VIVIENNEI stood by the doorway, watching as Emily and Robert—or rather, Leonardo, as he liked to be called—walked around my house, their eyes scanning every corner like they were evaluating something they had the right to criticize. And, of course, it didn’t take long for the comments to start.I wanted to roll my eyes. One of my pet peeves was people arriving in my house unannounced, especially if they were the people I didn’t like. Two perfect examples were them—Emily and Leonardo. “This place has quite the charm,” Leonardo said, but there was something in his tone that made it sound more like a backhanded compliment. His gaze lingered on the artwork hanging on the walls and the furniture, as if mentally tallying the cost of everything.Emily, never one to hold back, chuckled lightly as she ran her fingers over the edge of a decorative table. “Well, well, Vivienne,” she said, her voice dripping with condescension. “You’ve certainly come a long way from where you started, haven’t
VIVIENNEI couldn’t help myself anymore and as I stood in the corner of the living room, I quickly tapped out a message to Ezekiel, making sure no one noticed. ‘Your parents are here. At my house. Please come ASAP,’ I typed, my fingers moving fast over the screen. I hit send, then tucked my phone away and took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.What a way to have your day ruined! I focused my attention back on the kids being bothered by their grandparents. Emily and Leonardo were sitting with the kids, trying their best to be friendly, but it felt forced—at least to me. Vince was sitting quietly, keeping a bit of distance, as usual. Vera, however, was happily playing with the new doll Piper had given her, obviously unaware of the tension steaming in the room.“Isn’t she pretty, Grandma?” Vera said, holding up the doll to show Emily. Her face was lit up with excitement, and I could see how much she loved the gift from Piper.Emily glanced at the doll, her nose wrinkling slight
VINCE SAT ON the floor, cross-legged, completely focused on the puzzle his Aunt Piper had given him. It was one of those complicated puzzles with tiny, intricate pieces that fit together to form a beautiful picture once completed. Vince liked these kinds of challenges. They made him think, kept his mind sharp. He liked the way his brain worked when he solved them, and Aunt Piper always knew exactly what to give him to keep him entertained.But even though he seemed focused on the puzzle, his mind was elsewhere. His grandparents—Ezekiel’s parents—were in the room, and he didn’t like them much. He found their attitude annoying. They acted like they were better than everyone else, always making snide comments and pretending to be nice when it was clear they didn’t mean it. He especially didn’t like the way they looked down on his mom. He noticed it right away, the way they always had something critical to say, even when it wasn’t necessary. Vince didn’t like that.He shifted slightly,
EZEKIEL“What?! Damn it!”As I read Vivienne's message, I couldn’t help but be frustrated. I just found out that my parents had shown up at her house without any warning. After everything that had happened, the kids just gotten home from the hospital, and the last thing I needed was for them to cause trouble. I had told my parents about the kids coming home, thinking they would understand and give us some space. I did that for the sake of them, not being offended if ever I didn’t tell them the truth again. Since they could go back to the hospital and eventually find out the truth, I just told them myself to avoid any further unnecessary fights. But, damn! I didn’t expect them to go straight to Vivienne’s house without even telling me. It was typical of them to do what they wanted without thinking about how it affected others, especially Vivienne.My parents weren’t terrible people, but they had their ways. My mom always had something to say, whether you wanted to hear it or not. And
EZEKIELAlright. To be honest, we hadn’t planned any trip, but it was the first thing that came to mind, and I was sticking with it.“A trip?” my mom asked, raising an eyebrow. “Since when?”“Since today,” I said, trying to sound convincing. “It’s kind of last-minute, but we figured the kids needed a break, and so do we.”I glanced at Vivienne, secretly asking for a back up so she nodded and said, “Y-Yes. We did.” “Really?!” Vera clapped her hands, excited about the idea. “Are we going to the beach, Dad? I want to go to the beach!”I smiled at her, relieved she was going along with it. “Maybe, sweetie. We’ll see,” I said. Since she’s already excited, I might as well make it come true, I guess.Vince, however, wasn’t as excited. He just went back to his puzzle, focused and uninterested. I knew he didn’t care much about the trip itself—he just didn’t want our grandparents to stay.Emily didn’t look pleased, but she nodded. “Well, I suppose if you’re going on a trip, there’s nothing w
EZEKIEL Vivienne was watching me and Vince closely, her arms crossed, clearly caught off guard by where this conversation was heading. I could see she hadn’t expected the lie to turn into an actual plan, but she didn’t say anything to contradict me.Vince thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Okay,” he said quietly, turning back to his puzzle, though he wasn’t as focused on it as before. I could tell the idea of a family trip had caught his interest, even if he was trying to play it cool.As for me, I felt like I’d just made a split-second decision that could either end in disaster or turn into something good. I glanced at Vivienne, trying to read her expression. She looked back at me and she was probably wondering how I was going to pull this off.Before we could say anything more, Vera came rushing back downstairs, her arms full of clothes, toys, and who knows what else. “I’m ready, Dad! When are we leaving?” she asked, her face flushed with excitement.I chuckled, feeling
VIVIENNEIt was a sudden and impulsive decision to have a vacation but Ezekiel actually made it happen for the kids’ happiness. The very next day, we drove to his private resort, which I never knew he had. As soon as we arrived, I could already hear the waves crashing softly in the distance. The car pulled up to the entrance, and I saw a group of staff standing in a line, ready to greet us. They all smiled warmly, especially at Ezekiel. It was clear that they had been expecting us.“Welcome back, Mr. Lancaster,” one of the staff members said, stepping forward. “We’ve closed the entire resort just as you requested.”I raised an eyebrow at Ezekiel, who just shrugged casually, like closing an entire resort was no big deal. Of course, it wasn’t for him. He had the kind of resources that allowed him to do things like this without a second thought.“Thanks, Steven,” Ezekiel said, nodding at the staff member.Vera, on the other hand, couldn’t hold back her excitement. As soon as we got ou
EZEKIEL“Vera, hold still,” Vivienne said gently, smoothing the lotion over Vera’s arms. Vera, who was in the middle of bouncing up and down, giggled. She was wearing this cute little swimsuit covered in bright flowers, her hair tied back into a ponytail that swayed with every movement.“I’m holding still, Mom!” Vera insisted, though she clearly wasn’t.Vivienne just smiled and finished applying the sunblock, then turned to Vince. He was more patient, standing still while she worked. Vince was wearing simple board shorts and these aviator sunglasses I’d bought him a while back. “Don’t forget to put it on your face too,” Vivienne reminded him.“I know, Mom,” Vince said, but there was no frustration in his voice. Just calmness. He always kept it cool like that, even as a kid.I watched from a few feet away as Vivienne knelt beside the kids. She was focused, making sure Vera and Vince were well-protected before letting them run off to the shore again. I stood a little further back, wat