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
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
Jake.Waking up from the coma. My head was heavy, even my eyelids felt heavy, I felt like I had just been ran over by a truck. My whole body was sore and in pain, I could not even move my legs. 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?I had no memory of how I even got here. Was I dreaming? “Jake?” A soft, familiar voice cut through the haze, so I was definitely not dreaming . 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. I never thought I will ever be this hapoy to see Kali
Kalia. "I have been looking everywhere for you." I heard Jake's voice from behind me, I slowly got my legs that were dipped in the swimming pool out, looking up at him. He sat next to me, he only had his shorts on and nothing else. "Well you found me." I said, faking a smile. "What's wrong, you look like you were crying." "Well, I just talked to my dad. He is not doing so well." I said, rubbing off a tear that was threatening to fall. "You know I can have him transferred to a different hospital, a more private and exclusive one where he can be treated quickly." Jake offered. "I don't want to talk about my father right now, please. Can we talk about something else, like why you were looking for me." I said facing him, our gazes meeting. Something felt different about him, I could see it. Since he woke up from the sofa something was off. " I was just wondering where my favourite person in the world was. That's all. "" Favourite? "" yeah Favourite." he answered confidently wit
Jake.I don't know how long I sat in that room, in total darkness. This wasn't happening to me, I could not believe it. I felt like I was dreaming, like all my worst nightmares were just happening. A part of me had wanted to follow her, apologize to her, tell her I couldn't be more happy that I was going to be a father. This was the only best news I had received since I woke up. I had a purpose in life. But another part of me hated the timing of everything. How could I even be so sure she hadn't done all this on purpose. Our whole relationship was based on lies, how could I know if the pregnancy was all part of the big elaborate scam she had to take me down. I got up, pissed as sweat tricked down my face. I had to have a real conversation with her. I picked up the now half bottle of whiskey and walked out, straight to our room first, she was not there. I rushed downstairs, bottle in hand, I was ready to get to the bottom of all this. Since I married Kalia, I had lost my touch t
Kalia.I looked at my reflection again in the mirror for the fourth time, my bed full of clothes I had tried on and none of them seemed to fit me. I needed to start shopping for maternity clothes and that required me to get out of my room, which I was not ready to do. Maya had offered to take me shopping, but with the morning sickness, it was hard. All my time was spent on my knees by the toilet throwing up and the remaining time in bed, sleeping. It didn’t help that the one person I wanted to be with was also the one person I was avoiding. But I couldn't hide in my room forever, at some point I had to get out, and that day was today. It had been exactly two days since our confrontation, since Jake claimed he was not the one responsible for my mother's death. It had also been exactly two days since I had been in the same room as him, or even seen him. I couldn't deal with that news, not now, not when I was still trying to come to terms with being pregnant. I dressed up in a pink
Kalia. This was the first time we were all having dinner together, we never had any meals together, someone was always missing or mad at someone else. But today after we had the doctor, We were all giddy and happy, which is why we were all sharing the table. "wish we could do this more often" Maria said, we all just nodded, but I Wished we would doAs soon as everyone was settled in, Maya looked at the both of us smiling and I knew she was going to stir up some trouble. “You know, you have never really told me the story of how you two met. I mean, I have heard bits and pieces, but not the whole thing. And more importantly,” she added, leaning forward with a glint in her eye, “how did you know Kalia was the one?” Jake and I exchanged a glance and he smiled smiled softly, his fingers gently brushing mine under the table. Jake chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Ah, the famous ‘how we met’ story. Well, I guess it’s about time we told the whole thing.” Maria, his mother, perked u
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
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