Ethan was waiting for him in the living room; he wasn’t going to hide from the scolding. Yes, he had done something wrong—very wrong—by hitting a younger kid. But that little brat was a pervert. He was sure his dad would understand, even if he punished him too.Naomi, on the other hand, wasn’t so confident. She could already hear him banning her from going out, from seeing friends: school to home, home to school.But Daniel came in and went straight to greet Susan with a kiss on the cheek, and gave Deanna a quick kiss on the lips."Are you okay?" Deanna asked. He looked... off."Yeah, yeah... just a lot of work."He walked directly to where Ethan was, and when Ethan saw him, he stood up. Naomi stayed quiet in a corner, wishing she could disappear into thin air. Daniel stopped in front of his son and said:"Don’t do it again."He turned to Naomi."You either.""Yes, Dad," they both replied at the same time.And that was it? That was it?He took off his jacket and went into his office,
Deanna wasn't at all happy with what Harry was proposing. He had to be crazy to come up with such an idea."What you're saying makes zero sense. Did you hit your head before coming here?""I know, but we need your help. I don't know who else to ask."Harry's girlfriend, Laura, wasn't saying anything, but she was getting more nervous by the minute.Their situation wasn't good - they were still in school, they were young, madly in love, but they'd been careless. Laura had confirmed her pregnancy just three days ago."I get where you're coming from, Harry, but no one's going to buy it. Your family doesn't even know me.""But I talked to my brother and he agreed. Please Deanna, help us."Laura finally spoke up, her eyes full of tears."We wouldn't ask this if it wasn't so important to us. Our families are really strict about this stuff. They won't let Harry marry me if his older brother is still single. And my family won't let me keep the baby unless I'm married."Seeing Laura so distress
Daniel Crusher had been a widower for 5 years. His wife had died from a heart condition shortly after giving birth to their youngest son. She left him alone with 3 kids and a deep sadness in a house that suddenly felt too big.He had no intentions of remarrying, even though he was one of the most eligible bachelors and was known to have had a few brief relationships. He could raise his children alone, or at least that's what he thought.And then his younger brother comes along, backs him into a corner with a completely unthinkable proposal. When he found out why, he exploded in fury."How can you be so irresponsible?!"But Daniel couldn't leave his brother and Laura to their fate. Much less abandon the little one on the way. Behind the ice shield he'd built around himself, there was still a warm-hearted man."Who is she?" he had asked.And again, he hit the roof when Harry told him about Deanna."But if she goes to university with you, that means... she's your age?""Yes, she's 25 lik
Daniel was the first to arrive at the apartment. He'd been there a few times over the years, but this time Laura's presence was noticeable in little things throughout the house. It was clear they'd been sharing the place for a while. For some reason, he felt nervous; this situation was very similar to when his mother set him up with her friends' daughters, except this time he came willingly. Maybe because this was the first time he was the one waiting for approval. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang - it was Deanna. The moment he saw her cross the threshold, he knew this would be harder than he'd thought. She entered with a huge smile and within seconds filled the place with her energy, as if radiating some kind of warm light. She wore her hair down, the abundant caramel-colored mane covering her shoulders. Daniel's first reaction was to stand up immediately, as if pushed by an invisible force. Upon seeing him, Deanna didn't hesitate to approach and stand before the tall, dark-h
The next day, Daniel met with his parents. He needed to stay as calm as possible and tell them the news naturally; without wavering while following the story to the letter, or no one would believe the charade."Well, we're here son. What did you want to talk to us about?" his mother asked."I'm getting married.""What do you mean you're getting married? What are you talking about, Daniel?" His father was a bit surprised, it was something he never expected to hear from him again."I'm getting married in a few weeks, Dad, and I want the whole family to meet her.""Wait a moment son, wait... Who exactly are you marrying?""Deanna.""Who? Who is Deanna?"He knew his mother would flood him with questions. She wanted her grandchildren to have a woman's presence while growing up besides herself or Susan, but this was too sudden. Neither of them was prepared to hear what Daniel had to say."Deanna is Harry's university classmate. We've been dating for several months now and I've decided to ma
Laura knocked on her apartment door; Deanna wasn't expecting her. Classes had been canceled that day, and she'd taken advantage of it to organize and do some cleaning; otherwise, she wouldn't be back until late afternoon. She was supposed to finish her degree with Harry this year; now she'd have to wait a bit longer."Sorry to bother you today.""Not at all, Laura, come in... It's a bit messy because I was cleaning up.""Thanks. I'm here on a mission.""A mission?""Yes, my brother-in-law gave me his credit card and today we're going shopping together.""I guess the family meeting is already planned.""Yes.""Well, I'll do my best.""Really, Deanna, I don't know how to thank you for what you're doing. I know you didn't get a good impression of Daniel the other night, and you'll have to postpone your studies for us. But you don't know what this means to me." She placed both hands on her belly."I'm more than happy to help, don't be silly. That little seed growing inside you will have t
But before the family meeting, Daniel needed to make sure his future wife passed "quality control." He was very aware that Deanna wasn't used to moving in his social circles, and although he cared little about that, he knew his family would notice the smallest detail.So he talked to Harry and asked him to let Deanna know they'd be having dinner alone."Why don't you call her yourself?""Because I don't have her number.""You should have asked for it when you took her home, brother.""I didn't think it necessary. Call her for me and tell her I'll pick her up at 8."It wasn't the first time he'd gone to dinner with a woman, nor the first time he'd picked one up at her home. However, like the day he met her, Daniel again had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. But this time, since they were going to a nice restaurant, he went back to his usual three-piece suit. The vest was always a must in his suits, which set him apart from other businessmen with his elegance.Deanna had t
The atmosphere became a bit tense and Daniel simply looked to the side. He wanted her to leave already. During their date, he had strongly disliked her attitude and was annoyed by her conversation topics - she kept asking about his children. It was a vulgar way of showing her interest in Daniel, using his children to get to him."I was telling Mary it was you and she wouldn't believe it. What would Daniel Crusher be doing with a young girl in a place like this?" And she turned to look at Deanna."Hello," Deanna said, but she didn't respond. She was waiting for Daniel to explain."Is this your style now?" That was very rude of her."Excuse me, but I can hear you too." Lynda looked at her."And who are you?""I'm Deanna, nice to meet you.""Hi, and you are...?""Daniel's fiancée." Lynda laughed.The situation was escalating. She was trying to belittle her with absolute brazenness and being rude, she didn't even know her. What kind of person was this woman?"That's right," Daniel said."
Ethan was waiting for him in the living room; he wasn’t going to hide from the scolding. Yes, he had done something wrong—very wrong—by hitting a younger kid. But that little brat was a pervert. He was sure his dad would understand, even if he punished him too.Naomi, on the other hand, wasn’t so confident. She could already hear him banning her from going out, from seeing friends: school to home, home to school.But Daniel came in and went straight to greet Susan with a kiss on the cheek, and gave Deanna a quick kiss on the lips."Are you okay?" Deanna asked. He looked... off."Yeah, yeah... just a lot of work."He walked directly to where Ethan was, and when Ethan saw him, he stood up. Naomi stayed quiet in a corner, wishing she could disappear into thin air. Daniel stopped in front of his son and said:"Don’t do it again."He turned to Naomi."You either.""Yes, Dad," they both replied at the same time.And that was it? That was it?He took off his jacket and went into his office,
Daniel and Harry really made a scene that morning. When Harry walked into his brother’s office on the upper floor, he looked terrible. His expression was distressed, his face downcast. As soon as he got the call from Daniel’s secretary, he knew what it was about: Deanna.He was probably furious with him—furious over the way he’d been acting, how he was letting things spiral. Harry knew full well he was putting more weight on her shoulders by leaving Emma at her house, and he felt guilty about it. But he also knew the girl couldn’t be in better hands. Who better than the woman who should’ve been her mother?“Sit down,” Daniel said, standing behind his desk, fiddling with his shirt cuffs like he always did when he was about to get stern and unyielding.“I know why you want to talk to me.”“Oh, do you?”“It’s about Deanna… Look, Daniel, I’m really sorry. I don’t want to be bothering her all the time,” Harry apologized, lowering his gaze.“She had to take Emma to rehearsals. She wants to
The next morning was another list of family arguments. Daniel and Harry locked themselves in the office and shouted so loudly you could hear them from the hallway. Deanna and Leonard fought in her dressing room and ended with her father storming out, cursing. Charles and Camila clashed too—each one defending a different daughter-in-law. Ethan finally caught his sister with the blond dwarf, hiding behind one of the gym walls, and chaos broke loose. It seemed the fragile peace the Crushers had managed to build was falling apart.“Let’s drop everything and go back to Rome!” Leonard said in the middle of the argument.“Are you out of your mind? You’re not just saying who knows what nonsense to Camila—you want I run away on top of that?” Deanna snapped.“I told that witch exactly what she needed to hear!”“You’re going to drive me crazy! Why are you adding more problems to the ones we already have?”“I don’t want you to get hurt again.”“Sometimes I don’t know if I want to kill you... Does
Leonard wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing.That Monday, he went looking for Camila at the Club—the same one Alice used to frequent, the one he hadn’t stepped into in twenty years. Even though they were family, their relationship remained tense and distant; Camila still thought the worst of him, and Leonard couldn’t stand her. But they had learned to be “cordial” with each other—though not without the occasional glare of disgust.For Leonard, this was personal—because of how she’d treated Deanna—and for Camila, it was pure loathing. That’s why every head turned when Reed confidently slid into the seat across from her. Everyone knew they couldn’t stand each other. The moment she saw him, Camila’s face said it all: disgust.“Camila, darling, what a coincidence! How have you been?”“What are you doing, Leonard?”“I saw you and wanted to say hello. Don’t tell me that bothers you.”“Of course it bothers me,” she replied under her breath so no one else could hear.She was visibly unc
When Harry finally showed up for his daughter, it was Daniel who handed her over. Deanna was too angry to see him; she felt like if she did, she’d explode. She watched him get into the car and buckle Emma into her seat through a window. A few years ago, they would’ve argued endlessly over far less than this. Now she just watched him leave.Was he really that alone? Her old college friends still messaged her, inviting her to sing or to attend one of their performances, and they always asked about him. He had walked away from everything—even old friendships.The anger faded when the heaviness set in. She had everything it took to free him from that situation. She had the words to pull him out of misery—but the consequences Laura threatened were too much. She was sure he wouldn’t choose freedom over his daughter. Otherwise, he would’ve done it long ago. But she couldn’t find peace. She had to find a way to help him. There had to be something she could do without the result being losing E
Another morning Harry didn’t wake up at home. Another morning Emma woke up at Daniel’s place. It was becoming a habit; it seemed like the little girl lived with them, not her parents. And Laura never even picked up the phone to ask about her—she always waited for Harry to go get her.Deanna was starting to get fed up with that kind of behavior. Were things really so bad that they forgot they had a daughter? The truth was, the situation was quickly getting out of hand, and no one said a word. Not even Camila.To make matters worse, that weekend the kids were going to spend time with their maternal grandparents, which meant the girl would be left without her playmates. Deanna tried to reach Harry several times that morning, but he never answered.“I can’t believe he doesn’t even care to check on his daughter!” she said, raising her voice when another call attempt went unanswered.She was outraged—sick of them neglecting Emma like that. Daniel just looked at her, saying nothing, holding
“Come on, Deanna, we’re here to create, to reinvent ourselves… to make art… Sacha’s dying for you to sing with him again,” Leonard pleaded.“Believe me, I want to go back, but things have gotten a bit complicated with Emma visiting all the time.”“You can’t spend your life babysitting that viper. I know you love the girl, but you have to think about yourself too. It’s been over a year since you last stepped on a stage. At least think about it—Feni won’t ask you to go on tour. We can do a season right here in the city. You know Marcus is probably drooling at the idea of you performing again at the Ambassador.”“I really want to go back…” Deanna confessed with nostalgia.She was dying to sing again, to continue her training with Sacha, to stand on a stage once more. But she also wanted to be at home, pick up the kids from school, and take care of Emma.“You know I’ll help you, even if it means I have to play babysitter,” Reed said, still trying to convince her.“I’d love to see that! Al
Apparently, the issue Daniel was dealing with at work was serious, because it was becoming a habit for him to get home after dinner. But he never mentioned anything to Deanna about it. Usually, if the day had been rough, she would bring him a coffee or a dessert to his home office while he kept working late into the night. And while he muttered and cursed under his breath, she’d read in one of the armchairs, half-smiling.She always had to convince him to stop for the night and go to bed—otherwise, he’d end up dozing off in the chair. But as the days passed, he stopped bringing work home and instead stayed longer at the office. Sometimes he’d come back after they’d already finished dinner, and other times well into the night. He’d ask her to pick the kids up from school, and that’s when Deanna knew it was going to be a long day for him.That morning, she woke up alone in bed and panicked. She checked the clock—almost 4 a.m. Where was he? She went downstairs, nervous. He never came hom
Fortunately, when they were alone in their room, they could forget about the problems and fears for a while. There, away from the kids and in the privacy of their space, Daniel let himself be cuddled and held. Gone were the old insecurities that had driven them apart so many times.Deanna had thrown herself into family life, trying in her own way to build a stronger foundation this time. Daniel, on his end, had learned to tame his demons.The passion was different, but no less intense. At one point, they tried figuring out the exact days when they had the best chance of conceiving that child they both longed for; but Deanna grew tired of it quickly—it killed the excitement of sneaking off to the office to kiss and touch each other like two teenagers; of slipping away to their music room, where he’d undress her against the wall, or those quick encounters on the kitchen table when the kids weren’t home.Daniel never got tired, never got bored, never stopped being surprised; she still dr