could not let her die.
Late into the night, Terrence sat motionless in his study, the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
Outside, the night was thick and ink-black, mirroring the darkness of his thoughts.
Finally, he crushed out his last cigarette. He had made a choice.
He walked over to the east wing of the villa.
Paulina was reading a bedtime story to Roderick. They were bathed in a warm, gentle glow — a picture of domestic serenity.
Terrence dismissed the staff and got straight to the point. “Paula, Gretchen is in a bad way. The doctors say she’s severely depressed and might do something drastic.”
Paulina’s fingers gave a slight tremor, and her eyes instantly shimmered with feigned concern. “So serious? Oh, what should we do? Terry, you must ensure she has the best doctors…”
“Doctors can’t cure a broken spirit,” Terrence interrupted, his voice raspy. “I want to bring Ricky over to stay with her for a while. Perhaps having the boy around will distract her — give her something to live for.”
The color drained from Paulina’s face in an instant. She dug her nails deep into her palms to keep her voice steady. “Bring Ricky over? But… Ricky has been by my side since he was a baby. He’s never been away. He won’t be used to it. Besides, Gretchen is so unstable right now. What if…”
“I’ll have people watching. Nothing will happen.”
Terrence saw how deathly pale she had turned, and a flicker of pity softened his resolve, though only slightly. “We’ll compromise. Ricky will spend one month with you and one month with Gretchen. That way, she can… see her son.”
“A whole month…”
Paulina lowered her lashes, tears quickly flooding her eyes. Her voice broke. “Terry, it’s not that I’m unwilling… It’s just that Ricky is my life. If he’s out of my sight for even a second, my heart is in my throat. He needs me to soothe him to sleep every night; he looks for me the moment he wakes up. I just… I can’t bear to let him go. I’m so worried.”
As she spoke, the tears finally spilled over, splashing onto the back of her hand. She looked the very picture of a fragile, heartbroken mother.
Seeing her weep, Terrence remembered how difficult these years had been for her, and his heart grew heavy.
He rubbed his temples in frustration, but the image of Gretchen’s lifeless, vacant stare flashed through his mind. His resolve hardened once more. “Paula, I know this is hard on you. But we can’t afford another tragedy with Gretchen. It’s decided.”
“Daddy, I won’t go!”
Roderick, who had been listening intently, suddenly bolted from the bed.
His face was flushed with fury as he glared at Terrence.
“I don’t want to go to that woman’s place! I only have one mommy and only one sister, Julia. That woman is a villain!”
Terrence’s face darkened. “Ricky, don’t speak like that. She is your…”
He faltered. Caught under Paulina’s tearful gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words “birth mother.” Instead, he corrected the boy sternly. “You are to call her Mother. She is very sad right now because of what happened to your sister. She isn’t well. You need to stay with her and help her feel better.”
“I won’t! I only have one mommy!” Ricky looked up at him in defiance, his chest heaving.
“Roderick!” Terrence barked, his anger truly ignited.
“Terry, please, don’t be harsh with the child…”
Paulina pulled Roderick behind her, lifting her tear-streaked face in misery. “It’s all my fault. My body was too weak to give Ricky a healthy sibling. And now… now I can’t even protect him…”
Watching the tears stream down Paulina’s face, Roderick clenched his fists tight.
He suddenly looked up, the words forced through his gritted teeth. “I’ll go.”
Terrence’s expression eased slightly.
“That’s my boy. You’re a man now; you need to be thoughtful.”
Roderick lowered his head, a dark determination settling in his heart.
He would go to that “bad woman” and get revenge for his mommy and Julia. He was going to teach her a lesson she would never forget.
That night, Gretchen succumbed to a raging fever. It came on with a ferocious intensity, refusing to break as day bled into night.
Her cheeks were flushed a sickly crimson, and she was swallowed whole by nightmares.
Fragmented whispers spilled incessantly from her lips, the same haunting plea repeating over and over.
“Baby… my baby…”
Terrence dismissed the servants and took up the vigil himself.
Watching her brow furrow in agony even in sleep and hearing those faint, threadlike cries for her child, he felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around his heart. The grip tightened steadily, leaving him with a suffocating, dull ache that made it hard to draw breath.
He tried to soothe her with a damp towel. When his fingertips brushed her searing skin, the heat felt intense enough to burn him.
He summoned the city’s top specialists for a consultation, watching as expensive imported fluids dripped into her veins one by one, yet the fever remained stubborn.
After a thorough assessment, the psychiatrist delivered a grim verdict. “Mr. Mendez, this isn’t merely a postpartum infection or a physical fever. This is a severe psychosomatic reaction, accompanied by acute symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“The high fever is her body’s way of collapsing under extreme psychological distress. Her depression and despair have reached a breaking point. If we cannot find a way to ease her mind, she is highly likely to develop tendencies toward self-harm or even suicide.”
“Suicide?”
Terrence froze, then murmured in disbelief, “How could she…”
The doctor adjusted his glasses, his tone clinical. “She has endured a blow far too heavy for her to bear. Mrs. Mendez cannot reconcile herself with the loss of her daughter. The very pillar of her existence has crumbled. If she doesn’t find a new focus or an outlet for her grief, the consequences will be unthinkable.”
The doctor’s words struck Terrence like a sledgehammer, leaving his ears ringing.
He looked at the wasted, skeletal figure of Gretchen on the bed and, for the first time, felt the icy prickle of panic.
He could not let her die.
Late into the night, Terrence sat motionless in his study, the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
Outside, the night was thick and ink-black, mirroring the darkness of his thoughts.
Finally, he crushed out his last cigarette. He had made a choice.
He walked over to the east wing of the villa.
Paulina was reading a bedtime story to Roderick. They were bathed in a warm, gentle glow — a picture of domestic serenity.
Terrence dismissed the staff and got straight to the point. “Paula, Gretchen is in a bad way. The doctors say she’s severely depressed and might do something drastic.”
Paulina’s fingers gave a slight tremor, and her eyes instantly shimmered with feigned concern. “So serious? Oh, what should we do? Terry, you must ensure she has the best doctors…”
“Doctors can’t cure a broken spirit,” Terrence interrupted, his voice raspy. “I want to bring Ricky over to stay with her for a while. Perhaps having the boy around will distract her — give her something to live for.”
The color drained from Paulina’s face in an instant. She dug her nails deep into her palms to keep her voice steady. “Bring Ricky over? But… Ricky has been by my side since he was a baby. He’s never been away. He won’t be used to it. Besides, Gretchen is so unstable right now. What if…”
“I’ll have people watching. Nothing will happen.”
Terrence saw how deathly pale she had turned, and a flicker of pity softened his resolve, though only slightly. “We’ll compromise. Ricky will spend one month with you and one month with Gretchen. That way, she can… see her son.”
“A whole month…”
Paulina lowered her lashes, tears quickly flooding her eyes. Her voice broke. “Terry, it’s not that I’m unwilling… It’s just that Ricky is my life. If he’s out of my sight for even a second, my heart is in my throat. He needs me to soothe him to sleep every night; he looks for me the moment he wakes up. I just… I can’t bear to let him go. I’m so worried.”
As she spoke, the tears finally spilled over, splashing onto the back of her hand. She looked the very picture of a fragile, heartbroken mother.
Seeing her weep, Terrence remembered how difficult these years had been for her, and his heart grew heavy.
He rubbed his temples in frustration, but the image of Gretchen’s lifeless, vacant stare flashed through his mind. His resolve hardened once more. “Paula, I know this is hard on you. But we can’t afford another tragedy with Gretchen. It’s decided.”
“Daddy, I won’t go!”
Roderick, who had been listening intently, suddenly bolted from the bed.
His face was flushed with fury as he glared at Terrence.
“I don’t want to go to that woman’s place! I only have one mommy and only one sister, Julia. That woman is a villain!”
Terrence’s face darkened. “Ricky, don’t speak like that. She is your…”
He faltered. Caught under Paulina’s tearful gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words “birth mother.” Instead, he corrected the boy sternly. “You are to call her Mother. She is very sad right now because of what happened to your sister. She isn’t well. You need to stay with her and help her feel better.”
“I won’t! I only have one mommy!” Ricky looked up at him in defiance, his chest heaving.
“Roderick!” Terrence barked, his anger truly ignited.
“Terry, please, don’t be harsh with the child…”
Paulina pulled Roderick behind her, lifting her tear-streaked face in misery. “It’s all my fault. My body was too weak to give Ricky a healthy sibling. And now… now I can’t even protect him…”
Watching the tears stream down Paulina’s face, Roderick clenched his fists tight.
He suddenly looked up, the words forced through his gritted teeth. “I’ll go.”
Terrence’s expression eased slightly.
“That’s my boy. You’re a man now; you need to be thoughtful.”
Roderick lowered his head, a dark determination settling in his heart.
He would go to that “bad woman” and get revenge for his mommy and Julia. He was going to teach her a lesson she would never forget.