I couldn't even imagine what she was feeling; it was painful, and the thought made me wish I could erase her memory so she could start afresh like she said because I will not be able to count the times I wanted to start over.When Mom passed…I even traveled, but of course, I never succeeded, and don't get me started on when I was married to William; if it weren't that I loved him, I could have started over long back.I wouldn't be here now.I would be in Africa; it's the most affordable and quiet continent, or… England, for a good education for my daughter.Yes, I booked tickets for both continents. I even spoke to apartment owners. Well, like I said, if I didn't blindly love William because I would make up my mind, Vivi would be there waiting, but as soon as William walks in and I see his thin lips and muscles, everything would go hazy, and I would forget to go to the airport.Well, I was stupidly in love back then, and no, I wasn't blaming myself or William; everything happens for
I wish I could say Carmen had an explanation for this, but she didn't. Instead, she looked down, avoiding me, and that was enough to give me an answer… I really couldn't deal with this right now, and just as I was about to say my goodbye because with how this turned out, she didn't deserve to be here, she had to leave even if I had to kick her out myself, well, that's when someone knocked, and I asked them to come in.“It’s your phone, Mrs. Frost.” It was the servant who took my handbag earlier; I had forgotten that my phone was in the bag, so looking at Carmen one last time, I walked out, taking my phone from the servant.“Santiago?”“Hi, Ana. Are you with Hudson? Is… it true?”“W-what's true? Can you calm down?”“He… Susanna…”“Yes, what about her?”“Her death… it wasn't natural; someone caused it.”“What?!” Okay, what was this?“Hudson just called.”“Hudson? But how…?” I stopped myself as I thought for a second, how did Hudson know about Susanna? “How does Hudson know about Susanna
I didn't know where to even start, but as Nicole said, if I didn't show up, Trey might die, and I knew how stubborn Trey was, so telling Hudson who was waiting for me to explain, I turned to leave, but he, of course, stood in my way.“You've just regained your consciousness, you need rest.”“That same consciousness won't let me rest, knowing my brother is about to die.”“I'll take care of it, take a bath, have dinner, and relax, Trey will be fine, I'll—”“I'd rather go there. I hadn't seen him in a while. I need to speak to him,” I insisted, and Hudson, seeing I wasn't giving in, had no choice but to allow me to go with him.Everything moved so fast that, before I knew it, we were in the car. Matt drove us to Williams' home.“Vivi, can I call you back?” I said as I picked up my ringing phone.“I can't wait, Ana, I need you.”“Alright, what happened?” I said, rubbing my forehead.“It's Harriot. He doesn't want to leave prison, he thinks he deserves it. He said he would be pleading guil
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
I didn't know where to even start, but as Nicole said, if I didn't show up, Trey might die, and I knew how stubborn Trey was, so telling Hudson who was waiting for me to explain, I turned to leave, but he, of course, stood in my way.“You've just regained your consciousness, you need rest.”“That same consciousness won't let me rest, knowing my brother is about to die.”“I'll take care of it, take a bath, have dinner, and relax, Trey will be fine, I'll—”“I'd rather go there. I hadn't seen him in a while. I need to speak to him,” I insisted, and Hudson, seeing I wasn't giving in, had no choice but to allow me to go with him.Everything moved so fast that, before I knew it, we were in the car. Matt drove us to Williams' home.“Vivi, can I call you back?” I said as I picked up my ringing phone.“I can't wait, Ana, I need you.”“Alright, what happened?” I said, rubbing my forehead.“It's Harriot. He doesn't want to leave prison, he thinks he deserves it. He said he would be pleading guil
I wish I could say Carmen had an explanation for this, but she didn't. Instead, she looked down, avoiding me, and that was enough to give me an answer… I really couldn't deal with this right now, and just as I was about to say my goodbye because with how this turned out, she didn't deserve to be here, she had to leave even if I had to kick her out myself, well, that's when someone knocked, and I asked them to come in.“It’s your phone, Mrs. Frost.” It was the servant who took my handbag earlier; I had forgotten that my phone was in the bag, so looking at Carmen one last time, I walked out, taking my phone from the servant.“Santiago?”“Hi, Ana. Are you with Hudson? Is… it true?”“W-what's true? Can you calm down?”“He… Susanna…”“Yes, what about her?”“Her death… it wasn't natural; someone caused it.”“What?!” Okay, what was this?“Hudson just called.”“Hudson? But how…?” I stopped myself as I thought for a second, how did Hudson know about Susanna? “How does Hudson know about Susanna
I couldn't even imagine what she was feeling; it was painful, and the thought made me wish I could erase her memory so she could start afresh like she said because I will not be able to count the times I wanted to start over.When Mom passed…I even traveled, but of course, I never succeeded, and don't get me started on when I was married to William; if it weren't that I loved him, I could have started over long back.I wouldn't be here now.I would be in Africa; it's the most affordable and quiet continent, or… England, for a good education for my daughter.Yes, I booked tickets for both continents. I even spoke to apartment owners. Well, like I said, if I didn't blindly love William because I would make up my mind, Vivi would be there waiting, but as soon as William walks in and I see his thin lips and muscles, everything would go hazy, and I would forget to go to the airport.Well, I was stupidly in love back then, and no, I wasn't blaming myself or William; everything happens for
The maid looked confused like I had just said something that was not making sense.“She’s only been gone for a few hours; the police would advise us to wait.”“It doesn’t matter; this family has been in danger lately; we can’t risk another life now; call 911.”“Alright, Mrs.” She finally walked to the telephone while I stood still for a second as I wondered why she didn’t look worried. I mean, didn’t Gianna know, Carmen? Because Margot was the head, she was like family, and despite the betrayal, she still did a lot for this family. Sure, she was paid to do it, but nobody paid her to love us like her children, so she was still very important to the family.After calming down, I finally looked up. Well, my hate for stairs came with the pregnancy. I sighed and was going to give it a try when one of the servants came from the stairs, struggling with a big suitcase.“Wait, whose bag is that?” I asked as looking at it, I could tell someone packed to leave, not for vacation.“Mrs. Lancaster.
Wow, this was something I never expected. I mean, it was Jimena; she always wanted William, so of course she would do anything to be with him, including faking a pregnancy, which is truly hard to believe. As I was a mother, I would never fake a pregnancy.After calming myself down, I asked my assistant to get the job done, getting the cleaner to clean the place. I asked her to supervise as I needed the desk scrubbed or, if possible, changed.“Send me the documents to my email; I will have a look at home,” I said before finally leaving.I could tell the employees were giving me eyes; I knew they knew, but I didn't have the time; I needed to get to the house so I could speak to Carmen about her daughter; something really needed to be done.“Hudson can take down any news reports, right?” I asked Matt as I got in, and he nodded his head, “If I ask him, he might not believe me, or better yet, he will just think I'm hallucinating.”“I can do it, Mrs. Frost; you don't have to ask him.”“News
She sounded confident, making me gasp in shock; her confidence shocked me. I mean, this was absurd; this company was mine. It didn't matter if she managed it for a month or so; I was the rightful owner, and no board member would choose who to manage as this was Adira, very different from all other companies.Hearing the knock on the door, I walked and got it.“Mrs. Frost.” It was the Director, also a board member. “I was in—”“Get security; we have a trespasser.”“I—”“Now and let others know that they won't be voting; I am back.”“Yes, Mrs. Frost, guard!” He called for a guard who I assume was patrolling.“Wait, you're not serious, are you?”“If I were you, I would use the few minutes I have to button up my shirt and leave as soon as possible because I am very sure reporters are on their way. See, we have spies here, and they probably heard of this.”“Oh, I don't care. Like you said, I'm not a Lancaster; I have no reputation to uphold.”“Even better, the media will destroy you as an
I mean, she is a cheater since she slept with Harriot too, but Daniella was new and a woman, so how did they already hit it off?I silently watched as she asked Jimena to excuse us—she even called her babe?…Well, Jimena, who looked ashamed as she couldn't even meet my eyes, rushed out, leaving Daniella and me alone.“Why are you here?” was the question she thought was important, “an hour ago you were enjoying your series looking all miserable, and now you're here all… dressed? What's this? A comedy? Are there hidden cameras I don't know about?” She started looking around, making me shake my head. “Ana, you—”“Do you know she's married?” I cut her off with a question, sure, after what William made me go through, Jimena cheating on him shouldn't be my concern; in fact, it should make me happy, but I wasn't a fan of cheaters, so this disturbed me.“Excuse me?”“Jimena and I didn't know you liked women, but to do it in my office? Now that's unacceptable.”“Wait, wait, wait, did…” She lau
I was waiting for Hudson to explain why I couldn't go, but he just swallowed his saliva, insisting that I couldn't just go. Well, I really wanted to see my company, so not listening, I told him I would be back before dinner.“Actually… I'm thinking the restaurant. Feels like I've been locked up here for years.” I added it before finally leaving.Outside I was glad to find Matt already waiting by the car.“Mrs. Frost.” He said as he held the door open for me, at least he was the only one who wasn't looking at me like I was a ghost or something.“Thank you, Matt,” I said as I got in, and after closing the door, he got in the driver's seat, and without saying a word, started the car.The ride to the company was quiet.I was wondering what was happening with Hudson, why he didn't want me to come to my company. Well, I was suspecting the part about Dad because he also asked that I not see him, but I didn't want to overthink it; it would just give me unnecessary stress.I was lost in my tho
~ANASTASIA~After the shower, I asked Juliette to leave as she was making me uncomfortable. I then realized the house decor, tulips on the coffee desk instead of the window stand, and coffee mugs on the coffee table, which made it look untidy. I quickly pulled my hair into a ponytail and started cleaning and organizing the place.It took me thirty minutes, and once that was done, I went to wash my face again and apply makeup because, with the way my face was feeling, it was like I hadn't worn makeup in weeks.After that I got in the kitchen and started preparing lunch; it was really confusing as I didn't remember when I got here or when Ivy and Hudson left for work, although Juliette insisted they left in the morning. All I remember was Dad losing consciousness and Trey asking me to get help. Speaking of Dad, I made a mental note to visit him after lunch; I was not sure if he was taken to the hospital or back home.I baked potatoes for Hudson and Ivy while I made salad; there was no s