KatieMy stomach grumbles slightly as I make my way to the kitchen to find myself something to eat, but my feet suddenly stop, and I freeze in my spot when I hear Mark’s mother talking. My husband’s office door is slightly ajar. “Are you sure it is because Mark married Katie? There can be a lot of reasons why someone would refuse to sign a contract with our company. I know we were really hoping this would go through, but we can’t hold anything against Mark for this. The potential client is crazy, just like Tiffany.”A mix of emotions races through me. Did Mark lose the contract? And because of me? He was looking forward to this. I might not know much about business, but I know Mark was hoping this contract would go through. My heart twists. Am I the reason Mark didn’t get the contract? “I know what he said. You told me, but I won’t believe he refused to sign the contract because Mark is married to Katie. There is no way I will believe it.”My heart sinks. I’m the reaso
My eyes sting and glisten with unshed tears.I look up at the night’s black sky. There are no clouds anywhere, not even a little wisp of one. The city’s lights drown out any glimmer of light from the twinkling stars above. It makes me almost want to get in the car and drive to the country so I can see the sea of sparkling lights.My thoughts dive back into my current problems.Why do I have to be the cause of everything? Why can’t the reason be because of someone else? I don’t care who just as long as it isn’t me. A slight frown decorates my face while the one-sided conversation I heard earlier plays in my mind on a constant repeat. Each time, my mother-in-law’s word strike just as hard as the previous time. Will my bad luck continue on with my children? Will the next conversation be about how the kids have held Mark back? My heart twists. I gather my emotions and shake my head. No. Our kids are a gift. I can’t think of them as anything but precious treasures.I pick up a
I march into my father’s office, not caring that I’m interrupting a meeting. With my hand, I motion for everyone to leave.Even though he has passed the President/CEO title to me, he still likes to have his hands in the mix, according to him, so he has kept an office for himself at the company. When the last person finally leaves and shuts the door behind them, I turn my focus towards my father and bark, “Are you going to tell me who called you last night? From the look on your face at the dinner table, it was important, but also someone you didn’t really want to talk to. Am I right?”He stares back at me. We lock into a staring war for a few minutes before he finally breaks and looks down at his desk. He takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his hair. “It was Tiffany’s father. He is demanding I fix this, but I’ve told him there is nothing to fix and there was no arrangement.”He raises his gaze back to mine. “He admits there was no arrangement, but he can’t take his
Katie I plop down on the bench in the locker room and run my hand through my hair. It has been another busy and hectic day in the ER. On the bright side, I didn’t fight with my nausea much. A couple of times my stomach churned, but not to the point I’m running out looking for the nearest toilet. That is one victory I’ll relish in for now. I pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at it. No missed calls. No unread messages. Where is Mark and why hasn’t he tried to call me? I’ve had to stay longer for my shift, but he usually calls to check up on me and see when I’ll be heading home. But tonight, there is nothing. Why? Did something happen to him?A crease forms along my forehead as I stand up and grab my things out of my locker. My mind continues to run through all the plausible options. From behind me, Izzy asks, “Are you planning on stopping by your parents’ room before you head home? If so, I can go with you.”I glance over my shoulder at her and nod. “I know they
KatieI drag my feet into the house. A sense of relief washes over me. I’m finally home. The image of my family in the hospital flashes through my mind, and guilt washes over me. I mentally chant to myself that they were in the wrong, not me. I take a moment, even though I had just sat in my car for several minutes trying to clear my mind and it hasn’t worked.The smell of food drifts through the air and pulls me towards the kitchen. Casper’s usual giggles are usually absent. I glance down at my watch. Shoot. It is much later than I realized it is. Everyone must have eaten, and Casper should be in bed already. My heart twists. I don’t get to tuck him in, but this isn’t the first time. It is only the first time since we moved here. I take a deep breath and fill my lungs with the faint smell of food. As I approach the kitchen, I call out, “What is that delicious smell? Did you cook something again for supper?”My steps falter when I walk through the doorway and find one
MarkA faint sob wakes me up, and I’m instantly on edge. I whip around and scoop Katie into my arms. “Baby, what is wrong? Are you not feeling well? Is there something wrong with the baby? Do I need to call for the doctor?”She snuggles into my side, shakes her head, and sniffles. “No. I just had a bad nightmare.”I kiss the top of her head and pull her trembling body against my bare chest. “Shh… It is alright. I’m here, and you are awake now. You don’t need to worry.”I kiss her head again and let my lips lingers for a moment, soaking up her warmth and hoping to calm her rattled nerves, along with mine. With a broken voice, she asks, “Are you going to stay out late again tonight?”I tilt my head and stare down at her. My head fills with questions as I softly reply, “No. The contract is signed, and everything is good. I’ve invited him and his personal assistant to the house this weekend for a dinner. I was going to tell you at breakfast this morning. You were asleep l
I walk out of the ER and into the corridor. Exhaustion takes over me, and my feet feel like they are made of cement now. One of the perks of being busy is I don’t have time to think about anything except for my ER patients and what I need to do to get them healthy again. I really appreciate it. I walk down the hall, heading for the small vending machine around the corner in the waiting room, when a young nurse, Emily, trots up to me. “You aren’t going to eat anything from there, are you?” She points in the general direction of the machines. I nod. “Yes. I’m too tired to go anywhere else, and I can’t leave the hospital. You know, the minute I do, more patients will come in. I only have a few minutes, and I forgot to pack myself some snacks when I left the house this morning. I had other things on my mind.” My voice trails off with the last sentence.My mind was consumed with those stupid messages. I still can’t bring myself to look at them, but I’ve felt my phone buzzing
Katie My stomach instantly sinks. Why does he have to do this here? I stare at my brother while my rage boils within me. Every part of me wants to scream and rip him to pieces, but I’m in the hospital and my place of work. I can’t be seen as the crazy doctor who can’t control herself. I clench my hands into fists while I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart and growing anger. My eyes narrow and silently tell him to stop. My brother’s face is bright red as steam rolls off him. He stomps forward and glares back at me. “I can’t believe I have a sister like you! You have no manners! And you lack a brain!” I clamp my mouth together, fighting back all the words I want to throw at him, but can’t. Evan steps around me and in between the two of us. He puts on his professional voice. “Your claims are baseless. You don’t even know your sister to know whether those remarks are true or not. If you keep this up, I’m going to ask you to leave the hospital.” My bro
With a glass of sparkling cider in one hand, I carefully wipe of the crumbs from the front of my floor length formal dark red dress. The paper napkins I’m using snag on a few of the embedded jewels along the front. My frustrations bubble up as I grind my teeth together. But this little setback can’t damper my mood. This is a big night for me. I’m finally accomplishing another one of my goals and dreams. Mark waves a couple of white linen napkins in the area as he rushes towards me. “Look what I have found. Stop trying to get the food off. I’ll get it done.” His playful smile widens as he gives me a wink. “In no time, I’ll have you back looking as beautiful as ever.” I sigh and let my shoulders drop. In his black tuxedo, he bends over in front of me and very carefully wipes all the little food particles off me without smearing it across the smooth satin fabric. I glance around the venue and notice a few people giving us some questioning looks, but no one has the courage
As he opens his mouth, my parents and brother casually walk into the house. My brother’s eyes pop wide open as he looks around, taking everything in and whispers, “Wow!”My heart nearly stops and my breath hitches. What are they doing here? They don’t have anything nice to say to me. Why would Mark bring them here? Why?My smile evaporates and morphs into a frown. I shuffle backwards as I slowly shake my head. My father gives me a stern look, which also holds his usual scrutinizing eye. The one which says I’m not good enough. My chest tightens. I don’t want them here. Casper runs towards us. “DADDY! YOU ARE HOME!!” He holds his little arms wide open and leaps into his father’s waiting arms. Normally, I would smile and join them in a group hug, but I can’t take my eyes off my family. The only thing that connects us is our DNA. Nothing else they have done would be something a normal family would do. My brother ignores Casper, stilling gawking at the inside of the house
I cradle my adorable daughter in my arms as I sway back and forth. Her long dark lashes flutter as she fights to stay awake. I softly hum a tune and gently pat her bottom. Everything seems so peaceful and perfect now, but it wasn’t months ago when she was born. When I had finally woken up, I nearly had a panic attack. My pregnant belly was gone, and my precious baby was nowhere to be seen. Luckily, Mark and Casper were there at my bedside, along with his parents, making sure I knew everything was alright. Our precious little baby was with the doctors, but Mark vowed to do whatever he needs to ensure our daughter’s health. I would be lying if I said his words calmed me down. Nothing he could say would ease my nerves, but it was his calm voice and the determination in his eyes which finally settled me down. Our daughter had to stay in the intensive care unit for a few days, but she was a fighter and could soon come home. Mark’s mother steps into the room and softly asks, “Is
KatieThe past few months have been a blur. If I didn’t have constant reminders on social media about it, I might forget all about Tiffany and the nightmare she caused. I stare down at my phone on the dining room table and at the latest social media post from a friend. I shake my head and sigh. When are they going to let this end? The post has a picture of Tiffany, which I’m sure she doesn’t know someone took, where she is picking up garbage in the company’s parking garage next to the building. Her previous high-end designer clothes are nowhere to be found, and she is wearing the company’s maintenance uniform. Below her picture is a caption wondering who the designer of the classy outfit is. I roll my eyes.Tiffany is working to pay off our doctor bills without complaining. Mark’s mother is still fuming at her, but she isn’t throwing it in Tiffany’s face. Everyone else should follow that example.Mark kisses the top of my head and rubs my shoulders. “How are you feeling thi
I sip on my champagne while I raise an eyebrow, hiding my smirk behind the glass. Tiffany holds her head high and walks up to a person she thinks is me, but it isn’t. He looks similar to me, but that is where the likeness ends. Her face contorts and her mouth opens slightly, but nothing comes out. I choke down a chuckle. The decoy stares at her and grunts, “What do you want? You look like you have something you want to say to me.”She continues to stare at him for a few moments before she shakes her head. “No. I thought you were someone else. I’ll go look for him elsewhere.”Her eyes quickly scan the area. I duck behind a few other guests as she looks in my direction. It isn’t time for her to see me yet. Her gaze locks on the back of another guy on the other side of the room, who she thinks is me. I choke down another laugh. It is only going to get worse from here on out. Before she reaches the guy, he turns around, and she instantly halts in her tracks. Her face conto
MarkI take a deep breath as I walk into the venue with my parents, wearing the same black tuxedo I did for the charity event. Katie and Casper are home, per my request. Tonight will probably be stressful and potentially traumatizing, which neither of them need. It is best to finish this off and give Katie the details later. If things go the way I’m thinking they will, Katie should see everything through social media. In addition, Casper is still healing from the last traumatic event, and he doesn’t need another one on top of it. I could the see fear in his eyes when we were talking about tonight’s event, and there is no way I was going to put him through that and make his mental health worse. My mother pats my arm. “Are you alright?”I nod. “Yeah.”My father glances to his side at me. “Are you ready for what needs to be done tonight?”A snort slips from me. “Yes. I’m more than ready. I’m hoping everything will go according to our plan, and Tiffany will learn her lesson.”
KatieI sit beside Casper’s bed and stare down at him. The last few days have been a whirlwind of people and emotions. Working with the doctor and our family and friends, Casper has finally calmed down and realizes Tiffany can’t hurt him here. He feels safe at home, but the fear isn’t gone or under control. At any minute, something random might spark his fear again and he will have another panic attack or a terrible nightmare. My rage continues to bubble under the surface, just waiting for something to trip me. When I get my hands on that woman, she will find out I’m not the naïve person she thinks I am. If I do it right, I’ll instill fear in her to the point she will never think of doing something like this again. Being a doctor has advantages people wouldn’t think about.Mark walks into Casper’s bedroom. “Is he asleep?”I nod. “Yeah. I want an update, but not in here.”I turn to the young lady standing in the doorway and motion for her to come in. “Keep an eye on our bab
I tiptoe out of Casper’s room and quietly shut the door behind me. A few staff wait anxiously in the hallway. I clear my throat and turn towards them. “Someone needs to stay with him at all times right now. He is having the same recurring nightmares, and only a soothing touch will ease his mind and let him move past the dream. Do any of you want to sit with him for a bit?”All of them quickly nod their heads. I glance back over my shoulder at the closed door. “I’ll let you decide who goes in right now. Everyone must be quiet and not wake him up. I just got him back to sleep. I don’t think he slept at all last couple of nights.”They nod and look at each other, silently debating on who should go in first. My heart aches and my mind swirls. Silently, I turn and head down the stairs. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I need to do something. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, one of the staff timidly calls out, “Please, use the wheelchair.”Without looking back, I nod and
MarkI storm through the building and into my office, not bothering to acknowledge anyone along the way. If I provide any reaction, it is a grunt or a snort. There is another important issue consuming my mind, and I must address it before I can handle anything else. Though I’ve had the weekend to calm down, nothing can cool my boiling anger simmering under my skin, waiting for the right moment to explode. Employees scurry out of my way while murmurs float through the air. But no one dares to say anything loud enough for me to hear. My scowl deepens as I storm around my desk and yank my chair out. “Jack!” Before his name leaves my mouth, he is in my office and right next to my desk with his tablet in hand. “Do you need me to do anything?”My eyes dart to him. “Yeah. I need you to contact everyone who has agreed previously to work with and help me. We are ramping up the next phase of my plan.”A sinister smirk bubbles up, and I don’t bother to hide it. If I could have handl