14. “No way! Are you serious?” Janette asked, her heart literally bubbling with joy. This was the best news she has heard today. Liam chuckled from the other end. “I can’t wait to finally see you, Jane.” She blushed, her face beaming with smiles. “I can’t wait to see you too. I bet Ethan will be thrilled to hear this news,” she said and there was no reply from the other end. “When are you coming? I need to get everything ready and prepare your favorite meal of course.” Liam hummed. “I’ve missed your cooking, Jane. I simply can’t wait,” he said and she chuckled. “I’ll be coming in two days.” Janette couldn’t contain her joy. “I can’t wait.” They talked for a while before hanging up and Janette couldn’t help but smile throughout the day. She had to even get off work early so she could pick Ethan up from school, take him to his favorite cupcake shop and allow him to have fun. * “Mummy!” Ethan exclaimed the minute he saw her walk through the door. He rushed into her arms and she pe
15.“Beauty tips?” Janette blinked. “She is just a kid!”Fiona scoffed. “That doesn’t matter,” she blurted out, her gaze flying to Ethan, who stood, holding on to Janette’s hands. She couldn’t deny that Ethan was good-looking and she wondered what skin cares routine Janette uses for him. “What skin care routine do you use for your little boy?” she asked and Janette blinked.Janette looked at Ethan then back at Fiona.Ethan was quick to defend his mother. “My mummy doesn’t use any skin care routine on me. I am naturally good-looking. I got it from my daddy!” Fiona raised an eyebrow. “There is no way you’d look handsome and cute without your mother using any skin care products on you. Trust me, you’re just a kid and you know nothing. You’re simply—”“I’d have to stop you right there, Fiona,” Janette interrupted with a raise of her palm. “My son is naturally cute and adorable, and so is your daughter, Amaya. You should focus on taking better care of her and her needs instead of trying t
16.After dinner, Janette cleared the place and tucked Ethan into bed before making her way to the porch with a cup of coffee in her hand. Since Liam was returning home today, she didn't want to bother Sophia with coming over anymore and had to do most things herself.She took a seat and crossed her legs over themselves as she gazed at the stars with a smile on her face. She had always loved watching the stars every night but after everything turned upside down, she lost her love for them.She felt they weren’t even living things and they got to stay up there tasked with only the job of aiding the moon in lighting everywhere while her life was in shambles.But after she got her life back together, she felt apologetic and developed her love for them again. She heaved a deep breath as they shone and shimmered above her head.She took a sip from her coffee and her phone beeped. She took it and checked to see that there was an emergency at the hospital that needed her attention immediatel
17.Janette stared at Lucas, her mouth agape. The world was a small place, wasn't it? She had fought tooth and nail to save this woman's life not knowing that the woman was the Aunt to her jerky ex-husband.Lucas looked up to meet Janette's gaze. Her expression turned indifferent at the sight of him and it made him feel hurt. "How is she, please?" he asked, his voice slightly shaken.Janette sighed. "She made it through surgery and will be fine," she said and Lucas breathe a sigh of relief. "The healing process is going to be long, but I will be with her every step of the way."Lucas felt grateful. He held her hand. "Thank you so much, Janette. You have no idea what this means to me. Aunt Mary had always been my source of comfort and confidant-""Mr. Lucas?" she interrupted him, pulling her hand away from his grasp. "I am not interested in your history with her or how good your relationship with her is. What I'm concerned about is her health and I already told you she would be fine."
18."I'm still not understanding what you mean, Liam," she replied, her eyes not leaving his. "And why are you snapping at me?"Liam's gaze didn't falter. "You should know exactly what I mean, Jane. If you're seeing Lucas often, it's only natural that he would try to win you back," he said and Janette instantly knew what this was all about. Liam was feeling insecure.She sighed. "Calm down, Liam. I am already over Lucas. You don't have to worry about anything. Don't you trust me?" she asked.Liam seemed to calm down a bit as he responded. "I trust you. It's that motherfucker I don't trust. There is no doubt he would try to find a way to get back together with you."Janette held his hand to reassure him. "I'm with you now. Lucas can only try, but he would never take me away from you. So, relax."Liam sighed and ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry for the way I snapped at you. It's just that I couldn't bear the thought of you two spending time together, and now his Aunt is at the hospital. Yo
19.Lucas turned to look at Janette, his eyes filled with hurt. When she told him she had a fiancé, she thought it was all a ploy to get him to leave her alone since she was angry with him. He couldn’t believe she really had a fiancé.Janette looked at him, her expression unreadable. Well… that served him right. He needed to know his place anyway.“Jane,” he called, his voice low and unsteady. “It’s really true? Tell me he is joking.” he looked at Liam, who had a smirk on his face.“Why do you need to know if it’s true or not? Isn’t it obvious,” he walked to where Janette stood and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “She is going to be my wife soon. We are planning our wedding soon.”Lucas ignored Liam and faced Janette. “Tell me, Janette, tell me it’s not true.” he tried to touch her but she moved away from him.She intertwined her fingers with that of Liam and looked at Lucas. “It’s true, Lucas. Liam and I will soon get married.”Lucas felt like a thousand needles had just been
20.Lucas walked into his Aunt Mary's hospital ward, his heart shattered into a million pieces. The beeping of the machines and the antiseptic smell filled the air, but his senses were numb. He stared at his aunt's unconscious body, her frail form a stark reminder of his own vulnerability.Tears rolled down his cheeks as he recalled Janette's words: "Leave, Lucas." The finality in her voice still echoed in his mind. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of regret."Oh, Aunt Mary," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I've messed up so badly. I've lost her. I've lost Janette."He pulled up a chair and sat beside his aunt's bed, taking her limp hand in his. The warmth of her skin was a faint comfort."Why did I do it, Aunt Mary?" he asked aloud, his eyes welling up with tears. "Why did I cheat on her? Why did I lie to her?"The memories flooded his mind: Janette's laughter, her smile, her tears. He remembered the way she used to look at him, with love and adoration. Now, that same look wa
21.Genevieve pulled Lucas aside, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked, surprise laced in her voice.Lucas sighed. "Yes, mum. That's Janette."Genevieve shook her head. "No way! Janette isn't that outspoken." she said, recalling the way Janette spoke to her a few seconds ago. Years ago, she had also convinced Lucas to get a divorce since she couldn't give birth to a child. At that time, Janette had always tried to win her love, but she pushed her away and accepted Bella instead. She had convinced Lucas to divorce her, not until Bella turned out to be a manipulator and a liar. Still, she didn't feel sorry for everything she did to the lady. She felt any woman that couldn't give birth to a child shouldn't be taken seriously and should be shown their places - out of their husbands lives. She couldn't believe that same Janette just acted like she didn't know her. Not just that, the lady had the guts to say they have no informal relationship."We have
057.Liam made to walk to where Lucas stood but Janette blocked his path. “Don't, Liam,” she warned. “You don't have to start a fight as soon as you see him.”“Yeah, that's why I need to know what he is doing in our house. Technically, he doesn't belong here and isn't supposed to be here.” Liam complained.“Calm down,” Janette held his hand. “Lucas just helped me bring Ethan home from school, that's all.”“That's all?” Liam asked, his eyes narrowing at Lucas. “And I saw him holding your hand? And you didn't even bother saying anything about it.”Janette bit her lower lip. “It's not what you think it is,” she sighed. “You just got back and need rest. Don't bother yourself with this.”Lucas said nothing and just watched them. He wondered why Liam didn't ask about Ethan and just went straight to talking trash about him? He shrugged and decided to forget about it. That wasn't his cup of tea. Besides, Ethan was HIS son. Liam glared at Lucas. “Just get out of this place. Nobody wants to se
056.When they returned to the car, Fiona turned to Lucas with a smile on her face. “Thank you so much for helping Ethan and Amaya out. I'll leave with Amaya now,” she smiled softly at the little girl. “Amaya, say bye bye to Ethan now.”“Mommy, can I go home with Ethan? Mr. Lucas is around and he always gets us chocolates.” Amaya smiled cutely.Lucas drew in a breath. Unfortunately, he didn't get any chocolates today. Fiona quickly noticed and smiled. She had rushed here the minute she got a call from Sophia as well. She had asked Sophia to watch Amaya as well.“Oh, sweetie, let's go freshen up first. You'll come see Ethan after that, okay?” Amaya was shocked by how soft her mother sounded but she nodded with a smile. Fiona smiled at Lucas one more time before turning to leave but came face to face with Janette.Janette, who was initially shocked to see Fiona come, wondered if the woman had changed. “Fiona, didn't expect to see you here. I guess you aren't that hard hearted afterall.
055.Janette dropped the cards and sprung to her feet. “I'll be right there.”“What happened?” Lucas asked, his expression filled with worry.“Sophia just called to tell me Ethan was hurt by a bully in school. She went to pick him up and saw that he had a bandage on his face. I gotta go!”Aunt Maryanne gasped. “A bully? In kindergarten?”Lucas was annoyed. “Let's go. I'll drive.” he said.Janette shook his head. “There's no need for that. I can go by myself.” she tried to rush out but Lucas grabbed her wrist.“Right now you're panicking. You aren't in the right state of mind and I can't let you go into that road driving, okay?” Janette seemed to calm down a bit and nodded. She had no choice anyway. “Fine. Let's go.” she rushed out of the ward.Aunt Maryanne gave Lucas a thumbs up before he rushed after Janette. As they dashed out of the ward, Janette couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that gripped her heart. She was already envisioning the worst. Sophia had been vague on the phone,
054.“You're okay and good to go, Auntie.” Janette smiled at Aunt Maryanne, who couldn't help rejoicing but then she looked at Lucas, who was seated on the couch. He had come to pick her up.Aung Maryanne sighed. “Oh my! Oh!” she placed her hand on her head.Janette raised an eyebrow. “Auntie, what is wrong?” “What's wrong, Aunt?” Lucas asked.Aunt Maryanne groaned and plopped down on the bed. “My head is aching seriously and my legs are all wobbly. I don't think it's a good idea to discharge me today. Oh!” Lucas was confused. Where the heck did the sudden pain come from? But when Aung Maryanne winked at him and subtly gestured for him to play along, he nodded. “Oh my gosh, Aunt, thosd migraines are back again? I can't believe this!” he feigned shock and panic.Janette was confused as she stared at two of them. “What has come again? What's going on?” she asked, her expression filled with worry.Lucas sighed. “Aunt Maryanne usually has occasional migraines that make her legs go all w
053.Mia's eyes widened when she saw Bella running out of the place wailing, her body drenched in dirty water. The other employees who had no idea what had happened watched Bella in awe. Sophie returned with a satisfactory smile on her face and sat down with a chuckle. “What.Did.You.Do?” Mia asked, stressing every word. Sophie glanced at her perfectly manicured nails and smiled before looking up at Mia. “I taught how to keep her mouth shut and not say dirt to my face of course.” she replied. “Oh my God, Mia, you should have seen her face. She was like a lion earlier, but when she saw that I was about to beat her up, she began acting like a cute little kitten. That didn't fool me. I made sure I put her in her place.”Mia shook her head, a look of displeasure on her face. “You shouldn't have done that, Sophie,” she said and Sophie rolled her eyes. “Even if you wanted to do anything to her, you could have waited until work hours are over. Don't you know there are security cameras here
052.HARRY CORP“I’m serious, Mia. It’s definitely his ex-wife.” Sophie folded her arms with a frown on her face. She had been angry that Lucas wasn’t spending much time in the office like he used to anymore, and she was darn sure it’s because of Janette.Mia rolled her eyes as she looked into the magazine in her hand. “Why is that your problem? If he chooses to spend most time with his ex-wife, shouldn’t you be happy for him? I mean they might reconcile, and he would finally be happy.”Sophia glared at Mia. “What the heck did you just say? Can you hear yourself speak?” she groaned and facepalmed. “Why should I be happy because they might reconcile? I don’t want them to reconcile, Mia. If the go, I’ll lose him for sure.”“Hello, he was never yours to begin with.” Mia scoffed. “Look, Sophie, there are plenty of guys out there who would definitely like you once they set their eyes on you. You’re a beautiful woman. You shouldn’t be thinking of ruining someone else’s chance with his ex-wi
051.Janette walked into her office and closed the door. She rested her back on it, her hand running through her hair when she recalled what happened with Lucas at the hallway. She couldn't believe it. Just a word and her touch from him made her body react in ways they hadn't in a very long time. He didn't even need to work hard to get a reaction from her. And yet, she sleeps on the same bed with Liam everyday and feels nothing."Shit," she facepalmed. This wasn't good. Her eyes caught a bag...something like a shopping bag on her table and her brows furrowed. That wasn't there when she was in the office a few minutes ago. She walked to the table and took the bag. 'For Doc. Jane.' was written on a paper attached to it.Janette wondered who gave it to her. She opened it and flowers were the first thing she saw. She picked the bouquet of roses, a smile gracing her face. Could Liam have gotten them for her?She dropped the flower and brought out a box of perfume. "Chocolate perfume, my
050.Lucas stopped in front of them. Rosa smiled at him and he nodded at her. She cleared her throat. "Uh, I'll excuse you two." she quickly walked away before Janette would ask her to stay.Janette shut her eyes tight and facepalmed. "What are you doing here, Lucas?" she asked, her tone softer than she intended.Lucas smiled and sat down, facing her. "Have you forgotten, Doc?" he asked, his tone formal which made Janette arch a brow. "I have an Aunt in your hospital. I came to see her. She's doing wonderfully well, and I wanted to thank the genius doctor who made it happen."Janette had no idea why he was being so formal with her. She knew she should be happy that he was at least doing that, but she had no idea why she felt weird and strange when he did it. Rosa couldn't be correct, right? With a sigh, she looked at Lucas who smiled at her. "You shouldn't have bothered, Mr. Harry," she said, a smile playing on her lips at his expression. Good. He wanted to be formal, right? Two can
049.J.H HOSPITAL "So, how did it go? You said you we're gonna tell me all about it today." Janette smiled at Rosa during their lunch break. Knowing the kind of person Rosa was, Janette really wanted to know how it went. Maybe-just maybe-Rosa would finally find someone who loves her, and who she loves back as well.Rosa cleared her throat, her eyes darting around the cafeteria. She wondered how much of what happened she should share, especially now that she didn't want Janette to know that her date was Alan yet. "To be honest," she began, taking a sip from her juice. "I really enjoyed the date. He took me to a fancy restaurant, we talked about some things, talked about college and our recent state. After that, we went star gazing. The sky was alive with stars last night." she smiled.Janette watched her closely, a smile playing on her lips. "It was, wasn't it?" she asked."Yeah," Rosa answered. "After everything, he brought me back home and we said our goodbyes. I actually had fun, b