(Eve's POV)Callahan turned to me and gave me the folder. “Edit the changes in the contract and then send it to Kei and me. Don’t forget to cc Bob and Millicent. After that, we can leave.”Easy peasy! I smiled, nodding at Callahan as I took the folder. It was not a déjà vu, and I was glad I didn’t have to panic. I knew exactly what to do.I nodded cheerfully as I had done that task yesterday… mine, but not Callahan’s. Then, his words echoed again in my mind.‘We can leave?’“Huh? We?” My eyebrows were furrowed as I asked him.“Yes,” he answered without looking at me as he was busy reading a text message. “I had this weird dream about you. I want to make sure it’s not happening,” he replied while typing.I didn’t mean it to happen, but my lips involuntarily pouted, upset that whatever that dream was, Callahan sounded sure he didn’t want a repeat performance. I was about to return to my table but stopped and turned around.“I'm just curious,” I asked in a hushed tone, glancing at Mr. Mo
(Eve's POV)I shifted my gaze at Marga, noticing her cold stare, but she decided to remain silent. My only solace was that she wasn’t Bethany, who would pounce on the opportunity to question me. I knew she was itching to ask about my puffy eyes and red nose. She probably blamed Callahan for it because she saw us talking in the driveway.Thinking I wasn’t ready to talk about it, she stood up, offering her hand to Isabella.“Let’s have that warm bath, Isabella,” she said, smiling gently at my daughter.Isabella groaned, not wanting to leave yet. She and her two brothers were seated, crossed legs on the floor, playing a snake and ladder board game Cooper found in the attic. She pouted and raised her head to look at me.“Go with Marga,” I muttered softly, kissing the top of her head. “Mommy’s head is aching. I’ll go to your room later, okay?”“Okay,” she smiled sweetly, reaching for Marga’s hand. “Can we play later?”“Later means time for bedtime,” Theo puckered his lips, standing up. “I
(Eve's POV) Marga was humming Dancing Queen, swaying her head while spreading peanut butter on the slice of bread. I wasn’t sure if she intended to prepare our lunch boxes or recreate Mt. Everest using the sandwiches. Like me, her eyes were puffy from crying with me last night. As much as I wanted to keep everything to myself when she entered the bedroom, I knew I had to tell her. She kept saying I didn’t deserve what Rosie and Jessy did to me. I ended up consoling my best friend and calling her husband to pick her up later. If there were one person to carry this problem with my children, it would be me. Only me! It was enough that Marga and Bethany were there to help me, but only to a certain level. They have their own lives and family, too. Jessy nudged her head as if she could communicate telepathically with her youngest sister. Isabella, chewing her food slowly, moved her gaze in my direction. She swallowed the cereal, puckered her lips, and scooped another from her bowl. Her r
(Eve's POV)“Do you really have to take us to school?” Jessy scowled at Callahan, her arms tightly crossed, sneering as she peered at the seven-seater car parked in front of her.Rudy opened the door for her, but my daughter remained rooted in her spot, unwilling to get in. When Jessy didn’t get into the car, he smiled softly at me, left the door open, and returned to the front, getting into the driver’s seat.Callahan gave Jessy an irked glance and let out a sigh before reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket to get his ringing phone. He walked a few steps away from us and answered the call.Jessy scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What is he doing here, Eve? Is he your boyfriend?”“Does it matter?” Rosie sighed and shook her head. “Just get in the car, Jessy. Please,” her twin sister said, getting into the car and going to the farthest seat.“Of course it does!” Jessy growled, stomping her feet as she entered the vehicle.I sighed and waited for Callahan to return. Like Jessy, I wish
(Cal's POV)Rudy stayed under the tree, near where he parked the car, finishing the coffee Eve had given him earlier. He usually had breakfast at home, but I was already waiting for him when he reached the driveway. He greeted me warmly and smiled gently as he opened the car door for me.This was what I liked about him. Even when I told him we would go to Eve’s place first, he simply nodded and kept the questions to himself, that was, if he had any. Like Bob, Eve seemed to have won Rudy’s heart, too. Who didn’t like Eve? If Millicent were here, she would probably raise her hand, and I understood well her reasons. She wasn’t like Bob, the forgiving type. What Marcus did to her and her husband was something she would never let go and forget.Millicent…I let out a frustrated sigh, remembering what happened last night. Millicent showed up last night. It seldom happened, but she was drunk from the party and came to see me only to vent her anger with Eve.Not wanting to wake Diana up, I br
(Cal's POV)“What’s wrong with Eve?” Bob asked worriedly when he entered my office.“Hmm?” I raised my head, looking at him, pretending not to know anything. “Why? What happened?”My cousin rolled his eyes and sneered. “What happened? Hmph! I knew it. You’re the culprit.”I took a deep breath, shifting my attention back to the document on my desk and scanning the words for the third time. Eve’s silence distracted me the whole morning.“I don’t know what you’re saying. Why? Is she crying?” I asked in a dull, lifeless tone, yet deep inside me, I worried I offended her much.“No, she’s not, but -”“Is she talking to herself?” I interrupted but did not look at Bob.“No, she’s -”“Did she say something to you?” I said, raising my head again and lifting a brow as I waited for his answer.“No,” Bob sat on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at me.“Then, nothing is wrong with her,” I said, writing a note to revise the figures and tossing it on the outgoing tray.“Then wha
(Eve's POV)“This is crazy!” Callahan groaned, placing the sandwich back on the table.“You’re not eating that?” I gasped, sitting beside him. My eyes were still wide, pinned on the food that would go to waste.“You’re not eating my sandwich!” He hissed, narrowing his eyes at me, grabbing the sandwich again, and angrily taking a bite of the bread.“Just asking, Cal,” I said, raising my hands. “Make sure you eat them. You have the habit of eating only half of your food,” I muttered as if I were talking to Cooper or Theo.He chewed the food but watched me carefully arranging my notebook, tablet, and recorder on the round wooden table. Then I reached for the sandwich in my bag.“Aw,” I mumbled, pouting at the sorry state of my lunch. My other things in the bag must have pressed the sandwich down into the bag, causing the peanut butter to ooze out and the bread to flatten. I was sure it was a perfectly shaped sandwich when Marga placed it in my bag, but now it looked saggy and unappetizin
(Eve's POV)“Send me the meeting minutes now,” Millicent said, giving me her I-do-not-care-how-you-do-it-look.She stood up and walked towards Callahan, kissing his cheek.“Next time, don’t leave without telling me,” she murmured sweetly, smoothing the lapel of Callahan’s suit jacket.“You’re still sleeping, Milli,” Callahan said in his lifeless tone. “I hate waking you up,” he added before easing back and turning to Bob.Whatever he said to Bob no longer mattered to me. It was like insects were buzzing inside my ears, blocking all the sounds in my surroundings. Before Millicent left the room, she gave me one last look, perhaps trying to check if I would fall if she glared at me again.I didn’t care. At this moment, I was sure my heart had stopped beating while my mind weaved over scenarios of what happened between Callahan and Millicent. I swallowed hard, imagining him getting out of bed, kissing Millicent, naked in his bed.Sighing, I stood up and thought of calling Fabian to clear
(Eve’s POV)It was chaos, and then I realized it was just me.My hands were cold, and I could hardly think straight. The faint hum of machinery and the soft whispers of other patients created a backdrop of nervous anticipation. As to how we reached the hospital, everything was Callahan’s doing. We sat in the waiting area, patiently waiting for her to complete the CT scan.If Callahan hadn’t been there, I would have carried my children to the car and driven them to the hospital, but given the situation, after quickly assessing the situation, he said my youngest daughter mustn’t be moved from the ground. Isabella fell from the ladder she found in the garden in an attempt to save the kitten meowing from the tree. Theo tried to stop his little sister and went after her. Cooper was too late to pull them back.I turned my head slowly in his direction, glad that Rosie was there to comfort him, explaining over and over again it wasn’t his fault.Her brother was in shock, crying at his failur
(Eve’s POV)Me in his arms. And him inside me…I swallowed hard, feeling the fire spreading through my core to every part of my body. Although Callahan had no recollection of what happened, the drugs seemed to be stuck in my blood.“Eve?”My eyes blinked rapidly, waking me up from daydreaming. “Huh?”“I’ve no choice, Eve,” he said, showing his phone screen. “My driver’s already in your place, so…” He tilted his head, his eyebrows raised.A nervous chuckle escaped my mouth. “Of course.” Just the car, not me. This whole thing of repeating days was causing me paranoia. I breathed and nodded briefly. “Let’s go.” I turned around, hiding my flustered face.“Where did you go?” he asked, walking beside me.“Just…” I pursed my lips, pausing for a second. “It’s personal.”“Okay,” he said, opening the door for me and letting out a frustrated sigh. “Let’s grab a bite before going to your place.”I stopped walking; my eyebrows raced as I turned to him. “We had just coffee.”“Something to eat, Eve.
(Eve’s POV)“Your face,” Bethany said, hovering her index finger on her face. “Don’t look at me like that, Eve.” She groaned and stood up. “I need coffee.”I expected Callahan to pour out questions, but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned on the backrest and closed his eyes. Stress and exhaustion were visible on his face, but I was afraid to talk… to ask. He might wonder what I was doing there when I texted him earlier, telling him I wouldn’t go to work because something came up and I had to leave home with my kids. Looking at him, I wondered what happened to him when he suddenly disappeared in the hallway.“Stop staring at me, Eve,” he murmured, opening one eye and sighing deeply as if the world fell on him. His lips slightly curved into a smile. “If you didn’t send that message, I was probably in your place.”My face flushed, and suddenly, I felt hot. I swallowed hard, remembering what happened to us last night. It was insane and intense. If only we had more time, I would let him do whate
(Eve’s POV)“Why are we so early?” Cooper slid into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt. He stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes as he asked. “School starts -”I cut him off immediately. “Because…” I paused, pretending to busy myself with my seatbelt. “I’m leaving early for work, but I want to make sure you’ll have a good breakfast before going to school,” I lied, glancing at my two younger kids. “What do you want for breakfast?”Theo seemed not to mind the time. He leaned immediately on his seat and closed his eyes while Isabella’s gaze was outside the window.I let out a weary sigh, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue as I focused on starting the engine. Since midnight, I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t. It felt weird having Callahan around five minutes before twelve and then… Poof! He vanished without a trace.The low rumble filled the air, vibrating through the surrounding silence. I glanced over, smiling, and hoped to lift their mood. Seeing the uninterested looks of my chil
(Eve’s POV)I swallowed hard, and my breathing became shallow. I thought I flushed the drug out of my body, but Callahan’s touch turned me on.“You said you’d kiss me to wake me up. I think I’m still dreaming,” I murmured, returning his smile but wishing Callahan would decline and leave my bedroom.A smile flashed across his lips while his hand groped upward, stopping at my thigh. “It’s late.”“Yeah.” I couldn’t breathe. My heart was pounding excitedly in my chest as if it was dancing… celebrating.“You know, I’ve always had this fantasy about -” Callahan wandered his eyes around the bedroom, and when he returned his gaze on me, his lips curved apologetically. “Going here is such a bad idea.”A chuckle escaped my mouth. I tilted my head and asked, “About what?”Callahan’s breath hitched, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed hard. “I should -”“You should…” I bit my bottom lip, trailing my fingers along his jawline. “Why don’t you stay, Cal,” I whispered, almost purring like a cat a
(Eve’s POV)“Where did all that energy come from, Eve?” Marga laughed warmly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she glanced at her. “Argh! I need to sit. Order for me, Beth.” She took a deep breath, savoring the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee that wafted through the air as they stepped into Tony’s Café.Although Bethany looked as drained as Marga, she chose not to say anything. She went straight to the counter without asking for our orders.My pregnant friend pulled a chair and moaned. “Ahh! This is heaven.”“Sitting down? Heaven?” I chuckled, sitting across from her. “We have one store to visit. You still need to check the -”“Ugh!” She shook her head. “Oh, please. No, thank you. I’d dreamt of this, and even in a dream, it’s tiring. Right now, what I need is a massage. So…” Her eyes sparkled as she changed the subject. “Was it a date?”“A date?” I shook my head and racked my brain quickly to give her a believable reason. “A date shouldn’t be with a visitor.”She nodded, agree
(Eve’s POV)I blinked rapidly, my gaze fixed on Wyatt at the dining table, laughing hard at Harry’s joke. I managed to force a laugh at something he said that wasn’t even funny. I managed to finish the main course, but I could hardly swallow the cupcake dessert.It must be my instinct, but something was off about him. After taking another sip of the wine he gave me, I rested my clenched fists in my lap, controlling the tension through my body. I plastered a smile, showing him I was okay because Harry kept glancing at me every time my lips touched the glass.A sudden wave of heat washed over me. Was it the lingering effects of last night's fever? I returned the wine glass to the table, picked up the water, and drank it slowly, my eyes darting to my phone, a silent plea for escape. I glanced at Wyatt, and even without words, we both knew we were in the same uncomfortable boat.I tilted my head, suddenly seeing Wyatt so attractive. My eyes began roaming from his gorgeous face down to his
(Eve’s POV)My children gasped when Cotton escaped Theo’s hold but giggled when they saw it approach me, walking between my legs and curling its tails as it meowed. When the kitten raised its head and met my eyes as if to say we had met again, I yelped and squeezed my eyes shut. This must be another dream.Isabella came to the rescue, picking up her pet. “Don’t be scared, Mommy. Cotton’s just greeting you,” she said, her eyes wide.A nervous chuckle escaped my mouth, and then I stared at Callahan, looking tired as if he had not slept a bit. He walked toward me after calling my kids to sit and eat breakfast.“What…” What are you doing here? I cleared my throat and changed my mind about asking him. Instead, I lifted my hand and pressed my palm on his forehead. “Are you okay?”Callahan grasped my hand and nodded. “I should be the one asking you that, Eve.”With wide eyes, I leaned forward and whispered, unconsciously saying, “You’re not supposed to come today.”He scoffed, releasing my ha
(Eve’s POV)I have an hour.“Cal…” I whispered his name, slipping my tongue between his lips.Callahan parted his lips for me and kissed me passionately, waking every part of my body. Slowly, he trailed my shoulders down to my wrists.A low growl escaped my throat, pushing my body against him. I must be sick… or maybe an addiction to him because whenever Callahan and I started touching each other, I couldn’t push him away or stop myself. I became a slave, letting him do whatever he wanted to do with me.The dampness between my legs and the heat crawling through my skin proved I wanted him now. I withdrew my hand from him, reaching the zipper of his pants and grasping his pulsing tool. My heart raced, feeling his already hard member. I moaned deliciously, feeling the tingling down my core. I was on fire!“Eve…” Callahan moaned, grabbing my hand and stopping me from pulling the zipper down.“How about we make that dream come true, Cal,” I whispered, taunting him.Callahan chuckled softl