If someone were to ask me what true bliss means to me, I would tell them that it was to be in the presence of those I loved most in life, smiling, giggling, being happy. 

 I don't return to the study when Alex leaves. Instead, I make my way to the kids' room. I find Sandy and Sid engrossed in drawing and can't bring myself to disturb them. They looked happy. 

I hope their carefree smile never leaves them. 

 God, had I missed them. I stand on the threshold of their room and observe them as they move from page to page, drawing trees, shrubs, the sun, etc. 

 I knock on the door, and the kids abandon their drawings and rush over to me.

 "How is mom?" 

 "As good as is expected." I dodge the question. 

 "When can we see her?" 

 "As soon as I make sure that you are not sick."

 "We are not."

 "I am sure you aren't. But uncle Alex will be upset if I don't follow the rules. Moreover, I am sure you want to see your mom healthy again, am I right."

 After I mention Alex, the kids calm down. Both of them pull me into the room and guide me to the bed. Sandy returns with her medical kit and thrusts the toy stethoscope in my hands. She plops herself next to me. "I will go first. Go on then. Start the examination."

 I nod and start the examination while Sid looks on with a strange glint in his eyes. "It won't take long," I inform him. "I will examine you next."

 He narrows his eyes. "You are nice. Like, mom." He states and returns to his drawing: a garden with a fruit-laden apple tree. Though it's crude, it looks a lot like our backyard. 

 When I finish fake examining them, I explain to them that I would need to do further tests to supplement the ones I had done. Sandy looks on excitedly. She was always ready to try new things, while Sid fixes me with a calculating gaze. "Will it involve being poked with needles?" He demands, and I shake my head. "It will only involve getting your temperature checked."

 He gives me a curt nod. "Good." Picking up a color pencil, he adds. "Not that I am scared of needles, but dad..." he leaves the sentence incomplete and returns to his drawing. 

 Even though I wanted to know what was on his mind, I knew that pushing him to reveal it won't work. He was willful and stubborn; when he made up his mind, no one could make him budge.

 Sandy taps my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Will you be staying with us?"

 I nod.

 "I miss playing with mom. Aunty Kimmy is great, but I prefer the sandwiches mom used to make," She looks up through her lashes. "When will she get better."

 How does a mother tell her daughter that there is a good possibility that she might never be able to hold her again?

 "I don't know... Sandy, was it?" I pretend to recall her name when I notice David standing at the threshold.

 David smiles and enters the room.

Sandy reciprocates the smile. "Dad, have you come to help us with our homework? You promised us last time, remember?" She enquires hopefully.

"Perhaps, later. I need to talk to nurse Janice." David replies. "Janice?" He calls.

"Yes, David. How may I help you?"

"I would like a word." He says cryptically and leaves. I find the act a little odd.

What are you up to, David?

I wave to the kids and follow him out. He leads me to the study and closes the door when I follow him inside; it makes me uncomfortable. I am about to insist on keeping the door open, but before I can, he pulls me in his arms.

"Janice, please. Just let me hold you for a moment."

"David!" I struggle to push him away but fail. He holds me closer. Tighter. 

 "David...Mr. Drew, don't make me regret taking on this assignment." I growl; his grip on my waist loosens, and I push him away. He staggers back. "How dare you!?" I bite out and reach for the doorknob when he mutters. "I know your secret." His words make me stop dead in my tracks. I turn. Our eyes meet and hold. Silence consumes us. 

 I wait for him to continue. How could he have known? What gave me away? Was there someone else who knew about what we had planned? No. Only the three of us knew. I was sure of it. Then what-

 "I know you are in love with Reed." 

 Relief floods me. The secret was safe. But what had made David think that Janice had feelings for Alex?

 "Al...Doctor Reed?" I repeat and smirk. "Mr. Drew, even if I am in love with him, it's none of your business. What I do and who I love has got nothing to do with me taking care of..."

 "I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He lowers his eyes. 

 "Mr. Drew, you can not touch me as and when you please. I am warning you..."

 "I just wanted to comfort you." He replies, sounding guilty.

 "I don't remember asking to be comforted, Mr. Drew. Now, if you will excuse me..."

 "Don't tell me that you don't love him. I can see it in your eyes."

 His words make me feel warm somehow. However, I still failed to understand why David was bringing it up.

 "Janice, you seem like a great girl. You are beautiful and independent. Any man would be lucky to have you." He steps closer and raises his hands in surrender. "I am sorry that I called you out like this. I can't see you get hurt."

 What in the world was he trying to say?

 My silence urges him to continue. "Reed is not... he is not what he pretends to be. He..." David closes his eyes and sighs. When he opens them, they are swimming with tears.

 "Mr. Drew, I am busy. Just say what you want to say. I am sure I will be able to take it." I brace myself for the untruthful tales he is about to spin. 

As soon as he starts speaking, my suspicions are confirmed. 

 "I didn't want you to be a victim...like me," David says, stepping closer. A tear rolls down his cheek. 

I feel nothing; I decide to humor him. After all, I wanted to know what was on his mind. "A victim? How so?"

 "I love Melissa. She is everything to me. Even now, every part of my being is praying for her to return to me." He shakes his head. "But alas, she has never felt the same for me. I know you have no reason to believe me, but the truth is that it's a marriage of convenience for her. She doesn't love me. She never has." 

 His words hurt more than knives. I want to scream. I don't understand how a man could stoop so low. David looks at me expectantly. It hits me that I was not Melissa; I was Janice. I had to play the part if I was to trap him. "Mr. Drew, I am sure it's just a misunderstanding. Though I haven't interacted with Mrs. Drew much, I can tell that she is a lovely woman. I have heard nothing but praises for her." It feels awkward defending myself, but I had no choice. 

 "You have misunderstood me, Janice. I am not saying that she is a bad person. I wouldn't have fallen in love with her if she was." He turns away and pours a drink for himself. "I suppose I can't ask you to join me." He states more to himself than me and takes his place behind the mahogany study table where my father once sat.

 The crystal glass touches his lips, and he takes a big gulp. I can only assume that he was buying time. I had probably not responded the way he had expected. 

 "Mr. Drew..."

 "Call me, David, please. I am sorry for what I did. I know true.

 "Are you implying that Doctor Reed was having an affair with your wife? He would never!" I lose my temper. Lying about my feelings for him was one thing, but soiling Alex's reputation was another. 

 A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips, and when he looks up, he is grinning like he had won a lottery. "Caught you, Janice. You are in love with Reed." He throws his head back and laughs.

 "I...I..." I stutter. "I never said that." I compose myself. "He is a good man. I am not..."

 "You are deluding yourself if you think that he will accept your feelings, Janice. Reed can never be yours as long as Melissa breathes. I meant it when I said that she is his soulmate."

 "I don't care about that." I retort. I stand up and am about to see myself out when he rushes past me, turns me around, and backs me up against the door. The doorknob digs into my back. He intertwines our fingers and pins them over my head. 

 "David! What are you doing!? Let me go!" I struggle to get him off of me. 

 Why are you doing this, David?

 "Admit it. You like Reed. But somewhere deep down, you know you can't have him. Doesn't it make you angry?" He presses himself closer; I can feel his hard-on. It disgusts me. But I still understand what had brought on this risky, reckless behavior? What did he want?

 "You know, the first time I saw you, I knew you were special. Your eyes..." He leans in. I can feel his breath on my cheeks and the nape of my neck. "Do you want to scream, Janice? Do you want to call the cops on me, hum?" He sighs and shakes his head. "Frankly, I thought I could get you on my side without threatening you. I tried to win your sympathy; I tried to make you jealous." He clicks his tongue. "Janice, this is your chance to come clean." He leans in again and whispers against the shell of my ear.

 Sweat trails down my spine. 

He captures my wrists with one hand and cups my face. "Still not ready to admit who you are and what you want?" He sneers. "You are tougher than you look, Janice. But then again, I might have underestimated you. After all, not everyone can kill a man in cold blood with zero regrets."

 I stop struggling and look into David's cold eyes. "Murder?" I repeat to make sure I had heard him right. He lets me go and steps away. "I have your attention now, so let's get down to business." He folds his arms over his chest and winks. "Janice, love, you are smart. How about we work together, hum? I promise you won't regret it. A little cooperation is all I am asking for, after all. It's not a high price to pay, especially if the alternative can mess up your well-planned life, hum?"

 My heart slumps. The confidence in David's voice scares me. What did he mean? More importantly, what did he know?