A/N: Here is an update, FINALLY! In order to update this chapter, I went back and read the previous ones and I realized my grammar and point-of-views (I switched back and forth between first and third person) had some mistakes. I was thinking about going back to fix them, but that'd be too much and I'm a bit too lazy, honestly. So, please forgive me and read on as if my mistakes are invisible. From now on, I'll be sticking to first person besides Mark's of course. I promise to write better from this chapter forward. Nonetheless, thank you for waiting for me! :)

I've lost track of time as these few weeks strolled along. Though Mark and I hardly communicated, I figured from Joey that he was going to be in LA until my expected due date out of coincidence. Strangely, with our current situation, I didn't wish for him to accompany me in labor if he was going to reject being in the same room as me. It is unknown, but I didn't want to give it a chance if it was going to be humiliating.

I rolled to the side of the bed carefully to get up. Outside the bedroom door was silence. It didn't seem like Mark was awake, so I tiptoed out to get ready for a morning walk to stretch out my swollen feet. The doctor did recommend me to excercise if I feel capable of doing so. Before I stepped out, I fixed a simple breakfast and left it at the table to be sure Mark would see it when he woke up. I even placed a note beside it. 'I went out for a walk.' I was too much of a coward to write 'I love you' next to it, which made me realize how long ago it was since I last enunciated those three sweet words.

To feel the freshness in the air was quite comforting to my body and my soul. I ran into some neighbors who warmly greeted me and asked about Mark. I faked a smile, told them the good things they'd love to hear, and tred along. I pondered how long this silent marriage was going to go for. Was I committed to live such a life? I don't know. It was giving me a headache, so I sat down by a sidewalk bench. After sitting for a good amount of time, the minute I stood up, I felt slight tension on my sides. They were quick and sharp, which I assumed were contractions. It frightened me to feel such small pain. I could feel my heart start to pick up because I had no knowledge of such feeling. To calm down, I convinced myself it was probably the baby's kicks, but still, I knew deep down a baby's kick did not cause such pain. My swollen foot prevented me from walking home faster and since the slight tension wasn't subsiding, I slowly limped, trying to control my face from revealing pain.

As I leisurely paced my steps, coming towards me was a young man, about the same age as Mark who was jogging towards my direction. He had his earphones in while his thumb swiped the touch screen of his phone. Since he wasn't looking, I wanted to avoid crashing into him, so I turned slightly, but it seemed I was a bit too slow at it, considering the contractions that were taking place. His shoulder brushed against mine and before I clashed into anything else, he was just as quick to reach out to me. He yanked his earphones out, not caring if they swept the pavement.

"I wasn't looking. Are you alright?"

I realized I had closed my eyes at his catch. When I opened them, the sunlight beamed onto the male's features and I almost couldn't believe the scenario for a few seconds. His grip was cautiously placed on my upper arms and his eyebrows narrowed with so much care and worry. Only if Mark looked at me like that.

"Are you alright?" He repeated.

Now that I got a better look at the stranger, I noticed how familiar his attributes were to someone I once knew. "Meng?" I mumbled, but I quickly regretted saying the name after seeing the change of expression from the man before me.

I could see him swallow. "K-Kate? Is it you?" He helped me stand properly and then examined me. There was an awkward silence for a long duration of time. "Umm...congratulations..." He patted the back of his hair shyly. I was confused for a moment until he gave a nod that directed my gaze to my pregnant belly.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you." I felt myself breaking a sweat. "What are the odds of seeing you here in LA."

"Right?"

"How are you, Meng? It's been a long time." I suddenly felt nostalgic, facing the man who I once confessed to. It made me a bit uncomfortable to remember.

"I work in LA now. My father branched his business from Taiwan to LA, so I'm in charge of overlooking the work here."

For the first few minutes of the encounter, my mind was spinning. We exchanged a few words and from the way he spoke, he was well off in life and it made me grateful that everything worked out for him. Our past was to remain untouched though. I knew that for a fact. I didn't want either of us to reflect back on such lovely memories that in my opinion, deserve to be at rest because we've grown so much from then and if we were to make a reference, it would make the atmosphere uneasy. Maybe when were 50 years old and he's married with kids too, then I'll give it another thought to make it okay to talk and laugh about our past. Until then, I plan to refrain from the topic of old loves.

I knew it wasn't the best option since Mark and I are in a rocky relationship, but to be hospitable, I asked Meng to join me on the walk home. Part of me felt it is only right to invite a long lost friend to visit the warmth of one's home to show kindness. "Meng, why don't you stop by my place for a drink or something. We can catch up more there."

He hesitated, "Um, are you sure? Will your uhhh...husband...mind---"

I brushed it off lightly. "It's Mark. He knows you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." If anything, he'd care less.

Meng suddenly looked shocked at the mention of who my husband was. "Mark? Mark Tuan?" I nodded to keep the conversation short. Just as I directed Meng back towards the direction he had jogged from, I felt another pain in my side, this time much sharper than before. Thankfully, Meng was close by to enclose my torso with his arm. "Kate, what's wrong?" His voice was still controlled, but worry could be heard in his tone.

"I'm not sure. I'm having some pain down my sides." I didn't care to hide my distressed face now. "They're like sharp pains."

He looked around, but rarely anyone was out since it was early in the morning."Let's sit here and I'll call for an ambulance---"

"No," I evenly breathed. "Don't. Let's just keep walking until we get to my place. It's just around the corner."

Firstly, he gave me a look to see if I was sure with my suggestion. I gave him a small grin to confirm and with that, we slowly walked until I reached the front door. Just as I fumbled with the keys along with Meng securing me so that I don't fall, it swung open. In front of us stood Mark. His eyes widened with what look like hatred instilled in them.

"Who would've thought you two would be together." Mark's face resembled a stone. There was no positive reaction whatsoever.

I could tell Meng sensed the odd tension because he gave me a look that read, 'is everything okay between you and Mark?'

It was not the time for Mark to be throwng any dirty remarks. Plus, Meng didn't need to be dragged in like this. I changed the subject quickly. "Mark, help me get to the sofa. My stomach is hurting." I grunted and hissed. After my words, Meng gently let go of me so that Mark could tend my need. Afterall, it was something respectful to do since Mark is the husband. Sadly, Mark didn't come toward me. He remained unmoved an scooted to the side of the door. Meng's brows creased and without giving Mark another second to waste, Meng wrapped his arm around my waist and led me into the living room. My heart fell at the scene that my husband was not the one to assist me. In that moment, I almost forgot the pain I was feeling. What snapped me back into the present was Meng who had asked if I had any medications to ease the contractions. I told him to grab the pills on the counter and as soon as he left to retrieve them, I made eye contact with Mark.

"Why are you with Meng?" He gritted through his teeth.

I sighed, "It was by chance." I told the truth. "It was not a plan."

"You can just tell me honestly if you called him to meet you."

I rolled my eyes, trying not to think of the pain I was feeling. "Really, Mark?" I meekly palmed my belly, hoping the motion would smooth out the pain. "I don't want to deal with your irrelevant accusations right now. I don't have the energy to."

"Are you faking this scene too?" Mark let out a sarcastic laugh. "You liked it when he initiated to guide you into the hous---"

"I'm sorry. I don't understand what is the situation here, but Mark, as her husband, I thought you'd understand your wife. She's not someone to stoop that low." Meng's voice defended me, interrupting Mark. "And if you really want to know why we met, it was by random." Meng glared at Mark and returned to my side with a cup of water and the pills I asked for. To remove the thick air, meng asked Mark another question. "If you're just home, why did you let her go walking alone?"

Mark has his hands placed on his hips as he looked to the floor, probably fed up with Meng's presence. Within a blink, I saw Mark gripping onto the front of Meng's shirt. They both were face to face. The tips of their noses were literally a centimeter away from touching. It might have been the stress of the scenario too because the ache I was experiencing became unbearable. I felt so helpless. I wished I could've pulled them apart and clarify to Mark that he was out of control. The two men mumbled at each other, but Meng never laid a finger on Mark, until my voice was loud enough to break theit focus on each other.

"Can you two stop?! Someone call the ambulance! Hurry!" I began to breathe heavily. "The contractions are too much right now!"  Meng finally grabbed Mark's wrists and yanked away his hold. Again, he was the first to make a move to help me. At this point, I was internally disappointed in Mark. As Meng was informing the emergency responder my condition, he eyed Mark to sit by my side as he paced around the room giving details. I didn't think Mark would follow through, but in the end, he did. He kneeled before me, giving me his hand. The contact was so foreign I was afraid to grasp it. My fingers crept into his palm and I felt the warmth of his flesh. For some reason, it made me a bit more calm. I squeezed his hand in mine as I closed my eyes, trying to focus on breathing. Partially, it was because I couldn't bare seeing Mark this close to me. It's been that long.

"Kate, how-how many weeks are y-you?" Mark asked in a whisper. It was the first time he asked about my pregnancy. All this time he's acted as if the baby and I were invisible, so to hear him ask such thing caught me off guard. It's also a sad irony that my husband has no clue how many weeks I am.

My free hand wiped my eyes that were now watering as I mentally calculated my weeks. The pain and the heartache was far too much. "35...I think I am 35 weeks today."

Before I can take into account what was occurring, Meng had the door open wide for the awaiting guests that were there to help me to the hospital. I was placed on a stretcher with Mark beside me.

"Who's the husband here?" One of the EMT members asked as he calmy drafted some of my personal information.

Mark responded, "Me."

"Okay, sir. You can ride with us here in the back."

We were pulled into the ambulance and as the door closed, there was a flash of Meng's face and he gave me a look to notify me that I'm safe and I will be okay. He stayed behind as Mark and I rode off.

Mark sat in the waiting room, fumbling his thumbs. His family was also there after they heard of the news. A man in white coat eased his way through the automatic sliding door and requested for Mark. For the first time in a long while, Mark acted swiftly. He stood up, ready to hear all the information the doctor could possibly have on his wife.

"Mr. Tuan," The doctor stated.

"How's my wife?" He jumped to his curiousity.

"Sir, let's take a seat first."

Mark followed, hoping his obedience would give him an answer about what was going on behind the doors.

"Mr. Tuan, your wife will be delivering your child soon. It seems she will be giving birth at 35 weeks, which means your daughter is going to be a premature baby. Normally, a woman gives birth at 40 weeks, but that won't be the case here. By all means, this does not mean any danger. In addition to that, the ultrasound shows that your daughter is in a position that natural labor will no be possible. Your wife will have to undergo a caesarean section."

There was a lot of information to process, but Mark understood majority of it. He trusted the doctor's knowledge. All he wanted was to see his wife and soon, his daughter, who he did not know of. Sure, he knew he was expecting a child, but not a daughter. It was all coming too fast for him. "Doctor, how long will it be? Will I be able to see my wife?"

"Depending on the delivery, the procedure could be long, but we do allow you into the room since you are the husband. The choice is yours. Would you like to accompany your wife?"

"Yes, of course."

Mark was led to the room where his wife was. He was asked to wear scrubs before inching closer to Kate, who appeared to have been crying.

Seeing Mark enter the room made me cry a bit more than I already was. I was terrified of the operation, but if it meant the pain would subside and I'd get to see my beautiful child, I would go through with it. Either way, it was the only option at this point.

"Mark. Mark, I'm scared. I'm really scared." I held onto his arm as he wiped away my tears. To be able to let out such honest words made me feel lighter. My cry not only held fear, but also all the feelings of missing Mark's comfort and sincere presence was ingraved in my shaking voice.

"It's okay. I'm here. I'm here with you."

After ages, he finally placed a kiss on my lips. Whether it was a genuine act or just a spur of comfort in the moment, it was what gave me the strength to carry onto the next steps. The softness of his lips upon mine rose goosebumps on my skin, but it was a beautiful feeling. Mark Tuan finally kissed me after being gone for far too long.