Chapter 1

ANNABELLE’S POV

I took in the view of my surroundings as I alighted from the plane with my little bundle of joy, Michael. The only gift and reward for my wasted years with Jake. I held him firmly as we headed towards the baggage claim area, knowing he was quite energetic and could wander out of my sight.

Leaving San Francisco was the best decision I ever made because remaining there triggered memories I was trying so hard to forget. Life was just fine, almost perfect till Jake decided to take all we had for granted. I pushed my shades backwards and adjusted my mask to avoid being recognised.

Just a month ago, my face appeared on media pages and billboards as one of the smartest, fast-rising surgeons in the city, but things went haywire when Jake's multiple sex scandals got to the internet. He was confronted by the press and without thinking twice, he told them that the substances which facilitated his libido were supplied by me. This sent the wrong signal and I was summoned by the FSMB.

My license was withdrawn and I went from being a renowned surgeon to a full-time jobless housewife within the blink of an eye. Like he hadn't done enough, he brought different ladies to the house and banged them right on our matrimonial bed. Unable to bear the emotional trauma, I served him divorce papers. 

I could see the excitement in his eyes when he signed those papers like I was a plague he couldn't wait to uplift. As I recalled the incidents, tears clouded my vision and I tried to remain sane.

“Mummy!!” I heard Michael's scream and my eyes widened. He had stumbled and fallen without my knowledge.

“I'm sorry, honey.” I apologized, lifting him off the floor as I rubbed off the dirt on his pants and handed his toy back to him.

“Thank you, Mummy,” Michael screamed. This brought a smile to my face, and I immediately gave my beautiful son a kiss on his forehead.

‘What will I ever do without Michael in my life?’

I glanced at him one more time and playfully ruffled his hair as I held his left hand. We started heading towards the exit.

I failed to notice a tall figure as I struggled to pull the boxes, and suddenly, I bumped into him. His chest was rock-hard. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I lifted my gaze to see who I bumped into and I was dumbstruck. He looked like a supermodel as he towered over me with a blank expression on his face and I didn't realise I was gawking.

I stood rooted to the spot, wondering if I was daydreaming but his next remark caught me off guard. “Are you blind, lady?” I heard him ask, I was totaly confused. Why was he being so rude? Aren't we humans? We make mistakes.

But yet again the grey suit matches his grey eyes. And it was alluring. I couldn't take my eyes off him, I was so charmed by his handsomeness that I didn't notice my nose was bleeding from the impact of the collision m

“Disgusting” his words jolted me back to earth, and I glared at him immediately. “Bastard!” I screamed in my head, and as if he heard, he tossed me aside, and I stumbled over.

Then I realised he was a jerk. “Don't you have any respect for a lady?” I asked, anger surging inside me. 

“Women are a waste of time.” He smirked as those words escaped his filthy lips. Even though they looked heavenly, his lips were filthy.

He began to walk away, but what surprised me was my son running after him and grabbing his calf. “You wicked monster, you pushed my mum!!” My little Micheal hollered angrily which amused me.

I felt proud. “I… I'll make you pay, hmph!!” And there Michael bit him and ran towards me immediately.

I heard the man curse, and I laughed inwardly. “Mummy sorry, I failed to teach him a lesson,” Michael said, pecking me on my head.

I was touched. Even if he was only a kid, he defended me fiercely and it gladdened my heart. I stood up and carried my bundle of joy pecking him on the cheek.

“He's a bad wolf, Mom, very bad.” I heard him say that and laughed so hard. Gosh! I was about to cry; we left the airport immediately without any problem, which made me so happy.

“Belle!!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind and I turned around to search for that one person who loved me like we were biological sisters. After some seconds I caught sight of her from a distance, my sweet sister-in-law. If not for her, I would have been homeless because I had no penny.

She hurried towards me with a cheerful bubbly and I wrapped her in a tight hug. “It's been a very long time,” She said after we broke the hug and grabbed Michael to give him a peck.

“So cute! Michael has grown up so fast, I can't even recognize that baby I held in the hospital.” She said, laughing brightly.

“Yes Miriam, he grows so fast. How have you been?” I asked, trying so hard to keep putting on a smiley face. All through the flight, I had a sour expression on my face.

“I'm doing well, Belle, but tell me, dear, I hope you are getting better?” She asked with a concerned expression on her face.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, I'm getting better, Miriam. Thanks for opting to let me stay with you. You don't know how much I appreciate it.” Tears streamed down my cheeks and I immediately wiped it off. I didn't want Michael to see me in tears. 

Though my heart clenched bitterly, I felt a sense of fulfilment for being able to leave that toxic marriage. I owed myself an opportunity to start afresh and do better.

Miriam came with a taxi and the driver assisted us in fixing our bags in the trunk. The ride home wasn't a smooth one. There was terrible traffic and immediately we arrived at Miriam's apartment, he slept off from exhaustion.