~ CharlesTexas felt different. The air was heavier, as if burdened by the weight of my past. The funeral had come and gone, leaving behind a void that seemed impossible to fill.Janette’s family welcomed me, though they never supported what Janette did to me. But I couldn’t bring myself to tell them what I did to her in revenge.As I stood by her grave, guilt and regret gnawed at me. Megan tried to comfort me over calls, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond. The pain of losing Janette, the woman who was my first love, was consuming me.Days turned into nights, and the grief only grew, becoming my constant companion.Janette’s death reopened old wounds, wounds from what I had done to Jenny. I found solace in solitude, distancing myself from the world. The echoes of her laughter haunted my dreams, a harsh reminder of what I had permanently lost.One evening, I received a call from Megan. I hesitated before answering, unsure if her attempts to reach out were driven by concern. The con
~ MeganMy phone fell out of my hand when I heard the news. I abandoned my bags and ran outside where the car was parked.I entered the back seat, screaming, “Take me to Valley Hills Hospital, now!”The driver was quick to respond. He fired up the engine, driving out of the estate with speed, understanding the urgency of the matter at hand.I was just informed that Charles was involved in a car accident. It was the last thing I expected to hear. Only a couple of minutes ago, we had the biggest fights of our relationship, but now, he was struggling for life.The drive to the hospital felt somewhat long and suffocating; I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling. I tried to think positively, but it was almost impossible; the only thing I could do right now was to hope and pray.As the car pulled over in front of the hospital, I hopped out and dashed inside, disoriented, and asked the nurses at the reception for directions.Charles was in surgery; that was what I learned. I ran to the waiti
~ MeganI allowed Bianca to cry her eyes out without interrupting her until she was calm. I assisted her to a seat, and then I sat with her, wordlessly comforting her.At long last, she stopped and looked at me through her swollen eyes. “Thank you, Megan,” she said, her voice heavy with emotions.I nodded with a smile then intertwined my fingers with hers. “Charles is going to be alright, Bianca, so don’t think too much about it,” I assured her.Bianca’s eyes became moist again, but she tried her hardest to fight the tears. “He will be fine,” she affirmed.I caught my father-in-law stealing glances at us, and I knew he wanted to console his wife, but he was still mad at her for what she did to Charles.Even though what happened to Charles was a tragedy, I was able to learn that he was suffering from depression because he blamed himself for Janette’s death.That explained all the walls he was putting up. He didn’t want me to suffer the same fate as Janette. Unbeknownst to him, his reje
~ MeganBut that was all it was—a mere twitch. Yet, I felt an overwhelming happiness, even if medically, it might be dismissed as a reflex action. For me, it transcended that. It was as if Charles could hear me, a whole new feeling.The big guy, however, didn’t wake up for days, and with each passing one, the fear of him becoming like his father during his coma intensified.I shuddered at the thought of Charles being in a coma for months, fueling my desperation. Every day, I visited him, staying by his side, recounting tales of our relationship that would forever remain epic in my head.For two long weeks, I only witnessed finger twitches. Then, on the first day of the new week—Monday—everything changed.“Remember the first time we moved in together? The night you wanted to go out partying, but instead of letting you go, I reported you to your father?” I chuckled, reminiscing. The memory always made me laugh, but I wasn’t the only one who seemed to enjoy it.“You…” Charles’s patchy, l
~ CharlesDarkness enveloped me when I heard Megan’s voice. It was as if I was waking up from a dream that I couldn’t quite remember. And the most beautiful person was by my side when I opened my eyes.Although she looked tired, she was so happy to see me awake. I couldn’t help but chuckle when she left.Of all the stories to tell a sick person, Megan chose the one where we were literally Tom and Jerry. The beginning of our relationship was rocky and comedic. We were both after each other’s necks and never anticipated that a friendship would be formed from such a rivalry-like relationship.A smile spread across my lips as I tried to sit up, but something was wrong; I couldn’t move. My father, mother, and wife were present.“I… I can’t move… I can’t feel a thing,” I whispered with a shaky voice, barely audible in the quiet room.Megan made a feeble attempt to calm me down by telling me about how long I spent in a coma, raising my hopes. But when the doctors looked confused, I couldn’t
~ CharlesI watched her walk out the door, crying. Even though I pretended not to feel it, it broke my heart.I just wanted to be alone, and she was the last person I wanted to see. My mind was too weak right now to face any emotions.A few days later, I demanded the test results since the doctors were keeping them away from me.“Yes? How is my condition? Am I going to get better?” I asked the doctor seriously.“Well, Mr. McCall, I have good and bad news,” the doctor began.“Go on.”“Which do you want to hear first?” The doctor asked.My brows furrowed in annoyance. “Just tell me the goddamn news!”The doctor swallowed, adjusting his collar. “The good news is that there’s a possibility of you recovering motion for your upper body, but…”“But what?” I asked impatiently.“But your lower body might be permanent,” the doctor finally dropped the bomb.I instantly broke down, tears falling like rain. I refused to prepare for the worst because I wanted to remain optimistic, but now I regret
~ Megan“The patient insists that he must be discharged today,” the doctor informed us. It was only Bianca and me in the hospital today. We shared a look, but we couldn’t say anything else.She took my hand and forced out a smile. “I should leave now; he won’t want to see me.”I nodded in understanding. “I will keep you updated on everything.”She left with the driver shortly after, and I was left all alone with the temperamental Charles. The car ride was uncomfortable and silent, unlike any we had in the past. Charles didn’t even try to look out the window like he usually would when he had something on his mind.It was as if he had lost his will to live, and it broke my heart. When we arrived at our house, I escorted him to his room along with his male nurse. I helped the nurse put Charles on the bed, but after I did, the attitude came running right in.I guess I could blame myself since I was the one that instigated him with my supposedly complex request. “Charles?” I called, pickin
~ MeganMy brows furrowed. The asshole had the audacity to assume I had something to do with it.“You are not that important, Charles, so please stop feeling like I only think about you,” I rudely told him.Charles laughed mockingly. “You should stop lying, Megan. I know I mean the world to you, and since I refused to reciprocate your feelings, you resort to doing low tricks to get my attention.”I shook my head, pinching between my brows. “I knew I shouldn’t have come in here.” I turned my back on him, walking out of his room as he continued accusing me of something I was innocent of.Eventually, an investigation was carried out, but the culprit turned out to be one of the maids in the house, not even the nurses. But that was only discovered after Charles had fired all his caregivers.He didn't even have the courtesy to apologize to them after everything was completed. It was as if becoming disabled was a ticket for Charles to become the world’s biggest asshole. He kept getting worse
~ Charles“Megan,” I began, my voice quivering with the burdensome weight of what I needed to say. Her eyes turned to me, full of curiosity and concern, as I confessed the truth that had eaten away at my peace and sanity for years.Megan lost her mind for a moment, kicking, punching, and calling me names. She refused to believe that I was capable of such an evil act. She said she saw the silhouette of the hit-and-run driver, and it wasn't mine. She accused me of taking the fall for someone, and I tried to explain that I was not, but she wouldn't believe me.“Megan, it is the truth, and I can't keep running from it,” I said, my voice steadier with resolve. “I need to own up to what I’ve done.”Megan remained in denial, but I felt ecstatic, more than I have felt in years. It was ironic, huh? I was feeling relieved just knowing that I was going to pay for my crimes. Megan refused to follow me, so after I said my last goodbye to my son, I drove myself to the police station, knowing that
~ MeganI ran out of the office panting. When I saw my sister, I told her everything and I took the flash drive that had the video with me.My sister had a brilliant idea. She smirked as she spoke. “Tomorrow is Charles’ wedding with that snake. Why don't we crash the wedding and expose the truth?”My eyes lit up. “You are so bloody smart and wicked, Lena,” I smirked.With determination burning in our hearts, Celena and I hatched a plan to crash Charles’s wedding, and Lucian was ready to help us in any way possible. We would expose May tomorrow for her deceit. Armed with the evidence that still had its primary source alive, I knew it would be a piece of cake to expose May.The next day, we arrived at the venue of the wedding, our hearts pounding with anticipation and nerves. We were determined to make our move before it was too late.As we stealthily made our way inside, I felt like I was in one of those dramatic telenovelas, and I was the female lead ready to rain hell on the villains
~ MeganThat was the last conversation I had with Charles before our divorce was made public. Without giving an explanation to the public, he began his wedding preparations, forcing people to speculate about the reason for our separation. Unsurprisingly, there were people who guessed it right and immediately began to cyber-attack Charles and May.I avoided the media and crowded locations because I wasn't ready to face them yet.Every day felt like an endless battle as I tried to survive the storm of emotions that raged within me. The pain of my separation from Charles made me feel vulnerable and broken because neither of us wanted it. But then I knew I had to stay strong, for myself and for the life that lay ahead of me with Charles.As the days crawled by, I found solace in quiet moments, mostly spent alone, where I could reflect on the memories we had shared and the love that had once bound us together. But even in the midst of my grief, a flicker of hope remained, a tiny flame tha
~ Megan"But my father... he has always been too focused on the business, even when he is supposed to be retired. He is hell-bent on protecting the family name at all costs. He can't see past that, even if it means our happiness."Tears welled up in my eyes as I shook my head in disbelief. It was as if things were about to head south, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. "I can't believe he is doing this to me... I thought we had his support.""So did I," Charles admitted, feeling a lump form in my throat. "But it seems like... like he is willing to throw everything away for the sake of that company."I wrapped my arms around Charles, seeking solace in his embrace. “We’ll get through this, Charles. We always do, no matter how tough the going gets. As long as we have each other, we are going to be fine.”I knew that no matter the challenges that lie ahead, we would overcome them, as long as we had each other, we would be fine.“I love you, Megan,” Charles whispered, pressing a
~ CharlesIt was a big shock to meet Megan at my father’s house. I could only hide my surprise by pretending to be unsurprised to see her. As she stepped aside for us to chat, her presence seemed to fill the space, and I couldn't help but feel a rush of conflicting emotions.“Charles?” she narrowed her eyes. “You didn't tell me that you would be coming here,” her voice a mixture of apprehension and determination.“Honey!” I replied, mustering a smile despite the turmoil brewing within me. “Why are you here? I mean, you didn't tell me that you would be seeing Father today…”She hesitated for a moment before speaking, her gaze steady. “I needed to talk to your father, Charles. It's about May and her crazy claims.”My heart sank at the mention of May’s name. The mere thought of her sent heavy waves of frustration through me. But I pushed aside the emotions, focusing on Megan, or better still, trying not to break character so she wouldn't know I came here for a reason.I laughed awkwardly
~ MeganI spoke earnestly, my voice tinged with frustration and desperation, hoping to convey my innocence to my father-in-law amidst the gravity of the situation."She deliberately manipulated the situation to make it appear as though I pushed her down the stairs. But I swear, Father, I would never do such a sinister thing, no matter how upset I may be. You know me, you know that I love Charles a lot and care about this family. I couldn't harm anyone, let alone a pregnant woman for that matter."My father-in-law regarded me with a mixture of concern and contemplation, absorbing my words carefully. "Megan, I've known you for years. I know the kind of person you are, and I find it hard to believe that you would intentionally harm anyone, let alone May."I felt a wave of relief wash over me at his words. Perhaps he was beginning to see through May's deceitful facade."But," he continued, his expression serious, "we can't ignore the evidence before us. May's injuries, her condition... Th
~ MeganHearing that May tried to seduce Charles infuriated me, and I couldn't help but confront the insolent girl. I had been excusing her attitude all this time because I could understand that she was going through depression, but trying to seduce Charles was going too far.I found May sitting in the living room, flipping through a magazine as if nothing had happened. My anger reached boiling point as I approached her.“What the hell do you think you were doing last night?” I snapped, unable to contain my frustration.May looked up, her expression shifting from indifference to mild surprise. “Oh Megan, what a surprise. Did you come to keep me company? Don't bother, I am fine all by myself.”I scoffed at her stupid attempt at feigning ignorance. “Cut the crap, May. I know what you tried to do to Charles yesterday. Seducing him? Seriously? Are you that dumb?”May's facade faltered, and a flicker of guilt flashed across her face before it was replaced by defiance. "What are you talking
~ CharlesI don't know if it would be wrong to say I hate the mother of my unborn child, but I really do. She is a literal pain in the ass who cares little about how her actions affect others. I glanced at Megan, who came along with me to the hospital. She was oddly quiet, but I could see genuine concern etched in her brows for a woman who attempted to ruin her marital life.I don't believe people like Megan should exist in this flawed world with people like May and me; she was literally a saint amidst wolves. She didn't even get upset that our day was ruined by the news; she was rather scared that something might have happened to May.The doctor came out shortly after and spoke to us, telling us the situation of that crazy lady. “She is battling with severe depression; she can't be left alone, otherwise, it might not end well next time,” the doctor said.I immediately flared up. “So we have to hire a caregiver for her now? We might as well just put her in an asylum.”Megan shot up to
~ Charles"Please, I need to talk to Megan urgently," I pleaded with Celene, but she wasn't ready to listen."Leave, Charles. I don't want to call the cops on you," she threatened, arms crossed.I had been coming over all week long with the hopes of seeing Megan, but her family was uncooperative. At first, I thought she wasn't home, but after checking all her usual locations, I could only debunk that she was home.I knew she didn't want to see me, but I didn't want to give up just yet. I needed her to know that I was sorry for all the hurt my past actions were causing her.Today, like the previous days before it, I came to plead with her family members to allow me to visit her, but I froze when she opened the door."Megan…" I tried to grab her, but she turned on her heels inside the house. Without a second thought, I followed her. "Megan, please wait.""Leave me alone," she cried, running up the stairs."Mr. McCall, you should leave. My daughter doesn't want to speak with you," Mr. Co