He stared hard at his reflection in the mirror. His collar was up, his shirt buttoned and the tie was wrapped around his neck. After finding the seam, he pulled the wide end behind the narrow end. He looped the tie and repeated the action. To tighten the knot, he slid it up the narrow end. He picked up his suit jacket and wore it over his white dress shirt.

He quickly ran a comb through his hair, combing his black locks back neatly.

His piercing, electric blue eyes burned and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He was too numb to move or think. A giant hole found a permanent home in his heart. His life would never be the same. He looked like death and the consequences that came with it.

At such young age, the agony he felt for love... He could've never imagined it.

He walked out of his bedroom and found his living room crawling with guests. None of them knew Chloe, they were only here because of his father and mother. They didn't care who was lying dead in that casket. They were here to gossip, to advance their business, to lick his parent's ass.

They could care less about Chloe Jones!

Dominic not only stole the only person he ever cared about but he also made a show out of her death.

Chloe Jones... A lowlife, a charity case, guttersnipe, having such an extravagant funeral thanks to Dominic King.

What a kind man!

What a generous man!

The world needs more people like him!

Axel admired the way his father had concealed his happiness behind an ashamed and miserable facade. He should be jumping up and down with joy. The biggest threat of his life was dead, a measly teenage girl.

Two beautiful green eyes closed forever. No one here knew what she sounded like. No one here knew her likes or dislikes. No one knew how gifted she was. No one knew how kind she was.

All they cared about was Dominic King. His acceptance, his power, his money, his business. It was all about him!

If he cared, he wouldn't have thrown a party in the name of her funeral. If he cared like he claimed that he did, he wouldn't talk business standing next to her dead body.

Axel's gaze was resentful as he looked around the room. A few people approached him, offering him condolences for the death of his schoolmate. Schoolmate? Is that what Dominic told everyone? That she was just a schoolmate?

Even after her death, Dominic couldn't call her Axel's girlfriend.

Even after her death, he couldn't give her the respect she deserved.

Even after her death, he couldn't bear to attach her name to a king.

Everything blurred out as his eyes focused on the casket. The people around him faded somewhere far away. He walked closer to it and stared at it for a long time. A sheet-like covering was placed over the casket.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a guest book for messages to the family. He frowned and approached it.

Not one... Not even a single message mentioned Chloe... It was all about Dominic and Vanessa King and their generosity to organize such a remarkable funeral for someone they barely knew.

A beautiful act of kindness— Axel scoffed to himself.

He watched as Dominic King ordered his people to take the coffin to their family's cemetery. His great-great-grandfather bought a piece of land in Richmonte that was now King's family's cemetery reserved for family members. Only Kings have been laid to rest there and now a lowlife, someone like Chloe Jones will be buried right next to them.

Dominic placed a hand on Axel's back, as a gesture of comfort as he ordered to bury the love of his life.

"So eager," Axel said to him.

Dominic frowned. "What?"

"So eager to put her in the ground" he laughingly scoffed. "It's not like she gonna get up and steal your son again"

Dominic stared at Axel with nothing but hurt and guilt. "I brought her here, so, that she could be with you forever"

Axel smiled and raised his eyebrows in mock amusement. "Well played, dad! Well played!"

Upon reaching the cemetery, Axel stood in the corner, watching the deep pit in which they will throw her in. After everything was set, Vanessa approached her heartbroken son.

"Would you like to say a few words before we---"

"No" he answered monotonously.

Axel walked closer to the casket and bent forwards. He placed a gentle kiss on it and a teardrop fell upon the wooden frame. "I'll always love you. I will never love anyone else, I promise, Chloe. No one can take your place in my life... I love you" he whispered and straightened to his full height.

He walked backward and stood beside his sister. His hands intertwined before him. He watched as the coffin lowered slowly in the ground; that’s when the empty heartache quickly seeped in again.

Slowly, one by one, everyone started to leave. Axel stood there, staring at her grave. Dominic couldn’t stand looking at his son so hurt, so broken.

Charlotte took a deep breath and stepped closer to her brother. "Axel, let's go home" she whispered, her hand rubbing his back in a comforting manner.

"Leave me alone" he answered

Vanessa stepped forward. "Axel, sweetie---"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Dominic gestured to Charlotte and Vanessa to not press him. All three of them walked towards the car as they left Axel alone on Chloe's grave.

No one should be able to cry that hard. He collapsed to his knees, and her grave was his altar. There was a shadow, vague but prominent, and taking all his strength piece by piece, tear by tear.

"Mrs. Hayes"

"Chloe" she eyed Maxim annoyedly and turned back towards the doctor. "You can call me Chloe." Without giving the doctor a chance to say something, Chloe further asked. "When can I see my daughter, is she alright?"

"It's a six-month premature birth, Mrs. Hayes. Your daughter has underdeveloped organs, we have to keep her in an incubator for more than a month. You have to be patient here"

"She will be fine, right?"

"Yes, she will be... She is also really weak, she weighs only 2 lbs, that's only 1.0 kg. That's why I advised you to eat proper healthy meals, Mrs. Hayes. Your daughter is malnourished because of that"

Chloe's chin trembled and she hung her head. "So, it's my fault that she's sick."

"That's not what I meant, teenage pregnancy can sometimes be complicated and life-threatening as yours was."

"Can I at least see her? I don't even get to see what she looks like"

The doctor nodded. "You have to stay at the hospital for a month. We need to keep your vitals in check for feeding. Your daughter isn't responding well to the formula, so, a nurse will bring her to you five to six times a day so you can feed her."

"Oh... Okay... So, is she going to bring her right now"

"Yes, Mrs. Hayes"

The doctor walked out of the room and Chloe breathed out in relief. She will finally get to meet her daughter. She thought about what she wanted to name her.

The nurse walked in, holding her daughter. She gently handed her to Chloe. "Mrs. Hayes here's your daughter, you can feed her and I'll be back in half an hour."

The whole world faded away for Chloe as she held her daughter. The time seemed to stop, just for this perfect moment. She was so light, as light as a feather. The tiniest toes she had ever seen peeking out of the blanket, were almost red. As a premature baby, her skin hadn't developed yet. It was incredibly soft almost like cotton. She yawned as her tiny mouth opened, giving Chloe a glimpse of her blood-red gums and tongue. Chloe pulled the blanket aside from her head and saw tiny, streaks of red hair glued to her head. Chloe giggled, she was only a few hours old and Chloe realized she could never love another person as much as she loved her.

Then the most magical thing for Chloe happened, she tried to open her nascent eyes. Chloe hastily placed a hand over her eyes, so, that the light won't hurt her. She tried so hard for few minutes before she fully opened her eyes.

Chloe inhaled sharply. She'd recognize those piercing, electric blue eyes anywhere. "Alexa... Alexa Jones" She whispered. "Hi, Alexa..." Chloe laughed as her eyes moved around aimlessly.

She scrunched up her entire face as it reddened even more. An inaudible cry erupted from her.

Chloe gasped. "Are you hungry, Alexa?"

"Your child is so fucking ugly" Maxim's voice pulled Chloe out of her trance. "It looks like a piece of raw steak"

A boiling fury swelled inside of Chloe. "FUCK YOU!" She snapped and Maxim got startled by her loud voice. Chloe would never swear but those words slipped out of her mouth with such ease and she still wasn't satisfied. She wished she had Marie's cane, so, that she could bash it in Maxim's face.

"Chill out! She's just a baby, it's not like I hurt her feelings"

"Get out!" Chloe snapped

Maxim rolled his eyes heavenwards. "Fine!"

He walked out of the room leaving Chloe and Alexa alone. Chloe slid down her hospital gown from her shoulders, exposing her breasts. She held Alexa closer to her and positioned her nipple in her mouth. Her mouth instantly opened, frantically rooting for milk. She placed her fragile, little hand on Chloe's breast and started to suck in a hurried manner making Chloe smile. At that moment, Chloe realized that she'd do anything to protect her baby girl. Her love for her was infinite.

As she was now a mother and would always be.