CELINE POV-“Mummy. Mummy, wake up.”I woke up to Skye’s voice as he repeatedly patted my cheek along with calling me and waking me up.Based on my body clock, he woke me up earlier than we usually wake up.“Sunny, is not here.”I quickly opened my eyes and got up.Sunny was sleeping in the middle of us; on the other side, I made sure there were big pillows for Skye as well as on the floor.“Where is Sunny?”“He took…”He stopped as he blinked his blue eyes.“Is it Lance?”“Lance?”“The one who gave you a car.” I reminded Skye in a different way.“Yes, Mummy. He came here earlier, and then he invited Sunny to leave the room.”“What?”I immediately stood up. “Come here.” I hurriedly called Skye.I right away picked Skye up. I didn’t even think to put on my slippers as I hurried out of the room.Did he take Sunny while I was sleeping? Will he keep Sunny away? All this question is freaking me out.“Sunny!” I shouted at the same time I hurried downstairs. “Sunny!”When I got downstairs,
CELINE POV-“Thank you.” Was all I could say.I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. If I continued to leave, I would leave Starr’s grave alone and I wasn’t sure when I would be able to visit her grave, if that happened.“You don’t have to. Starr, is also my…”He didn’t continue because he wasn’t sure if he could say that.“She is also your child.” I continued.A moment of silence prevailed around us before we heard Skye calling me from the kitchen.“We’re being called by…” I mentally took a deep breath. “Let’s go?”I didn’t wait for him to answer but instead I walked past him. I felt strange as if something heavy had been removed from my chest, which I was so delighted to feel relieved... I want to hug him.“Yes, sweetheart?” I asked Skye when we arrived at the kitchen.“Mummy, I’m hungry. Aren’t we going to eat yet?” Sunny asked.“We will eat now. I’ll just get the rest of our food.” I told them.“Can I sit beside you, Sunny?” I heard Lance asking permission as I grabbed the broccoli
CELINE POV-When we arrived at the mall except for the staff and security guards, there was no one else but the four of us.“Wow! We’re the only people here.” Sunny commented in amazement.“Did you rent the entire mall?” I pump Lance.“Yeah. So that we can enjoy it. Sunny can't be with the many people in the mall.”“Yes, she is, but you don’t have to do this. What about the other people who–”“Celine, don’t think about other people first. I only rented this mall, not the entire mall in Chicago. Also, Sunny could enjoy the mall without worrying and without you worrying about what might happen to her because of the crowded people.”I watch Sunny and Skye holding hands. Sunny pointed at the playground that we can’t go to sometimes or, if we did, we didn't last more than five minutes because of the number of people and children playing there.I think Lance is right, maybe it’s not bad to be a little bit egoistic for the happiness of my kids.“Mummy, can we go there first?” Sunny asked wh
CELINE POV-Our meal at the restaurant was good, and most of all, we enjoyed it. After we ate, we went grocery shopping, and since the kids were already feeling tired, it was already night when we finished grocery shopping, so we went home.“Mummy, will Lance come here again?” Skye asked after I applied lotion to him.“I think. Why? Do you want to play him again?”He nodded. “Yes.”“I will ask him when he will come here again.”I think Lance will come to see the kids every day, but I still don’t want to promise them without assurance. Lance still has a lot of work, and I’ll understand if he doesn’t come here every day.“I hope he can come here,” Sunny said when I was applying the lotion to her. “Mummy, isn’t Daddy Tristan coming here?”“It will take some time before he visits us. He was working far away.”“I miss him too.”“Let’s go to bed. You have to go to school early tomorrow.” I immediately changed the subject.As I placed the comforter on their bodies, they fell asleep in less
[ NEW YORK ]..LANCE POV-When I got off the private jet, my lawyer answered my call. “Have you finished everything I asked you to revise?”“Yes, Sir. Will you pick it up now?”“Yes. I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”I didn't wait for him to say anything, but instead I immediately got into the car after my personell gave me the keys. The time I stepped on the gas pedal, I wasted no time and drove the car at full speed.While driving, I accidentally glanced at the rear-view mirror, and I saw myself smiling. I didn’t notice I was smiling like this again, thinking of my own family. This day was the happiest thing that happened to me that I will treasure until my last breath.It made me realize that there is no equivalent or value to being with my own family. I want to be with them every day; when I wake up, they are the ones I want to be with and see until the end of the day.I regret everything I did to them, and I am so grateful that Celine became the mother of my children. I
CELINE POV-“Mummy, this is delicious!” Sunny praised what I had cooked.I made a simple spinach dish. I boiled the spinach to soften it, mixed it with tomatoes to reduce bitterness and trout fish to give it a more delicious flavor, and I partnered with brown rice so they would be full and have more nutrients in their food.“Mummy, is Lance coming here?” Sunny asked.I noticed Skye suddenly stopped eating. It seemed like he was also waiting for Lance; he just couldn’t say or ask.“I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to him yet,” I replied to them.I want to surprise them by saying that Lance and I will take them to school.I gaze at Skye. “Continue your food; you might be late for school,” I reminded him.“Yes, Mummy.”After we ate, I helped them brush their teeth, then washed our dishes and returned to my children in the living room.I eye at the digital clock next to the TV. We had to leave so the kids wouldn’t be late for school, but Lance wasn’t here yet.Not long after, someone rang
LANCE POV-“Lance.” Hannah stopped me.Hendrix lifted one side of his lips.I tightened my grip on his collar. “You and your brother, you both stay away from Celine.”“Don’t forget you’re not in your territory.”He seized my hand and released my grip on his collar.“Lance!” Hannah whispered loudly and pulled my suit from behind to make me sit up. “I will let this go, as compensation for what your men did in helping Lucian during your wedding,” he said while fixing his tangled collar.I turned to Hannah for an explanation. She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what Hendrix was talking about.“What are you talking about?” I asked him.“Lucian went to Fire-Hart Castle six years ago,” he casually answered.Six years ago, that was the time I got married there.“He is with a woman, which is why your man let him in.”He is with a woman; it’s possible that Celine was with him. That means that day she was there and witnessed it. I didn’t know she was there that day. Surely she herded every
CELINE POV - When I arrived at the hotel, I noticed that there were people working at the former Stellar restaurant's place. “Madame Celine, you’ve arrived here. I was planning to come to you at the cemetery.” “Ah, yes. I left there early it because—” Possibly he’ll tell Lance that Tristan and I met. “What’s being done there?” I changed the subject as I pointed to the former Stellar restaurant’s place. “Matthew’s restaurant is opening soon.” “Matthew’s restaurant? Hannah’s brother Dylan’s restaurant, right?” “Yes, Madame. Would you like to take a look?” “Is that okay?” I’m curious that Dylan agreed to have a branch here, from New York to Chicago. Christine and Astrid had told me before Dylan didn’t want Matthew’s restaurant to have multiple branches because it was too tiring for Dylan. “Yes, Madame. Let’s go? I’ll join you inside.” I nodded and followed Conrad. When we entered, it was no different from the main branch in New York; it was just a smaller place
CELINE SALVATORE POV-Everyone came near the table where the birthday cake was while everyone sang happy birthday and Lance lit the seven birthday candles on each cake.After Lance lit all the birthday candles, we stopped singing ‘happy birthday’.“Make a wish first before we blow out your birthday candles.” Lance sweetly reminded our kids.Skye and Sunny closed their eyes together with a smile on their lips.Lance and I looked at each other and smiled at each other while waiting for our children to finish making their wishes.“Are you done making wishes?” Lance asked our children after they opened their eyes.Skye and Sunny giggled while nodding.“Let’s blow out your birthday candles. After counting to three, we will blow out your candles together.”Our children affirmed with a smile.Lance and I moved closer to our children and then our friends and family counted.“One! Two! Three!” As mentioned the three, we simultaneously blew out the birthday candles one after the other. When
CELINE SALVATORE POV-I just want to cry in elated. In the past few hours, our children’s birthday celebration has gone smoothly.Benjamin had prepared a short program he hosted, while he had someone take pictures while he was busy. He prepared children’s games, which everyone took part in except Don Charles, Sir Frederick, Yuichi and Giovanni.Giovanni wanted to take part in the games, knowing him he would do anything for his nephews, but in his condition, he pretended to cry on the side when Skye and Sunny looked at him.For now, we have given everyone time to rest after the games, and now I am sitting at the table with Christine and Astrid.“You should have told us what Lance did, so we burned him inside one of his hotels.” Astrid asseverate in a frustrated tone.Christine just mentioned that she had just found out from her husband about what Lance had done when I disappeared without saying goodbye six years ago. She mentioned that not because she wanted to bring up the pain I was
CELINE SALVATORE POV-“Mummy, I saw Skye and I’s cake.” Sunny said in amazement when she returned to our room after drinking water downstairs. “Our cake is so big, it’s bigger than daddy’s height.”It was our children’s day. We made their birthday an early dinner party because most of the attendees were close friends of Lance and I. My family with Ashley were coming from Italy who had just landed here thirty minutes ago and the Morgan family was coming from San Diego.“My cake is yellow and Skye’s is blue, just like daddy and Skye’s eyes.” Sunny continued with her story. “Is Uncle Lucian coming?”In six years, except Lucian was with us, he was never absent from Skye and Sunny’s birthday. So they got used to Lucian attending their birthday, especially Sunny.“Yes, sweetheart.” Lance answered. “Your Uncle Lucian is coming.”I told him yesterday that our children can look for Lucian on their birthdays, and he said he understands that. What’s important to him is that our children no longe
CELINE SALVATORE POV-This was probably one of the shortest days of my life. If my phone alarm hadn’t rung when it was time for our kids to eat dinner, we wouldn’t have noticed the time.After we finished swimming, Lance and I took our kids around the mansion, then let them play in the indoor playground and accompanied Sunny to her art room.For our kids, the mansion house had renovated a few of the mansion’s rooms, but most remained the same. Lance also introduced us to all of his personnel here at the mansion house, some of whom were new and some who weren’t new and didn’t know us.We also moved some of our clothes to our room.I spoke to Mommy on Face-Time and asked her to bring our important belongings when they arrived tomorrow.“Who’s excited about your birthday tomorrow?!” Lance queried our kids with delight. All three of them raised their hands while Lance raised two of his also his two feet. “You’re more excited than our children.” I carefully remarked as I climbed onto th
CELINE SALVATORE POV-“Daddy, you did wrong. You did wrong too, Skye.”“What’s wrong?” Lance and Skye asked at the same time.Our children’s voices, as well as Lance’s voice, were the ones that woke me up.I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet. I could sense Lance was the one who started the trouble between the three of them.I yawned before opening my eyes.Lance and Skye were facing Sunny, while Sunny was looking at her reflection in the hand mirror she was holding. From what I could see, they tried to braid Sunny’s hair in two but Sunny’s hair only got messier.Lance had a book next to him. It was a book about hairstyles for women.“Skye and I followed the instructions here.” He said while looking at the book he was holding. Skye nodded agree his father, also looking at the book.Lance looked at Sunny and his gaze passed over me. “Celine.”Our children turned to me then they came to me to give me a hug. Lance also came to us and wrapped the three of us in his arms.The warmth of my chi
CELINE SALVATORE POV-“I’m so wrathful about what you did. I’m slowly getting used to being without you, and the next thing I know, I might lose my love for you without listening to your explanation, or maybe I won’t lose my love for you–but it’s getting to where I’ll get used to not having you until I don’t care about you anymore. Why didn’t you tell me what happened to you, that you were comatose, and about your rehabilitation?”“Who told you those things?”“I want to know everything. I want to understand, because if you regret the times you weren’t with us, I would do even more. But the anger in my mind still prevailed because I knew nothing.”Lance closed the photo album before speaking. “Butler Arthur and Conrad, they betrayed me.”“What? Why?” That was the last thing I could think could happen.“I don’t know and my half-brother mentioned nothing either, that our father is Butler Arthur’s brother. I didn’t even know Conrad was Butler, Arthur’s son. They wanted to overthrow me, th
CELINE SALVATORE POV-The third floor and the private room full of Lance’s toy collection were the only places we went. After that, we went to the dining room.I noticed that the long table was new, but the memory of the last time I went to the dining room still came back.The chairs were heavy for our children, so Lance helped them sit down. I sat next to Sunny, while Lance sat next to Skye on the other side.“So much food!” Sunny said in amazement. “Can I eat all of this?” she asked.“Yes, Ma’am,” Benjamin replied as he was about to take a vegetable dish. “You can eat all the food that is on the table. I made sure each dish was not harmful to you.”Skye and Sunny clapped together.There are many forbidden foods for Sunny that Skye goes along with, so it seems that there are also many forbidden foods for Skye because she understands Sunny’s feelings first.“I want that! That too!”Skye and Sunny couldn’t hide their excitement that they could eat more dishes, while they pointed to the
CELINE SALVATORE POV-I can’t believe this will ever happen. I don’t know how to let go of my love for Lance, but there have been so many times I’ve come to the point of almost giving up that he’ll come back and be with us.I broke away from the hug. Smiling, I wiped both of his cheeks while his ocean blue eyes looked into my hazel brown eyes.I stopped wiping when Lance grabbed both of my hands and gave a quick kiss. “Thank you, Celine, for giving me a chance repeatedly. This time I’ll never waste it.”“I know.” I replied softly, while holding back my tears.I looked at Skye and Sunny, who were innocently looking at us. I could see the wonder on their faces why Lance was still crying.“Skye, Sunny, can you give daddy a super hug, so he’ll be happier?”It was a new and thrilled feeling that I could tell our children that Lance was their daddy and that they could call him daddy.Without hesitation, our children quickly approached him and gave a tight hug while showering him with kisse
THIRD PERSON POV-As soon as Lance woke up, the first thing came to his mind was his recurring dream where Celine left him. He let out a sigh, trying to get that dream out of his mind, until he became aware he couldn’t hear Celine’s voice, that he played before falling asleep.The two things were working, which made him wonder why they were both off. He dismissed that puzzle after realizing nine hours had passed since the scheduled time he should have risen.He impetuously moved. He was about to run to the bathroom, but he was again surprised to find his suitcase missing.“I’ll just buy some new clothes.” Lance uttered to himself.He went out first and hurried downstairs.“BENJAMIN!” He called out loudly to the person who was in charge of his mansion whenever he was not there.Lance called Benjamin several times. He even went to the kitchen, but before he could enter, Benjamin was already in front of him.“I told you to wake me up at nine in the morning.”“Ah, Sir Lance, about that–”