(Writer's POV) Bonnie drove back home after leaving Liam in the care of Aunt Hilda. As she got out of the car, she saw Alex sitting on the doorstep of her house, his head bowed. He was the one who had called her earlier, which was why Bonnie had left Liam with Aunt Hilda to come and see him. She let out a deep sigh before calling his name. "Alex." Alex lifted his head, his eyes misty from the pain of Allison's betrayal. He had trusted his sister deeply, and it shattered him to know she was on speaking terms with Scott after everything she had been through. "Bonnie," he muttered. He stood up, and before Bonnie could say a word, he hugged her. She was startled at first, but understanding the state he was in, she let Alex hug her until his emotions settled. "Are you not going home?" Bonnie asked when they were inside her house. "Can I spend the night?" he asked. "Of course, you can. You're Allison's younger brother; it's my responsibility to look after you as a big sister," Bonnie
(Scott's POV) I stared hard at the house in front of me, contemplating whether I should step out of my car or not. I had inquired about Aunt Hilda’s address with the determination to speak with her, but now that I was here, I felt too scared to leave the safety of my car—too scared to face the anger in her eyes. But this was for Allison and Liam. I had come here to make things right. With that thought in mind, I got out of the car and walked toward the door. Pressing the doorbell, I waited. It rang, but no one came to open the door. "Aren’t they home?" I mumbled, pressing the doorbell again. This time, Liam opened the door. His eyes lit up with joy as soon as he saw me. "Daddy!" he exclaimed excitedly, running into my arms. I scooped him up and held him close. "How are you doing, Liam?" I asked. "I’m fine, Daddy," he replied, his joyful smile still lighting up his face. "That’s good to hear. Where’s your Mummy and Aunt Hilda?" I asked, wondering if he was home alone. "I haven’
( Allison's POV) "Please, Allie... love me back again," he sniffed, tears streaming down his face as his arms wrapped around me. His tears soaked my blouse, and I could feel them on my skin. He was crying because of me. Scott was begging me to love him again. I felt my heart ache at his plea. I was almost tempted to hug him back, but I remembered that I still hadn’t gained forgiveness from my family for lying to them. I pushed him away and wiped my tears before he could see them. "Please leave, Scott, and stop making it difficult for me." Just as I finished speaking, Aunt Hilda entered the house, and my heart sank in fear upon seeing her. "What the heck are you doing here?!" she demanded loudly on seeing Scott. "Good afternoon, Aunt," Scott greeted, attempting to step closer to her. He stopped midway when Aunt Hilda took a step back, her eyes filled with hatred. "Keep your greetings to yourself and answer my question. What are you doing here?!" She shouted, her eyes narrowin
(Allison's POV) “Mummy, is everything Aunt Hilda said true?” Liam asked again, his tears falling even more. My heart ached, and I didn’t know how I was going to tell him. Everything was happening too fast—my family finding out the truth to Stefan, and now Liam. I never wanted Liam to find out about any of this, but I couldn’t blame my aunt. She just had to pour out her emotions so Scott could understand why she hated him so much. “Liam...” I began, but Liam rushed back into the room before I could even say a word, and my heart broke even more. “Should I talk to him?” Aunt Hilda offered, stirred with guilt because Liam had found out what happened six years ago because of her. “No. I should be the one to talk to him,” I said, sniffling. “Should I come with you?” Stefan asked, and I shook my head. I went into the room and found Liam on the floor, his head buried in his thighs as he cried. He might only be five years old, but he is very sensitive, and little things hurt him. “Liam,
(Writer's POV) "Mummy, can we make a stop and get candies?" Anna's tiny voice lit up with excitement as her eyes glittered at the candy store. "No, you can't, Anna," her mom replied as she waited for the traffic signal to turn green. "But why not, Mummy?" Anna asked with a frown. "Didn't you just visit the dentist last week? Your intake of sugary things is too much. You need to take a break from candies if you want to grow nice teeth, okay?" her mom smiled at her. "Okay, Mummy," she uttered with a small frown before resting her head against the armrest of the car. But her brows furrowed in surprise when she saw Liam walking alone on the street. "Liam? Why is he walking all alone?" "Who is that, Anna?" her mom asked. "He's my classmate from school," Anna replied, pointing in the direction where Liam was walking. "Why is he walking alone on the street? Is he an orphan?" "No, Mummy. Liam tells me a lot about his Mummy and a little bit about his Daddy," Anna answered. "
(Scott's POV) Aunt Hilda's words kept replaying in my head over and over again, and the more they did, the guilt weighed heavier on me. Allison had almost lost her life because of me, and Liam had nearly lost his too—all because I wasn't there when he needed me the most. What kind of father am I? I cursed myself a thousand times. The least I could have done six years ago, after breaking up with Allison, was to secretly keep in touch with her. But instead, I abandoned her completely without even trying to find out how she was doing or where she had relocated. If I had, I would have known about Liam's condition and how desperately he needed a blood transfusion from his father. "I'm such a despicable person," I muttered, cursing myself again as I repeatedly banged the back of my head against the wall, letting my tears flow freely. They have every reason to hate me. I brought nothing but pain into their lives after all the promises I made. Allison—my precious Allie. It must ha
(Allison's POV) We arrived at Anna's mom's house. We were welcomed in, and she took us to her daughter's room, where I found Liam sitting on the bed, watching cartoons with Anna, a smile on his face. "Liam," I muttered his name. His eyes met mine, and the smile on his face faded. I rushed toward him while Scott remained at the door—too embarrassed to face his son. "Liam, why did you leave the house like that? Do you know how worried I was?" I asked. Liam's eyes shifted from me to Scott, who was speechless. "Anna, let's give them some time to talk," her mom said, signaling her to come with her. "But it's my room. Why should I leave?" Anna pouted. Her mom gave her a scolding glare, and she complied, leaving with her. "Let's go home, Liam," I smiled at him, but his eyes remained on Scott, expecting him to say something, but he kept silent. "Aren't you going to say something?" I asked Scott, growing impatient. Scott fully entered the room and slowly walked up to Liam, hi
(Allison's POV) It's been over a week since I moved in with Liam at Scott's house. Although Scott always tries to talk to me, I avoid him and only speak to him when Liam is present. Liam has been a cheerful kid ever since we started living with Scott. Although Aunt Hilda wasn't happy with the arrangement, she complied for Liam's sake. As a mother, I would go to any length for my son. I don’t know if other mothers feel the same way, but my son's happiness always comes first. I parked my car in the lot when I arrived at Alex's school. It’s been a week, but I haven't heard from my brother. He is also unaware of everything that has been happening. Aunt Hilda and I have texted and called him multiple times, but he hasn’t responded or answered our calls. Getting out of my car, I scanned the school, unsure of which direction to take. The campus was huge, with several departments. I knew Alex was an engineering student, but I had no idea where his department was. Looking around for s
(Writer's POV) Gwen angrily walked into Hugo's study room and dropped a letter for him on the table. "What's this?" he asked. "It's a letter from the court. Scott is pushing through with the case. If Jason is taken to court, we're going to lose because all the evidence about what he did is on Clara's body. We need to do something about this, Hugo!" Gwen said loudly. "I'm trying." "No, you're not! If you're trying like you said, my son wouldn't still be in jail! He's crying every day. My son has lost so much weight! This is all your fault! If you hadn't had a one-night stand with a woman, Scott wouldn't have come into existence!" she spat. "Can you stop? It's already in the past. I don't acknowledge him as my son. Isn't that enough for you?" Hugo questioned. "No! It's not enough for me, Hugo! All I want is for you to get my son out of jail and make sure he doesn't appear in court. Speak sense into Scott, make him do what you want! You've always been good at that!" "That was six
(Writer's POV) Skye's eyes widened in shock as Alex kissed her. She hadn't seen it coming—not after how he had rejected her. She got her thoughts straight, and just when she was about to kiss him back, Alex broke the kiss. Realizing what he had just done, he ran his hands through his hair. "Why did you kiss me, Alex?" Skye asked with a smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you, Skye. I'm so sorry," he apologized, and the smile on her face turned into sadness. "What do you mean you didn't mean to kiss me? You kissed me out of the blue, so what the heck are you saying, Alex?" Skye asked, her voice strained. She thought the kiss meant something to Alex. She had hoped maybe he was finally starting to like her and that was why he kissed her—only for her hopes to be crushed by his apology. "I wasn't thinking when I kissed you." "I still don't understand you, Alex." "I'm sorry, Skye. I shouldn't have kissed you out of the blue. I just had a misunderstanding with the woman I love,
(Writer's POV) Alex pushed his luggage into the condo with a smile on his face. He had just moved into the condo he rented. It was a small apartment, but it was enough since he'd be the only one living in it. "It just needs a little fixing, and it will be perfect," he smiled to himself. Just when he was about to get to work, the doorbell rang. "Is Allison here already?" he muttered, then went to open the door. To his surprise, it turned out to be Bonnie. "Congratulations, Alex!" she exclaimed, spraying confetti on him. "Bonnie? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see her at his doorstep. "Can you let me in first?" she grinned. Alex moved aside so she could enter. "Whoa! The apartment looks nice," Bonnie complimented, her eyes moving around. "You're already inside. Can you answer my question? Allison was supposed to be here." "I know. But she had a lot of work at the company, so she’s taking care of it. I volunteered to come help you settle in," Bonnie
(Scott's POV) "What happened?" Allison asked when I approached her with a frown on my face. "It's nothing," I replied, forcing out a smile. "I don't believe there's nothing, Scott. I know when you're faking a smile and when you're truly smiling," she stated. "You know me so well, Allie," I said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "Yeah, I do. I don't want to say this, but..." she hesitated before continuing. "You used to be my boyfriend." I smiled at her words. Once I gained her family's forgiveness, being her boyfriend would be a thing of the past because I was going to marry her ASAP. "So what happened in here?" she pressed on. "Nothing much. It's just Jason being annoying," I said, leaving out the part where he had threatened to endanger her life. I didn’t want her to feel unsafe. I didn't just have a family that didn't love me, I also had a messed-up family. "You shouldn't let him get to you, Scott," she said, tapping my shoulder with a smile, though sh
(Scott's POV) For the very first time, Allison and I finally got to talk properly. I hope she understands me after explaining myself to her last night. I know my actions weren’t justified, but I hope she sees things from my point of view. Cutting ties in California was the only option I had to make it in life. I came out of my room and went downstairs. A smile surged through me when I saw Allison feeding Liam. He was ready for school. "Come on Liam, you need to eat some more," she pleaded. "I don't want to eat, Mummy," Liam shook his head. "You just ate two spoons of macaroni. How can you be full?" she pouted, making me smile. "I don't want to eat, Mummy," Liam repeated, shaking his head again. "Liam, you should eat, or your Mummy will get sad," I said, making my presence known. "Daddy!" Liam exclaimed excitedly. He jumped down from the chair and rushed toward me. I scooped him up from the ground. "Good morning, Daddy," he grinned. "How was your night?" I asked
(Allison's POV) "What happened at the hospital?" I asked Scott, offering him a glass of water. He accepted it but didn't drink much from it. He was sitting in the dining room, so I sat two chairs away from him, staring at his wet eyes. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about him. "What happened? Did something happen to any of your family members?" I asked. I didn't know any of his family members because Scott had been discreet about it even while we were dating. "I don't want to talk about it, Allie," he sniffled. "And you think I'd just accept it like that? You came home looking sad. You don't expect me to keep silent about it." "Where's Liam?" he asked. "He's already sleeping. But don't try to change the topic, Scott. What happened? You know me—I won't stop asking until you give me answers," I demanded, and he smiled warmly at me. "Of course, I know you, Allie. I dated you, remember? You've always been persistent," he smiled again, those dimples of his ap
(Scott's POV) "Are you alright?" I asked Peter, who wouldn't stop glancing at his phone with a sad face. "Yeah... I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he stuttered. "Your eyes have been on your phone, and it looks like you're on the brink of crying. Are you and Bonnie having misunderstandings?" I questioned again, remembering the couple of times Allison and I had a little misunderstanding during our dating era. She might have been the clingy type of girlfriend, but when it came to keeping malice, she was very good at it. So I was always the one who took the first step to apologize to her, whether I was wrong or not. "Not at all, boss. Bonnie and I are cool," he responded, returning to his phone. "You love Bonnie, right?" I asked, and he gave me a questionable look. "Why do you ask, boss?" I stared at him, recalling when I met him with a man he introduced to me as his friend. The man had kissed him, and the way they interacted didn't seem like they were just friends. It had bee
(Writer's POV) Music echoed loudly in the background as Jason partied like it was the last day of his life. He was drinking and smoking nonstop while rocking on the butts of two women who kept him entertained. He had just hosted a party and had invited his friends, who were just like him. They tended to lavish their money on women and parties since they weren't the ones who had to work hard for it. "You're the real deal, Jason Stiles!" his friends showered him with praises as he threw money into the air like he was pouring champagne. He was in his late thirties, but he still hadn't learned to think for himself because his mother always supported him, even when he was in the wrong. Reasonable men his age had already started families of their own and built businesses, but that life wasn't for Jason. He preferred wasting money on women and hosting parties. He believed that he didn't need to work since he was the eldest son of the Stiles family and the favorite son of Hugo Sti
(Allison's POV) "What! You're getting your own condo?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise after Alex declared his decision to me. His graduation was a huge success, and he was thrilled with the surprise we gave him. Scott had attended, but Alex and Aunt Hilda didn't pay much attention to him, though they acknowledged him a little because Liam had been present. "Yes, sis. I've been planning this for a long time—to get my own condo after graduation," Alex replied. "Where did you get the money to rent a condo?" I asked again. "I had a lot of part-time jobs while I was still in school. My savings are enough to rent a small apartment." "You were working part-time behind my back? I told you to focus on school, not get a job!" I scolded. "It's all in the past now, sis. Besides, my part-time jobs didn't affect my studies. I graduated with a first-class upper, remember?" he remarked. "Even so, Alex, if I had known you were working while studying, I wouldn't have allowed it.