(Jayden)But Lance had to see his mom’s slow decline into depression before she finally ended things herself too. He had no other family he knew of and a shit ton of money.So, we just became best friends, and then we met Winona and Lisa. We became each other’s family when he didn’t have one of his own, and I guess I didn’t realize how much that bond had shaped us both until now.Lance and I bonded over our shared, fucked-up parent issues, and it made us inseparable. My mother might have been dysfunctional in her love, but at least she stood by me. He never had anyone.Only us four friends hanging out and doing life. We were the ones who helped each other survive high school, then college, through all the madness of growing up.We were just kids then, thinking we could save each other and the world. But adulthood and this betrayal make those bonds fragile.But none of that changes what he did. It makes it worse. I glare at him, refusing to soften. “You don’t get to make this about som
(Winona)My laptop buzzes with a video call coming through. I draw a deep breath, steeling myself as I answer. Jayden’s face appears on the screen, looking more worn and tired than I’ve ever seen him in a very long time.His eyes are shadowed, his jaw tight, and there’s a vulnerability there that roils at my gut.“Hey,” he says, his voice rough. “Thanks for taking the call.”“Hey,” I manage, trying to keep my own voice steady, feeling my palms grow clammy. The silence between us stretches, heavy with all the things we need to say, everything we need to fix and everything we’ve broken.Jayden’s throat works as he swallows. “I owe you an apology,” he says, his voice thick. “For what I said about Judy being right. I didn’t mean it. I was angry, and I let my hurt speak for me. I went back to a place I thought I’d never be again. I’m sorry.”His words sink in.“I just want to make things clear,” I say, my voice cracking despite my best efforts. “I get why you had that reaction. I get that
(Jayden)I exhale slowly, the relief settling in as Winona agrees to meet. Even through the screen, the strength in her voice grounds me, and for a moment, it feels like we’re at least in the same book.“Klara’s place, then,” I confirm. “I’ll work out the logistics with Viktor, and we’ll make sure no one from the estate knows.”Winona nods, but I catch the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. It’s not just about Judy or the logistics of hiding our plans. There’s still so much hurt between us, so much we have to navigate.“I hate that it’s come to this,” she admits, her voice soft. “Playing games to outsmart your mother… it feels exhausting. And there’s still no guarantee we’ll be okay at the end of it.”“But, whatever happens with us, we know we can move the kids forward safely, without Judy, and that we will always put them first, even if we’re apart.”“I feel like it’s a dangerous game we’re playing with your mother.”“It is,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “But it’s our best
(Judy)The bar hums with quiet sophistication, the kind of place where London’s elite come to sip overpriced whiskey and pretend they’re untouchable. I walk in, a predator among prey, and there he is: Lance. The person I’ve come to see.He sits hunched over his glass, looking every bit the broken man I expected. The bruises and swelling from his fight with Jayden haven’t faded, and there’s a hollow look in his eyes that makes my lips curl with satisfaction.He’ll hate Winona now for coming between him and Jayden. Perfect.“Hello, Lance,” I purr, sliding onto the barstool beside him. He doesn’t even flinch, just glances at me with a weary indifference. Pathetic.“Judy,” he acknowledges, his voice flat, devoid of the cocky charm he usually wields like a shield. Good. I’ve taken that from him, too. Easier to further poison his mind against this couple.I order a glass of Merlot, savoring the anticipation of this moment. “You know,” I say, swirling the wine, “I never thought I’d see you q
(Winona)It’s been two months since I saw my husband Jayden. I’m almost positive he’s coming to ask me for a divorce right now but I’m not giving up.Three years ago, after a car accident, he lost his memory, and I lay in a coma for a year. When I woke up, all I wanted to do was see him again. All I wanted was for us to be the couple we once were. When I found him, it was like a knife straight through my heart. Not only didn’t he remember me, but he loved another woman, Ashlyn. My heart pounds and tears swell in my eyes as I listen to the husband I love speak to me over a call like he hates me more than anything else in the world.“Despite what you did, I’m coming there,” he seethes over the phone. “I want this over once and for all and I’m coming back to see that happens. I’ll be there at dinner time.”He believes I drugged him into sleeping with me two months ago. “I did nothing. This is all a mistake, if only you could remember how much we loved each other…” I beg. “Don’t start
(Winona)I’m packing up my personal things. Slowly placing the possessions I love into boxes. My heart is torn apart as I glance around the house I’d started to set up as my forever home. The one I’d build a family with Jayden in and live happily ever after. Fresh tears start as I think about maybe never being a mother now. I just can’t imagine myself ever loving anyone else as much as I love Jayden. I certainly can’t see myself pregnant and happy with another man.I grew up in a loveless and abusive family. The shining light was a kind and loving foster mother I got to live with when I went to college and university. Come to think of it, she was as much responsible for my success as Jayden was at the time. That home made me forget my awful early childhood and see the world could be a nicer place. You know what? I’m going home to her. She never ever judged. She never tried to tell me not to see Jayden.My father was a drunk and my mother was cold because she never wanted a baby to h
(Winona)“Why are you here? How did you get in? The door was locked.”Every aspect of Judy Brennan was perfect. Her thousand-dollar outfit. Her smile. Her trim, athletic shape. But the shiniest apples are sometimes rotten inside. This shiny apple was the most rotten I’d ever known.“This is Jayden’s house. Of course, I have a key. I have every right to stop by and see if you need help getting your sorry backside as far away from here as possible.”I’m about to say something back and the urge to vomit hits me. I rush to the bathroom and try to throw up in the washbasin. I’ve had nothing to eat and I just heave and cough until my stomach hurts.But every day this week I’ve been nauseous, and I can’t eat much. I figured it’s the stress. Now it’s just this horrid woman.She’s in the bathroom doorway. “Hmph… sick again are you? Ashlyn told me you’d vomited last week when they came by with the divorce papers. She told me you’d been with Jayden not so long ago too.”Even though she scares t
(Winona)This is my second night in the hotel and I’m expecting Lisa to come visit. But I need a shower because I’ve slept half the day, too sad to get out of bed. I had the hotel restaurant make her a cake and stock the mini bar.Although I won’t be drinking alcohol, I’ll mix the drinks and pretend. I fly out tomorrow. I’m not even telling her I’m pregnant. I can’t tell anyone. Not if I want to keep my baby.I need her to believe I’m okay because I can never have her come and visit me. We probably won’t see each other again for a while, unless I am sure Jayden’s mother won’t do anything to the child.It’s my only hope right now. It’s fifteen minutes until she arrives. I text to say the hotel door is unlocked and to come right in, I’m having a shower. I get back a thumbs up.The hot water cascades over me and I rub my hands over my belly. Soon enough I’ll start to show. I need to go where no one knows me or my past and reinvent myself and my story. I could stay here forever but I know