Mark“I knew I can count on you. I’ll have Jack send over the information to you. If you need any help from me for anything, let me know.”I lean back in my office chair. A sense of relief washes over me as things are coming into place. Tiffany will soon wish she never knew me. A short snort spills from the phone. “I should say to that you. You are more powerful than me and have connections with the top business family in the country. I feel sorry for the person who has irritated you. They will rethink what they have done to you soon.”I can only hope, but I doubt Tiffany will realize what she has done. She has blinders on, and unless it is something against others, she doesn’t seem to see what is in plain sight in front of her. I shake my head. “I’m not so sure about that, but I will enjoy in the knowledge of what is really happening. I’ll talk to you later. There are more people I need to contact before the day is done.”The man chuckles. “Okay. I’ll let you go and w
I flip the lid of the ice cream tub off and dive my spoon into it as my eyes drift across the park. Families are scattered about, while the soft laughter of kids floats in the air. Pride beams from the parents’ faces as they watch their kids scurry around. Why couldn’t I have that? Just once in my life, I want what everyone else has. My gaze moves to Izzy and Casper, who are playing on the swing. Casper’s happiness is evident with his big grin, showing off his deep dimples, and his non-stop giggles while Izzy pushes him higher. The image warms my aching heart. I have promised myself long ago I would never let my kids suffer like I did growing up. My brother is the golden child and I’m just the daughter they never wanted. No matter what I do, I will never be good enough for them. My brother, on the other hand, can do nothing right, but he was still their perfect child. A lone tear spills over the corner of my eye and slides down my cheek. I shove another spoonful of ice cre
I take my watch off and set it on the nightstand. “Honey, are you feeling better now? You were looking a little pale during dinner. When we were tucking Cass into bed, you became almost white. With all the stress you are under, I don’t want to take any chances with you and the baby.”Katie softly replies, “Yeah, I’m fine.”I stare at the bathroom door for a moment. Something in her voice seems off, but I don’t know what. After a few moments of silence, I shake my head. I’m getting paranoid. I unbutton the top few buttons of my white dress shirt. “Do you have to work tomorrow? Or are you working this weekend? I’ll be glad when you get a regular shift during the week and we can have our weekends to enjoy as a family.”I head towards the walk-in closet but halfway across the room, my feet stop, and I turn towards the bathroom. There is nothing but silence. It is an eerie quiet, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. “Katie?”Nothing.My heart slams against my chest,
I stare across the hospital bed at the doctor. Her words barely register in my brain, except for a few. Katie needs rest and absolutely no stress or she could lose the baby. If she doesn’t rest, she could also potentially lose her life too. The medical terms sound foreign to me, but I trust Evan and Izzy will explain it to me later. My chest tightens. “Do whatever you have to in order to save them both? But if it comes to the point of having to pick one, save my wife first. She probably won’t be happy with my choice, but I’ll deal with her later. I need her to survive.” Not only me, but our son also needs her to survive. My pain and struggles are woven through each word as my voice wavers and almost cracks. The doctor nods. “I understand.” She looks down at Katie, who still looks extremely pale, but she has gained back some of her color. “I’m sure she will understand too, but I agree with you. She might not like it initially.”My gaze shifts down to my unconscious wife
KatieMy eyelids flutter, but I don’t have the energy to open them. “Mommy. Are you awake?”Casper’s soft and sweet voice lures me to open my eyes. His round little face, with a slight frown, leans in closer to me as he kneels on the side of the bed.This is exactly what I need to see right now, the beautiful sight of my sweet son.I gather all my energy and force a small grin. My voice is scratchy as I ask, “Hey, baby. How are you?”I go to lift my hand to caress his cheek, but I can’t. It feels like it is covered in cement or tied down to the bed. After a few weak attempts, I finally give up trying.His face lights up, and he scoots closer to me. “I’m good, and you’re awake.”He pats my arm. “Grandma and daddy are outside.”“They are. Have you been waiting long for me?”His smile fades slightly as he scoots closer again. “A little.”My throat burns, and my mouth is dry. “How long have I been…”“Asleep? A few days.” The corner of his mouth slides down into a faint frown.
I sit behind my desk and smile, even though I don’t want to be here. I would rather be at the hospital taking care of Katie. She is supposed to be discharged today, but my mother said she would take care of getting her home and for me not to worry about it. How can I not worry?My smile widens as I read the comments on Tiffany’s social media. Her friends are turning on her much faster than I had expected. But it is to be expected with the type of people she calls friends. They are all very materialistic and super shallow. None of them are people I can stand to be around. Whenever we had social events where Tiffany and her friends were invited, I would always avoid them. As the comments get harsher and meaner, the more I read, I can’t help but enjoy it. It is like sweet justice for what she has put me and Katie through. Well, it isn’t remotely close to what I want to do, but it will do for now. I’m not done with her yet. By the time I’m done, she will regret ever meeting m
Katie“Are you sure it is alright? I don’t want to disturb your things.” I hold the phone closer to my ear as I walk into Mark’s home office. My ear fills with a soft chuckle. “Baby, you are my wife. If you need to use the computer, you can. There isn’t any reason why I wouldn’t let you in there. I’m not hiding anything. What is mine is yours.”A smile tugs at my lips, and my heart warms. “I know I’m your wife, but I don’t want to accidentally do something on your computer and ruin anything. I’m just double checking.” Mark cuts me off. “Stop being overly cautious. You have every right to go in there and use anything in there, including the computer. Even if you accidentally open a file or company document, there is nothing to worry about. As my wife, you are also part owner of the company. Stop worrying.”I sigh. “I can’t help it.” He huffs, “The only thing we should worry about is you are walking around too much. I thought you were on bedrest. Doesn’t that mean yo
I shake my head. “No. I’m not going without my wife. She isn’t healthy enough to go, and I will not stress her out by going by myself. But thinking about it now, I think I’ll be stressed out more than Katie will if I go. Why can’t you handle this for me? You said you and mom were planning on attending.”The muscle along my jaw twitches as I ball my hands into fists. Everything has been worked out, but now that it is the day of the charity event, things have fallen apart. Why? My father sighs and sits up straight in the chair, staring across my desk at me. His eyes plea with me to give him a break, but I don’t think I have it in me to do it.He knows everyone will see me there alone and if Tiffany gets anywhere close to me, the stupid rumors will start again. Tiffany will seize the opportunity to spin some wild tale that I’m there with her and we are still getting married. HELL NO!! NOT HAPPENING!!!I won’t give anyone the impression I’m there with Tiffany. If luck is on
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