As I slowly made my way to the door, I filled my lungs with air. I swallowed hard and pulled the door open.“WELCOME HOME, LILIBETH!” everyone inside the room greeted me in unison the moment my feet stepped inside.I swallowed the lump in my throat and then looked up at them, smiling. The Phoenixes are my family, and they wholeheartedly accepted me as their own, so what more could I ask for? Despite the number of misfortunes in my life, God was still good to me. He gave me an incredible gift in the form of the child in my womb and a family who loves and cares for me.“I'm glad to finally have you here, darling.” Leilani came to me and laid a soft peck on my cheek. “You make this old woman very happy.” She then gave me a smile that made her look ten years younger.“You're not that old,” I told her. “In fact, you could be mistaken for my mother. Who would guess you're sixty years old?”A wide grin appeared on Leilani's lips. “I'm flattered to hear those words from my only granddaughter,
It was the first time I had seen so many clothes in such a large wardrobe. It was like having a department store inside my room because, aside from the vast collection of clothes, there was also a wardrobe filled with jewelry and another large one that contained a huge collection of branded shoes, all in my exact size. Before leaving the room hours ago, Leilani assured me that they were for me.I chose a comfortable cotton dress and put it on. The garment was soft and light; it was the simplest piece I could find inside the wardrobe filled with expensive clothes. Looking at my reflection in the mirror one last time and seeing that I looked quite presentable, I made my way to the library, where I knew Leilani and my parents were waiting.Pulling to a stop in front of the door, I gently knocked to notify them of my arrival before entering. Sure enough, Leilani and my parents were inside and waiting for me.Leilani elegantly sat on the long Victorian sofa like a queen. Seated beside her
That morning, I immediately packed my clothes and personal belongings. There wasn't much to pack; in fact, I only needed to bring a few days' worth of clothes with me since the rest of my belongings would be delivered to Europe via the family plane.While I was packing, a servant came to my room offering her help, but I politely refused since I was almost done.I had just finished placing all my necessities inside my suitcase, including all my clothes, when another servant returned to my room carrying a tray filled with food for my breakfast.“You shouldn't have brought my breakfast here,” I told her, my cheeks flushed. I had never had breakfast in bed before, and it was my first time having a servant deliver it to me.“No, Señorita Lily,” the servant said in a heavy Spanish accent. “Señora Sophia strictly ordered me to bring your breakfast once you're awake. She said you shouldn't get hungry so her grandchild would be born healthy and strong.”Still embarrassed, I told her to transfe
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my jaw slightly parted open. Miss Celine had been true to her word; after she was done with my makeover, I didn't recognize myself. That may sound exaggerated, but it was the truth. Indeed, she and her staff did a great job.I thought it was almost impossible to achieve glowing skin like that of celebrities, but looking at myself now, I realized it could be done once you have the money. My skin was soft, supple, and literally glowing. Aside from that, I felt lighter and more relaxed after the whole body massage the spa staff performed on me.Looking at my face, the soft lines beneath my eyes, caused by stress and sleepless nights, magically vanished after the luxury facial I had, which lasted for one and a half hours. My face had a shiny sheen, making me appear refreshed and radiant.But it was my hair that entirely changed my facial appearance and made me look different. Miss Celine transformed my straight black hair into wavy curls and then c
Instantly, I froze in my tracks like a statue. Despite not hearing the voice for a long time, I still recognized him.Please, I hope it's not him, I thought to myself as I swallowed deeply and hard.Even though my brain warned me not to look back, my body refused to listen. A part of me wanted to confirm if it was really him and not just my imagination. Slowly, my stiff body turned to him, and I wished I had just walked away without looking back.Shock hit me like a sharp bolt of lightning as I found myself staring back at Grey Gabriel Bradford, my ex-husbandFor a moment, I stood frozen in my place while looking at him. Shock and disbelief enveloped my face. Thankfully, the sunglasses completely hid my startled expression. What was he doing here? The question reverberated in my head, making me wonder if fate was playing a cruel joke on me.“Are you okay?” he asked, jolting me out of my deep thoughts.Ignoring his question, I immediately grabbed the handkerchief from his hand. “Thank
“Who doesn't like cakes?” I told him in the calmest voice I could muster. “Children and adults alike love to eat cakes, don't they?” I added, looking away. If I wasn't wearing sunglasses, he would have seen the panic in my eyes.“Everyone loves cake, but coffee and cake are a weird combination,” he replied.“They are not a weird combination,” I said, disagreeing. “In fact, coffee shops usually sell coffee and cake together because they enhance each other's flavors.”Grey shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “I'm not trying to argue with you by bringing up the topic. I'm just saying that I know someone who loves mocha cake and coffee together.” There was a distant look in his eyes as he said the words, but whatever emotion I saw quickly disappeared as though it did not exist at all.“If you don't mind, who is that someone you are referring to?” The words escaped my lips before I could stop myself. It was too late to take them back; he had already heard me.“Someone I know,” he whispere
Grey stood his ground, unable to let go. He gave the man a scathing glare, and the man did the same in return. Each man refused to back down, continuing to fight each other’s gaze like two wolves about to pounce on each other. The vicinity turned into a battle arena between the two predators. Unable to endure the silence any longer, I cleared my throat. “Please stop,” I whispered to both of them before they did something drastic, like punching each other in the face.The stranger's strong hand tightened on mine. In chilling hostility, he finally spoke, his eyes never leaving Grey's. “Drop my wife's hand.”My ex-husband's expression hardened. He clenched his left fist at his side, and his jaw tightened in response. For a fleeting moment, I thought he would argue, but then he completely surprised me as his fingers loosened on my wrists.I immediately grabbed my hand, as though his touch burned my skin. “My mistake; I mistook your wife for someone I know,” Grey apologized.The stranger
“I'm glad you decided to come here to France. Your mother will be surprised when she sees you,” Philip welcomed me with wide-open arms at the door. His eyes glittered with tears as he looked at me. Crossing the distance between us, he hugged me tightly.Unable to suppress my emotions, tears welled in my eyes. “We never expected you to follow us here. That's why, when I saw you, I couldn't believe my eyes,” he added when he let me go.“I feel like I would miss a part of my life if I were not with everyone, so I decided to come,” I told him truthfully, to which he replied with a blissful smile.“Come inside; I'll tell the servant to prepare a snack for us. We have something important to talk about.”Philip ushered me inside. My eyes surveyed the interior of the house, and I swooned. This house was on another level. Never in my life before did I imagine myself living in a place like this.Pulling to a stop, Philip turned to the two servants we passed in the foyer and ordered one to take
**ONE YEAR LATER**Days had turned into weeks, weeks had turned into months, and the months had turned into a full year, but the bouquet of flowers, boxes of chocolates, and romantic letters never stopped coming. Not even for a single day in the entire year.With the amount of effort Grey had put into his courtship, it was hard not to soften and fall for him even more—especially when he visited home every single day to continue what he called “courtship service,” which included being a gardener, a car repairman, an electrician, a plumber, and sometimes a cleaner.I once told him it wasn't necessary for him to do anything like that since we are in modern times. Men no longer woo women and their families by doing house chores, but Grey was stubborn and wouldn’t stop. He told me it was his way of showing respect and dedication to me as his wife, so I allowed him to continue what he was doing and just enjoyed the moment while he was at it.After his ceaseless dedication, Grey's hard work
A few seconds later, the soft voice coming from the bed made Grey and me abruptly pull away from each other so we could look at the bed. We both saw our son looking at us. My heart jumped, and I immediately went to Dylan’s side and grabbed his hand.“Mama.” It was the first word that came from his lips. The sound of his voice made my heart swell with joy. Despite being away from me for years, he had never forgotten that I was his mother. I was so happy that tears welled in my eyes. From looking at me, Dylan’s eyes shifted to his father. He opened his small mouth and, in a soft voice, mumbled, “Papa.”Grey's throat moved as he swallowed hard. I could tell by the way he sucked in a deep breath that he was trying to contain his emotions. “Yes, my little boy, papa is here,” Grey replied, his voice thick with emotion as he spoke. Crossing the small distance between him and the bed, he gently pulled Dylan into his arms. He was trying his best not to burst into tears, but his eyes clearly sh
“For our children, Lily,” he replied, looking me straight in the eyes.For our children… Yeah, for Isabelle and Dylan… But was that enough reason for me to stay? I thought to myself, wanting to actually hear him say that he wanted me to stay with him because he loves me.Grey continued, “I know if you leave, you will take the children with you, and God only knows how long it will be before you return here so Dylan and Isabelle could be with me again. I know I could visit them anytime if you're in Europe, but it wouldn't be enough for me because I want to be with them all the time… I want them to have a complete family, which I never experienced in my life.” His eyes filled with even more emotion as he said those words.Even though I never experienced having an absentee father and an abusive stepmother raising me, I knew that it wasn't easy. To say it was hard was an understatement. Perhaps ‘hell’ would be the right word to describe the situation.Grey had the luxury that everyone want
The room was quiet and still, and for a moment, I thought I was alone. However, when I opened my eyes, I saw that my whole family was inside the room. The only one missing was my grandmother, Leilani, who I bet wasn’t allowed to leave the house considering the time of the night. Slowly, I got up from the sofa. As I did so, I cast a brief glance at the wall clock and was actually surprised to see that it was past three in the morning, which meant I had slept for a straight two hours. Feeling refreshed despite the short hours of sleep, I felt somewhat relaxed, and as the rollercoaster events of last night rushed into my thoughts, I realized how surreal it felt, as though what had happened was only a dream.My gaze surveyed the room, looking for Grey, but he was not inside Dylan’s room.“Lily,” my mom called after she finally noticed I was awake. Everyone in the room looked at me, and they all wore the same worried expression on their faces. I bit my lower lip at the sudden rush of guilt
Grey said nothing. I expected he would snap and lash out at me for keeping the truth from him all this time, but his silence was the reaction I didn't expect. The lack of reaction on his handsome face filled my chest with tension. I would rather see him angry and furious than see that blank expression on him.I held my breath, waiting for him to say something, but even after a minute passed, he didn't open his lips. The only sound I could hear was the hum of the monitor and the thunderous sound of my heartbeat as I prayed he would express how he felt.Please speak… Get mad at me… Lash out at me… Those were the words I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't let them escape my lips.The silence that seemed to go on forever was shattered when he finally opened his lips. “Why did you keep the truth from me, Lily?”His achingly soft voice left a sting in my heart. I bit my lower lip, folded my hands in my lap, and kept the tears from falling down my cheeks as I replied, “It was the best thing
The police finally arrived. Too tired to even move, I stayed in my place. I didn't know how long I'd been seated on the ground until I heard footfalls approaching behind me. Without looking back, I knew it was Grey. I just knew it was him.“Lily?” His soft voice confirmed my assumption, and he pulled to a stop beside me, kneeling on the ground. I raised my tear-streaked eyes to him and saw panic and fear shining through his hazel-green eyes.“Is Dylan alright?” The words barely emerged from his lips. He looked at me with a wretched expression on his face. That must have been the same look on my face when I first thought Dylan was gone.“He's still weak, but Dylan is alright, Grey,” I replied, warm tears flowing down my cheeks in abundance.Grey slumped beside me. The weight he seemed to carry heavily on his shoulders disappeared as he let go of the breath he wasn't aware he was still holding. His hands covered his face, and he stayed that way for a while.“Grey?” I called weakly, wond
Ash landed on the floor, groaning in pain, blood leaking from the grievous wound in his right shoulder. He thrashed and cursed under his breath as he struggled to stop the bleeding, but the pressure he applied wasn't enough to stem the crimson liquid from flowing.All the while, my hawk-sharp eyes remained fixed on him. Just in case he tried to attack or escape, I'd shoot him—not in the shoulder this time, but somewhere more fatal so he wouldn't be able to move again. My fingers were cold and shaking, yet I didn't move the gun away from him for a second, fearing he would take the chance to grab the weapon from me and reverse the situation.“Untie yourself, Grey,” I told him. My eyes remained locked on Ash as I removed the ring from my finger and tossed it to where Grey was seated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pick up the ring, push the button, and the dagger popped up. He began to cut the rope with the small dagger. “Damn, how did you manage to cut the rope with this?” he mu
The shot reverberated inside the room, mingled with the sound of my own horrified scream. I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to strike. I even expected blood to flow from my injury, but there was nothing. Counting a few more seconds, still nothing happened. No wound and no pain. Reluctantly, my eyes opened, and I found Ash looking at me with a sinister grin on his face. The terror he saw in my expression pleased him in a horrible way. He crossed the distance between us and pressed the muzzle of the gun against my temple.The moment the cold, hard metal touched my skin, terror swelled inside me until it grew to the size of a monster. I could barely breathe. Without looking in Grey's direction, I knew he was feeling the same way, watching the gun pressed against my temple. The deafening sound of my heartbeat resounded in my ears, and I wondered if the two men could hear it too. Perhaps they couldn't at all, but I felt as though the world had stopped turning, and the only sound I c
My lips began to tremble. The deafening sound of my heartbeat resounded in my ears. This isn't happening, I told myself as my gaze remained locked on Natalia's dead body, which resembled a pale mannequin. She sat upright on the sofa, her long hair cascading down her shoulders and falling to her lap where her fingers were crossed. She looked alive and dead at the same time. I even tried convincing myself that it wasn't her, that it was just a mannequin, but I couldn't fool myself.I swallowed deep and hard. My eyes snapped shut. I counted to ten, then opened my eyes again, but she didn't disappear, which I had expected. She looked so real, and the thought alone sent shivers down my spine because I knew I would end up just like her if I didn't escape from my captor.“Holy shit,” Grey hissed under his breath in pure disbelief as he finally managed to get up and followed my gaze. “It's Natalia… It's not a mannequin like I thought at first,” he added, confirming my biggest fear. I was stil