~ANASTASIA~I was lost in my thoughts when my daughter started shaking my arm.“Mommy! Mommy, please.”“Honey?”“Daddy is outside, Mommy, and he said the guards don't want to let him in; only you can do it, Mom; you gave the order.”“Yes.” That was all I could say.“Are you going to open for Daddy?” She looked hopeful.“Okay, I want you to do something for me.” I said and sat up, “I want you to stay here until I come back, okay?”“Mommy?—”“Thank you.” I said, then kissed her forehead before I walked toward the door, ignoring her as she called me and asked if I was going to open for her daddy, “Don’t move from there.” I said before I opened the door and headed out, good thing my daughter obeyed orders.When I reached down, I found Margot in the living room; she quickly stood up as soon as she saw me.“Ms. Anastasia, do… Do you need anything?” She asked, and I had no choice but to talk to her.“Make sure Ivy doesn't come out of this house,” I said, and without waiting for her response,
~ANASTASIA~I couldn’t believe what my eyes were witnessing; Ivy was on her knees, her hands clasped together, practically begging me to open the gate. William seemed to have heard Ivy was here, as his knocking stopped.“Please, I just want to see my daughter; I haven’t seen her in years.” I heard William say. Great, now I will be seen as the monster.“Sweetheart, get up.” My heart was broken seeing Ivy on her knees. It was all William's fault; if he hadn’t done what he did, I wouldn't have a problem with him being around Ivy.“Mommy, please.” Ivy continued; she refused to get up. “I really miss Daddy. Charlie has a daddy; I also want my daddy.” She said, and I couldn't help as I walked to her and helped her up.“Please open the gate,” I said to the gatekeeper, who nodded and opened the gate while I tried to clean her knees. I say tried because as soon as the door opened and William came into sight, Ivy left my side and went to him.“My smart girl,” William said as he picked her up an
~ANASTASIA~I stood by Trey's door until I was sure he was done with the phone call, and then I knocked, when he asked me to go in, I went in pretending to have just gotten there.“Did you purposely allow Ivy to call William?” I asked and sat beside him on the bed.“What? Sis, you know how much I dislike that bastard; I swear I didn't know.”“I trust you; well, he's here.”“Sis?”“It's okay; Ivy seems... happy.” It was hard to say, “I just hope he doesn't break her heart this time.” I tried to sound strong as I didn't want to worry him when he clearly had a lot to deal with.“He's the father; you know it's difficult to say no to that little girl. I had to send her to you.” He admitted, and we both laughed, not loud, just softly, as clearly we were both not at peace.“Who are you ignoring?” I asked, as his phone rang twice already.“It's no one, so tell me, how's business? Why did Dad urgently want you to have breakfast with them? What did Santiago say?” He asked, and I realized Margot
~ANASTASIA~Have you ever had a heart attack? The one that feels like your heart is on fire? The burning starts small, like a spark, but then it spreads fast; it doesn't stop. No matter how deep you breathe, it's still there—hot, forceful, and unshakeable. If you had it, then you know how I was feeling right now.I opened my mouth and gasped for air, but nothing helped; it was as if a fire was lit in my chest, and it refused to let go.I placed one hand on my chest and another on my stomach; as a fresh tear rolled down my cheek, I was on the verge of losing control when my stomach growled. Yes, I was hungry, but that’s what made me pull myself together—for my baby.I tell you when the heart remembers its ‘why,’ the mind finds a way because I suddenly felt better, the burning sensation in my chest disappeared, and I could breathe without needing to gasp for air.After a moment to myself, I turned the doorknob and entered. It’s like they knew I was by the door as they all turned to me.
~ANASTASIA~“We will try to talk to him, right, honey?” Carmen turned to Dad, who nodded.“Yes, we will. I promise I will.” Dad agreed, but I knew Santiago's mind was made up; he was the head of the family, so our lives depended on it if I wanted to continue being a part of it. Okay, on my own I would have just taken my daughter and run away, but now Trey was here; he was in debt, and until he was clean, I couldn't risk it.So pushing the plate of food from my sight, I got up and headed straight to Santiago's room; I knew just what to do.When I reached their door, I stopped and listened as it seemed they were arguing. I swear I don't like eavesdropping, but this involved me; my name was mentioned.“You're not understanding me, love; you of all people know that this is the right thing for her,” Santiago said.“I know, but I think we should give her time; she's pregnant.”“Trust me, that's not an issue at all.”“It is for her, listen love—”“No… at this point. I'm not even listening to
~ANASTASIA~I cleared my voice before I asked, “What do you want, Jimena?”“Oh, nothing, I just wanted to check on you.”“Why? I mean, it's not like we are friends.”“I know. You almost killed my baby; I almost had a miscarriage because of you.”“What? Ahh, you're insane.”“No, I'm not. You're the insane one, or you thought what, the video would make William come back to you? Well, news flash, Ana, William proposed to me.”“W-what?” I was shocked.“Yeah, I might be in the hospital, but in a few weeks I will be Mrs. Rogers,” she sounded excited, I mean she always wanted my place so it made sense.“Yes… as it should be.” I didn't know what to say; I mean, my marriage with William was long broken, but hearing that he had proposed to her, even when I expected it, just made it feel so real: “He's marrying you.” I unconsciously said.“Yes, he is, and trust me, this baby will be born healthy no matter the stunts you pull. Do you know why? It's because William loves me.”“I don't know why you
~ANASTASIA~It was early morning. I woke up feeling better. Margot came and informed me I was needed in the dining room, but I refused. I told her to tell my father I was not hungry, and when she insisted, I threw pillows at her, and it worked, just like it had always worked years back when I was just a spoiled heiress.I was now getting ready to visit my mom’s grave. I had already asked one of the servants to help Ivy get ready since Charlie had gone with Gianna to see Jimena. She told me, and although it hurt me that my friend was helping the woman who broke my marriage, I still understood because Jimena was her cousin too.“Mommy, are you ready?” Ivy asked while knocking.“Yes, honey, just a second,” I said as I zipped the back of my skirt and then walked to the bed and took the black glasses. I had spots under my eyes, and I didn't want to worry Ivy since she was very smart.After I was done, I picked up my handbag, and then taking my phone, I headed out.“Ow, you look so pretty,
~ANASTASIA~I was scared too; I feared for my father’s life, but being a mother, I had to pretend to be okay, to pretend nothing was wrong.“It’s nothing, baby; Grandpa is fine,” I said, stroking her hair as she was now in my arms hugging me tightly. Ivy was strong, but she had a soft spot for the ones she cared for, just like me, so I understood why she was shaken.My eyes were now on Margot, watching her closely as she spoke in a low tone. They spoke for like five minutes, if I'm not mistaken, before the call ended, and she handed me my phone, but I asked with my eyes for an explanation. I was still upset with Margot, but still, I knew she was the only one to tell me what was happening.“It's a document. I misplaced it, and your father couldn't find it.”“A document?”“Yes, Ms.”“Then why was Carmen sounding like Dad was in a critical condition or something?”“Oh yes, your father… He has become grumpy; I mean, it comes with age…” She nervously chuckled before she continued, “He was
~ANASTASIA~The mattress felt so soft that I almost closed my eyes to sleep when I heard the movement of the door. “We’ll… be sharing the bedroom?” I quickly sat up and asked Hudson as he came in with both our suitcases.“Yes, why?”“I… I’m not comfortable.” I rubbed my arms as I developed goosebumps, not because it was cold but because of the thought of sharing the bed with Hudson—I mean, his story with Maddison was not cleared yet. Not that it was the excuse, but I wasn’t ready to share a bed with him—even without that complication.“Alright, I’ll take the couch.”“Actually, I prefer you take one of the guest rooms.”“What?”“Please.”“What if people will visit?”“They know we didn’t marry because of…” I stopped myself as I almost said love but remembered his confession, “We will figure it out. I mean, your clothes can be here, but—”“You do know we’ll be staying here for over a month, right?”“I’ll be going to LA next week.”“I know, but you’ll be back in a month, and the house mig
~ANASTASIA~I was going to scream when Carmen's voice echoed in my head. She told me to always think before reacting, and to always hold my composure; she said crying was for the weak, and in this world, no matter how much money you had, you had to learn to control your emotions.Carmen has gone through almost the same, where she's looked down upon and doubted even I had a hand in that, but never has she ever broken down in front of people, she told me she rarely cried; if she felt like it, she would take a cigarette or simply a shot of a strong liquor. I couldn't do either now as I was pregnant, and besides, there was nothing to cry about. I've seen worse than this.With that in mind, I splashed water on my face before drying it with a tissue and then continued to pack.I was done in a second, so I walked out of the bathroom. It didn't surprise me to find Hudson on a phone call with our things on the bed; I mean, William was lazy, so I knew all the men were.“Yes, detective, see you
~ANASTASIA~I was so lost in my thoughts thinking about the marriage that when I heard my name, I jumped.“Yes?” I said and cleared my throat, as it was embarrassing; I had even forgotten we were standing in front of Gabrielle, the friend of Hudson’s contract lover. I couldn't let her think I was to be messed with.“She was asking what you think of the plan,” Hudson said, and I nodded my head before I looked at her plan as she was holding the poster up for me.“How many bedrooms?” I asked after a glance.“Seven, we have the master bedroom, two girls' rooms, two boys' rooms, and two guest rooms.”“Oh, actually…” I brought out the plan I drew earlier with Carmen: “I was thinking six, one master bedroom, two guest rooms, and about our children we will figure it out.”“Yes, that's why I added the extra, as most families have four: two girls and two boys.”“We are not most families, so six.” I sounded confident.“I mean we could turn it into the playroom; I'll see what I can put there,” sh
~ANASTASIA~It's been hours; Carmen and I were still in the library. She was now teaching me how to run a household. I wasn't just doing this for Hudson, but we had three children, so I had to be prepared, I never lived with Ivy, so I didn't know how to take care of a family.Two maids came and brought us snacks as we hadn't left the library in quite a while. Carmen was telling me about infidelity and how I was supposed to deal with that when my phone started ringing.“It's Hudson; I need to pick it,” I said, and she nodded, asking me to go ahead. I stood up and walked to the window before pressing the accept button. “Hudson?”“Anastasia, I'm on my way; I want us to pass by the building before we get home.”“Home?”“Yes, I bought us an apartment; it is safe, and at least there we'll have privacy.” He said. He had earlier mentioned moving out of the hotel as we didn't know who took that video, so privacy wasn't secured.“Oh, yes, sure, you know you don't have to call me every time you'
~ANASTASIA~She turned to Dad, who shook his head, clearly not happy with Carmen.So William re-proposed to Jimena? That means they were really getting married.“Sweetheart, Carmen didn't mean to say that to hurt you.” Dad said, and Carmen nodded, “She just—”“Dad, why are you apologizing?” I asked; I mean, I was married to Hudson, and William marrying Jimena meant I would be left alone, and right now all I wanted was peace; I had a baby to prepare for, and all these recent dramas distracted me. “Hudson is a good man, and Grandma was right; he is my match.” I lied about the match part because I didn't want Dad to worry.“That's good to hear, love; your mom would be so happy for you.”“Thanks, Dad.”“Okay, enough with William. Ana, I heard you found an area for your home; how is it going? How many bedrooms are you going to have? You know it's a home; there will be a name attached to it, so think of guests and not only the present kids but also the future.”“Yes, Gabrielle is helping us
~ANASTASIA~“No, that's a six!” Ivy loudly said.“No, it's a nine.” Dad insisted.“Oh my god, give me a second.” She said, and Dad nodded, then turned to me while I shook my head. Ivy walked to the dresser and then picked up her tablet. I watched as she typed something before she came to us, then showing the screen to Dad, she repeated, “It says this is six; nine is this one.” She sounded annoyed, and I couldn't help but bite my inner cheeks before commenting.“Grandpa is old, sweetheart; he can't see clearly.”“Yes, but he's being stubborn.”“It's okay; go get Grandma; Grandpa needs to take his medicine,” I told her, and she scoffed before leaving. She was so annoyed at Father; as soon as the door closed, Dad turned to me, and we started laughing.We laughed so hard until we lost our breath, and now we had to gasp for air.“My God, she's very smart,” Dad commented.“Yes, she is, and she hates it when she's right and someone insists she's wrong,” I said, and he nodded.“I loved messin
~ANASTASIA~These are the consequences of being from a wealthy family: whatever you do is the public's business because I'm sure just one of the people who were in the bar recorded that video and released it on the internet.“You… kissed him back?”“Hudson, I… I can explain.”“Yes, because I'm confused.”“I didn't know he was there.”“Why did you kiss him back?”“I don't know; I've been married to him for years. Do you think our connection will just disappear that same day?”“It was always you; he never felt the same.”“I know, okay, I'm sorry; I swear I didn't mean to.” That's all I could say; I really had no excuse as I was mad at myself for kissing William back, “but I slapped him so hard after—”“The kiss.”“Hudson?” I stood up as he turned to leave.“I'm going to try and get it fixed,” he said, and I nodded as he got his phone from his pockets and then walked to the bedroom. I watched him disappear before I turned my attention back to the TV screen.Somehow I was glad Hudson was
~JIMENA~I mean, I looked this way because of him. I was this dirty trying to make sure our marriage happened while he was here, clean, and not just that, but watching a movie, unbothered, and eating popcorn like everything was okay?!“You honestly need to stop going out at this time; what would your fans say if they saw you like this?”“My fans?”“Yes,” he plainly answered, then turned his attention back to the TV. I didn't understand how the man I left a few hours ago was already so sober; is it that he pretended to be drunk?I cleared my throat before I walked to where he was; his attention was on the TV, so he didn't hear me until I snatched the bowl of popcorn from his hands.“I think you should have a shower before eating,” he said, sounding unbothered.“Is that it?”“That's what?”“You're not going to ask what happened to me?”“I did, but you didn't—”“You asked where I was coming from, William.”“Isn't it the same thing?”“No, it's not. How does where I'm coming from and what
~ANASTASIA~I couldn't believe Hudson; I mean, how could he even think that? I stood up from the bed as he tried to touch me.“What is going on?” I asked.“What do you mean?” He sounded clueless like what he was trying to do was normal.“This, you—oh my god.” I rubbed my forehead. “You are thinking of sex with everything going on?”“We need to consummate the marriage.”“And you think this is the best time?”“I mean?”“Maddison is carrying your child.”“I will take care of that; nothing to worry about.”“Well, I am worried; my reputation—Lancaster's reputation—is at stake.”“Don't worry; Maddison will be taken care of.” He repeated, and he was sounding annoying at this point; all I could hear was, [She will be taken care of] but how?“Listen, I really don't have a problem with you sleeping with your mistress, but what I'm asking is that you be discreet about it.”“What?”“I mean—”“No, did you just give me, your husband, permission to sleep with another woman?” He sounded shocked.“You