*Chapter song~Half light*
*By- BANNERS*

✍

️"You stepped in my dark world

Like a damn blinding Sun, not just a ray

Your warmth was scary, scorching

Enough to catch fire, my withered wings

I struggled hard, to escape

The consequences, but Oh!

How long, one can dodge

One's fate, your intimacy

Made me something else, Something

That I never dreamt of, Something

That I could never think of, Oh!

Your blaze gave me flares,

My fluttering withered wings,

Knows no calm,

I have turned into an eternal bird of Fire,

Nothing can hurt me,

Nothing can bother me,

You made me like you're

I know to rise from my ashes,

I'm the Phoenix of myths I heard." ✍️  

          🖋️~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🖋️

Hailey was lying in her hospital bed, lost, Visiting her past, analyzing each decision that lead her to this point.

Was it her fault to trust Adam?

Was it her fault to fall for him?

Was it her fault to wish her life with him?

Anything can be her fault, but not Cora. After all, She was the only one in her life. She is the only reason she was alive.

"Meril! Stop it! Shut that window!" She had to shout, covering her eyes as a sudden ray of light burst into the darkness of the room.

"Meril just close it and leave me alone!" She screamed again! This time getting up from the bed to avoid the stream of sunshine, pouring in from the window.

The evening sun was pouring pure gold into the room. But her tired, swollen eyes were not able to face that beauty. With great efforts, she managed to look in the direction of light.

"You will never get what you want if you keep asking for it from the wrong person Miss Hailey."

The voice echoed from a strong masculine silhouette, as all she could get with great efforts to see.

"Who is there?" Hailey shouted controlling her mind from considering the man as Adam.

"That's not important, what's important right now is why am I here? When I suppose to be looking after some of my serious patient."

The voice said walking ahead toward Hailey. As he walked near, she realized it was none other than but Dr. Arthur.

"Cora!" His presence flashed the face of sleeping Cora in her conscience, "Where is she? I gave her in your arms. Why are you here alone?"

Her heart and thoughts got flooded with so various bad things possible when Adam was around.

"I gave you my daughter as you are her doctor, and you left her alone!" Hailey roared at him marching ahead.

"Where was this courage when your Ex. was standing in front of you? You can only shout and fabricate stories." Arthur held her hand in the air before she could reach for his collars.

"Have some guts to say the truth. Or at least, to stand by your lie. I'm not irresponsible like you. I know my job, Cora is my responsibility as long as she is here in front of me." Arthur said coldly before dropping her hands away.

"She is not your responsibility, she isn't your daughter! I said that for Adam as he assumed it only. Meril told me once about your broken marriage but that doesn't mean you can steal my baby!" Hailey said venomously.

For a moment Arthur stood still, shocked, as if someone had stripped him off in an open market.

"Shut your damn mouth!" Arthur shouted at her with all rage, hidden in him, he pulled her close to look directly into her eyes and continued, "at least I had a marriage! And about Cora, you can't be a mother just by giving birth to a child. If you are her mother, if you claim to be able to save her then save her from your good for nothing Ex! Not me! I'm her doctor! I'm just a damn Doc, who knows his job and gravity of his job!"

His eyes turned red as if his all blood would ooze out now only. As his words ended they stood still like that for a long minute. Looking into the eyes of each other.

His hot breaths striking on her pale, dull face, with each passing second, the fear inside Hailey was boosting. She had faced a worse kind of treatment with Adam but never got paralyzed like this moment.

Her body was trembling in his firm hold, tears were flowing badly from her eyes but not a single sound of a whimper could escape from her lips.

Her tear fell on his hand to get him back into his senses. With a shock, he left her quickly and stepped back.

"What the hell am I doing!"

"Hailey, I'm sorry." Arthur dazzled quickly to get her glass of water from the table. "I'm sorry."

Hailey was standing lifeless, gradually she started to sob.

Arthur hesitated but held her by shoulders to make her sit at her bed, "I came here to talk to you about Cora, please calm down." He made a quick call to reception and continued.

"You have locked yourself in this room since morning. After, after that man visited you. I know what I say, what I do, would not match with what I'm going to say. It's your matter but, " at the same time, the door of the room gets open softly a nurse steps in with a steaming mug.

"Thank you, you can leave now." Arthur held the tray and asked the nurse to leave, she did the same but with great confusion as she could see Hailey crying like a child at her bed while Arthur was sitting on the chair next to her bed.

"Have this, " Arthur handed the hot mug to Hailey.

"I don't want."

"You need it. Have!"

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. For a moment their eyes met and he realized that Cora got her eyes only.

Quickly he looked away handing her the mug.

"Hot Chocolate!" Hailey exclaimed as she looked at it just before she was about to place it away at the side table.

"Dr. Meril said it will help you," Arthur said clearing his throat as he realized the very sight of hot chocolate was actually, working on her, "Ahm... I came to talk about Cora only. It's your matter but as Cora is my patient and friend too, I expect her mother to be strong."

Hailey looked up at him with shock. She wasn't expecting him to sound like that. He wasn't sounding too friendly, nor indifferent like always.

"I have said many things previously which I had no right to say about. But I have my reasons and logic behind each word of mine. Giving birth to a child isn't what makes you a guardian or Mother. It's the biggest responsibility. One has to forget himself, his pains, failures, his existence for a child."

Hailey felt a bit offended initially but as he continued lost in thoughts his words started to make sense, even for her disturbed mind,

"If you had decided to be a mother, then be the best and strongest. As Cora is a special child. She might have not said but the way she was crying in her sleep this morning, clinging to me..." Arthur paused in mid as he zoned back to that moment when he forgot for a second that Cora wasn't his child.

"I'm getting you Doc. I'm getting. I... I am trying and I. I'll be fine."

"It's not about you Miss Palmer. It's about Cora." His voice turned rude as if the fact had hit him again that Cora wasn't his daughter and he couldn't do anything for her.

"You might have lied to hide her from your abusive Boyfriend but what if your lie stayed in her conscience? If you had dared to be a single mother then dare to tackle him without hurting your child's innocent psyche." Arthur said abruptly rising from the chair to leave.

"And yes, I know I'm not her father. I know about my life well. It will be better if you look after yours and learn. From whom you need to fight. I'm not part of your story. Stop fighting with me. And for the way I behaved few moments back. I'm sorry again."

Arthur left with those words but his words kept echoing in her head.

"Meril, is Cora up? I want to see her." She stepped out of her room declaring.

"You should rest Hail, she is better..." Meril followed her but in vain. With a few swift steps, Hailey entered her room.

"Mom! So glad to see you. How's my mom?" Cora squealed with joy, running toward Hailey.

"I'm good baby. How are you?"

"I'm great Mom" giggled Cora.

"My butterfly looking very happy, what's up hun..? Any mischief?" Hailey inquired softly hugging her.

"I'm a good girl Mom, like my Daddy. No mischief." Cora said with pride.

Hailey felt numb at the realization of the problem she had created for herself.

"Mom, where is he? Why he hasn't come to see me since morning?"

"Ahm... He? Who Cora?" Hailey acted as if she didn't get her.

"My Daddy! Arthur! Opss.. Hehehe I mean my Daddy, Dr. Arthur Miller." She giggled with pride.

The nurse standing behind Cora at the time dropped the sheet, she was folding.