NaimaI returned immediately to my room and got dressed. Jake was still gone, he had been gone for over five hours now, and I was worried about what he might have been cooking out. I needed the day out, away from his family and this cocoon of crazed lust I had for him and the mental gymnastics I needed to undertake to pretend to myself that everything was still all right. That my heart wasn’t about to break into a thousand jagged pieces. I Had just found it the news, overheard his sister and his mother talking about Kalia. It was all a lie she had not lost the baby. She was going to have Jake's child and that burned me up. He had lied to me which made me question what else he was lying about. Was his feelings even real? Or was it also part of the plot to distract me from what was really going on. I called Katie and we agreed to meetup at the mall where we usually met, and do lunch together afterwards. Katie was my small sister no one knew about her since she was raised by my mot
Jake. It had been over nine months since Kalia dissappeared with no trace at all. It was like she had never even existed. But I never gave up, I still had people out looking for her. I stood by my bedroom window, or atleast what used to be our bedroom window, overlooking out, looking at the sky. It was a beautiful morning, and I could not stop thinking about her today..She must have already had the baby by now. My baby. Now looking back, none of this things mattered anymore, I had fought for my company which was not hard given Kalia left me half the company she shares that she owned before she disappeared. I had everything I ever wanted except her, I was in love with her and she was all I could think about. Wondering if she was okay, if my child was okay. "Hey," my mom said rubbing my shoulders gently from behind me. I had been so absent minded that I never even heard her get into my room. She stood next to me and we stood there together in silence, we understood each other a
Kalia. I sat in the sterile hospital room, the scent of antiseptic lingering in the air, mingling with my growing sense of dread. My son, Jake junior lay asleep on the bed, his small frame dwarfed by the oversized hospital sheets. At just eight months old, he had been the light of my life, a joyful, curious child who filled my days with laughter. But today, his pallor and the lines of worry etched on his face revealed the reality we were facing.I had been here all night, worried sick to my stomach as the doctors performed tests trying to see what was wrong. The doctor had delivered the news just an hour earlier. Jake's blood tests had shown a severe deficiency in his bone marrow's ability to produce red blood cells. He would need a bone marrow transplant to save him. My heart sank. The procedure was complicated, and finding a match was critical.He was only eight months old and he needed one of the most hardest surgery, tears rolled down my face freely, no parent ever wants to see
Kalia. It had been a few hours since the transplant. Of course Jake was okay, he was outside sitted by the bench. But junior was still not awake. The doctor had said he would not wake up for a few hours and it was killing me. I was about to go to the doctor again, when my phone started ringing. I looked at my phone, it was Jake's mother Maria who was calling me. I looked at the buzzing phone for a few seconds before I decided to actually take it. "Kalia," she said as soon as I picked up, her voice a little raspy, "How is the baby doing?" she asked and my whole body melted and I wanted to ball my eyes out"We are still waiting, the transplant was successful though." i said trying to be strong. "I am so sorry Kalia, I really am. I had no idea..." i immediately stopped her. "It's okay, it's all in the past Maria, it was a long time ago too." i wasn't trying to end the conversation because I didn't want to talk to her, I just did not want to start crying. "I will come see him soon,
Jake. I knew having that conversation was not going to end well, I didn't want to have the conversation but Kalia always knew how to push my limits. I was about to follow her when my phone beeped, it was from Paul. He knew I was at the hospital and he was not supposed to call unless it was an emergency, so I knew it must have been an emergency. I sat back down and dialled his number, he picked on the first ring. "Hey, Paul." I said, "What's going on?" "It's your father Jake, he is gone." my whole body froze at the mention of my dad. I had not seen that man for almost over a year, he always tried to reach out to me, wanted to talk, but I had no interest. I sat there my whole body suddenly cold. "Jake, are you there?" Paul said bringing me back to reality. "Yes," I said, trying to control my voice, "How did he die?" I finally asked through my crooked voice. I never had imagined over the years, what would happen if my father died especially the early years, but nothing really e
Kalia. I had been looking everywhere for Jake. It was like he had disappeared all of a sudden. But he seemed to have been distracted when he approached me and he really wanted to talk to me.. Something was definitely wrong. I was about to go back into the hospital when I saw Maria and Maya walking towards the entrance. I had already talked to Maria and she had told me she would come but I never expected her to show up today. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" I said confused, faking a smile as I looked around them trying to see if Jake was with them."I came to see you and that baby, I told you I was coming." Maria said smiling arkwadly."Yeah, but I did not think you were coming all the way out here today, not that I am really complaining." i said walking them towards the children department."How is he?" Maya finally spoke up for the fist time and it hit me I had not even said hello to her."He woke up a few minutes ago, but for like five minutes. He I still under really heavy
Eric. I sat in the hospital parking lot for what felt like eternity, part of me wanted to drive back and act like I had never gotten this information. I wished I had not pushed Naima to be honest with me. But Kalia was my best friend, she was like family, like my own sister. I had to warn her. I slowly got out of the car, suddenly feeling a slight headache. I walked to the reception, but before I could talk to anyone, I spotted her and she ran towards me excited, all smiles. "Hey, you didn't have to come." she said, as she hugged me as she led me to a bench and we sat down. "I know, but what kind of friend would I be if I was not there for you when you needed me most?" she said, taking my hands in hers. "Thank you for coming, it really means alot that you are here." she said in tears. "But no crying please, I don't want to see any tears on your beautiful face." She just looked up at me with her big brown eyes, and smiled. "I love you." she whispered"I actually wanted to tal
45.Jake.Waking up from the coma. I blinked against the overhead lights, my eyes struggling to adjust as I tried to open them despite how uncomfortable it felt. For a moment, I felt lost, floating in a hazy void where time had no meaning. The sounds of beeping machines and muffled voices swirled around me like distant echoes. Panic gripped me momentarily. Where was I?“Jake?” A soft, familiar voice cut through the haze. It was Kalia, my wife, her face a mix of relief and anguish. I tried to speak, but my throat felt raw and unresponsive. Instead, I focused on her, the warm familiarity of her presence, she seemed like she had been crying, her eyes were bloodshot and her face puffy. .“Jake, can you hear me?” Her voice quivered, and I nodded slightly, feeling the weight of the movement. “You have been in a coma for a month now,” she continued, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I thought I was going to lose you, we all thought you were never going to wake up.”"a month?!" I atte
40.Jake.A few days ago. My private investigator had just gotten back to me on Kalia's background. "So boss, I have some news." he had said, even his voice seemed troubled. "What's going on?" "Kalia is not really who you think she is who we all think she is." "Whats that supposed to mean?" "Well I did a little digging like you asked, it took a lot for me to get her file." Leo started, but I was running out of patience, " She is not really Kiari's daughter.""What doea that mean?" "I got a hold of Kiari's file, he was never married, he could not be able to have biological children, he adopted Kalia." Leo paused for a minute, letting the words sink in. It was all starting to make sense, I knew something was off about her story, and how she talked about her mom. " Kalia's parents died when she was only six years old, her mother died in a car accident, hit and run, and her father died a few weeks later.""Woow,that must have done a number on her." i said feeling sorry for Kalia,
Jake. It had been over nine months since Kalia dissappeared with no trace at all. It was like she had never even existed. But I never gave up, I still had people out looking for her. I stood by my bedroom window, or atleast what used to be our bedroom window, overlooking out, looking at the sky. It was a beautiful morning, and I could not stop thinking about her today..She must have already had the baby by now. My baby. Now looking back, none of this things mattered anymore, I had fought for my company which was not hard given Kalia left me half the company she shares that she owned before she disappeared. I had everything I ever wanted except her, I was in love with her and she was all I could think about. Wondering if she was okay, if my child was okay. "Hey," my mom said rubbing my shoulders gently from behind me. I had been so absent minded that I never even heard her get into my room. She stood next to me and we stood there together in silence, we understood each other a
44.Eric. I sat in the hospital parking lot for what felt like eternity, part of me wanted to drive back and act like I had never gotten this information. I wished I had not pushed Naima to be honest with me. But Kalia was my best friend, she was like family, like my own sister. I had to warn her. I slowly got out of the car, suddenly feeling a slight headache. I walked to the reception, but before I could talk to anyone, I spotted her and she ran towards me excited, all smiles. "Hey, you didn't have to come." she said, as she hugged me as she led me to a bench and we sat down. "I know, but what kind of friend would I be if I was not there for you when you needed me most?" she said, taking my hands in hers. "Thank you for coming, it really means alot that you are here." she said in tears. "But no crying please, I don't want to see any tears on your beautiful face." She just looked up at me with her big brown eyes, and smiled. "I love you." she whispered"I actually wanted to
The night was heavy with stillness, the kind that made every sound feel amplified and every thought reverberate like an echo in a cavern. Anna sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed in the guest room of her parents' house, her hands absently toying with the delicate lace of her wedding veil draped over her lap. The moonlight streaming through the window painted silvery streaks across her face, illuminating the turmoil in her eyes. Tomorrow, she would be married. Tonight, she wasn’t sure if she was ready.The house was quiet, save for the occasional creak of the old wood floors and the muffled hum of her father’s television in the den downstairs. Her mother had gone to bed hours ago, reminding Anna in her usual efficient manner to get some rest for "the big day." But how could she? Her mind was a storm, a whirlwind of questions and doubts she had kept at bay for months but now seemed impossible to ignore.Anna stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open to let the crisp December
Jake. The different lights of the club flashed in circles on the dance floor, casting a sickly glow over the crowd. The bass of the music reverberated through the floor, vibrating the glass of whiskey in my hand as i slammed it down, beckoning the bartender for another.I didn’t care for the taste anymore, the burn in my throat that felt like a fire that never quite went out. It was a reminder of the way i felt inside raw, scorching, and too damn much to handle. The glass was empty before i could think about it, and the bartender didn’t even look at me as he slid another one over to me.I could feel his eyes on me a couple of times, maybe judging me. “Tomorrow,” i muttered, almost to myself, staring at the amber liquid as though it held all the answers to my agony and pain. Tomorrow, she was getting married. Kalia was getting married. It sounded like a bad dream only that it was infact happening. She was getting married. Not to me. Never to me.She had made that abundantly clear.
Kalia.It had been a day since I found out I was pregnant, I kept hoping it was the hormone imbalance and weather and food, but none of it really mattered. I was pregnant with Jake's baby. I was dying to talk to someone, tell someone else and get advice on what to do. But I didn't really have any friends, so I thought about telling Maria, she was close to Jake, maybe she would help me break the news to him. I paced back and forth in the kitchen, my hands fidgeting as they clasped and unclasped, fingers twisting in anxious rhythms.The weight of the news I carried hung heavily on my chest, threatening to burst out in a rush of words that I hadn’t yet gathered the courage to speak. The pregnancy test had been sitting on the bathroom counter for hours now, its two pink lines glaring up at me like a truth I couldn’t avoid. I was pregnant. And the father was Jake. I leaned against the counter, my breathing shallow as I tried to make sense of the storm of emotions raging inside of me .
Naima. I was certain she had seen me, our eyes met or maybe I was imagining it. The last thing I needed was for Kalia to find out I was in bed with Eric, her best friend. I sat at the kitchen table, my hands curled around a mug of tea that had long gone cold. The quiet hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in the room, but my mind was louder. A familiar unease had settled in my stomach, one I had come to know well over the past year, ever since my daughter Bella died. What was she doing here? At this hour? They had been talking in that car for a while now, and I was dying to know what they were talking about.I had loved Jake, he meant the world to me and no matter how many fights we had, how many times we broke up, we always found our way back to each other. I had thought that was, what was going on during our last break after we lost Bella. I was the one that initiated the break, I needed time to heal and mourn my daughter, but I never expected him to move on, love someone
Jake.Flashback to when Bella died. I knew I was being unfair to Kalia, being harsh. But I needed to if I was going to get through this. I was in love with her, she was all. I could think about every morning I woke up and every night I went to bed. But I needed to look at her as an enemy, because that is what she was. I was just laying there, on my bed just staring at the ceiling. It was raining heavily outside. The sound of rain pattering against the window pulled me from the haze of sleep, but the stillness that followed was suffocating. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, my heart heavy as i tried to gather myself for another day. The quiet house, dimly lit by the morning light, felt too large, too empty. There was a time when it buzzed with life, when laughter bounced off the walls, and tiny footsteps echoed down the hallway. I exhaled slowly, trying to shake off the familiar ache that had settled deep in my chest. Yet, despite my efforts to remain in the p
Jake. I knew having that conversation was not going to end well, I didn't want to have the conversation but Kalia always knew how to push my limits. I was about to follow her when my phone beeped, it was from Paul. He knew I was at the hospital and he was not supposed to call unless it was an emergency, so I knew it must have been an emergency. I sat back down and dialled his number, he picked on the first ring. "Hey, Paul." I said, "What's going on?" "It's your father Jake, he is gone." my whole body froze at the mention of my dad. I had not seen that man for almost over a year, he always tried to reach out to me, wanted to talk, but I had no interest. I sat there my whole body suddenly cold. "Jake, are you there?" Paul said bringing me back to reality. "Yes," I said, trying to control my voice, "How did he die?" I finally asked through my crooked voice. I never had imagined over the years, what would happen if my father died especially the early years, but nothing really e