VANESSA
Some women loved to be spoiled with luxurious items; cars, big homes, and expensive jewelry. I was one of those women that never liked to struggle, flirting my way around until I found the perfect man to provide for me.
At twenty-five years old, I was already married to one of the richest men in New York. He owned a chain of hotels and spas around the world. Being the wife of Alex Donovan, I was the envy of many women who had tried to get their hands on him.
I couldn’t blame them.
He was tall, dark, and handsome. His black hair, neatly combed to the back, hypnotizing dimpled chin, and blue eyes.
His body was a sin, but I was the one that tempted him. The lucky one that took him off the market, and I was proud of myself for it.
I knew I was ten years younger than him, but anything I would ask for, he would always get me. Our marriage started as a fairytale story with honeymoons here and there, everywhere I wanted. At every party, he would show me off as the most beautiful woman he had ever met. I felt like a queen, even though everyone would just see me as his trophy wife.
Now, fifteen years later, everything had come crumbling down. Five years ago, Alex hired Lauren Cole, his new secretary as the last one had to quit, accusing my husband of sexual harassment.
No one believed her. To them, she was a nobody, and money talked, making it all go away like nothing ever happened.
I almost believed her. My love for my husband blinded me so much, I took his side.
Big mistake.
It didn’t take long before he cheated on me with her, and until today, they are still having an affair.
Lauren was beautiful. She was only in her mid-twenties; Blonde hair falling in heavy curls down her back, icy blue eyes, luscious lips, and a body that would grab the men’s attention. Unfortunately, so did my husband’s. She was the reason he hasn’t touched me in all these years.
I worked so hard to keep our relationship afloat, keeping up appearances in front of family and friends and even the social circle, but there was nothing else I could do.
“So, I was thinking... we could go on a trip to Brazil this weekend? We haven’t done that in a while,” I suggested, trying to break the deafening silence as we ate our dinner.
Looking at me, he put his elbows on the table. He linked his fingers together in front of his face and narrowed his eyes. I thought it was a bad idea even to mention it.
Alex hated when I spoke out of place or when I suggested anything. He was the only one who could have the last word in this house, and it was suffocating. I just wanted him to listen and consider me. Was it too much to ask?
“I don’t think so. In fact, I don’t think this whole marriage is working at all anymore,” he replied.
I put my silverware on top of my still full plate, not wanting to look at him while thinking of what to say next, but no words were coming out. All I could hear was my heart pounding against my chest.
“Did you hear me, Vanessa? I said, this marriage...”
“I heard you, Alex. But did you have to wait five years to tell me that?” I grabbed the fork in between my fingers, clenching it. My body shivered in anger while unshed tears threatened to make me look weak in front of him. Alex looked at me, confused. The frown on his face said it all, but I was going to drop the bomb on him.
“What, did you think I wouldn’t find out about your little adventure? How have you been screwing your secretary behind my back all this time? You threw fifteen years of our marriage down the drain. Am I supposed to just deal with that and not say a word?”
I knew I was well into my forties, but I didn’t look an age over thirty-five in all modesty. I was into workouts just to please Alex. My long, dark hair and my petite body were his favorite things. Most of all, he loved my rare hazel eyes with a streak of green on the edges.
He also used to take me to bed and roughly pull my hair while he made love to me, or was it all sex to him? We couldn’t even talk about having kids, and he knew how much I yearned for one, at least.
“You’re crazy. Where did you hear that?” He seethed. I could see how angry he was. He stood from the chair, agitated. His nose flared and his eyes wide open while he walked over with a menacing stare. I just sat there, as calm as I could, before he grabbed my arm and lifted me off my chair.
“I didn’t hear it anywhere, but I could feel your employees staring at me when I arrived at the company. The pitiful way it made me feel, not to mention the many times I opened that door to surprise you, and the one that would get the surprise would be me. You, making out with her or bending her on your desk while you screwed her.”
I took a deep breath, still holding back my tears.
“The moans that would come out of her mouth while you kept pounding her. I was so in love with you. I always forgave your cheating habit. Stupid me, right?”
He was raging mad, but I snatched my arm away and went to our bedroom to pack his things. I wanted him out of my life.
“You will regret this, Vanessa. I will make sure your life turns into a living hell. Good luck trying to pay for the rent on this condo. You can’t even work to save your life. You are useless.”
He picked up his luggage and walked out of the condo, slamming the door shut. It hurt that he didn’t even want or at least tried to fight for us, for our marriage.
I held onto the back of the dining chair, looked at the ceramic plates left sitting there, hyperventilating when suddenly, I sobbed uncontrollably.
I loved him too much, and he stopped loving me, or maybe he didn’t even love me at all.
Wiping my tears away and looking at myself in the dining room mirror, I realized my makeup was messy. My eyeliner was running down with my tears, and my lipstick was off. Let’s not talk about my mascara.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in our living room and looked out the city skylines.
The rain poured down, leaving droplets of water racing against each other down the glass.
My heart was broken.
I had given him the best years of my life, and he just wasted them. I was so numb to everything, but I just wanted to let my anger out.
Walking back to the dining area, I pushed the plates and glasses, hearing the shattering sounds as they fell to the wooden floor while I screamed in pain. I slid against the wall, holding my knees to my chest, still not believing he would do this to me.
With all the commotion, I didn’t hear my cell phone ring. My best friend's name appeared on the screen, and I thanked the heavens for her perfect timing.
“Hello, Candice,” I greeted after swiping the answer button on the screen, my voice raspy from all the crying.
“Vanessa, I heard what happened. I’m so sorry that bastard did this to you. Do you want to have a girl’s day out? Maybe have some tea at the polo club and chat?”
I was unsure if I should go, but I wanted to take my mind off everything, so I accepted the invitation. What else could go wrong?
CLAYFairhope, Alabama. My home. A charming, small-town even tourists enjoy visiting. It was a quiet and peaceful place where neighbors knew and helped each other.I parked my pickup truck in front of the hardware store, a beat-up old 1966 Ford F-100. Pride of my grandfather and father. Oh, how they loved that old machine.The music sounded on the speakers when I walked inside. A soft country ballad that made even the less romantic person dance to it.But not me.I haven’t fallen in love since my high school sweetheart left town five years ago to pursue a career and never returned. I guess the city life was just perfect for her, and she didn’t need me anymore.I never blamed her. I was just the town handyman, and she aimed for more. My life here and our daughter made me happy, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.Emily was only five, but she wa
VANESSA(Flashback)Candice and I were on our way to the club when she called her friends to meet us there. As soon as we arrived, we showed our membership cards. The receptionist looked at us in the system and later said I could not go inside.“I’m sorry, Mrs. Donovan. It says here your membership has been canceled, and access to benefits has been frozen,” she mentioned.“There must be a mistake. I recently bought it, and I haven’t canceled it.”“I know, but Mr. Donovan did, and you may not come in. I’m sorry.”He had done it. I knew he would do it.He had threatened me to make my life a living hell in any way possible.Candice pitched in and invited me in as a guest. It was embarrassing, especially when the ladies wouldn’t stop talking about it. I just sat th
CLAYI tightened the last pipe under the sink while Emily sat on the counter next to me, swinging her little legs as she watched my every move. She always said she wanted to be like me, but I worked hard to save money and send her to a good college to pursue a career.“When are you going to teach me to do what you do?” She asked with a smile on her cute face. I frowned, stopping my work to look at her.“You’re not going to do my job. It’s dirty and exhausting. You are too smart for this, and I want you to get a better job,” I replied. Emily hopped off the counter and looked at me as she scrunched her nose, upset at my response.“Daddy, you’re wrong. Just because your job is dirty doesn’t mean you’re not smart. I want to be a handyman or woman, whatever that’s called. I enjoy watching you work, and I want to be like you.” She folded her arms on her chest wi
VANESSAAs I was making the call, I kept looking at the pictures. That country manor sure was beautiful. The walls were a nice bright yellow, and the color instantly reminded me of the sunshine I needed in my life.It also had French-style windows with a big yard on the front. There was a gigantic oak tree on the side, and… were those horses?I only hoped.Since I was a young girl, I always wished to have a horse, but my family never wanted to get me one. Hence, me fighting my way to get what I wanted. I was not the best daughter throughout my childhood, and even now, my parents wouldn’t talk to me unless it was anything related to their company.Candice looked at the computer screen. Her smile was worth a million dollars. Sitting next to me, she kept scrolling through the pictures, and I noticed how in love she was with it.“Hello?” a younger female voice finally picked up. My heart was beatin
CLAYI arrived at the house and grabbed the hay from the back of my truck. Emily grabbed the small bag of chicken feed and carried it towards their chicken coop.The horses haven’t had hay in days, and today they deserved to get spoiled. As I approached the pen with the small block on my shoulders, the horses trotted towards the fence, looking excited about their treat.“Easy, my friends. I’m here to get you the best of Jimmy’s. He even says hi to you all,” I said as I untied the string from the block and spread it all around the pen. I sat on the fence to watch them eat, taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh afternoon breeze.“They love that hay, Daddy, and I love seeing them eat it,” Emily said, climbing the fence to sit on it. I ruffled her hair and kissed her little hand.Suddenly, I was lost in thoughts, and the first image on my mind was her. Not only because she was beaut
VANESSAThe house was a complete mess on the inside, just as it was on the outside. From the boarded windows to the dusty furniture and possibly the old plumbing noise. I didn’t mean to be rude to the lady, but she and the realtor had sold me an abandoned house. How was I supposed to live in it? I didn’t have enough money to fix this whole place.“I’m sorry, Mrs. Bale...”“Please, call me Katherine,” she said. I gave her a faint smile before I continued.“Katherine. I was upset, but you have to understand that I was looking for a ready-to-move-in house and this is not exactly that,” I said, looking apologetic as I pointed at the room.“I know, dear. I should be the one to apologize for th
CLAYSeeing her walk into the house was waking something in me. I hadn't felt this way since Kelly left me and our daughter. There was just something about her that was pulling me without even wanting to. As I was about to get in my truck to leave, I heard her scream from her bedroom."Dad, the pretty lady is in trouble," I heard Emily speak from inside the truck.Running into the house and up the stairs, I opened the door just as she was coming out of the bathroom frantically, bumping into my chest, my hand falling on her back as I subconsciously stroked it. She was full of mud and her eyes looked at me, wide open in shock, but also grateful for the sudden comfort I gave her."Let me go!" she screamed. That's what I did, raising my hands in the air and showing her I meant no harm. The only harm I could do it with my mouth….Well, with putting her in place if she ever insulted Katherine again."Please, get me something to cov
VANESSAThe water felt icy on my body, but I needed a shower. Just thinking about all that mud on me made me feel disgusting. Despite taking mud baths with Candice in the spa, it was nothing like this.I turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping the soft, white towel around my body and walking towards my bedroom. A pair of stretchy shorts and a black tank top waited for me on the bed.I put it on with a robe on top before I walked towards my end table to pick my phone and call Candice. I needed to let her know I made it here okay.“Hello, love. How was the trip there?” she asked, curious and way too cheerful.“It was not bad, but the house is not as they portrayed it, Candice. It’s worse than my life. Fall
ClayAs I sat there, leaning against the chair on our bridal table, I couldn’t help but admire the stunning woman dancing with my daughter. The way their dresses flowed as they twirled around on the dance floor had my heart and soul in total happiness.We had our first dance as husband and wife, but this was topping it. They looked beautiful.“Hello, everyone. Sorry to interrupt this amazing moment, but I wanted to say a few words to the bride and groom.” Candice’s voice was heard on the DJ’s microphone as she walked towards our table while Emily and Vanessa sat down, a big smile on their faces.Holding our hands, I kissed her before we heard the speech her best frie
VanessaFour months!Four months have gone by and I couldn’t be more excited. We finally brought back home our little bundles of joy last month and they looked so healthy and happy.Even visiting them every day at the hospital made me miss them. I had the need to wake up every morning and go straight to their bedroom just to see their sleeping faces before the sun snuck through their colorful curtains.They looked beautiful, and both had dark hair like mine. But they had hazel eyes like their father and made me fall in love with them even more.Our wedding didn’t take place the month after they were born, but
ClayI was almost home when I got a call from the hospital, letting me know about the altercation between Kelly and Candice in Vanessa’s room.Now I was here, holding her hand while Candice knitted with a frown on her face. I knew she still felt guilty.“Why don’t you go back home? I’ll stay here and maybe they’ll lend me some clothes so I can take a shower,” I said. She looked at Vanessa, who smiled at her, and nodded, knowing it was best if she did.I called Lorena and Katherine to stay with Emily and I would let them know when we would be home.Lorena wanted to visit her daughter, but it was bes
VanessaI wasn’t sure for how long I was out after talking to Clay, but when I opened my eyes and found myself alone in my room, panic rose. Looking around the place, I tried to search for him, but he wasn’t there either.My abdomen hurt, and it was sensitive to the touch, making me realize this is how my babies were born.My babies, where are they?I hit the button to call the nurse, fear creeping over me as the last thing I remembered was kissing them before they took them away.“Hello, Miss Harper. Glad to see you’re awake,” she said, walking in to check my vitals.
ClayI couldn’t believe it was happening again, and this time there was no turning back. The babies were either going to be born or lose their little lives.As I paced back and forth, I could hear the footsteps of the nurses going through the double doors, making me think the worst.The doctor arrived, and he quickly made his way through the same doors at the same time a nurse came outside.“We’re ready for you, Dad,” she said, urging me to the room and preparing me to be by Vanessa’s side. They put on some scrubs on me, a mask and a cap before gesturing to me to sit on a stool right next to her.&
Vanessa“Emily will be here any minute. Let’s get this going,” I said as Clay hung a Happy Birthday banner behind the table where the cake would be.The entire house was decorated nicely, with balloons all over the living room, confetti spread around the floor, which I would have to sweep later, and even the horses were ready with saddles to give the kids a ride.Clay had been working hard these past few months to get our business going.Yes, our business. Because now that we were going to get married, we would share everything.“Hello!” Candice walked in with a white box in her hands, putting it on the table
ClayVanessa’s Mom had been sent from heaven. She’s helped her when I’m not here and helped with Emily’s care as well.Months have gone by and now Vanessa was six months along in her pregnancy. Emily started her first grade and soon we would be celebrating her sixth birthday as well.Candice moved out to her house, and John had joined her not long after, which made her happy.One thing I still had in mind was Rita. Pete had given me news about her. As soon as they had evidence about her fraudulent transactions, they went to pick her up at her house, but she had fled.&ldquo
Vanessa“What are you doing here?” I asked, holding myself from hugging her. I have missed her, but I was also hurt that she didn’t even speak on my behalf when Dad fired me from the company. Clay held me by the waist, supporting me, and I was grateful because I needed it.“I came to see how you were doing,” she said, looking down at the already big bump on my belly. “But I see you’re doing well. How far along are you?”I looked down with a smile, rubbing my belly, before I looked back at her.“I’m still three months, almost four.”“Wow, you really are show
ClayI opened my eyes to see Vanessa sitting up, hugging herself and trembling. All I could see were her tears streaming down her cheeks, and that worried me.“Baby, are you okay?” I kissed her shoulder, her skin feeling cold.“I’ll be fine. It was just a bad dream,” she whispered as she slowly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.I followed her, but didn’t dare go in, so I stood by the door and knocked.“Tell me, what happened?” I asked, expecting an answer from her. There was just silence, but I could hear a muffled sob coming from behind the door. Hoping it was unlocked, I turned the knob and walked in, seeing her sitting on the toilet with a tissue