~WILLIAM~I was reading through the report as I waited outside the bathroom door for my daughter who was taking hours.Jimena didn't want me to leave her side, she looked so scared. I didn't want to leave her alone, but Ivy didn't like the smell of disinfectant, so I left and promised to return in an hour.I left Jimena? It was shocking, as never have I ever left her side, not especially when she was in a situation like this, but my daughter came first. That's why I didn't think twice about it.I couldn't be far though—Jimena was expecting my child, so I got a room at a nearby hotel. Ivy insisted she wanted to take a shower. She didn't come with clothes, so I asked a friend to take care of that while I waited for her. I wanted to help her, but she insisted she was a big lady and couldn't be bathed.“Is the lady here?” she asked from the bathroom and I told her almost even when I didn't know how far off she was, if it was not that she didn’t work for me, I would have fired her already.
I thought I was making up the conversation, so I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at the screen just to confirm. This man mentioned my name, so it must be true. It was clear I wasn’t imagining the conversation, but bacteria? Who would do that?“Doctor, I'm not following… this bacteria—how did you treat it, and why didn't you tell me?”“Like I said, I feared the woman might pass out; she's already pregnant and suffering from stress.”“Anastasia?”“Yes, she came for a checkup a few days ago. I knew how risky such news was, and as for bacteria, it's only found in Russia, so for it to be found in the little girl—”“Must mean someone injected it into her.” I cut him off, finishing his sentence, “I mean, did you find anything, a needle mark maybe, or—”“We did, but the needle used was very thin; it barely left a mark, but if you look at her neck, you'll see the dark spot where the needle was inserted.” He said, making me nod my head in understanding, “According to the results, it mus
WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022~ANASTASIA~Most stories open up in pleasant settings, but mine started in a prison cell. Never did I imagine I’d end up here, especially for the man I loved. God, life is unpredictable!I was staring at the dirty ceiling, watching the spiders scurry around. How had I ended up here? Then I heard a voice, snapping me back to reality.“Mrs. Rogers?” A guard's voice snapped me back to reality. “You're going home,” she said as she unlocked the cell. A smile tugged at my li-ps. Finally, I was going home—my husband was here for me. I had feared he’d forgotten about me.A few months ago, he had begged me to take the blame for hitting someone while speeding. “You’re just a housewife; it won’t affect you,” he’d said. He promised to pick me up when I got out.As we walked to the reception, my heart sank. The man waiting for me wasn’t my husband. My bail had been paid by someone else. “Of course, it’s not him,” I muttered under my breath.The officer asked if something
I was speechless. Sure, the marriage never worked out, and I expected this after his grandfather's death, but today? How could he do that when I sat in that cell for his crime?“I will have my lawyer start with the process,” He brushed his fingers across his mouth, removing lipstick, the sight of it made my heart ache.“W-what… What are you saying, William, I-”“Aren't you tired of crying?” He spoke over me. I looked up, seeing the frustration in his face as he raked a hand through his hair. “Listen, you tricked me, and your time is over, or what made you think Grandpa would never die?”“But...why now?” I whispered, trying to understand, “We can talk about this, William; we can’t just…”“Just what? Get a divorce? God, you’re such a headache.” He started rubbing his temples; he always did that and always complained about how unhappy he was, but I knew marriage wasn’t easy; I knew he wasn’t himself, so I stepped closer and tried to touch his hands, but he flinched away.“What the fck? W
My head spun as I stumbled back to the bed, clutching my chest against the stabbing pain.“I did you a favor packing your bags. I could’ve just thrown your things everywhere,” Jimena sneered, her words slicing through the silence. I ignored her, desperately trying to steady my breath.“You… you can’t be pregnant. William won’t accept it.”“Are you calling me a liar?” she snapped. I held her gaze, refusing to show how much she was hurting me. I was William’s wife. She was just his mistress. It didn’t matter if he loved her—by law and to the world, I was Mrs. Rogers.“Yes,” I said firmly, rising from the bed. “You’ve always wanted my husband. I’m sure you made this up.”“No, Anastasia,” she said, stepping closer with a wicked smile. “Liam has always loved me. You’re the one who tricked him. You came between us—”“It doesn’t matter,” I cut her off. Her expression faltered. “I’m his wife, and that’s all that counts.”“He’s going to divorce you,” she said in a confident voice. “He loves me
I was shocked. Why didn’t William allow me to leave, and most importantly, what made him think I would listen to him?I knew I was still in love with him, but I knew when to stop. I broke eye contact and freed my arm from his grip.“You’re not leaving here, Anastasia.”“Why?” I sounded confident. “Why should I not leave?”“Because I say so.”“God…” I couldn’t believe him. I shook my head as I couldn’t find the words to respond. He was full of himself.“Now go back to the guest room before I lose my patients.” He commanded. I looked at him and then at Jimena, who was as shocked as me as she left the magazine she was pretending to read and fixed her eyes on us now.“I don’t know what’s wrong with you; I mean, sure, I was a fool to fall for you but to think you own me.” I hysterically chuckled.“I own you. I don’t know if your father told you, but the situation his company is in is not good, and without me, it wouldn’t be a company.”“Wait, you’re threatening me with my father's company?
~ANASTASIA~I slapped my forehead, which caught Scott’s attention as he turned to me with a curious look.“Is-”“Drive.” I cut him.“Ms. Anastasia-”“I'm not Ms. Anastasia!” I clarified, though I was choked up as I said this., “I mean, I guess now—agh, just drive, please.” I was choked up as I said this...It was hard to face the truth that I was not married to William anymore.Scott nodded his head and then started the car. I took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself.I rested my head on the seat and closed my eyes, as I knew it would calm me because I needed to be as calm as possible. I scratched my arms as they were a little itchy—I hadn't had a proper bath in days.Even with my eyes closed, I didn't miss it when the car came to a stop, I quickly opened my eyes, and without waiting for Scott, I assisted myself out of the car.“My apologies Ms Ana-Rogers…” I bumped into him as he was about to open the door for me.“Just give me my bag.” I sniffed, and Scott without wasting time ru
~ANASTASIA~ “If you're here to make fun of me, then I advise you to leave now, brother” I said and walked back to the couch while he remained frozen. “I know, yes, I was wrong, and yes, I'm in big trouble, but trust me, I know how to solve my problems, okay?” I said as I picked up my bowl and started eating, the person still didn't respond, and I, not wanting to force anything, ignored him and focused on my food. "Ana?” he finally said after a long moment. “Just get over with it Trey, what are you going to say now? That you warned me? Well, I'm sorry for being-” “I'm so sorry,” he said, surprising me. I turned to look at him, and he nodded his head and then came to me. "Listen, I'm not interested in your pity.” “I'm your brother; if I don't pity you, who will?” He asked as he sat next to me, and then he placed his arm on my back and started running it in a comforting manner, “This bastard hurt you so much. I'm sorry, sis. I really am,” he continuously said, but I didn't respond
I thought I was making up the conversation, so I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at the screen just to confirm. This man mentioned my name, so it must be true. It was clear I wasn’t imagining the conversation, but bacteria? Who would do that?“Doctor, I'm not following… this bacteria—how did you treat it, and why didn't you tell me?”“Like I said, I feared the woman might pass out; she's already pregnant and suffering from stress.”“Anastasia?”“Yes, she came for a checkup a few days ago. I knew how risky such news was, and as for bacteria, it's only found in Russia, so for it to be found in the little girl—”“Must mean someone injected it into her.” I cut him off, finishing his sentence, “I mean, did you find anything, a needle mark maybe, or—”“We did, but the needle used was very thin; it barely left a mark, but if you look at her neck, you'll see the dark spot where the needle was inserted.” He said, making me nod my head in understanding, “According to the results, it mus
~WILLIAM~I was reading through the report as I waited outside the bathroom door for my daughter who was taking hours.Jimena didn't want me to leave her side, she looked so scared. I didn't want to leave her alone, but Ivy didn't like the smell of disinfectant, so I left and promised to return in an hour.I left Jimena? It was shocking, as never have I ever left her side, not especially when she was in a situation like this, but my daughter came first. That's why I didn't think twice about it.I couldn't be far though—Jimena was expecting my child, so I got a room at a nearby hotel. Ivy insisted she wanted to take a shower. She didn't come with clothes, so I asked a friend to take care of that while I waited for her. I wanted to help her, but she insisted she was a big lady and couldn't be bathed.“Is the lady here?” she asked from the bathroom and I told her almost even when I didn't know how far off she was, if it was not that she didn’t work for me, I would have fired her already.
I swallowed hard, fighting to stay calm. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue because there was no way he was asking me such a question in that tone.“Did you know that Juliette is Mrs Grant's daughter?” I asked, changing the topic.“I asked you a question, Anastasia. Did you or did you not sleep with William?”“Okay, I'm not doing this,” I said, standing up, and he stood up too.“Doing what? It's a simple question with a yes or no answer.”“Which is not important. We have something more important to worry about. Our reputation, remember?”“I do not care about reputation right now. Tell me, did you sleep with William?”“You're being childish, I mean are we even supposed to have this conversation?”“Yes, we are… A man who happens to be my wife’s ex-husband tells me something amazing happened between him and my wife. He also says there's hope and that I should prepare for a divorce. Am I just supposed to ignore that?”“I'm hungry, do you want to do takeout? I heard you love pizza.”“Seriou
~ANASTASIA~‘What? You think he's serious? Really, with all those earrings? Come on, Ana, you're better than this.’‘He's not you.’‘Exactly. I'm better; trust me, once he gets what he wants, he will leave you in the dust.’“Ana?!” Hudson's voice shook me out of my thoughts. I don't know why I was replaying my conversation with William in my head. He told me Hudson was not husband material, and that he had earrings. He made it sound like there were a lot. Hudson had one earring on his left ear. I didn't ask why he had it, but it looked good on him, too good that it would make other women want him, and William thinks he won't hesitate to cheat.‘I only cheated with Jimena, which I'm sure you understand, but Hudson, you are going to regret it, Anastasia; you should separate now that it's still early. Save yourself from the embarrassment, at least do it for our daughter!’I walked to the sink and fetched water into a glass.“I know you're worried about Ivy, but she is back home; she will
After my daughter agreed, we got in the car, and we were driven to the hospital by one of my drivers. Ivy looked so calm, and I wanted to keep it that way. I didn't know how, but I knew she had to be calm. It didn't matter if I had to give Nicole money; she couldn't be rude to my daughter.It didn't take long as we were now in the hospital's parking area. I turned to my daughter intending to ask her if she was ready, but the smile on her face told me she was, so without asking, I got out of the car and held out my hand for her.I asked if she could walk, and she said she could, then reminded me how what happened to her hours ago wasn't serious.“Son.” Mom was the first to rush to me; she hugged me, and since I was holding Ivy's hand, I only used one hand to return the hug. “I'm glad you came; I was so worried,” she said, and I nodded as I turned to Nicole, who was forcing Karen to have tea, but she refused.I knew it wouldn't be easy, as Karen already hated me. Last time she warned me
***“I can’t come now; just investigate what happened, get someone on it, and don’t leave her side. If anything happens to her, it’s on you. Get it?”“Yes, sir.”“Good, keep in touch.” With that, I ended the call and turned to Ana, who seemed to be shivering. Hudson was holding her, and I couldn’t help but blame myself for her condition.We have been waiting here for about twenty minutes now, and still no sign of a doctor. I turned to Carmen and Mrs. Grant, who both looked worried—Mrs. Grant was comforting Carmen.Carmen had been blaming me since we got here, saying I was responsible, and I didn't even try to deny it; I was. I'm the reason whatever happened to her happened. Ana hadn't said a word; she seemed too shocked to speak as her whole body was trembling, but I knew if anything happened to Ivy I wouldn't survive it, not only from her but from my guilt.How could I let Ivy walk out when she was clearly upset?I took a deep breath and was going to knock on the door when it suddenl
~WILLIAM~I was pacing around, running my hands into my hair as I thought of all the possible consequences.I didn't know whether I should go out there and confront Hudson or just remain here and be calm like Anastasia asked. I mean, going out there would make her upset because after last night’s kiss—even though she slapped me, it showed me there was hope, so I wanted to be on her good side.I was going to sit on the bed and just give it time when a thought struck my mind. Hudson said he was going to take a shower; what if Anastasia decided to join him? I couldn't allow that, so I made my way to the door, but before I could reach it, my phone started ringing, and since I was expecting a call from James, I reached into my pocket, and surprisingly, it was my sister, Nicole.I didn't understand how she was calling me when I blocked her and was going to press the ignore button when I realized the call was coming from my social media company account; I picked up as I thought it was urgent
Carmen wiped her tears while staring at her daughter's photo. She told me her name was Daniella, or Dani for short.Hudson was explaining the details about her life; “She works at a restaurant, never went to college, has no kids, and has no friends. She rents an apartment in town and doesn’t have a boyfriend.” Everything Hudson said sounded so sad; Daniella's life seemed lonely. No boyfriend or friends? I mean, he didn't need to add that she had no family, as that was obvious.“This is my fault.”“Carmen…”“I abandoned her; it's because of me that she doesn't go to college, that she's this lonely.”“None of it is your fault, Carmen.” I said as I rubbed her back in a comforting way, “You made a mistake; no one is perfect.” I said, and it seemed to make her better as she wiped her tears even though more kept coming—at least she was trying.Hudson was truly helpful as he explained how kind the daughter was; if I hadn't followed the details from the reports, I would think he knew her as a
Carmen and I were now in the living room; Ivy asked for William, and I showed her to William's room, so she went to him. “Should I get you coffee? Tea?”“No, we already had breakfast. We arrived last night; Mrs. Grant gave us a guest room.”“Oh, with Ivy?” I was just curious about how Ivy didn't insist on coming to me.“Yes, she was asleep when we arrived. Now tell me about you. How are you?”“I'm fine; it's not the first time. I'm used to it. Comes with being a heiress, your life is everyone's business.”“I know…” she looked around before she whispered, “Mrs. Frost was at the house; she was very upset.”“She called me.”“I'm so sorry, Ana. I know this is not what you pictured your married life to be.”“It's okay, I'm on it. How's Dad? How's everyone?” I just wanted to focus on spending a day with my daughter and Carmen.“They are all worried about you. Santiago is stressed; you know this is all on him.”“I know, I actually don't know if I sho