[ Sebestian ]My heart pained as my eyes scanned my best friend who was laying on the hospital bed. Her face was pale and looked lifeless. I didn't know what I felt right then but I wasn't angry. I had no right to judge her before I heard her side of story."Bastian.."She whispered my name in a faint voice. She sounded tired."Hey." I took slow steps towards her. Her eyes were glossy which meant that she got the devastating news of her miscarriage."How are you feeling now?" I gently took her hand into mine and rubbed them as a sign of my condolences."I lost my child. How am I suppose to feel, Bastian?" Tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes."You're alive and safe. I am thankful to the God and the doctors. You have a life ahead of you, Vic. Don't lose hope." I tried my best to consol her as I wasn't good at such stuffs."They wanted to kill me. They'll come again, Bastian." She said in a panicked voice."You know the attackers?" Anger rushed into my blood,"We need to tell thi
[ Charlotte ]"Tara, mail these documents to Will and also inform him that I want him to verify these papers ASAP. Do you understand?" I handed a stack of papers that proved that I filed for a divorce five years ago and my lawyer presented me in the court."Right away, Ma'am. I'll make all the arrangements. Do you need anything? I have been noticing since the morning. You even skipped your lunch." Tara asked me with worry itched face."A cup of strong coffee would be fine, Tara and thanks for everything. I trouble you a lot."I said to the girl who had been a support pillar for me since the day I gave her the job.She agreed on coming with me to New Jersey. It was the place where I spent the first two years after my separation with Sébastien."I like working for you, Ma'am and your coffee will be at your table in two minutes." She said with a wide smile and walked out of my hotel room.The lawyer betrayed me and the law.I was ready to sue the man who fucked up with my present and my
[ Sebestian ]"What do you like to eat in the dinner, I'll ask my cooks to prepare it for you?" I asked my son or more like putting an effort to know him better as he sat beside me, staring at all the awards I won over the years."I'd prefer a simple mean and a hot chocolate before I go to bed." He replied giving me a side glance."Would you like grilled chicken with spice seasoning and homemade fresh garlic bread with vegetables stew? Your mother used to cook it on every Sunday dinner and it is one of my favorite dish. Though my cook don't half as good as her." I said or rather shared a piece of memory with him."Then why did you leave her if you liked her?" He asked innocently and it sliced my heart.I was again speechless."It was a mistake, Ace. I wish I had used my brain but I was blinded by my anger. I am ready to repent for every pain I inflicted on her and you. I swear I regret it in every single second of my life."I told him honestly."I am not sad. In fact, I never missed yo
[ Charlotte ]The early morning air of New York hit my face. I was refueled with the feeling of being in home. No matter how far I tried to run from this place, it pulled me back to it's never tiring life.This is the place where I wove my dreams, built my nest and saw it burning down."To where, Ma'am?" My driver asked."Blackwood Manor. I have to pick my son from there." I said and closed my eyes to catch some sleep as the whole night I had been thinking about my future and the consciousness of being around the Blackwoods and Victorine.Thirty minutes later, the car brakes were pulled with a screech. I woke up with a jolt.The old house stood majestically before me. It hadn't weathered in years. Nostalgia hit me. The memories I made in this house came back like a flood."Wait here, I'll be back in no time." I instructed my driver and stepped out of the car.The pebbles screeched under my feet. I was going to face another aspect of my past."I can do it." I tried to lift up my confid
[ Charlotte ]"This is completely bullshit, Sebestian. Your friend is lying." I threw my hands in the air in disbelief."I tried to tell her that it could be her misunderstanding but she's firm on her accusations. She heard the assasin talking over the phone. He mentioned Jonathan's name." He said."Maybe, she's right, she heard my best friend's name but it could be a different Jonathan. Come on, it's a very common name. There were six Charlotte in my high school batch including me." I defended Jonathan. It was an atrocious allegation.Jonathan was one of the kindest person I had ever known."Charlotte, calm down. The investigation is in progress. If the cops find anything suspecious, they'll let us know first. I am handling this matter very sensitively. Your or Jonathan's name wouldn't be dragged unless he's actually guilty." Sébastien tried to convince me."You still believe her?" It pained me to see his friendship with Victorine. That woman took advantage of his trust and he let he
[ Charlotte ]Victorine's words kept ringing in my ears. She claimed to be pregnant with Sébastien's child and I could see truth reflecting in her confidence.If she was right, then Sebestian had to face the worst outcome. He wanted a second chance while he was screwing his friend.Or was I judging him too fast?"Lottie, you're here. I have searched you in every corner of the house. I should have guessed that it’s your favourite place in this house." Jonathan's voice resonated in the empty library.He was leaning on a shelf with his hands inside his pants' pocket. His gaze was fixed on me."Yeah, I needed some time alone to figure out something." I said."What's going on with you, Lottie?" He frowned as he approached me."The same shit. Don't worry, I am fine and there's nothing that can scare me." I pressed a tight smile."Oh please, Charlotte. You're an open book to me. You're tensed over something, it’s written all over your face. Now spill the beans." He rolled his eyes and sat ac
[ Sebestian ]"How are you feeling now?" I asked Victorine softly. It had been a week and today, she got discharged from the hospital."Much better. Thanks for coming with me. It means a lot to me." She smiled while a nurse helped her to sit properly on her bed."I can handle the business until you're 100% fit to return at work." I said."No, I'm fine now. I'd be joining after a week. This boredom is killing me." She cringed."I know, I know. Consider it as unofficial vacation for you."I chuckled lightly."I hate it, Bastian. I never took a day off in last few years except the vacations in Europe. I love my work." She said looking down in her lap."I understand, Vic but sometimes you have to give yourself a break from the life. You can take a long vacation once your wounds will be healed. Go to Asia or Australia. You need a new energy." I said with dual motives. I really wanted my best friend to heal from the emotional trauma and secondly, I wanted to distract her from the ongoing inv
[ Sebestian ]"What the hell is this?"A stack of papers were thrown on my desk and a fuming Charlotte was shooting daggers at me.I raised my face from the analysis report I was reading and put off my glasses. Her eyes showed the anger simmering inside her."Legal papers, I read and signed them before sending them over to you. I hope you read them thoroughly before coming here." I said very calmly or should I say, I pretended to be."Fuck you! Sebestian Blackwood." She screamed and Jimmy, who stood behind her, terrified by her explosion, flinched and looked at me with horror.He never saw someone raising their voice on me."Jimmy, can you give us some privacy?" I gave him an indirect order to leave and to save me from further embarrassment."Okay, Sir." He nodded and scurried away.I rose from my chair and took slow steps towards her. Although, I liked her feisty side, this woman needed to be tamed."Charlotte, you ghosted me for one week, avoided my text or calls and even forbade my
[ Arienna Blackwood ]"Don't run, Aria. Mom is tired and she wants a hug from her princess." I shouted and heard soft giggles of my five years old daughter from behind the curtains.A smile stretched over my lips as I spotted her shadow. She was the source of light in my life whom I found during my trip to Mexico and instantly fell in love with two years old orphan who was abandoned by her birth mother at an orphanage.It took me an year of struggle and legal procedure to adopt her officially and bring her to home."Mom got you." I grabbed her and tickled her.The little girl wriggled to get out of my hold while laughing. I showered her pretty face with kisses."Stop Mama, it's ticklish." She pushed my face away."No, Mama wants a cuddle with Aria." I pulled her on my lap and hugged her."I am angry on you, Mama. You promised to come back early but you're two days late." She pouted with grumpy face."I am sorry baby but you know my work. I am the CEO and it's mandatory for me to be
[ Arianna Blackwood ]"Anna.."Rafael's low voice rang into my ears. So, this man can also feel remorse!"Come and sit, Rafael. We need to talk on certain matters." I said in a flat tone."Please, let's just sit together and-" He tried to say something but I showed him my palm."I do not want to spend even a single moment with you, Mr. Martinez but we must clear a few things before we part our ways." I finally shot my blank eyes at him.He looked vulnerable, his eyes were puffy and red. By judging his appearance, I bet he hadn't been resting properly."Please, Arienna. Don't do this. It was my fault. Our baby died because of me." He said in a croaked tone, I observed his adam's apple bobbing up and down."It was my baby. It doesn't give you any right to call it yours just because you fucked me for once." I snapped at him, the bottled up anger and resentment was threatening to spill.He lowered his gaze and shook his head, "Alright, I won't. Please, calm down. We can talk once you get
[ Arianna Blackwood ]It's been four days.Four long days since I lost my baby, the last hope of my future. I am stoll trying to accept this news but my heart denies my loss. My lower body aches every time I move or shift, a constant reminder of my cruel fate.I don't deserve happiness since my birth. Why does God punish me? What did I do to deserve only grief and misfortunes in my life?"Ari, my princess." Dad's soft voice forced me to pull out of my mourning solicitude."Dad."I barely whispered as mu throat was constricted due to crying for hours since doctor broke the devastating news to me. I predicted my loss when I felt the pain during my argument with Rafael but a part of me hoped for a miracle to happen."I have brought your dinner. It's your mother's home cooked recipe, one of your favourite dishes and healthy." He placed a tiffin box on the table.He was trying to cheer me up. That's all my family could do, they stood like a pillar around me. They're my everything and I'd f
[ Rafael ]I have been waiting for two long hours, still no words from the hospital staff how Arienna is doing after miscarriage. Yes, the doctors declared the baby dead as soon as they admitted her and they had to perform emergency surgery to remove the dead fetus.Arienna lost too much blood which caused her to lose her consciousness for a long time.Miscarriage, a simple word with eleven syllables but it has so much pain and shattered hopes within it's depth. It has the power to bring even the bravest heart at the bottom.I lost my child, my first child despite several warnings from the doctors. Yet I let her go through the trauma, not once, not twice but everytime we talked.She's right, I killed our baby. I don't deserve it call it mine because Arienna tried her best to be there for our baby but I was busy hitting my head on the wall of past. I became so mad that her pain got unnoticed by me."How dare you?"A voice roared and I got punched on my face, it was a hard blow. I stumb
[ Arianna Blackwood ]After my conversation with my mother, I found myself drowning into more conflict. I couldn't live with Rafael as long as he keeps harboring hatred and vendetta against my family, on the other hand, I was drawn to my husband.I was screwed and back to square one."Anna, you're back?"Rafael's surprised voice reached into my ears and I turned around to find him standing at the threshold of main door."Yes, I guess. Sorry, if you're disappointed to see me here. Well, I won't take long. I came here to talk on certain matters." I said in a clipped tone.His features softened. He rushed towards me and grabbed my shoulders, "I don't want you to leave, not now not never, Anna. I can't imagine my life without you, my love. Please, forgive me. I am ready to talk to your parents if it makes you feel better." He sounded vulnerable and desperate.I detatched myself from him and looked away."Let's talk, Rafael. I don't want us to live in continuous uncertainties." I said in a
[ Arienna Blackwood ]"Mom, I want a divorce with Rafael. I don't think this marriage would work. I am sorry I didn't think wisely when I decided to marry him." I said to my mother who was calmly sipping her coffee.She didn't look affected by my decision, instead, she poured some in my cup."Please, say something, Mom. Your opinion matters to me the most." I gave her a pleading look."You want my honest opinion?" She finally looked up at me while placing her cup down on the table.I nodded my head in impatience.She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Are you afraid of the boy you once knew, who cared for you a lot or the man who is blind in vengeance. It's your take?" She asked me and I was left shocked."How..how..do you know?" I couldn't find proper words to ask her how did she know everything about Noah."I am your mother, Ari. Of course, I know everything about my children. I wouldn't have let you marry him if I didn't know about your groom. I ran a background check on Rafael and i
[ Rafael Martinez ]"You didn't have to take a stand for me. I can fight my own battles and it wasn't the first time my grandmother bullied me. She has always been like this. I thought you'd of all people would understand her nature." Arienna said curtly over the dining table.I gave her a blank look. She was only playing with the food on the plate."I had to show her that she can't boss around in my house and demean my wife." I replied. I heard suck a deep breath. "I am sorry for the morning. I shouldn't have said those things." I said after a momentary silence.We were back to square one because she didn't respond and resumed eating small portions from her plate."We're inviting your parents tomorrow at the breakfast. I don't want to live this cat and mice life anymore." I said."Don't drag my parents in your dirty games, Rafael. I will deal with them." She said in a flat tone and stood up."Finish your food, Anna. You can't ignore your health." I reminded her and our eyes met for
[ Rafael Martinez ]Arianna's outburst kept replaying in my mind like a record. Her eyes reflected her sedimentated anger and hatred for me and it broke my heart to see those emotions in her eyes. I made her hate me even more and probably ruined my every chances to be with her. She'll not stay quiet and tell her family about my identity and about my parents. "Come on, son. Are you going to say something or sit here like a stone statue. I know something has happened. This red mark on your face is telling a lot." My father said, his eyes were darted on my cheek.I touched the stinging area and looked away. "She's a poison in your life, Noah. Why are you with her? You're successful and young. You will find a thousand women at your disposal if you go for a bride hunt. Just leave her. You will get your child. I trust you." Mom again repeated the same dialog."Mom, please, I'm already frustrated and clueless. Yesterday, Charlotte Blackwood confronted me and it's not wrong either. She hel
[ Arianna Blackwood ] I sipped the ginger tea, enjoying the ghostly silence of the living room. The weather was still bad, the downpour changed into soft drizzle but the sky was grey and gloomy depicting my own mood. I heard footsteps. I recognized them so I sat unbothered and sipped the tea. "Good morning." I heard his grosggy voice. "Good morning," I wished him back curtly but didn't spare him a glance. "A cup of coffee please!" He yelled to his staff and sat across me. I stole a glance at him, he was in a t shirt and trousers. "I am sorry, the last night was unintentional. I never get this much drunk often unless I'm frustrated." He kept talking but I only listened. I remained quiet. "Look, if you're intentionally ignoring me then it won't work, Arianna. We can't go like this." He said in a little frustrated voice. Meanwhile, his coffee was served. "I am not in a mood to talk. I hope you understand." I said without looking up. "Alright, take your time to sort out your moo