(Lydia)I had passed the threshold into the store’s bright golden lights, taking in the rows upon rows of children’s paraphernalia. Ahead of me stood a large display of nursery wallpaper in shades of baby blue, pastel pink, sunlight yellow, and lilac. They were adorned with stars and moons and hot air balloons and silver rocking chairs and unicorns.I had wandered slowly through aisles, delighting in the shelves upon shelves of children’s feeding paraphernalia and the appropriate foods for up to 18-month-old babies.I passed through the clothing section, admiring the softness of cotton rompers and looking at multi-colored mittens and socks. My heart swelled up with charm at the idea of dressing up my own child in these someday.I had finally made it to the toys’ section and smiled wide in complete enchantment. Footsteps had approached behind me and a familiar pair of arms wrapped around my waist. “Like it?” Thomas had nuzzled into my neck.“I wouldn’t want to shop for our baby anywher
(Lydia)And, now, here we were in a car again together, driving to the hospital for our baby daughter. Thomas had immediately dashed outside and asked the valet to bring the car around.Tears welled up in my eyes as we sped across the road on the way to the hospital. My shoulders shook as I broke down. Thomas glanced quickly towards me, opened his mouth to say something, but then shifted his eyes back towards the road. He pressed down on the accelerator, blew up the horn, and began swerving the steering wheel left and right as he wreaked havoc and overtook cars.I looked back at the road. The street and car lights were blurry golden through my tear-soaked eyes.“It’s going to be okay,” Thomas whispered to me. I did not have it in me to respond at all.***When we arrived, Mabel was sitting on the bed. She was being looked at by the doctor. “Oh, my baby!” I cried as I ran up to her and swooped up her small, delicate body in my arms. “I’m okay, mommy,” my daughter replied. Her angelic f
(Lydia)“Well, wouldn’t you look at these two adorable angels!” Margaret exclaimed. She sat down on the bed beside them and Ruby quivered slightly, shooting me a wide-eyed look. I was staring on with my jaw on the floor.Margaret looked over at Thomas, her eyes warm and expectant, completely oblivious to how she had unnerved both my sister and I.“Well?” she asked with a smile that shone all the way up to her eyes.I could not let out a single sound. My heart thumped in anticipation.“Mabel and Miles,” Thomas said to her, “Those are their names.”She turned back towards the children and her eyes sparkled with love and pride.“Aren’t you the spitting image of your father?” she said to Miles, gently stroking his little chin.She cupped Mabel’s cheek into a palm and said, “And you, my dear, are the most beautiful princess I’ve ever seen.”For the next few minutes, Margaret continued to shower her affection on to the twins. I was feeling dizzy with anxiety but checked myself because of th
(Lydia)Adam had been telling me on the drive here that bee sting allergies were incredibly rare. He had told me that it wasn’t serious, though, and that I shouldn’t worry about it. I had changed into a T-shirt and slacks, preparing myself for a long night at the hospital.When we had pulled up, my head had still been spinning from all that had happened today: Margaret showing up at the theater to threaten my children only to reappear a few hours later and give them so much maternal affection and then taunt me about some apparent hidden agenda, Thomas asking me out to dinner, my daughter ending up the hospital for the first time, and her father demonstrating genuine concern.I had ignored Thomas as I made my way to the hospital room on purpose. Not that I hadn’t caught him gazing at me but I had deliberately avoided making eye contact.“Here’s the overnight bag!” Adam exclaimed, dumping it down on the sofa and then crashing down beside it.“Adam and I will watch the children,” I told
(Thomas)I thrust the car door open, panting, and fell inside. A splitting ache was coming on into my head. It wasn’t just that I felt utterly devastated and madly furious by the way Lydia was dangling Adam in front of me. It was that –Lydia had wept into my arm as we had sat here at the gynecologist’s office. We had lost the baby last night.“We can perform a surgical procedure,” the doctor had told us, “Or you can take analgesic medication and allow the tissues to pass on their own.”“I don’t want a surgery,” Lydia had sniffled.So the doctor had given her a list of pain relief medicines.“I’m sorry,” she had quietly said as Lydia took the piece of paper from her.***I had shuffled down to the gastroenterologist’s office. Lydia had been holding my arm, a concerned look on her beautiful round face. She had driven me here after I had spent the last few hours violently throwing up. When I walked out of the room, she had risen from her seat and gently smiled at me. “Are you okay, love
(Lydia)It was finally Mabel’s last day in the hospital. I gazed at my daughter adoringly, deeply grateful that she looked healthy again. The past four days had been a whirlwind. I had taken a leave from work and stayed by my daughter’s side round-the-clock.Thankfully, I had heard from neither Thomas nor his mother during this time. I felt at peace knowing that drama had subsided but I couldn’t help but deny that I missed Thomas. Even the briefest exposure to his old self had been enough to unravel me. But I shook away these thoughts and feelings.I was throwing my daughter a little party and Ruby had snuck in some streamers, balloons, ribbons, and flowers.While Mabel was out for her final round of tests, Ruby and I cut and curled the ribbons and taped them to the wall. Miles helped us pump the helium balloons. He put his weight down on the pump and laughed with glee as each balloon expanded. Together, we tied the balloons down to a weight and placed the colorful arrangement by the
(Sarah)I still could not wrap my head around what had happened yesterday. Thomas had called and told me that he was coming to see me. I had thought that he was coming back to me! The thought had made me so deliriously happy that I had immediately run off to the spa to get a facial and blow-dry. I had put on my best outfit – a short, pink dress that I knew he liked. Smoothing my dress out in the mirror, I had felt happy with myself. He was seeing me after many days. It was important to remind what he had been missing. And then I had sat down in the lobby waiting for him.He had walked in through the door and barely glanced at me as he sat down. My heart sank and my mouth ran dry.Thomas had sat on the leather sofa opposite me, staring at the floor for a few minutes. I had only echoed his silence, not knowing what to expect. But, even then, a pit had been forming in my stomach. He had a formidable expression on his face.Trying to dissipate the tension in the air, I had asked him if h
(Lydia)Thomas had selected one of our favorite restaurants again. As we pulled up in the parking lot, a smile broke out on my face. I smoothed out my shimmering mauve dress and caught a glimpse of my face in the rearview mirror. I had dressed up especially tonight. I was excited for this dinner.Rossi Ristorante was an Italian place downtown and we had hundreds of fond memories here, including random stop-ins for pizza and bruschetta while we were at university, some of our friends’ birthday parties (with the restaurant’s famous gelato cake), and the weekend after our graduation when we had stopped by here for dinner after spending hours shopping for our wedding.Thomas had always loved their pizzas and crostata. Based on his heritage, I was surprised that he hadn’t selected this very restaurant to propose to me in.So when he ordered me a pistachio gelato that he knew that I had always loved, I wondered if he remembered any of these things. “Do you remember the dinner we had here af
(Lydia)By the time I reached Ruby’s apartment, I could hardly breathe. My legs burned from climbing the stairs two at a time, but I didn’t care. My mind was racing, filled with every worst-case scenario I could imagine. Ruby’s phone going unanswered and her not showing up at the mansion had sent my thoughts spiraling into dark territory.I pounded on her door, my fist landing hard against the wood.“Ruby? Open up! It’s me!”The hallway was eerily silent, my frantic knocks echoing off the walls. I pressed my ear to the door, hoping to catch even the faintest sound of movement inside.“Ruby, please! Are you okay?”The seconds stretched unbearably. Then, finally, I heard the muffled shuffle of footsteps. Relief surged through me, but it was fleeting.The door opened just a crack, and Ruby appeared, peeking through the gap. Her face was calm, but her eyes held a flicker of something…annoyance? Discomfort?“Lydia,” she said, her voice carefully even, “What are you doing here?”I pushed th
(Lydia)I spent the car ride back home in relative silence, my thoughts consumed by everything that had happened in the past few months. The whirlwind of Nathan’s threats, Jack’s complicated relationship with Ruby, and Mama’s illness. It felt like I was constantly running a marathon with no finish line in sight.Now, as I crossed the threshold into the house, a surge of relief washed over me. At least for a few hours, I could breathe.My speech in the Assembly Hall had been well-received and I was grateful for that. What I had done was a long time coming because I had been worried about Mabel and Miles’ school for quite some time. Ever since they came home one day and told me what the kids were talking about, I had a thought in the back of my mind that this was going to be a problem moving forwards. And it was.Well, I hope all of that was settled now. As I walked into the living room, I saw Mama sitting in a recliner, bundled in a blanket despite the warmth of the room.“Back alread
(Ruby)I left the boutique in the afternoon to go to my apartment. I had some chores to do and I knew the apartment was probably a mess. When I reached there, I immediately started to do laundry. It took time, but I got it done just in time.As I folded the last of the laundry, I couldn’t help but think about what to eat since I’d planned to grab a quick bite before heading to the mansion to look after Mama. One of my workers was closing the boutique for me today, a rare reprieve I desperately needed. I had just gathered my things when a knock at the door startled me. I paused, glancing at the clock. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Peering through the peephole, I saw nothing but the empty corridor. My first thought was that it might be another bouquet. Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the door. What I saw made me gasp so loudly I nearly dropped my bag. “Jack!” He was on his knees, his face pale and sweaty, twisted in pain. Blood stained his shirt and pants, and his han
(Jack)The tension had been building inside me all morning, a storm of frustration and unanswered questions I couldn’t shake. Thomas’s decision to meet with Nathan still gnawed at me. It wasn’t just the secrecy of it, though that alone was bad enough, it was the recklessness. The risk. But as much as that boiled my blood, there was another matter weighing heavily on my mind, and this one had a name: Marco.By midday, I’d had enough. I wasn’t going to get anything productive done sitting in my office, stewing over things I couldn’t control. I grabbed my jacket, told my assistant I’d be out for the rest of the day, and headed for Amanda’s apartment. If anyone could give me answers about Marco, it was her. When I reached her apartment, Amanda opened the door, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as she asked, “Jack? What are you doing here?” “We need to talk,” I said, stepping inside before she could protest. She frowned but didn’t argue, closing the door behind me. Her apartme
(Ruby)The boutique was quiet that morning, the kind of peaceful hum that made it easy to focus. I was in the back office, hunched over my sketchbook, refining designs for a new collection. My desk was strewn with fabric swatches, colored pencils, and notes scribbled on sticky pads. A rich emerald green satin caught my eye, and I reached for it, envisioning how it could drape into a gown. The chime of the boutique’s door opening filtered through the walls, followed by the light footsteps of customers browsing. I barely looked up, trusting my small but capable team to handle the sales floor. “Ruby,” Mia, one of my new hires, called from the doorway. She was a petite girl with a shy smile who had started just a week ago. I glanced up, pushing my hair back from my face, “What’s up?” “There’s a man asking to see you,” she said, shifting nervously, “He’s...um...he looks important.” I frowned, setting my pencil down. Important? My mind immediately went to Adam. Maybe he was here t
(Lydia)I stretched my arms, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. The sun was peeking through the horizon and today was the day where I would be taking a stand in front of all the parents. I shoved thoughts of Clara and her cryptic messages aside. That mystery could wait. My focus now was on standing up for myself and my children against the parents who had dared to insult us in such a vile way.Mabel and Miles were already awake, their chatter filling the house as they got dressed for school. It was good to see them so excited about returning to class. Their enthusiasm fueled my resolve. I joined them in the kitchen, ensuring their breakfast was hearty enough to carry them through their day.Thomas came down just as the kids were finishing up. He looked slightly more rested than he had the previous evening, though his demeanor was still a little distant. As he grabbed his coffee, I walked over to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Good luck at work,” I murmured, my hand brush
(Lydia)The clock on the wall ticked steadily, its sound the only companion to my restless pacing in the living room. I glanced at the door for what felt like the hundredth time, waiting for Thomas to come home. My meeting with the principal had gone better than expected, or at least, I had managed to secure a proper confrontation with the other parents. But the weight of it, the anger I’d felt earlier, was still coiled tightly inside me, waiting to be shared. Finally, the sound of keys jingling at the door broke my train of thought. Thomas stepped in, his tie loosened, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His shoulders sagged, and there was a faint crease between his brows, the kind that appeared only when he was genuinely stressed. "Hey," I greeted softly, walking over to him, “Rough day?”He nodded, offering me a tired smile as he leaned down to kiss my cheek, “Just one of those days. Work’s a mess right now.”I wanted to press him for more, but the lines on his face told
(Thomas)Standing by the massive floor-to-ceiling window in my office, I watched the city skyline, its usual vibrancy dulled by the fog in my mind. The weight of what I was about to do settled heavily on my chest, but I couldn’t back down now. Nathan’s trial loomed on the horizon, and his request to meet one last time echoed in my thoughts. There was no way to shake the feeling that this meeting might hold the key to something vital, even if it came at a personal cost.I picked up my phone and scrolled to Aiden’s number. He answered on the second ring, his voice as sharp and precise as ever.“Thomas,” he said, “I assume this is about Nathan.”“It is,” I replied, my tone flat but resolute, “I’ve decided to meet him.”There was a pause on the line, long enough to make me think he might object outright. Finally, Aiden sighed, “You’re sure about this? You understand what you’re walking into.”“I’m sure,” I said, “But I want to make something absolutely clear. This meeting stays between u
(Lydia)Walking into the principal’s office, my hands felt unusually steady. The incident from a week ago rang in my mind, those mothers standing in front of the school, blocking my way, their condescending smirks and venomous words spilling out like poison in front of my children. I had been humiliated, sure, but more than that, I was enraged. Not because they had said those things to me, but because Mabel and Miles had heard every single word. It wasn’t just me they had attacked, it was my family, my children. And no one, not even a clique of overzealous parents with too much time on their hands, was going to make my children feel unworthy or unsafe.The principal’s office was predictably neat and orderly, the faint smell of coffee lingering in the air. She was a woman in her late fifties with kind but firm eyes and she greeted me with a professional smile when I entered.“Ms. Lydia, please have a seat,” she said, gesturing toward the chair opposite her desk.I sat, straight-backed