Taylor was a little taken aback by Justin sudden appearance, but she would die before she allowed it show on her face. She scanned him all over, he looked as handsome as ever, but a little bit tired, she felt a pang of guilt well up within her. He was always looking tired like this with her to, but he always prized himself to be in total happiness with his beloved Evelyn. There had to be a problem between them, no wonder he looked so stressed, Taylor thought sarcastically.

Taylor was so engrossed in her examination of hi that she forgot the request he asked her and the fact that this was the father of her children standing in front of her.

“You did not answer my question? Or have you taken the job of a nanny these days?” he mocked, his eyes twinkling like a dog that just found a meaty bone in the least expected places.

“And how is that your business?” she defended herself, she gazed at the busy hallway, but people were going about their business. She began racking her brain on how to escape Justin, what if he saw Elminna?

Justin recognized the fiery spirit in her had not dampened one bit, instead it only increased. He could not help but assessed her face and body, he had refused to look at her at the club the other day, her body was somehow fuller; those small pert breast he used to palm in his hands looked bigger and fuller, it was straining against her hoodie, caressing the fabric, her stomach was a little bit bigger, the right size for her current body. His eyes slid to her hips they were wider and very shapely. She had certainly gone through a lot of change.

His eyes snap back to her face when he heard his name been called from the hallway.

“Justin love, what are you doing here?”

He readjusted his expression quickly to face Evelyn, forgetting Taylor in a heartbeat

“I came in search of you, Gary said he saw you entering the hospital, Are you alright? You didn’t inform me, you were coming to the hospital?” Justin asked, the worry staining his face again.

Evelyn expected that question, but Gary was such a lousy mouth, a woman’s hospital affairs was none of his business, she thought.

“I came for a random health checkup, it’s not a big deal” Evelyn replied with a smile on her face; taking his hand in hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze, while fixating Taylor with a gaze to shut her up.

Taylor was beyond annoyed, she felt Evelyn’s stare on her person, Evelyn’s health status was not her immediate concern, her concern was to get out of their presence, with Elminna intact, the girl was awake, since she listens well to voices, the slightest noise was enough to wake her up.

“Baby, you are sure there is nothing wrong?" he asked kissing her forehead

“No, there is nothing wrong I am absolutely fine?" Evelyn assured him as she leaned into his arms. He looked at Taylor as he gathered Evelyn in his arms, Taylor looked away hugging the baby in her arms closer, Justin began to feel strange, he could see perks of gold hair peeking out of the baby’s pink hoodie, gold hair like his own, the tip of the baby's hair had brownish flakes like his, A baby girl.

Justin removed Evelyn gently from his body and stalked closer to Taylor, she stepped back and pressed her hands on her baby’s head. The girl lifted her head in protest

“Mu…” Taylor quickly muffled Elminna's words with her hands.

“Justin looked at her suspiciously” Why would you do that to her? Let her talk. She is just a baby, which mother is stupid enough to have left her baby with you?”

“Taylor is that baby blind? Isn’t that her walking stick?" he asked when Taylor ignored him pointing at Elminna’s walking stick “What are you doing with a blind child?”

“I should be asking you that question. Why I got saddled with….” She paused when she realized that Elminna was listening on the conversation and it would disturb her daughter’s feelings, she corrected herself quickly “That is my business, I would do whatever I want with her”.

“Your business? Is she your child? Someone like you will never be able to take care of a child, cause you are too selfish, you just would never care about your children’s feelings and would do whatever you like with them” he accused intentionally wanting to hurt her, Taylor was too much of a spoilt brat, a spoilt princess who has ever slept on fluffy pillows.

“ Yes, I agree to that, I am selfish, and trust me I will be selfish to the end” Taylor cried angrily, Justin’s words really upset her, even after three years he still had a low opinion of her. She hid her hurt, by pacifying her daughter who had woken because of their banter and loud voices.

“Leave the baby alone, how are we so sure you didn’t kidnap this baby? You always wanted a child while we were together didn't you? when I did not want to, you would always descend to cheap means to make us have sex without protection, any man who had a child with should consider himself truly unlucky and unfortunate but thank goodness I was able to escape that dungeon with you, you could never be a good mother, you are just a useless specimen for a female” he insulted her pouring out all his aggression and hurt into his words, since that night they broke up, she and her miss little defender Tracy Moore deserved to be punished for ruining his reputation. He refused to think, seeing her again was enough to set his blood running hot, they had both avoided having encounters with each other, fate must be playing a cruel game on them both. He hoped no more cruel fate is displayed. He might throw up just being in the same space with her. He had loved her with all of his might, that love has turned to hatred ever since she left him.

Evelyn not wanting them to get into a banter in a children’s hospital spoke up because they were already been pointed at, thank goodness, Taylor had a hoodie over her head, she was definitely sensible enough to have worn them.

“Justin, all that is still in the past, the child with Taylor belongs to her sister right?” she asked trying to patch up and stop their arguments, she could see Taylor was on the verge of tears. The girl must have been the baby she encountered earlier, there was a possibility the child was Taylor’s just as Mandy claimed, but she couldn’t let Justin find out, it would ruin Mandy’s trust in her, they needed a proper plan to expose Taylor without Taylor exposing her own secret out of anger. She would tell Justin her health condition herself and help him patch things up with Taylor, him getting into a row with her in public is just a display of the stage their affection is and it is really a bad stage for a possible nuclear family in nearby months.

“Let’s go now, let’s leave Taylor alone, the doctor needs to do a check up on her niece, isn’t it Taylor? You should get going now?" She gestured to Taylor who was busy covering up her daughter, and trying to restrain the girl from raising her head, if she wanted to help Justin, she could start now, he was saying a lot of things out of anger, Taylor didn’t look the type to overlook things especially words said in anger.

Evelyn watched Justin give Taylor a long lasting look, as if he wants to have his feel of her till when next he sees her, "Take care of that baby, she hasn’t done anything wrong to you, Take care of her” having said that he stalked out of the Hospital, Evelyn hot on his heels.

Immediately they left, Taylor heaved a sigh of relief that was a close call. She did not wait any second before leaving the halls of the hospital, when she got to her car she immediately removed the hoodie from Elminna.

Elminna’s glassy eyes were stained with tears, she burst into tears after she felt Taylor’s hands on her.

“Mummy”

“Yes Darling, I am sorry”

“Mummy do you hate me?” she cried in her tiny baby words, her words barely coherent

“Why would you say that my darling? “

“Because... because I am blind”

Taylor was shocked, she cursed Justin under her breathe, this was all his fault, he made her say those things in front of Elminna. She had only intended to hurt him with her words but never her daughter, how was she to explain that to a blind three years old who is knowledgeable.

“No, darling why would you say that? I love you so much?” she said trying to pacify the girl

“But I heard you talking to that man? You….were upset with him because of me and you didn't let me raise up my head. You also closed my mouth, Do you hate me mummy? Mandy says people only behave like that with people they hate” she cried in between sobs

“What, why would she say that?” Taylor screamed, Curse that Mandy, the woman was turning out to be torn in her flesh.

“She said that to Jerry and Jeremy when they were fighting, I heard her saying that” Elminna cried harder pointing at an imaginary Mandy.

Taylor sent Mandy a thousand curses for teaching her children rubbish, but who was she kidding? She was to blame as well, she should have known Elminna would listen in, the girl has very sharp ears, her senses are very heightened.

“Baby, I am not angry with you okay, it is that man I was angry with……”

She held her daughter to her chest, she used her napkin to clean her tears, when she saw the girl was about to burst into a fresh sob, Taylor cuddled her more as she did that Taylor’s mind moved to Justin. He was also a sensitive person, who takes people’s words close to his heart and he doesn’t like being talked down on else, he would throw a fist. Elminna was just like him, they wouldn’t calm down until they are told what they want to hear.

“Mummy, Why were you shouting at that man? You could have scared him like you scared me?” she said slowly with a crack in her voice, sneezing a little, for a three year old baby she sure was smart, her children were going to be four years old in few months.

“No, baby that man is a very bad man, he did a bad thing to mummy”

“Then you shouldn’t fight with him, you should be friends with him instead and make him good, I thought you were angry with me” she balanced herself on Taylor rubbing her hair against her mother’s shoulder.

"I can never be angry with you, you are my whole life, I love you so much”. She slid her hands across her daughter's face, Elminna reciprocated the gesture, tracing her mother's lips and eyes with her chubby finger

“You love me?”

“Of course, I could never leave you alone, you are my life” she shook her head for emphasis settling Elminna back in her seat and fastened the seat belt.

Justin did as he liked today, she would make sure to repay him in his coins. She felt so disgusted with herself, to think she had been admiring him when she saw him, his words hurt so much, and she would prove him wrong. She swore to be a be a better mother. Taylor cried inside, the ache in her chest refused to subside, Could that really be Justin? He hated saying hurtful things to people, he never even got angry at her for long, she threw all the anger tantrums. Did he hate her so much? To the extent of saying all those words to her. She really needed to teach the man a lesson, what better revenge than to keep his children away from him. She smiled ruefully as she drove out of the parking lot.