PRISCILLA’S POV
Moans filled the air as I made my way into the bedroom that I shared with my husband. What was going on? Still not believing my ears, I pushed open the door and what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks. For a minute, I couldn't breathe. My husband was laying on the bed while his ex, Pamela — the one he assured me was no threat to me— rode him. She bounced up and down on top of him, her skirt hitched around her thighs. I stood there, frozen in disbelief. “Oh, harder, Brent,” she cried wantonly. “Harder.” The world seemed to slow down as I watched them, my mind racing with a thousand different emotions. Betrayal, anger, heartbreak—they all swirled together inside me. How could he do this to me? How could he break my trust so completely? She continued her moans while I just stood there, tears pooling rapidly in my eyes. I must have made a noise because Pamela looked back and threw a wicked smile at me when she saw me. Blindly, I pushed out of the room, made my way out of the house, and soon found my way to the park. The images of what I had seen kept flashing through my brain. Not only had Brenton betrayed me, but he had betrayed me with his ex on our matrimonial bed. And he had done this despite the reassurances he had given me. He had told me it was my insecurities acting up and that there was nothing between him and Pamela anymore. The tears began to gush out again when I remembered when we first met years ago. Three years ago, my fiance had cheated on me with my best friend and I had gone to the bar to drown myself in alcohol. It was there that I met Brent. Fueled by the alcohol in my body, I seduced him and we eventually went to a hotel and had sex. By the next morning, he was gone. I had thought it was the end of our meeting with each other but I met him again the next month when his enterprise was investing in my business. He had promised to invest if I could be his contract wife for a year. It had been his father’s stipulation for him if he wanted to remain CEO. Having no other choice, I had agreed to the contract marriage. How I wish I didn't. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have found myself in such a position. God, God, God, I chanted to myself as I tried not to cry out loud. This wasn't what I wanted for myself — and my unborn baby. Just a few hours ago I had gone to the doctor after feeling sick every morning for the past few weeks and it had been revealed that I was pregnant. It was when I got home that I met Pamela and Brenton together. A part of me wondered what would have happened if I had stayed home. Would I have been able to prevent the incident? People began to look at me as they walked past me and I strained to stop my tears. “Are you okay?” someone stopped to ask. I managed to reply, “Yes, yes, I am.” “Are you sure?” asked the other woman in front of me. “Yes,” I repeated, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I'm quite fine. Thank you.” “Alright then, dear,” she replied and I tried to pull myself together as she left but my thoughts kept circling back to Pamela on top of Brenton. I always knew. Somewhere deep inside, I always knew it would end like this, but anytime I expressed my worries, Brenton would tell me that I was overimagining things, that I was insecure. My hands tremble as I pull my phone from my bag, staring at the screen as if it might give me answers. I want to call someone, anyone, but I don’t know what to say. What do you say when you’ve just watched your husband, the man who promised to love you forever, with someone else? I bite my lip to keep the sob from escaping. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this. I thought about my unborn child. When I got the news of my pregnancy, I was part happy, part terrified because I didn't know how being a mom would be. But now, this was the least of my worries. My happiness had been overshadowed by fear and uncertainty. What was the next step for me? How could he do this to me — to us? I don’t know what’s worse—knowing that he cheated, or knowing that I’m carrying his child while everything crumbles around me. I rest my head in my hands, the weight of it all finally crashing down on me. The baby. What am I supposed to do? How can I bring a child into this mess? How can I trust him to be a father when he can’t even be faithful to me? And yet… the thought of leaving, of being a single mother, terrifies me just as much. What if I can’t do it? I wipe my face with the sleeve of my jacket, trying to pull myself together. The first thing I need to do is decide what I want. Do I want to stay with him, to try to work things out for the sake of this child? Or do I leave, start over, and raise the baby on my own? The idea of leaving feels like ripping my heart out, but staying… Can I ever forgive him? Can I ever look at him again without seeing him? Without wondering if he’ll do it again? But I knew I couldn't sit here forever and keep on crying. Crying won't wound back the hands of time and stop what had happened. All I had to do was find a way to move ahead and put Brenton's betrayal behind me. I got up and made my way back home. I had to figure out what my next step would be. **** Anxiety filled my heart as I approached the stairs leading to the front door. I could hear Brent and Pamela's voices inside the living room. What would he say when I entered the room? What excuse would he give? What an apology! Taking a deep, calm breath, I climbed up the stairs and pushed the door open. I had barely made it inside when I saw that Brent was cradling Pamela on the sofa which she lay on. He looked up when I shut the door and our eyes clashed. His face was filled with cold terrifying fury. Before I could say a word, he spat out, “Cheat!”PRISCILLA'S POV“Cheat!”My step faltered at his word.“What?”“You heard what I said, Priscilla!”“I didn't cheat on you. What are you talking about?”“Would you cut the hell with your innocent act?!”“I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Brenton,” I said and took a calm breath. I knew what he was doing. This was a ploy to distract me from what he had done, a ploy to distract me so he would not have to apologize to me for his betrayal.“Brent, you don't need to do this. Just tell me you are not going to apologize.”He stood up from beside Pamela on the sofa and advanced toward me, his entire body tensed with anger.But anger from what? I was the one that was supposed to be angry. After all, he cheated on me. So why was he labeling me as a cheat?“Are you out of your fucking mind, right now, Priscilla?” he asked, his voice low and cold with fury as he kept on coming at me. “Apologize?! Apologize for your dirty habit?!”Suddenly, I was frightened. Something had happened.M
PRISCILLA’S POVHis sentence slapped me across the face like a lash.“What did you say?” I asked in a whisper, unwilling and unable to believe what he had just said.“You heard me, ” he said coldly, “Divorce or I show the whole world the kind of woman that you are.”I saw Pamela send me a smirk of victory behind Brent's back and I immediately knew that this was her doing. This was all her plans — what she wanted. My heart squeezed in pain at her victory.“Brent, are you really going to divorce me because of these lies?”“Because of your lying and cheating nature. I want nothing to do with a woman who won't think twice before sleeping with her ex.”I stared at him for a few seconds. Then at the papers. This was it. I had lost. He hadn't believed in the end. Knowing that crying and pleading would no longer do me any good, I wiped my tears and stood a little straighter. Henceforth, I would no longer let any of them see my tears. I was done.“I'll sign the papers.”“Good, but not only th
BRENT'S POVI sat at the bar in the living room, drinking shot after shot, still unable to process what had happened the past few hours. My mind was a whirlwind, tangled up in thoughts I couldn’t seem to unravel. But one thought remained dominant. Priscilla. The woman I’d given everything to. The woman that betrayed me. I tossed back the drink, feeling the burn in my throat, but it did little to numb the ache in my chest. How could she? How could she do this to me after everything we’d been through, after everything I’d sacrificed for her? I’d given up so much, bent over backward to make our marriage work, only to be blindsided by her infidelity. It didn’t make sense, none of it did. But the images of her with another man, the damning evidence that I had seen—they all painted a picture I couldn’t ignore.But why, Priscilla? Why would you do this? Had there been a point that I neglected her and her needs?No, I doubted it. I had always paid adequate attention to her, even in the ear
PRISCILLA'S POVI sighed as I read the email sent by my assistant to me. It was about our investors rescheduling our meeting and also changing the location.And not just changing it, but changing it to New York, the one place I had always tried to avoid and had managed to do so far. But it seems my luck had now run out.Ugh. Why New York of all places?That city held nothing but bad memories for me — and going back would no doubt trigger them back.I had lost everything I had in New York, my marriage, my business — everything and had ended up being a single mother.I stared at my laptop screen, blinking a few times to make sure I wasn’t misreading the email. It was still the same:"Priscilla, just a quick update—there’s been a location change for the investor meeting. We’ll now be convening in New York next week. I’ve taken the liberty to adjust the itinerary accordingly. Let me know if you need anything else. – Alyssa"New York, New York — the name was like a sore taste at the back o
PRISCILLA'S POVI stopped in my tracks, one thought ringing in my head. ‘'Please tell me I’m dreaming.’ Life couldn't possibly be that wicked to me, and yet I knew, the bad feeling I'd felt immediately I entered this hotel was now justified.I walked as if on autopilot towards my kids and yanked them behind me, causing Brent to stand up and stare at me in, was that shock? I was too rattled to tell.I turned to the twins and grabbed their hands. If I was lucky enough, I would be able to leave this place without talking to Brent. The words he had thrown at me that fateful day were still resounding in me. “Come on, let's go.” I muttered to the twins, who were staring at me confused. Hopefully, their inquisitive side wouldn't come out anytime soon.I hadn't taken a step away when I felt pressure on my shoulder. I sighed softly, faked a smile for the twins’ benefit and turned to Brent, no point letting them see my distress even though if they hadn't run off, I wouldn't be in this situatio
PRISCILLA’S POV Brent opens the door to a room and I enter, the sense of foreboding not leaving my chest. I take a deep breath and look around the room trying to ground myself and realize that this giant room that could pass as a suite is a bar??? I follow Brent with my eyes as he takes a seat at the bar table and opens a bottle of wine. I take another deep breath since the previous one didn’t do anything and go and meet him, the bottle of wine bringing unwanted memories to my mind. We had met for the first time at a bar and after that, everything had gone downhill seemingly. I couldn’t believe he would think us taking alcohol right now could even be considered. “I’m not drinking with you.” I called harshly and sat down. The earlier we talked, the earlier I could go and meet my babies. Brent glanced at me emotionlessly. “There’s no alcohol in this wine and I remember you don’t like drinking soda when it’s late.” I scoffed internally. That was years ago. While struggling to make s
BRENT'S POVThat sounded like the best solution outside of suing her and making her understand how it must feel to miss out on your children's life. “What are you here for?” I asked, ignoring her pale face.“In New York? I have a meeting with some investors.” She replied in a shaky voice and paled even further as she realized her word slip.“I don't care that you picked your life back or have a meeting with investors so you can stop looking like I'm trying to ruin your life.” I responded harshly, a little insulted by her scared look.Priscilla nodded. “I'll move back but I will need a few weeks to pack up and settle our lives before we'll be ready to move.”I narrowed my eyes, she sounded genuine but I wasn't sure I could believe that. “You'll forgive me if I find it difficult to believe your word given that a cheater is no different from a liar but I'll need to be more involved in your move. I looked for you and couldn't find you so it's reasonable that I fear that you'll disappear
PRISCILLA’S POVI dropped the dress I was folding and dragged Aiden from where he was scattering the clothes I’d already folded. “Will you stop that? Please.” I added since I knew he was doing it because he was in pain.Avery glared at me and dragged Aiden towards her. “We don’t want to go. What of our teacher? And our friends?” She ended in a wail which almost made me smile, but I kept it in. I didn’t want them thinking I was making fun of them.Here in California, they had friends from school as well as a large area to play and have fun with each other and their brief stay in New York only had them staring out of the city in a car and through the hotel window which didn’t help since we were on the twelfth floor, and they were convinced they would be miserable in New York.I squatted until I was eye level with my babies and grabbed their hands. “We have to move to New York because mummy’s new office will be there.” I hadn’t told them about their father, and they had eventually stoppe
PRISCILLA’S POVDid I lash out at him too much? Was I overreacting? Do I call him to apologize? I played with these thoughts as I tossed and turned around in my bed, unable to sleep. The image of the crestfallen look on my children's face reappeared in my head and I just couldn't get it out. I mean, it was just a bruise but I overreacted and ruined everything we had going on. “Ugh, Priscilla, such a nice way to ruin something beautiful.” I groaned and turned again. My thoughts won't let me fall asleep so I picked up my phone to scroll through the internet for a while and surprisingly, I found a text from Sylvester. I was hesitant to open it, considering how things went today but I had to take my mind off Brent so I opened the text. “Hi, Priscilla. It was really nice seeing your beautiful face today. I must say you look good, even better than before and it amazes me how you manage to maintain such beauty. Anyways, I'll be really happy if we can fix a quick day for our date. I have t
PAMELA’S POVUgh! This stinks as hell! I covered my nose as the stench of the abandoned house filled my nose and for the hundredth time, I cursed that bitch for taking my life away from me. Goodness! How did I end up here in the first place? I glanced around my environment and boy, was I irritated? That would be an understatement. There's so much to do yet the only thing I wanted was to lay in Brent's arms all day. I was contemplating leaving the house like this for a while until a big perched on my neck and buzzed in my ear, causing me to scream and fall over dome of the other dirty, nasty and smelly things. Uh uh, no, I can't leave it this way. I packed my luggage to a corner that was barely affected by the dirt in the house. After that, I proceeded to clean the house as much as I could. Everything was dirty and filled with the stench of loneliness and abandonment. The cushion had molds all over it while the center table and fan were covered in dust. I noticed a spider's web in
PRISCILLA’S POVOh God! I should've known! I found myself regretting it after listening to Aiden’s account of what happened at the park. Avery didn't say anything, probably because she felt bad for Brent but he still was the adult and should've remained in charge. I can't believe I let him take them out just once and he screwed up the entire thing. What if she had gotten into a bigger accident? What if she was being bullied? I pushed back the tears that threatened to spill because I couldn't let the kids see me crying. After applying first aid on her bruise, I ushered them upstairs but not without letting them say their goodbyes to Brent, because it would surely be a while before they get to go out with him like this again. He gave me an apologetic look after they left but that wasn't going to solve anything, in fact, it made things worse. The fact that he knew he should've been on his guards around them and failed to do so was just disappointing. I pulled him to the kitchen to pour
BRENT’S POVI huffed angrily while holding the kids' hands to the car. I finally got to get Avery to stop crying and I hated the fact that I couldn't do anything to the kid who bullied her but I was going to make sure it never happened again. Aiden suggested that we returned to their home immediately since Avery had gone quiet and the trip had become boring. I couldn't agree more and I secretly despised myself for being unable to give them a good day, all through. The ride wasn't silent, leaving us all to our thoughts. I wondered what it would be like if I had to take care of the two of them for five years on my own. Surely, I won't remain the same, my mental health would probably be in the bin. I considered Priscilla strong for being able to take care of the two of them as babies on her own whilst still dealing with the heartbreak I'd dished her unjustly. My mind drifted back to that day and refreshed it like it was just yesterday when I called her all sorts of unsavory names whil
PRISCILLA’S POVIn my car, I thought of the things I'd say to Sylvester. I mean, it's been a while and I surely hadn't expected to run into him at a mall. I wanted to go home badly but I couldn't because my conscience won't stop hammering it to me that I owe him something for clearing my bills. I glanced around the road, in search of a Cafe that could do well for a lunch meeting and glanced at my phone to check the time. After a while of scanning the area, I finally found one and signaled to Sylvester to take the route I was taking. Five minutes after leaving the mall, we both stepped out of our cars with smiles on our faces. I took the time to scrutinize Sylvester facial features and just like always, he looked like he just stepped out of his closet. He held the door open for me as we walked into the restaurant and my eyes instantly went to a table in the corner of the restaurant. For some reason, I found myself considering what would happen if Brent or his friends found me with a
BRENT’S POVThe kids requested that I give them a tour of the company and I did that, just that it was a bit hard moving around with the staff staring at them like we were on a show. “Maybe I should've given a memo about having my kids over today.”I whispered to myself after one of the cleaners almost poured water on Avery because she didn't expect a kid to be at the company. “Dad, this place is so huge. How did you build it?” Aiden, the ever curious one asked and I smiled. His question took me down the memory lane, how I used to do everything else except having interest in the family business until dad had to force me to get a marriage, a product of which was the children walking around me. “Well, to be honest, I didn't build all of these. Yes, I own it now and I work here everyday but I didn't start any of this.” I started explaining to him and his sister when we got to an empty conference room. “This company was built by my father and mother, your grandparents, they toiled to m
PRISCILLA’S POVI sighed for the umpteenth time after Brent's call. I wished I'd gone with the kids, that way it'll be easier for me to be in charge of their activities but now that Brent was in charge, he might get really soft and let them out of their routine. It's still early in the morning and I made a resolution to rest until I was fully recuperated. Before I released the kids to Brent, a part of me knew he was going to let them do something out of schedule so I'd braced my mind, waiting for his call and just as predicted, I got the call. The kids sounded really happy with him and I didn't want them to miss out on the experience of having a father for the rest of their childhood life, not when they already missed five years of being with him. I used the free period I got to clean the house and make some changes. Although I couldn't stop thinking about them all the time. My mind drifted back to work for a minute and I made a mental note to go over the recent designs once more b
BRENT'S POV The happiness and excitement on his face was contagious that a smile spread on my face as well. I carried him up in arms and noticed Avery was not in the house and my brows furrowed in confusion. “Where's Avery?” I asked, looking around but as he started to speak, I caught a glimpse of her standing by the large portrait in my living room and staring at it so keenly. She stood there, lost from the rest of the world, staring at the piece of art work as though she wanted to know what the artist was thinking while making it. I smiled inwardly at her curiosity and for the first time since I got the portrait, it felt like it had actually done what it was meant to do. “Avery, darling, over here.” My voice startled her for the first few seconds but she came running towards me and pulled me, well maybe my legs into a hug. I laughed loudly, feeling like I'd won everything in life. I dropped Aiden and carried her in my hands instead while holding Aiden with my free hand. “Are yo
BRENT'S POV After I left Priscilla's house, I had conflicting thoughts on how to reach my parents but while driving, I decided it would be better to just call them, that way I can't see their reaction or physical outburst so when I got home, I headed to my room and found my bath prepared already. I soaked myself in the water, reliving the events of today but my thoughts most welled on Priscilla and the kids. I was more excited than I'd have imagined about finally revealing my true identity to them and the fact that they were coming to my work place made my night better. After bathing, I put on a robe and dialled my father's phone number. The call rang for about a minute before he finally answered and when he did, he sounded like he was falling asleep already. “Good evening dad. Sorry to have woken you up so late.” I started off politely in order to ease whatever subtle tension might rise later. “Glad you know it's late and you shouldn't be calling at a time like this, what is it?