I felt my heart racing as I tried to keep my anger in check. Sitting in that office with Rose felt like being cornered in a cage with a wild animal. I didn’t know why I kept wasting my breath on her. She clearly had no sense, no respect. She didn’t care about her actions, only how they affected her. She literally was someone that would go to any length to have what she always wanted.“Principal Thompson, please look into what we discussed,” I said, turning back to her and pretending Rose didn’t exist. I was done with her nonsense. I needed to focus.“Sure, ma’am. I promise we will make sure this doesn’t repeat itself again,” The principal replied, still apologizing with her eyes and words. “Thank you,” I smiled, feeling slightly relieved. I just wanted to get out of that office and away from this whole mess.I stormed out of the room, feeling the tension lift a little, but just as I reached my car, I heard a voice behind me.“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Rose shouted, her
Driving back home, I couldn’t shake off the strange shift in Rose’s tone. The moment I brought up Henry’s behavior and then his legitimacy, her attitude changed, and she suddenly flared up so badly. She’d gone from defensive and literally wanted to bring the roof down, like a cat backed into a corner. It didn’t add up, and the way she reacted raised a question in my head I couldn’t ignore.Is Henry really Ashton’s child? Or not?It made me grip the steering wheel tighter as I was lost in thought. Rose wasn’t above doing whatever it took to get what she wanted. That much was clear. But if she’d gone as far as lying about who Henry’s father was… Why? And how? What was she hiding?I needed answers.Pulling over to the side of the road, I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Zita’s number. She was the perfect person that could help me fish out the truth in this kind of situation. The phone rang twice before her familiar, upbeat voice came through.“Hi Rita, how are you doing?” I greeted,
“Hey, Rita. How are you doing?” I called out and broke into a smile as I picked up my phone, hearing her voice almost immediately.“I’m good! How about you, Ashton?” Rita replied, sounding goofy as always.“Work’s been alright, just kind of stressful, you know. But we’re pushing through,” I said, trying to brush off the weight of the day.“Glad to hear it’s going well! How’s everything on your end?” She asked, the glee from her voice still very much present.“It’s going fine,” I answered, feeling the small sigh escape my lips. “Oh, and Rita, I just wanted to thank you for what you did the other day. I really appreciate it.”She laughed lightly. “You don’t have to thank me, Ashton. You know I just want you and Helen back together. If that means going behind Helen’s back to convince her kids… Well, I’ll help however I can.”A wave of happiness washed over me. The thought of having hope to win Helen back made my heart race. “Really? You think I still have a shot?”“Absolutely! But it’s n
Maybe Helen put her up to this. A way to check if I was serious about winning her back? The thought made me smile, but deep down, I still had a lot of doubt about it. What if Rita was just being Rita? I needed to get some clarity.“Ugh, I need to talk to Dan,” I said, reaching for my office phone. Dan was my best friend and also my personal assistant, so he’d know what to say. He was sharp, tech-savvy, and had a knack for reading between the lines.After a couple of rings, Dan’s voice crackled through. “Hey, Ashton! What’s up?”“Dan, can you come to my office, please?” I said. I could sense his confusion from the other end.“On my way!” he replied, and I could hear the distinct clicking of his keyboard as he probably scrapped the email he was working on.Moments later, Dan walked in, his face so clueless. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s going on?”I waved him over to the couch in my office, then leaned back in my chair, trying to find the best way to explain. “So, I just ta
I stared at the pregnancy test results in my hand, tears rolling down my cheeks in torrents. I was a month gone. I felt relief wash over as more tears fell, my heart pounding with joy and gratitude.Finally, after years of struggling with infidelity, I was pregnant. I couldn’t help but smile through the tears, a warm sense of joy filling me up. I had tried everything, consulted the best doctors, undergone countless tests and procedures, and still, nothing had worked. Until now. I looked up to meet the friendly gaze of our private doctor, who smiled at me. “Congratulations, ma’am,” she said, holding my hands, her face beaming with genuine happiness for me.Who wouldn’t be happy for me? My life had been nothing but bruises and thorns after three years of marriage with nothing to show for it. My marriage was on the verge of collapse. Ashton, my husband ignored me like I was some kind of plague, and his mother—hmph!—his mother was the worst. She made it her day job to maltreat and hu
How could he do this to me? Why would he cheat on me? I can understand that he was desperate for a child, but cheating? Cheating was way out of line.“Helen, are you there?” the voice of the lady he was with boomed through the phone and I clenched my fists as tears rolled down my cheeks.“I want to speak with Ashton,” I demanded, trying my best to hide the hurt in my voice. “Now.” I added.She laughed. “Don’t you want to know who I am first?” She chuckled, but I was quiet. She was going to introduce her bitchy self anyway. “Of course you’d get to see your lovely husband, but I want you to know me first. I’m Rose, his secretary and next wife.”My eyes twitched. Rose? I knew her. Ashton was cheating on me with his secretary? I shook my head. “No!” I snapped. “I can’t believe this.”A picture came into my phone instantly, and I checked, my eyes widening. I recognize that chestnut brown hair and physical build anywhere. It was Ashton… and… he was on top of her, naked. My eyes burned with
My eyes fluttered open slowly, the faint light filtering through the curtains feeling like a knife to my throbbing head. I groaned, reaching up to rub my temples.What had happened last night? I could barely remember anything beyond the meeting with the executives. Had I really drunk that much?I tried to piece together the fragments of my memory, but it was like trying to grasp smoke. All I knew was that something had gone terribly wrong, but what could it be?I sat up slowly, my head spinning slightly. As I glanced around the room, a sense of unease settled over me. Something was wrong. The air felt…different.I would usually wake up to the scent of toasted bread and waffles that Helen used to make. And I’d always pretend not to enjoy it, but I actually did. There was nothing like that this morning. What was going on?I swung my legs out of bed, groaning as my bare feet hit the cold floor. I stumbled toward the dresser, my vision still blurry.As I passed by the window, I noticed th
Rose stepped forward, her eyes holding sadness. “Something actually ha—”I didn’t wait to hear what she had to say as I rushed up the stairs, ignoring my mother calling after me as I made my way to Helen’s room. She couldn’t possibly be gone, right? Maybe she was pranking me or something.I reached the top of the stairs, my hand shaking slightly as I turned the handle to Helen’s room. The door creaked open, and I stepped inside, my eyes frantically searching for any sign of her.The room was a mess, Helen’s things strewn haphazardly across the floor. But what caught my eye was the framed picture of us, shattered on the ground. I stared at it for a moment, my heart sinking.I walked over to the closet, opening the doors to see the empty hangers swaying slightly in the still air.My mind refused to process the scene before me. Helen had left. She was gone.I collapsed to the floor, my hand resting on the broken frame. The glass bit into my skin, but I didn’t flinch. The pain was nothing
Maybe Helen put her up to this. A way to check if I was serious about winning her back? The thought made me smile, but deep down, I still had a lot of doubt about it. What if Rita was just being Rita? I needed to get some clarity.“Ugh, I need to talk to Dan,” I said, reaching for my office phone. Dan was my best friend and also my personal assistant, so he’d know what to say. He was sharp, tech-savvy, and had a knack for reading between the lines.After a couple of rings, Dan’s voice crackled through. “Hey, Ashton! What’s up?”“Dan, can you come to my office, please?” I said. I could sense his confusion from the other end.“On my way!” he replied, and I could hear the distinct clicking of his keyboard as he probably scrapped the email he was working on.Moments later, Dan walked in, his face so clueless. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s going on?”I waved him over to the couch in my office, then leaned back in my chair, trying to find the best way to explain. “So, I just ta
“Hey, Rita. How are you doing?” I called out and broke into a smile as I picked up my phone, hearing her voice almost immediately.“I’m good! How about you, Ashton?” Rita replied, sounding goofy as always.“Work’s been alright, just kind of stressful, you know. But we’re pushing through,” I said, trying to brush off the weight of the day.“Glad to hear it’s going well! How’s everything on your end?” She asked, the glee from her voice still very much present.“It’s going fine,” I answered, feeling the small sigh escape my lips. “Oh, and Rita, I just wanted to thank you for what you did the other day. I really appreciate it.”She laughed lightly. “You don’t have to thank me, Ashton. You know I just want you and Helen back together. If that means going behind Helen’s back to convince her kids… Well, I’ll help however I can.”A wave of happiness washed over me. The thought of having hope to win Helen back made my heart race. “Really? You think I still have a shot?”“Absolutely! But it’s n
Driving back home, I couldn’t shake off the strange shift in Rose’s tone. The moment I brought up Henry’s behavior and then his legitimacy, her attitude changed, and she suddenly flared up so badly. She’d gone from defensive and literally wanted to bring the roof down, like a cat backed into a corner. It didn’t add up, and the way she reacted raised a question in my head I couldn’t ignore.Is Henry really Ashton’s child? Or not?It made me grip the steering wheel tighter as I was lost in thought. Rose wasn’t above doing whatever it took to get what she wanted. That much was clear. But if she’d gone as far as lying about who Henry’s father was… Why? And how? What was she hiding?I needed answers.Pulling over to the side of the road, I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Zita’s number. She was the perfect person that could help me fish out the truth in this kind of situation. The phone rang twice before her familiar, upbeat voice came through.“Hi Rita, how are you doing?” I greeted,
I felt my heart racing as I tried to keep my anger in check. Sitting in that office with Rose felt like being cornered in a cage with a wild animal. I didn’t know why I kept wasting my breath on her. She clearly had no sense, no respect. She didn’t care about her actions, only how they affected her. She literally was someone that would go to any length to have what she always wanted.“Principal Thompson, please look into what we discussed,” I said, turning back to her and pretending Rose didn’t exist. I was done with her nonsense. I needed to focus.“Sure, ma’am. I promise we will make sure this doesn’t repeat itself again,” The principal replied, still apologizing with her eyes and words. “Thank you,” I smiled, feeling slightly relieved. I just wanted to get out of that office and away from this whole mess.I stormed out of the room, feeling the tension lift a little, but just as I reached my car, I heard a voice behind me.“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Rose shouted, her
I hated stepping my feet back into the school for the second time in as many weeks. The principal's office felt like a hellhole, and I could already feel my anger rising. I had just come from a long day on set, filming for hours, and my mind was already clogged and drained. Just for me to get a call from the principal that my kids were in a fight. Again.“Principal Thompson, I can’t believe I’m back here again!” I hissed as I walked into her office. “What happened now?”She looked up from her desk; her facial expression was really apologetic. “Helen, I understand your frustration, but please, let me explain. Your son got into another fight with Henry.”“Henry? That riffraff boy?” I snapped, crossing my arms tightly. “This is unacceptable! My kids were supposed to be safe here!”“Please try to calm down,” She cajoled, pressing a finger to her temples as if trying to calm herself down. “I’m truly sorry this is happening again. I promised you it wouldn’t be an issue.”“I don’t care abo
Getting ready for school, I couldn’t shake the feelings from the other day. I still vividly remember the day Daddy came and said those terrible things to my mom. I could still hear his voice, loud and hurtful.“Why are you even here, Ashton?” I heard my mom scream at him. “You don’t care about us! Just leave and don’t come back!”He just looked at me, his face all messed up and angry. “I’m Henry’s dad. You won't deny me the privilege to see my own son”Then he walked out of the house, and I felt this wave of anger wash over me. How could he talk to my mom like that? I knew, at that moment, that I had to make sure those kids paid for what he did.“I’ll make them pay,” I hissed to myself as tears filled my eyes. It wasn’t fair that he got to be mean and walk away without any consequences.With a heavy heart, I snuggled back under my bed sheets. Mommy was always there for me, working hard to keep us going. Daddy would come by, but he was never really present. “I’m busy, Henry,” he would
“Mom, just relax… okay?” Kate said, laughing as she playfully rolled her eyes on me. I was amazed at her little display of attitude, my brain taking a short trip down the memory lane of when they were just babies a few years back. “Who do you all think you are?” I asked, a small laugh escaping my lips. “You kids are turning into real little adults!”“I’m not a baby anymore!” Kate huffed proudly and stuck her nose in the air, “I’m growing up, Mommy!”“Yes, but you will always be my baby,” I replied, ruffling her hair affectionately.Everybody laughed as she said it, but I then noticed Jake wasn't showing excitement like the rest of us, as he was just quiet and moody in one corner.As I walked up to him, the rest went to meet Rita in the kitchen to get dinner ready.“Hey, what’s wrong, buddy?” I asked, noticing the change in his energy. He looked down, fiddling with the hem of his towel.“Nothing,” he answered, avoiding eye contact.Soon I reached him, kneeling so I was at his level. “
“Mommy, Mommy! We had a really good time!” Kate exclaimed as she ran into my bedroom, wrapping her little arms tightly around me. Her excitement was so clear as she was so happy, and I couldn’t help but smile as I lifted her up, spinning her around.“Ooh, my baby!” I cooed. I placed her back down gently as I played with her hair. “Did you really have fun?”“Yes! Aunty Rita is the best!” She answered with a huge grin, her big eyes shining with pure happiness.I chuckled, feeling a bit of relief wash over me. “So, Aunty Rita really spoiled you all, huh?”Just then, Blake and Jake came rushing in, both sporting big grins that matched Kate's. “We had ice cream!” Jake said as he couldn’t stop jumping up and down.“And swings! Super high!” Blake chipped in, mimicking a swing motion with his arms. “It was the best!”I laughed. “Really? Did Aunt Rita do anything else fun?”“Yes!” Kate shouted. “She took us to the slides, and we all played together!”Rita, who had just walked in behind the bo
Rose was getting on my nerves, but I had to be mature here so I took a deep breath to steady myself. “I care about you, Rose. I really do”“Do you? Because it sure doesn't look that way. You can't seriously think I’d accept you playing house with them while I’m sitting here alone.”“Why can’t you try to understand?” I was almost pleading now, my tone shifting towards desperation. “Helen’s their mom and my wife! I need to make things right. If I can connect with them, maybe she’ll want to talk to me.”“Talk about what? You have all this history. We moved on.” She exclaimed, her anger rising again. “You’re not some knight in shining armor for a family that isn’t yours!“I never claimed to be!” I shouted, the heat of the moment overwhelming me. “But you’re making it hard for me to explain. I need to confront my past to move forward with my future.”“Your future with whom?” She screamed, throwing her arms up in frustration. “With them? Because it sure looks like you’re playing family with