"I don't think filing a restraining order against the father of your child is the ideal solution to your current situation. Especially now that your child has grown attached to him and feels safe around him." Taylor Devereaux, Hayley's trusted friend and therapist advised. "Besides, he means no harm, right? I'm not saying your request is wrong, but I suggest you reconsider and think about your daughter's happiness before making a final decision, Nina. Don't deny the innocent child the chance to know and be with her father." They were both seated in Hayley's office that Friday afternoon, discussing the issue at hand.Hayley looked at her fazed, reclining back in the swivel seat in despair after hearing Taylor's response to her request for a restraining order against Leonardo. Hayley heaved out a long, weary sigh, her mind racing with thoughts as she stared in a faraway look.Taylor watched her, urging her. "Don't act irrational. Think a moment to think this through."Hayley remained
Hayley's heart skipped a beat as she didn't see that question coming. Her words caught in her throat, and her heart palpitated, her gaze faltering."Be honest with me, Nina. That is the only way I can help you. Do you still love -"Hayley interrupted sharply with a hard gaze. "No... I don't," she denied undeterred.Their eyes locked, and Taylor could see past her hard exterior that she was lying."You're angry, Nina. You wish to move on. But before you can do that, you need to release that anger out of you... You need to let it out. You need answers to your questions. You want to know why he did what he did to you many years ago. You want to know if it was worth it. Am I correct?"Yes, she was. Taylor was very correct, but Hayley was reluctant to acknowledge her feelings. She was still consumed by the need to get her revenge.Hayley remained quiet, her gaze only hardening further."Why did you leave Clasold City six years ago? Was it because of him?" Taylor pressed, her tone sedate as
It was yet another blissful Saturday, and the early hours of that morning saw Hayley in the kitchen, busy baking cookies and preparing snacks for their special Girl-day-in that was just two hours away. Hayley had decided to set her predicaments aside for once and focus on spending quality time alone with Daisy. It had been ages since they hung out together, without any distractions.After Hayley's request to file a restraining order against Leonardo had been declined and rejected by Taylor twice, Hayley thought she might as well just forget and move on. She wanted to have a fun-filled Saturday indoors with her daughter. At least that was all she could do at that moment.Daisy was still asleep in her room when Hayley thought about surprising her by the time she woke up with the plans of a movie day - with her favorite movie and her favorite pastries and snacks.After neatly placing the raw pastries on the baking tray, Hayley delicately glazed the croissants with the egg mixture. Once s
Hayley's heart pounded in her chest, and her smile instantly faltered as she heard Daisy's unexpected words. The comment felt heartwarming, but it also made her heart race wildly at the same time.She was taken aback, her lips slightly parting due to shock. Up until now, Daisy had never shown much interest in her dad before. The presence of Adrian in their lives had always kept her curiosity about her father at bay. Of course, Daisy knew Adrian wasn't her dad, but she treated him like one. Now, what had changed? Why was Daisy suddenly bringing the 'd' word up?Was she already failing in her duties and attempts to make Daisy not feel the absence of her father much? Did Daisy already start feeling the void and longing for the presence of her dad? These questions spiraled in Hayley's mind, unable to find answers to any.Hayley was still in shock for a moment, but that feeling was soon replaced by an overwhelming mix of guilt and remorse as Daisy pulled away from the hug, staring into her
26th June, 2024. Hello, my lovely readers. It's your humble author and I'm back here to express my appreciation through words for having come far with this journey with Hayley and Leonardo's story. Thank you all so much! Cheers to 1k reads🥳 and 70 followers. Thank you all so much! A special thank you from me to my kind voter, Pink. Thanks for supporting my book. Thank you very much and God bless you. Thank you to my other voters🥳. Thanks to you that is reading this note. A special thank you as well, my lovely readers. I really appreciate y'all, choosing my book. Please, please, please do well to vote on my book. Please. It would put a smile on my face if you could vote and drop your honest comments/reviews about this story.And with that, I'm dropping the pen.Once again, Thank you all very much.XOXO,Your humble Author, Author Mira.
Just like Hayley had planned that beautiful Saturday morning, Clara had also decided to have a special mother-daughter bonding time with Luna as well. Clara realized it had been a while since she hung out with her precious daughter without the involvement of others, like Hayley and her daughter. And theirs just happened to also be a movie day, complete with ice cream and cookies. But the only difference was that, just an hour into their perfect movie date, it was disrupted when they heard a knock on their front door.Clara furrowed her brow, straining her ears to identify the sound. At first, she hesitated to answer, not wanting to abandon her daughter for whoever it was outside. She wasn't expecting anyone that day, so she could ignore it if she wanted to.Clara had no friends that visited her aside from Hayley. After what happened with her old best friend, Katherine, she decided to distance herself from having female friends. She thought having Hayley as her only friend was enough,
Clara shot at him, her anger rising. "What? No. No. I'm here as your friend. Hayley doesn't even know I'm here. She's currently not speaking to me. I think I might have done something that greatly annoyed her. I think I might have ruined it all..." Clara scoffed incredulously. "Oh really? Well, you should have thought of that before getting your 6-year-old a freaking car as her birthday gift. Didn't you know that was the last piece to my puzzle that enabled me to uncover the truth?""Oh... regardless, I'm sorry, Clara. You're and you've been nothing but a good friend, and I don't want to lose that friendship because of what happened. Will you forgive me? What can I do to make it up to you?"Clara scoffed, shaking her head as she recalled Hayley had also asked her the same question. "Like husband, like wife indeed." She bit out.Leonardo furrowed his brows, not understanding what she meant by that.But Clara didn't explain, instead, she shrugged carelessly, adding. "Like I told Nina
Clara was left speechless as she didn't know how to react to what he had just told her. She and Leonardo locked eyes for a brief moment. "I guess I'll see you around, Clara," Leonardo said after a while, breaking the stifling silence that had descended upon them after he revealed his intentions to her. Grinning, he added. "And please, I hope you would heed my pleas. Give her a second chance. We all deserve it." He winked.Clara said nothing, instead her eyes only stared coldly at Leonardo as he retracted and made his way back to his black posh car, parked by the curb, on the other side of the road.With one last glance and wave from him to her, Leonardo hopped into his car and revved the engine onto the road. Soon, he had driven out of sight. Clara stood frozen, gazing in a faraway look as she processed all Leonardo had told her earlier. Path to redemption? Everything began to dawn on her.Leonardo's visit made Clara realize he had never been in love with her in the first place. She
A brief wave of disbelief washed over Leonardo as he stared at Hayley in astonishment. "What?" he blurted out absentmindedly, a hint of excitement seeping into his voice.Hayley felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she observed his reaction, realizing this was the first time she had seen his response to her pregnancy news."Are you serious, baby?" Leonardo asked, his eagerness palpable as his gaze shifted to Hayley's abdomen, contemplating whether she was teasing him or if she truly meant it.A genuine smile spread across Hayley's face as she rolled her eyes at his question. "Yeah, duh...""Mi reina!" Leonardo exclaimed, a surge of pure excitement bubbling within him. He could hardly fathom it. His joy was boundless as he reached for Hayley's hand, holding it gently.Hayley reveled in his excitement, her eyes filled with affection as he began to speak."Hayley Forbes..."She interrupted him, shaking her head playfully. "No, it’s Nina or Hazel now. I can't go by that name anymore, Leona
Hayley hurried with overwhelming joy and excitement toward Leonardo's room, with Daisy beside her. Her elation was palpable as she realized that Leonardo was awake; she could hardly contain her eagerness to see him. At the same time, Leonardo engaged in conversation with his brother, Lorenzo, who had remained by his side since the women had departed an hour earlier following his awakening. Leonardo had undoubtedly been taken aback to see his family upon waking. However, his initial surprise gradually shifted to confusion when he noticed the absence of both his woman and daughter. However, they had reassured him that Hayley had stepped out briefly and would return shortly, while Daisy was in another room with Rosalie and Emily. With this information, his anxious heart began to settle as he accepted their reassuring words. After a further thirty minutes had elapsed without Hayley's return, Leonardo's concern began to intensify. Unable to contain himself, he called out to Lorenzo, who
.Hayley returned to the hospital after delivering the lawsuit documents to the wardress at Wendy's prison. Approximately an hour prior, the prosecutor, Alexa, who was overseeing Hayley's case, had provided her with the papers following their meeting. Hayley then drove to the prison, where Wendy and Lillian were incarcerated, and handed the documents to the wardress, choosing not to visit any of them. That was the least of her concerns; her only interest in seeing them was during the court proceedings, where the judge would render his final decision. With a sigh of frustration, Hayley pulled herself back to the present as she made a right turn onto the highway, heading towards the hospital. She recalled that the love of her life remained unconscious when she left earlier, and a wave of anxiety washed over her as she wondered if he had awakened from the coma. Thoughts of Leonardo tightened around her heart, causing her anguish. Hayley eventually regained composure as she caught sight
Wendy collapsed on the ground, her head buried in her palms as she absorbed the news of Alison's sudden accident. It hit her like a thunderbolt, shattering her heart into pieces. Her daughter had been involved in an accident and according to what the wardress had mentioned, Alison had also fallen in a coma after the incident. Wendy swallowed, her face flooded with tears. Her heart ached painfully as she grappled with the reality. How could this be? How did this happen? She felt a pang of guilt constrict her heart tightly, knowing she was mostly responsible for the unfortunate circumstance that had befallen her daughter. If she hadn't gotten herself in trouble in the first place, none of this would have happened. With that, her cries intensified as she remained on the ground. "I'm very sorry, ma'am," The wardress tried to sympathize, her tone laden with pity. But that did little to console Wendy, whose thoughts were all over the place. Meanwhile, Lillian had also been shocked upon he
"What are you saying? He has a guardian! You can't take that action."Lillian's heart raced with anxiety as she absorbed the unsettling information relayed to her over the phone. Despite her efforts to maintain her composure, her hand trembled slightly as it pressed the receiver to her ear. Beads of sweat began to form on her temples, and her anger flared as the caller finished her statement.Her grip on the phone tightened, and Lillian shot back, her frustration palpable. "What do you mean by that? You can't do that! He has a mother! I am his mother!"She fell silent as the caller replied, a response that clearly unsettled her. Lillian started again. "Listen, you cannot do this to me. Ethan is my son. I’ll be out of here very soon. Just be patient, please." Lillian pleaded, a tear streaming down her cheek that she quickly brushed away.She listened closely to the caller's words until the line beeped, indicating the call had ended.Her heart shattered, and fresh tears flowed down her
Hayley headed out of the hospital as soon as she received the news about Freya's capture. Right after Lillian was apprehended, she had instructed an officer of the law to discreetly conduct a search for Freya, ensuring that she returned to the city in one piece so she could serve her fair punishment for her actions. Hayley was quite surprised by the speed of the development, however, that was the least of her concerns at that moment. A blend of satisfaction and annoyance brimmed within her as she headed out to the awaiting car, parked in the hospital lot. She had nearly forgotten Emily was trailing behind her until Emily's voice sailed into her ears, pulling Hayley from her thoughts. "Where are you going, Hayley? Who was it on the phone?" Emily pressed, her tone filled with concern. Realizing she hadn't shared the news with her, Hayley stopped midway and turned to Emily in an attempt to placate her confusion. "I'll be right back, Em. I need you to stay behind and watch my mother a
Hayley made her way to the restroom section of the hospital and leaned against the door once she stepped inside. Her heart raced, stirred by memories of her confrontation with Clara.Painful tears stung her eyes despite her efforts to remain composed and resolute. She felt she didn't deserve to cry. If anyone ought to shed tears, it should be Clara, not herself. She hadn't done anything wrong.With this resolve, Hayley sniffled back her emotions, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand before heading towards the sink to wash her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror afterward, her chest heaving. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled before further questioning herself if she had been too harsh on Clara or if she truly deserved what she got from her. Her thoughts were disrupted as the door to the bathroom swung open, startling Hayley. Without moving an inch, Hayley caught a glimpse of the person who had just walked in through the mirror and saw it was Emily."Hey, ar
Meanwhile, Clara watched in silence as she absorbed the affectionate scene unfolding before her. Occasionally, her gaze would trail from the newfound couple to Hayley, who watched with enthusiasm and joy. Clara felt her heart pricked painfully, once again remembering that she and Hayley were no longer friends. And it was all her fault. She literally betrayed Hayley. Abandoned her when she needed her the most and turned her back to her in her times of trial and peril. She wondered if Hayley was ever going to forgive her for her actions.Sure, she had only acted out because she didn't like the way Hayley's deception affected Adrian. But recognizing Hayley's other predicament with Wendy and Lillian, she had now come to understand why Hayley had lied to them about her identity in the first place. She was obviously running from something and just didn't want to get entangled with her past again. It was unfortunate that Leonardo had just shown up to thwart those plans of Hayley.Reflecting
A momentary, awkward silence enveloped the trio as Hayley and Adrian's gazes remained fixed on each other, each moment stretching painfully. Hayley was obviously heartbroken, recognizing Adrian still didn't remember her at all. She couldn't believe all the memories they shared had all been erased from his mind. It was a painful realization.However, she inhaled deeply after a moment and forced a smile to appear on her face as she started, "It's good to see you, Adrian. I'm glad you're doing okay," Hayley said, her smile faltering as she averted his gaze.Adrian's response was curt. "Yeah, you too." He paused before adding. "And I apologize for not recalling who you are. My memory's quite messed up at the moment..." He apologized, seeing Hayley's devastation was palpable.Hayley lifted her gaze to him again, her eyes flickering between his face. She stared into his naive emerald orbs and her insides fluttered with warmth. At least he apologized for not recalling her. That was somethin