Hayley returned to her living room that night, her distress and tiredness palpable. She had just checked in on Daisy who was already tucked into bed by her babysitter, Freya. It was past 9 pm when Hayley glanced at the wall clock to check the time.Her face contorted with anguish and bitterness as she took a seat on the couch. Her heart was thudding rapidly, and her head still throbbed with ache from all the chaos that had happened that evening. She regretted ever attending the stupid double date, especially since she had no idea Clara was going to show up there later, unaware. Adrian had told her that Clara had declined his invitation, thus leading Hayley to believe everything would be fine between herself, Adrian, and Leonardo. She thought she could handle them, coupled with Leonardo's cooperation. However, her plans were ruined by Clara's arrival. Hayley was taken aback when she saw Clara there later. She had considered leaving immediately, but she couldn't bring herself to do it
July 8th, 2024. Hey, my cherished readers. Hope you all are doing great!And I also hope y'all are enjoying this story. Thanks for choosing my book. We clocked 1K followers two days ago. Thank you for 1.1k followers today! I appreciate all of you, TBH. Thanks a lot for the support. It really means a lot to me, you guys. I love you all from the bottom of my heart. Please do well to keep reading, and don't forget to vote with gems and leave a honest review in the comment section. This would help me grow my audience as a writer. Thanks for understanding. Once again, I love you all. I see all your comments, and I know who your favs are (lol). Just keep reading and trust me to satisfy your wishes. Thank you. Muah, kisses. Xoxo, Your humble Author, Author Mira.
The middle-aged woman, who appeared to be in her early sixties, emerged on the screen, dressed in an elegant fluffy, white coat that perfectly accentuated her stylish hat as Liz enthusiastically introduced her.A hint of smile etched on her slightly wrinkled face as she waved to the camera cheerfully, before turning towards Liz, expressing her heart-felt gratitude. "Thank you, Miss. May, It's a pleasure to be here." Wendy smiled as she took a seat on the plush chair across from Liz's, ready for the upcoming interview section. With the kind of warm smile currently plastered on Wendy's face, one would find it pretty hard to discern her true nature. But not Hayley. She could see past the facade. Liz May, a young brunette, and the host of the show playfully waved her hand off Wendy's formal address as she chuckled. "Oh please, Mrs. Forbes, just call me Liz."Wendy chuckled in response, nodding her head in affirmation before she added. "Oh, my mistake. Thank you, Liz. Is that better?"L
Hayley didn't know when she broke down again in tears. Her heart clenched painfully and she tightly held onto her chest, her face twisting with bitterness as fat, ugly tears trickled down her cheeks. She couldn't believe it. Six whole years had passed, yet this woman still harbored resentment towards her and now wanted to have her head. What had Hayley done to deserve this? Why couldn't Wendy just leave her be? What was the deal with her? Hayley vividly remembered the day Wendy had told her that she was just a victim in her game of revenge. What had she even meant by that? Hayley couldn't decipher the depth of Wendy's hatred towards her. But one thing she knew for sure was that Wendy was never going to stop. She wasn't going to give up until she destroyed Hayley completely. She might have somehow found out that Hayley was still alive. But how? How did she know? Who would've... Wait... Emily? No. It couldn't be. Hayley shook her head as she reasoned. It couldn't possibly be. Emily wo
Their eyes locked in an intense stare as Leonardo studied her features, his eyes shifting to notice her physical condition. Hayley's messy bun complemented her tear-stained face, making it not very difficult for Leonardo to see she had been crying all night.Hayley also looked very tired and sad, and this worried Leonardo. The last time he had seen her in such a state was the day he had filed for divorce, six years ago. It caused his heart immense pain, seeing how downcast Hayley looked.Leonardo's heart sank, his insides bubbling with hurt as he locked eyes with her again. His voice was laden with concern and hurt as he asked softly. "Baby, are you alright?"Leonardo watched Hayley hesitate, her eyes blankly staring at him for a moment, before she eventually bit her lip and shook her head, with tears welling in her eyes. With a shaky voice, Hayley replied tearfully. "Nooo." She cried out, her voice breaking and her face contorting with anguish as she broke down again, no longer con
Two days later- Monday.Hayley handed her daughter to Mrs. Haworth after bidding her goodbye before returning to her car. She hopped in and sat behind the driver's seat, trying to gather her thoughts for a moment. As she stared into a distance, outside the windscreen, her mind wandered away. Today was Monday, marking two days since Wendy's announcement on the news. Hayley was certain every one of her colleagues and friends, including Adrian must have watched or heard the news by now. Despite Leonardo's reassurance to her that he would take care of the problem, Hayley couldn't shake the fear and nervousness that lurked within her. She was scared, anxious and worried. She knew sooner or later, everyone in her office would be talking about the matter. It was an inevitable conversation. How would she even cope in her office later?Hayley drew in a deep breath, her mind racing with thoughts. It was only a matter of time before her doom.Thirty thousand bucks was a whole lot of money. An
Leonardo pressed the device against his ear as he listened intently to his friend, Massimo, who was on the other end of the line. His face remained expressionless, though flickering some hints of annoyance as he listened further. He didn't seem to be enthusiastic about whatever Massimo was saying to him that morning. Yes, Leonardo had reached out to him as soon he got to the office, to figure out a solution to Hayley's predicament. If anything, Leonardo trusted Massimo implicitly as the only one capable of rectifying the unpleasant situation. But now, it seemed the man was hearing a different thing from his supposed reliable friend.After a momentary silence, Leonardo's once-calm expression shifted into frustration as he retorted indifferently. "What do you mean it's not possible, Massimo? For fuck sake, I already promised Hayley I would take care of this! What are you trying to say?"Massimo's deep voice reverberated through the phone as he attempted to explain, dismissing Leonardo'
Hayley sat behind her desk in her office, her fingers gliding across the mouse as she worked with diligence on the computer in front of her. It had been two days since her ass got exposed... or not. Drawing in a lungful of air, She exhaled heavily as she felt a wave of relief and peace washed over her for the umpteenth time that afternoon, her heart swelling with gratitude. At that moment, all she could think was thank goodness. Thank goodness for Leonardo. As much as she hated for it to be so, he was her savior. He had really kept his promise to her to protect her and keep her safe again. Safe away from the uncalled-for attention that accompanied Wendy's vindictive announcement and acts for her head. How Leonardo had managed to do it, Hayley still didn't fully understand. But she was glad it was all over now. She was glad nothing had changed between her and Adrian, who was still oblivious to the truth. Despite feeling a pang of guilt in her heart for still deceiving him, she was g