Elaine. "Elaine," Isaac called as he patted my cheek. I groaned but opened my eyes at the little boy kneeling besides my head. He was in navy blue shorts and a white, short sleeved button up shirt. It was probably his school uniform and he looked damn cute in it. Sitting up, I stretched my arms above my head before yawning. "What time is it?" I asked. My alarm was always set for seven and I was sure that it hadn't rang yet. He hummed. "Around six." "Great," I said, my voice full of sarcasm. It was like I was the only one who valued sleep in this house. I pulled him into a quick hug before getting off of the bed. "Where's your dad?" "Dinning room. He told me to come and wake you up." He pouted. "But you're hard to wake up, Elaine." "Don't bully me, Isaac," I said with a teasing smile. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Let me get ready." I went into the bathroom and did all I had to do before
Elaine. I steadily walked to Audrey's room after a brief talk with the doctor. Immediately I was done with work, I made my way here and I was excited to take her home. Not a crapped room behind the flower shop, but a beautiful house that had all the space she'd need. I couldn't imagine how it could have been if we were to squeeze into a small bed with a flat mattress while we nursed her injury. It was just 5pm and I hoped that she wasn't too tired. I reached her room and slowly opened the door before getting in. "Hello," I greeted with a smile. "You're finally here," Audrey said as she turned to face me. Her bag was already on the bed but it's zipper hadn't been done. "You're packing?" "No. The nurse helped me with that. I wanted to pack the bear too but I'm having trouble zipping it back up." I walked to her bed and tried to zip it up. It was tough but once I succeeded, I looked at her and said, "Easy." She laughed and playfully hit my shoulder. "Says the girl who struggled fo
Elaine. It's been over a week since Isaac went back to his grandparents and despite calling him everyday, I missed having him around. He was a well behaved kid and had a hint of mischief, but when it came to his dad, he didn't want to be a problem. I wondered if there was anything I could do to change that. Anything that could make him express himself more. Maybe I had to talk to Zack about it so that he could make more time for his son. I laughed at that and looked up at the cloudless sky. How was I going to do that when he also didn't have time for me? I chewed the cap of my pen and dropped my gaze to the paper in front of me. I was seated outside my shop as I compiled a list of things that I had to buy to add more dazzle to the interior. It was a sunny day and I wanted to enjoy the heat before winter came rolling in. "Ma'am," one of the builders began as he approached me. "You didn't give us a precise measurement for the shelves that you want on that wall." I stood up from the
Elaine. I parked my car in the parking lot and did my best to pull myself out of my seat. The sun was bright and it was a little windy, the perfect day to move around. I wasn't in the mood to do this but I had no choice. Audrey also got out of the car and looked towards the mall with an expectant smile on her face. I groaned, internally wishing that she could share some of her energy with me. We walked into the building and since I forwarded the email that Mrs. Brookes sent me to Zoe this morning, we were supposed to meet her in front of the first store on the list. I pulled out my phone to double-check if I was at the right place. "Over here!" Zoe yelled as she waved her arm about and I looked up from my phone. I smiled and waved back before making my way to her along with Audrey. "You're here early." "I didn't want to keep you waiting." "Well, I hope that you haven't waited long." She shook her head and looked over my shoulder at Audrey. "Your sister?" I nodded and stepped a
Zack. I groggily opened my eyes before looking up at the white ceiling. Apart from Elaine's soft breathing, I could hear birds chirping outside and the gardener's scissors snipping away at something. I turned to face Elaine. She was still asleep and some strands of hair were in front of her face. Reaching out, I gently removed the hair from her face and she mumbled something before moving closer to me. A chuckle escaped my lips. Unlike her usual defensive personality, she looked pretty vulnerable right now. Yesterday's argument came into my mind and I felt a sting of guilt in my chest. Elaine looked so upset with what I had said and I could tell that - for whatever reasons - she was conflicted. I sat up and tried to shake the guilt off. It wasn't as if I said anything wrong. She wasn't behaving the way we agreed and I had to tell her to take things seriously so that our cover wouldn't be blown. Why did she react that way? And so what if it was a real wedding? There wasn't any othe
Elaine. I looked at myself in the mirror as I practiced different smiles. The big day had finally come and saying that I was nervous was an understatement. My hair was beautifully done in a plaited bun bedazzled with white pearl hairpieces. My makeup was thankfully light and I wore fine diamond jewelry from Zack's company. We were at Zoe's house and despite me being alone in the guest bedroom upstairs, I could hear the activity downstairs. Giving the mirror one last smile, I stood up and walked to the chair where my veil was. Following Zoe and Audrey's advice, I wore a beautiful mermaid dress with a long train. It had transparent sleeves and beautiful pearls that decorated the bust and waist. "You're done?" Audrey asked as she opened the door and walked in. She wore a beautiful, peach dress that was flared and almost reached her knees. It had a sweetheart neckline and a golden necklace complimented the outfit. The more I looked at the accessories that Zack's company made, the more
Elaine. I walked into the bathroom and paused in my steps when I noticed how dazzled up it was. Rose petals were spread on the floor and scented candles were lit and put on the window seal. I took a few steps back and looked into the bedroom. It had white walls and a large bed with white sheets and red pillows near the large window. Rose petals laid on top of it and on the floor around it. The couch was white and a large, red rug lay in the middle of the room. It was so romantic that I wondered how I didn't notice the atmosphere and surrounding when I came in earlier. My eyes landed on Zack, who was beginning to undress, and as he was about to pull his pants down, I moved back into the bathroom. My face heated up and I put my nightgown on the sink before giving my cheeks a light tap. Just because Zack and I were in a room filled with sensual innuendo, it didn't mean that we had to respond to it. I quickly changed into my nightgown and waited for a moment. After I was sure that Zack
Zack. I leaned back into the headboard of the bed as I went through the document that I was working on. After trying my best to convince Mrs. Brookes, she sent me one piece of work that I had no problem finishing. The mid-morning sun shone brightly and it was the perfect weather to think. This was the second day that Elaine and I had been here and while I waited for her to finish preparing herself for the day, I decided to busy myself. We had decided to go to the beach for a picnic and I wondered what took her so long in the bathroom when she was only required to wear a swimsuit. My thoughts drifted to our wedding night and I rose my gaze to the bathroom door. Elaine was more bold than I thought. Considering how she behaved at my parent's house, I didn't expect her to seduce me so expertly. But at the same time, she was in a field of playing pretend for who knows how long and who knew what other things she was hiding behind her bubbly exterior. Things moved on as normal but none of
Cassidy."Cut!" The director yelled and everyone on set let out a relieved sigh. "Well done. Take a 15 minutes break and let's get back to work."We were shooting a scene for a popular book that was adopted into a television series near central park. It was a hot day and the director was more intense than usual.Walking to my station, my assistant ran to me with an umbrella and she carried it over my head."That shot came out so cool!" She exclaimed. "It's great to see you back in action."I laughed. "Thank you, Sera. Although I would lose my job if I didn't do anything for a long time.""I doubt that. You're a star!""Thank you. Please get me some water before I lose any more energy.""Already got it." She handed a bottle of cool water to me."Thank you," I said as I got it from her and look a long gulp.She gave me a towel and I used it to wipe off the sweat from my neck and foreh
Elaine.I sat in the bathtub with my back leaning on its now warm surface. Zack hadn't said anything since our conversation in the car and I was scared. What was he thinking? How did he feel about what David said?I wasn't proud of the things that I did in the past and now that Zack heard about it, I couldn't help but feel so dirty. It was one thing to be a lowlife and another thing completely when your loved ones find out about it.When I was going to meet David, I thought that I would just drop the money and leave, but to have him try to force himself on me... I was so stupid. I was thankful that I had jeans on but thinking of him touching me sexually made my skin crawl.Of course, we messed around in the past. We were a gang of criminals who went about swindling people. Having no one to trust I had no problem sleeping with him or anyone to blow off some steam. It was just sex. What harm could it bring?That's what I thought then bu
Zack."That's all for today. If you have any additions later on, contact my assistant and she will let me know," I said as I leaned into my chair and stared at the people in front of me.Some nodded and we gathered all of our papers before standing up. Handshakes were exchanged and I smiled to myself as I thought of how this business deal would work in my favour.I walked out of the conference room and made my way to my office. Memories of this morning suddenly rushed into my head and my joy faltered.I didn't want things to turn out the way that they did but it all went out of my hands before I could notice it. The hurt in her voice was still loud in my ears and she failed to look me in the eye. Was I that incompetent to her?My anger rose and I stopped in my steps. I was so irritated! Why couldn't she see that I was worried about her? How could she get angry over me trying to help her? She made me feel like I was troubli
Elaine. The bedroom was silent as Zack and I prepared for work. We had just taken a shower together and Zack was looking for what to wear in the walk-in closet while I stood in front of the mirror and admired my reflection. I was in a really good mood this morning. I wore a black turtleneck that was tucked into some jeans and a gold necklace hung around my neck. My hair was up in a neat bun and I put on some minimal make-up. Because of my job, I couldn't wear accessories on my hands. There were also times when I would have to remove my wedding ring just to be safe. My gaze dropped to my ring and I laughed at myself. I never imagined that I would ever value my marriage this much, especially with the circumstances that brought us together. My thoughts were interrupted by Zack walking into the bedroom. He had a black suit on and his hair was gorgeously ruffled up. He looked as amazing as always, but I could not help but notice that he had something on his mind. He's actually been lo
Zack. I hummed a soft melody as I made my way towards Elaine's shop. She has been acting strange for a while now and despite our late night talk, she was even more out of it this morning. She didn't even talk to me much before leaving for work. But all that was going to end today. I prepared an evening date for us and I restocked her card with cash. I hoped my gifts would lift up her mood and the thank you text I got from her was really cute. I cleared my throat as I stood in front of the door. The last time I was here, I had an argument with Elaine and I was embarrassed by my jealousy towards her employee. I had to trust her. Also, I was much better than him in every aspect so, I let it not worry me. There was nothing to argue about now so, I pushed open the door and stepped in. The interior of this shop never ceased to impress me. I looked at the counter and saw Ethan staring at me. "Welcome, sir," he said nervously when
Elaine.David and I entered a cafe a few blocks down and found seats by the window. Taking our seats, a waiter rushed to our table and took our orders. Another perk about being Zack's wife was that service came fast and easy. I didn't have to wait in line or wait for my turn.I couldn't talk to David in an empty ally or a totally private place because I did not trust him. A part of me felt like there was something up his sleeve and I was not willing to find out what it was. This cafe wasn't too crowded but it had enough people to stop him from doing anything stupid.The waiter came back with our coffees after a few minutes and I began to slowly sip mine. I looked up at David and he just stared at me while not bothering to touch his coffee. This man was threatening me a few minutes ago and now that we are alone he's quiet?"What do you want?" I asked. "Depending on how high your voice is, we are in a private place."He chuckled. "Of co
Elaine.Zack drove a little faster than usual and the cool, evening air filled the car. Judging from the direction of the wind, the front windows were probably opened midway and it felt amazing after being closed up at that woman's wedding.I was itching to see the view since the lights always looked magical in the dark, but this blindfold deprived me of that. I wondered where Zack was taking me. He didn't look like the type of man who did such things and I didn't know what to expect.I could not think of anything bad because of the nervous smile that he had on his face when he asked me to put on the blindfold. But at the same time, I couldn't think of any special occasion currently or any coming up. Whatever it was, I hoped that his mother wasn't there.The car suddenly came to a stop and Zack gave me a soft peck. "We're here," he said and I pouted."That's cheating, Mr. Dobre," I protested and he chuckled."Give me a moment."
Zack.Elaine and I got out of the car as we stared at the beautiful reception building in front of us. I was expecting a lot of paparazzi flashing photos but the security did a good job keeping them out.I did notice a few, more composed, photographers roaming around and I was glad that people didn't come to my face with a camera.Elaine wore a long, peach, off the shoulder dress with a slit reaching the middle of her thigh. Her hair was in a braid and a beautiful diamond pin held her bun together.I was in a black bespoke suit with a peach shirt and black bowtie. Since this was a special occasion, I gelled my hair back and made sure to look my best.Being the gentleman that I was, I skipped the church ceremony and came directly for the after-party. I had more interest in listening to her explanation than her wedding vows.I held the small of Elaine's back and guided her inside. I could tell that she was nervous and I couldn't
Elaine.Soon, we entered a new year and things seemed to have settled down. The festive decorations reduced by the day and shop owners were back to business.Since we were still in the cold season, people were moving around in warm clothes and to me, it still gave a festive vibe. The sidewalks and loans were coated in light dew as people navigated their way through the morning."That's the last of it," Ethan said as he approached me with a box in his hands. "We're ready to open."I looked up from the box that I was sealing up. "That's great but we need to sweep up.""Really?" He looked at the floor to inspect it. "If the small strings bother you so much, I can just pick them up."I laughed. "Are you looking forward to working that much?""My family's been smothering me since we went on holiday so, I'm happy to be out of the house. Besides, I'm treated like a handsome prince here.""I'm happy that you feel th