Walk of shame. The Uber pulled up to the house, after dropping off Eric, my head was still killing me from the hangover. All kinds of news reporters were waiting by the main gate shouting all kinds of assumptions . I spotted Jake's Car in the driveway as I went in. Look at that, I thought to myself for once, he was the one waiting and not me. I got out of the car, my hair all riled up, barefoot carrying my shoes in my hands. I slowly walked up to the front door, in mood to handle any more noises. My head felt like it was going to explode. I opened the front door and there was Jake, furious I don't think I had ever seen him that angry he looked like he was about to cut my head off. "I knew you were a backstabbing bitch and a liar, but I had no idea you were a fucking hoe too." he said angrily, shouting yelling. "Can you please lower your voice or not speak at all."i whispered walking straight to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. "I will yell as loud as I want you fucking bit
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
Kalia.I saw Eric immediately and our eyes locked as I ran towards him and straight into his arms. As soon as he held me, my whole body melted and I started sobbing uncontrollably, and he let me do it.I don't know how long we stayed that way before we finally left, his car was waiting fully loaded with all my suit cases." Where to pretty woman?" Eric said jokingly as soon as we got into the car."Is that even a real question, the hospital ofcourse. I want to see dad.""Do you know what time it is Kalia?" he said shocked, looking at me like I had lost my mind or something."I know and I don't care, I will sit there until he wakes up." i said, meaning every word."The hospital it is." we drove in silence for a few minutes and I actually appreciated the silence, but he must have been reading my thoughts because he started talking."So what happened? Why are you here and alone also?""What do you think Eric?" I asked looking at him, my blood boiling as it hit me she had gotten to him to
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
37.Kalia. Nausea. I stood by the sink, my fingers absent mindedly tracing the rim of my cup of coffee. I had no idea how long I had stood there, but now the coffee that was once sizzling hot was barely warm. I normally love the smell of freshly brewed coffee but for some reason this morning, the smell 9f it was turning my stomach. But maybe it was because I was anxious and worried about Jake, he had not been home for a week now. The nausea had been gnawing at me all morning, an insistent, low hum that made me feel out of sync with my surroundings. My head felt foggy, like i was on the brink of something, but couldn't quite grasp it. This wasn't the first morning i had felt off, though. For the past week, I had noticed an unusual heaviness, a persistent unease. Initially, I had brushed it off as stress from everything I was worried about. It had been a week and there was no progress for my father's sickness, and then there was Jake, I had not talked to him at all for a week now a
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
Maya.It had been atleast a few hours since Kalia left. The guilt was killing me. Sitting there, wondering if she was okay. She never even mentioned where she was going, not that we deserved to know anyway after how we had treated her. I had tried calling her phone several times, but it kept on going to voice mail. I sat in the living room in silence, tears threatening my eyes. What had I done.I looked over my mother who seemed like she had just lost a child."I knew she couldn't be trusted from the word go, I knew it." she said painfully as she sat down across from me."Mom, please don't.." i started, but she held her hands up, to stop me."Maya, don't even think about making excuses for her anymore. She betrayed us. I highly doubt that baby is Jake's either""Mom none of this is true, none of it." i blurted out, I couldn't take it anymore.I had wanted a sister for the longest time, a friend I could confide in and I had finally found that in Kalia, and now she was gone.Her face
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, no
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
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