(Jayden)I’ve come home from work not a moment too soon. I step into this pristine mansion and immediately feel the tension in the air. Henry is crying.From the look on the tutor’s face as she gathers her things, it’s been a long day.“Mr. Brennan,” the tutor says, her tone polite but weary. “The girls have been adjusting fairly well, although they do need to understand discipline, but Bobby… Well, he’s been more interested in the kitten than lessons. I’ve barely seen him all day.”I sigh, taking Henry from his carer’s arms and bouncing him gently. His cries are escalating, and I know it’s time for a bottle. “Thank you for today. We all need some time. I’ll talk to him.”She nods, offering a smile before leaving.Henry’s carer offers her goodbyes, and I thank her too.I move into the sitting room, where the girls are flipping through books, but they look worn out. I quickly grab a bottle from the small fridge I had set up in the sitting room and heat it in the microwave oven next to
(Jayden)Bobby is looking at me with such hope in his eyes, and I can’t say no. “Alright,” I say quietly. “Let’s go.”Henry settles off to sleep as we walk. It’s a good distance, but finally we head around to the back yard area.Winona wasn’t wrong. It’s huge in here. Like a private forested area, beyond the cleared spaces.“I did this today,” Bobby says, pointing towards two huge flower beds. “I cleared them out for Mom. I thought she’d like it.”I blink, surprised and honestly, amazed. “You did all this?” There’s a massive pile of weeds stockpiled at the side. “Mom and the girls are going to love it. Look at the butterflies and bees.”The brightly colored flowers beam back at us with insects buzzing about. It’s beautiful.Bobby nods, a hint of pride creeping into his voice. “Yeah. And there’s more. Look.”He leads me to a brick wood-burning grill near the back of the cottage, which really isn’t anything like a cottage. The grill is old but in good shape, and Bobby’s clearly been wor
(Winona)As Viktor drives me home from Nexus Global, I can’t help but feel a strange mixture of satisfaction and exhaustion. It’s been a long day, but surprisingly, a good one.Connecting with Sofia was something I wasn’t expecting, and it’s left me with more to think about than I’d planned.We pull up to the huge mansion and Jayden’s standing by the front entrance, pushing Henry’s pram back and forth. He smiles when he sees me, that warm, easy grin that always makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.I step out of the car, making my way over to him. “Hey,” I say, leaning in to kiss him lightly. “You’re waiting for me?”“Of course. How was it with Sofia?” Jayden asks, his voice genuinely curious as he peers down at Henry, still asleep in the pram.I bend down and kiss Henry’s cheek.“She’s sharp. Really sharp. I actually learned a lot from her today.” I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. “She’s damn good at her job. I can see why she’s where she is.”Jayden nods, his ex
(Winona)The backyard is alive with laughter and chatter as the grill sizzles away. Jayden stands at the helm, flipping burgers, hot dogs, and skewers of vegetables, while Bobby and the girls dart around, helping where they can.It’s a beautiful scene—warm, welcoming. The large fire is burning well and there are many gathered around it. Some sitting on the many stumps provided as seats and some just standing near the warmth.Everyone is smiling and chatting. I’d gotten some of the bottles of rosé from the main house cellar brought down. Not everyone likes beer.Viktor walks over, holding a beer, his usual stoic expression softened. “I think you’ve won them over,” he says in his deep, accented voice, gesturing toward the staff who are now mingling and laughing, clearly enjoying the meal.“Bobby has really outdone himself. I never would have expected it of him.”“Kids can surprise you if you don’t limit them.”I glance around, taking it all in. The chefs have been cooking alongside Jayd
(Winona)Hugo hesitates, but under the weight of everyone’s expectations, he finally sits down, the beer still in hand. He takes a sip, and I swear I see him wince. He swallows like it has razor blades in it.The whole scene is comical—Hugo, ever the formal assistant, sitting here with us, trying to look like this isn’t the most uncomfortable situation he’s been in.Everyone else raises their glasses and goes back to their conversations. I separate a little from the women and stay close to Jayden for now.Jayden chuckles softly. “Now that you’re settled, how are the plans coming along for the welcome party I promised Abby and Winona?”Hugo stiffens again, clearing his throat. “The welcome party, monsieur?”Jayden raises an eyebrow. “You do remember the family party I promised Abby over the phone at my welcome dinner, right? I asked you to look into organizing it.”Hugo’s face pales slightly. “I… may have overlooked that particular detail. There were pressing matters concerning the Lon
(Winona)I stand in the cottage, staring at my phone. My mind is a whirlwind, and the words that woman said, the steadiness of her dark gaze, replays in my head. Pregnant. No way.I hit Lisa’s speed dial and the video call button. She picks up after a couple of rings, her face popping up on the screen. She’s in her kitchen, coffee mug in hand, looking at me with wide eyes.“Oh no, what happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says, skipping the small talk as usual.“I wish it was that simple,” I reply, trying to laugh it off, but even I can hear the unease in my voice. “A ghost would be perfect right now.”Lisa raises an eyebrow, taking a sip of her coffee. “Uh-oh. Spill. What’s going on? Did Jayden do something? Or is it the whole Belgian experience finally hitting you? But it’s not the chocolate, right? That stuff is as amazing as they say it is?”I shake my head. “No, it’s not Jayden. He’s actually been great. And the chocolate is amazing, yes. It’s something else… someth
(Winona)My heart pounds, and for a second, I can’t speak. I look away from the screen, my stomach knotting up, thoughts swirling in my mind. Hall pass week was wild on two occasions.Yes, there were condoms to start with. But can I be one hundred percent sure after that? No. No, I can’t.“Lisa…” My voice trembles as I force the words out. “I don’t know. I don’t think I did have unprotected sex, apart from with Jayden. But there’s always a chance even with contraceptives…”The silence on the other end stretches, heavy and suffocating. I watch Lisa’s face as she processes what I’ve just said, her brow furrowing.She knows me too well, knows when I’m not telling her everything. But how can I even begin to explain this mess? I barely understand it myself. This might get way more complicated. This may tear apart my family for good.Lisa finally breaks the silence, her tone firm and serious. “Winona, you need to find out. If there’s even the slightest chance you’re pregnant, you need to kn
(Winona)I walk back to the main house. The kids are in lessons now, but I have to go check out schools this afternoon. Sure, check out schools I may never need. I could be a single mom back in the USA anytime soon.I need to get a pregnancy test while I’m out and keep that hidden.This is so ridiculous. I’m not pregnant. I can’t get pregnant.I practiced safe sex on hall pass week. Now I wish I’d never insisted on hall pass week. What a crazy-ass idea. But I did do it safely. There were condoms.But condoms break. Condoms slip. And everything got out of control fast. It was chaotic, messy, and in the back of my mind, I know there’s always a chance these things fail. That’s just the ugly truth.Maybe I can’t remember every detail now, but surely I insisted on double checking at the time…But still… the odds are in my favor, aren’t they? It has to be Jayden’s. We’ve been together so much recently, and it would make sense that if I was pregnant, it would be his baby. It has to be. Right