The picture. Jake.I walked up and down completely taken aback by the things Kalia had just said. What the hell was going on "Get me paul right away" I said to one of the security men. "You need to calm down Jake, please." "Calm down? Are you kidding me? Were you not here a few minutes ago or did you not hear all the things she is accusing me off?" "Anyone could have said those things Jake, these are things that are out there people can read about in newspapers, it does not mean she knows anything beyond that." "But what if she knows something?" "I think with that mouth of hers, if she knew anything she would have said something already, she is not the type to hold stuff in and if she knows something, we will deal with it." Maria was right, maybe I was just being paranoid after the stuff she pulled. But being in the business I am in, having so many enemies, not knowing who to trust, it was hard to relax, especially after what Kalia did to me. " Yes sir. " Paul said, stepping i
The confrontation Jake.I opened the door furious, holding my phone up for her to see exactly what I was showing her. She was still in bed, she looked like she had just woken up. "I can't see whatever it is that you want me to see." I immediately tossed her the phone and she catched it, looking at it as I paced around the room. "Can you please stop doing that?" she said looking up from the phone, "You are making me nervous." she added. She immediately tossed the phone back to me without a word. "You slept with him?" I asked furious, getting even more angry at how nonchalant she was acting. "That is none of your business sir." she fired back, trying to get out of bed. "I am so sorry to disappoint you dear, but you are my wife so it's very much my business.""Last I checked, I was your wife only on paper, and If I remember correctly the last time I saw you, you had your dick down a throat that definitely did not belong to me. And I don't remember creating a fuss out of it." she
The party. Kalia. I was so nervous, I don't really get nervous a lot which is why this was so different and new for me. I had been so confident when I agreed to this party tonight but now I was second guessing everything, from my dress to my shoes, even the earrings I wore. This was the eleventh dress I had tried on this evening but none felt comfortable enough for the occasion. I needed to look spectacular, as much as we were going to clear the air about the controversy, this was very much the first time since the wedding we were going to be spotted in public together. I was in a black maxi dress that went all the easy down to the floor with a thigh slip that went almost up to the crotch. It was a daring dress, and it also was the wrong dress to wear to a club. I changed into a satin slip dress with little to no back at all. This is it. I whispered to myself, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I paired it up with some pink heels and a matching clutch bag. I held my hair up
The party part two. Kalia. There were cameras everywhere, people shouting our names from every corner of the room as we walked hand in hand towards the entrance. For those few minutes, I felt like my whole life was complete, in the arms of the man I loved. But at the back of my mind I knew this was all a facade, it was not real. He would never forgive me and I still wanted answers, and I still wanted to take his entire family down for what they did to my family. But today, I was going to have fun with my husband. I smiled at the cameras as they took pictures of us, anyone could have bought it, because I was genuinely in love with him. After a few pictures, he walked me to the vip section. "You did great out there." he finally whispered in my ears, handing me a glass of champagne. "You think they bought it?" I asked looking up at him. "Ofcourse, I am the luckiest man in the world, I can assure you that's what the headlines tomorrow will say." "Are we getting corky now?" I sai
Kaila. A visit to the hospital The ride home was quiet, and I appreciated Paul not trying to make small conversation, it had been a long night. "Hey, can we stop by the memorial?" I asked as we were pulling up to the main gate, I had the sudden urge to go visit my dad. I had not seen him since the day after the wedding. "The hospital, sure." Paul said, turning the car back around."I'm really sorry about this." I tried to apologize for making him drive all the way to the hospital in the wee hours of the night. "It's okay Kalia, I'm happy to help." was all he said with that smile of his. I studied him for a while, just staring at him. I didn't even notice he had realized I was looking at him. "Do you have any family left? I know you told me about your mom." I finally asked. "Not really, my mother was a single mom so after she died it has always been just me." "What about a girlfriend? A wife?" "Too busy, the job takes most of my time and I am devoted to my job, it would not be
The hospital waiting room. Kalia. I never in a million years expected Jake to show up at the hospital, especially that night, I was certain he was going to spend the night with Naima, but yet, here he was sitting right next to me. It felt different, like we were different, like something had shifted, even though we had a wall between us, but it felt nice too having someone there with me. I looked at him again, he looked to be so deep in thought, I wondered what he was thinking about.After staring at him for a few more seconds, I stopped, my mind carrying me back to the day I found out my mother had died. It was the first real day I could remember of me ever being in a hospital. It was my birthday I was turning six the next day. We always had a tradition with my mom, she would buy me a cake on the eve of my birthday and we will spend the evening just me and her in my room eating the cake and making wishes and visions boards for my new year. But on that particular birthday, she h
Jake. Unexpected visitor. Seeing her at the hospital so vulnerable, I was used to the strong Kalia who looked like nothing fazed her. But I could not get her face and how hurt and sad and defeated she looked last night. A part of me wished there was something I could do to help her, take some of her pain away. But another part of me, the business side of me, had questions about the secrets she had revealed last night. Her father Mr Kiari never really married, and I always assumed he had just gotten one of his mistresses pregnant, but something about how she talked about her mother felt off. Mr Kiari never lost his wife to an accident, I would have known, one of the things he was known for was his ability to detach. I needed to find out more. "Good morning, you look happy today."Maria said, pouring me a cup of coffee. " That's because I am, " I said cheerfully." But I have a question for you " I said to Maria and she sat down. " What is it Jake?"" It's about Kiari, was he ever
Jake. The meeting When they had requested Kalia's presence at the meeting, it had me shaken there for a minute. I didn't want her fucking everyrhing up. But seeing her there, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Kalia’s performance. She came across as bright, confident and witty. James Preston was eating from the palm of her hand in a matter of minutes. The older man was completely taken in by her charm and intelligence. Which I knew should please me, Instead, primal want and possessiveness surged through my body.I moved closer to Kalia, wrapping my arm around her delicate waist and drawing her to me, smoothing my fingers along her silk covered flesh. She smelt heavenly. I felt a slight tremor race through her body at the light contact.“So, Jake,” James said, sliding nearer to my own wife, “I understand you find it old fashioned of me to have a vested interest in what will become of the resort when I retire and sell out. But I built it up from the ground. This was my first great
Kalia.I turned around and it was Maya, she slowly sat on the cold pavement next to me. She seemed to be in so much pain. "You should be in bed." i said helping her sit comfortably. "No, I should be on a bed next to Jake in the ICU," she said looking away. "Everyone keeps saying I am lucky, but i don't feel lucky at all, not when it was my fault""Maya, accidents happen. It's not your fault, it's not your fault he is in there and you are out here." "But it is, I could have taken a cab, but instead I let him come pick me up." "I know Jake, there is no way he would have let you take a cab and you know that too. He will be fine, he will wake up from there, he is a fighter.""You really believe that?" "I have to believe that, I have to have hope that he will fight, that this is not how our story ends. He has to fight.""You know he talked about you, he told me alot about you." Maya said, catching me off guard. A part of me got excited, with little butterflies in my stomach. "Let me
Kalia. After dinner, I went out by the pool. It was a beautiful night, the full moon out along with a sky full of stars. It was so beautiful and calming out here tonight and generally in the country. I had always wanted to raise my family in the country, away from the buzz of the city.I dipped my bare feet into the cold water, getting a certain satisfaction. I was still reeling from dinner, from that made up how we met. I had watched Jake all night, he seemed happy, he was so committed to the fake story that I wondered if he really did remember how we met. He could be a good actor because even I bought it. Which is why it was going to be difficult to read him, to trust him. My phone buzzed, and I looked at the watch on my wrist, it was past eleven almost midnight. Who would be texting me at this hour? Maybe something was wrong with my dad, that was the only reason I could think of why someone would be texting me this late. I quickly got out of the water, rushing to the table
Kalia. After dinner, I went out by the pool. It was a beautiful night, the full moon out along with a sky full of stars. It was so beautiful and calming out here tonight and generally in the country. I had always wanted to raise my family in the country, away from the buzz of the city.I dipped my bare feet into the cold water, getting a certain satisfaction. I was still reeling from dinner, from that made up how we met. I had watched Jake all night, he seemed happy, he was so committed to the fake story that I wondered if he really did remember how we met. He could be a good actor because even I bought it. Which is why it was going to be difficult to read him, to trust him. My phone buzzed, and I looked at the watch on my wrist, it was past eleven almost midnight. Who would be texting me at this hour? Maybe something was wrong with my dad, that was the only reason I could think of why someone would be texting me this late. I quickly got out of the water, rushing to the table
Kalia. I had been working overtime for the money and the hours were starting to get to me. I was exhausted, but I needed the money. I turned away from the cashier’s counter closing it and slammed into a hardwall.. well, it felt like it was a hard wall, but in fact, it was a man’s solid chest. Large,powerful hands came around and gripped my upper arms to steady me.For a second it was all right. I had the apologetic, slightly flirtatious smile and appropriate words that passed for polite regret ready, I’m so sorry. But when my eyes flew past the broad shoulders up to his face my whole world tilted crazily. I felt the blooddrain away from my head and my face whiten. A part of my brain screamed, No. No. No.No fucking way. Not halfway across the world. Not after all this time.I had done a pretty good job of starting afresh, far away from my previous life, far from anyone that knew me. And for a while it had worked, or atleast I had thought so. I opened my mouth and… Closed it like som
Jake. I stood at the end of the cracked asphalt driveway, staring up at the old, two-story house that had loomed large in my childhood. The faded blue paint peeled in the corners, and the once vibrant garden lay choked with weeds. It felt both alien and achingly familiar. I had driven here straight from the hospital, I needed the drive, it was therapeutic and helped my mind no to focus on Kalia kissing that man. I stepped onto the porch, the wood creaking beneath me like the groan of old bones. The door, a relic of better days, swung open with a reluctant push, revealing a dim interior that smelled faintly of mildew. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light that filtered through the grimy windows. I hesitated on the threshold, recalling a thousand small moments the laughter, the fights, the palpable fear.I was a rich man who lived lavish, but so was my father. He used to be among the richest self made men, but after my mother left, he started getting reckless, gambling, drinking an
Pregnancy. "Oh my God, I don't feel so good." i said standing up, my hand on my lower abdomen. A few minutes I was kneeling by the bathroom vomiting my guts out. Maybe it was something I ate, it had to be something I ate. I said to myself going in for another round of vomiting. Now that I was thinking about it, I had been feeling nauseated and tired for almost a week now. I just thought I was coming down with something, but this was getting too serious. Maybe I needed to take a test. I slowly got up from the ground, washing my hands and mouth, before I looked at myself in the mirror touching my stomach. I tried to portrude my stomach a little bit, to get a glimpse of what I would look like pregnant. ' I can't be pregnant, not right now atleast.'I fished my phone out from my pocket and went straight to my period tracker. I was definitely a few days late. All I had to do now, was get a few pregnancy tests from the hospital. I slowly picked up my phone and walked out of my ro
The small town ice cream parlour buzzed with the sweet chatter of families enjoying their afternoon treats. Lively music played softly in the background, mixing with the hum of the old-fashioned soda fountain and the occasional scrape of spoons against cold, creamy bowls. Emma sat across from her son, Ryan, both savoring their chocolate and vanilla ice cream cones. She smiled at her six-year-old, his face covered in a delicious mess of chocolate smears. The sun streamed in through the big front windows, casting a warm glow on the tiled floor and the colorful, vintage décor of the shop.Ryan, as always, was full of energy. He hopped out of his seat to peer at the ice cream flavors on display, his eyes wide with excitement. He was a curious child, often getting distracted by the smallest of details. Emma watched him, content, her own cone forgotten for a moment as she admired her son’s wonder at the world.Then, a loud clink interrupted the peaceful moment. A man, tall and slightly dish
Jake.. No matter what happens, we will always be infinite. I looked up from my phone, and for a moment the whole world came to a standstill. I knew her. She was a brunette with all her hair held up in a bun, she was wearing a yellow sundress, and some sunglasses. She looked beautiful, but that was not what caught my attention, it was whose hand she was holding. A boy that seemed to be around two years was tugging on her dress. I didn't even realize I was staring until our eyes met, she almost gasped, one hand on her mouth, she looked horrified to see me, scared even. She quickly took the child's hand and seemed like she was about to run away when a man approached them with candy. He handed it over to the enthusiastic little boy who beamed with excitement. "Excuse me, do I know you from somewhere." I said touching the lady's arm and they all turned to look at me, including the little boy. "Are you my daddy?" the little boy said, looking up at me, with ice cream smeared all ov
Kalia. "Nothing really. It was just that while we were in the Park today Ethan started asking about his father. He is very intelligent, you know, Kalia. He sees that the other kids have a mummy and daddy and constantly he asks me what has happened to his daddy." anguish and pain cut through me. This broke my heart, that I was not able to give him a fully functional family. " Can it really be that his father does not want him? Surely." Ella asked, still holding my hand, caressing it gently. " His father doesn't even know he exists," I told told her harshly, taking a deep breath. "Oh, Ella, please don't ask me about him. Not tonight of all nights. I just couldn't bear it. . . ." "For Ethan's sake you must," Ella said gently. "You cannot fob him off forever. Soon he will be old enough for play school, and children can be so unkind. . . ." "One-parent families are nothing unusual these days," I said defensively, "and surely Ethan is better off with me than with two parents who fight