The house was quiet when Hana got home. A trip of twenty minutes had turned into forty-five minutes, and she spent the next fifteen minutes preparing herself to face the entire family. Cara would always have her back, but her nineteen-year-old sister could only do so much for her. Her mother would defend her until it was her father attacking her. In summary, she was alone.
Gathering courage, she walked up the stairs and opened the door. Her breath faltered as she got a look at the people in the living room. Her father jumped to his feet, and her mother rushed after him to hold him back from hitting her. He had never hit her before, but he looked ready to start today. Hana shrank into the corner. Cara offered her a small smile, unable to do more.
“Where have you been?” he yelled.
“Hi, Baba,” she replied with a little wave.
“Baba?” he said, face twisting in disgust like he didn’t want to be associated with his first daughter. Hana’s mother s
Baba’s car stopped in front of the big gate. He hit a button on the side of his car, and Hana’s door unlocked. She remained hunched in her seat, but her fingers trembled with rage and exhaustion. “You were lucky,” her father said. Among the emotions that gurgled in her stomach, luck was the last. Her eyes clenched shut. She forced the image of the doctor shoving his fingers into her vagina to check for an intact hymen or vaginal laxity out of her mind. The memory made her skin prickle. She squeezed her legs like it would wash away his touch. Kyle spent the night erasing the feel of those men’s hands on her body, but all it took was a trip to the doctor’s to remind her of it. He touched her even in places Kyle didn’t. Hana flung the passenger door open. Her foot was out of the car when her father’s voice stopped her. “No more funny stunts, Hana. You will be twenty-five soon. Don’t ruin something you’ve spent all y
Calvin walked into Kenna Lounge, the hotel he had brought Angel to. Unlike that night when he came in, he was in a foul mood today. It was only 6 am on Monday, but the city was busy. He ignored the greeting from the receptionist as he made his way to the private elevator that would take him to his suite. Knowing the memories it held, he had no idea why this was the first place he thought of visiting, but he couldn’t bring himself to head to his condo instead. The elevator pinged, and he stepped out. Getting inside the living area, he dumped his briefcase on a sofa without checking to know where it landed. His next destination was the bar. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, no ice, and returned to the living room. Sitting on the floor, he dragged the coffee table closer to him and dropped the glass on it. The glass was barely on the table when a memory slammed into him. Images of him and Angel drinking hot chocolates pushed into his mind. Calvin shove
Sweat rolled down Calvin’s palms, and he reached inside the collar of his shirt for the necklace his mother gifted him but found it empty. Fuck. Why did he keep forgetting that it was still with Angel? Familiar rage engulfed him as thoughts of her threatened to take over his mind. KJ nudged him with his knee and nodded to the table.Different pairs of eyes were staring at them, mostly Calvin. He grabbed a bottle from the table and finished half its content.“If you will,” KJ spoke on Calvin’s behalf. There were three men on each side of the table. They were usually more than that, but he couldn’t remember if some of them had been excused. “Please repeat the question.”Calvin looked around the table. He had an idea what all of them would say if asked to state their opinion on this. They would tell him to give up his spot in Tech Valley so he could run his own company, but he wasn’t ready for that. That w
Calvin started his day on an awful note. Mr Tommy wanted to know if there was any progress, and the others were asking for an update. He ignored his assistant hot on his heels as he fled to his office. His office door opened moments after he was inside. He slung his jacket over his chair and stood behind it. Destinee edged away from the door, her face a cold mask of professionalism. Calvin stared at his wristwatch and back at her. She was yet to speak.“What is it, Destinee?” Calvin asked. He wasn’t always this snappy, but he had grown awful at controlling his temper since that blue-eyed woman walked out on him. Sitting, he tapped on his keyboard and scrolled through the list of other publishers on his monitor screen. Destinee stopped behind the chair in front of his desk. She was too silent today. “What do you want?”Fucking Diane had not helped. Thoughts of the woman he would not mention still plagued his mind, and the only thing h
Three days had passed since the squash game, and Calvin hadn’t gotten a call or text or email from Lance or his assistant. He didn’t want to get his hopes high, but he had been expectant since Charles placed that call. It was only a Tuesday, so he couldn’t contact his friend about the matter.Dropping his phone to his desk, Calvin stepped out of his office, and his assistant stood. They didn’t share a space, but Destinee’s open office was right outside his. He preferred it that way so he could always pop his head out for a random check.“Have we gotten a response from Lance?”Destinee was silent as she skimmed through her laptop. Her head bobbed a few times. “He sent… oh!” Eyes lighting up, she nodded. “Yeah. He seems interested.”The printer behind her desk buzzed and spat out a warm sheet she handed over to Calvin. It was filled with tiny letters, but he recognised the
Hana sat in front of her laptop. The cursor blinked, and she stared at the new page for so long it made her eyes water. The manuscript she had been working on was in that purse those men took from her. Surprisingly, she didn’t miss it. She knew what story she wanted to write next, and her fingers itched to be put to use. This time, she would be smart enough to write into the laptop first. Instead of the arduous process of writing into a note first, then typing it out she had always employed.Opening the Word document, she gawked at the front page that should hold the title for a few seconds, then typed in one word. Unknown.A title could come later after the story. Grabbing a notepad, she scribbled down rough details about her characters. That part wasn’t difficult. Kyle’s features were engrained in her memory. She listed down everything from her memory.His grey eyes. Tiny full-stop birthmark on his jaw. Black hair so soft she miss
Calvin was in his office when the door burst open. He hid his annoyance as his assistant walked in. She waved some sheets in the air, and he pressed two fingers to his temple, hoping the building headache would disappear. Nothing had gone right for him this week. Lance was deliberately ignoring him, and he didn’t know their stand with Ace. Was the problem with the changes he made to the contract? It couldn’t be.“Sir, we got it,” Destinee declared before he could ask about the problem. His eyes carried all his confusion, and his assistant laughed as she bridged the gap between them to slap the papers on the table. “This.”Calvin snatched the first page from her. His brows knitted and relaxed almost instantly. Was this a joke? He spared Destinee a glance, and she beamed. Maybe he would keep her. She had survived his worst. He read through again, skimming the lines on every page to be sure this wasn’t a trick.
Calvin picked up immediately. He owed his friend lunch and maybe even dinner.“Are you busy?” Charles asked as soon as the call connected.Curt and straight to the point wasn’t Charles’ style, but Calvin didn’t call him out on it. Stress could make a man act out of character sometimes. He snapped his fingers, and his driver started the car. It was back to the office for Calvin, but that idea didn’t appeal to him like it should. He looked out the window as they joined the traffic.“No,” he replied. “Not now. What’s up?”Charles ratted out the name of a restaurant, and in a few minutes, Calvin was on his way there.Calvin checked his social media. He might not be as active as his siblings were on the apps, but he had accounts there. He was on a mission. Scouring through the Instagrâm page of The Duchess, he scoffed at the number of followers on their page. 2M. He had nev
Footsteps pounded behind Camilla. How the heck was he so fast? He sounded close, but she didn’t look back to confirm her suspicions. A sudden pressure on her hair made her screech to a stop. Pain spread through her scalp, and she bit into her lip to stop herself from screaming. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth. She placed both hands on her head to ease the pain.The pressure finally reduced, but the pain lingered. Vanya stopped in front of her, the ends of her long ponytail wrapped around his fist. Her breath rushed out in ragged pants. Tears pricked the back of her eyes.Camilla took one step back, but the tug on her hair reminded her she wouldn’t get far. She had always prided herself on her long hair, but now she wished it wasn’t lengthy.“Let. Go,” she whispered, her voice shaky.“The phone.”“No.”Vanya reached for her handbag, his hand tight around the strap. She tried to yank it from his grip, but it was nearly impossible. His grip was steel. They struggled, mostly her
Deep breaths. Inhale and exhale.Camilla May McKenna could do it. She could handle the simple task of taking pictures of a cheating lover and prove to her best friend that Vanya, her boyfriend, was a scum. KJ, her youngest brother, always told her evidence was key. He was the same one who told her men hated shopping and never went on that adventure without a woman unless sex was involved. So, the second Vanya walked into the boutique, she had rushed to the bathroom to call her best friend Faye. If Vanya was at the boutique, then he was with someone else. Faye was in class. All she had to do was get evidence, so Faye would leave the cheat.Retrieving a tube of pink lipstick from her purse, she reapplied it and fluffed her hair. From the mirror, her hair was flat on the sides from her consistent touching. Wasting no more time in the bathroom, she smacked her lips and walked out. Vanya hadn’t met her. He wouldn’t recognise her, so there was no need for her to use a disguise. Cold air r
Sweat rolled down Calvin’s forehead. He hid a frown as he dabbed on the evidence of his anxiety. This was a regular date with his wife. He shouldn’t be nervous, but unlike other dates, this one was special. Different. It was an anniversary date. Last month was the one-year anniversary of meeting Angel on that rainy night. His wife had suffered an abrupt illness, so he couldn’t take her out. They had rescheduled it for today, making sure it fell on the same day. 10th day of the month. Instead of celebrating a one-year anniversary of knowing each other, it would be a thirteen months celebration. Calvin adjusted his suit in front of the mirror and ran a hand over the front of his jacket. He had no reason to worry. Life was good. His babies were fine. His wife was awesome. The cast of season two were already getting ready for production. A smile took over his lips as those thoughts solidified even more.The bedroom door opened, and Calvin stopped fussing with his tie. Angel strutted in,
Calvin waited in the car while his wife and sister-in-law visited their mother’s grave. His fingers drummed on his knee as the seconds went by. He couldn’t understand what they felt. Losing both parents would drive him insane. But the ladies had taken it in stride. Cara seemed to be the most affected.It was only a few days after the new year. Cara had spent it with them but returned to school the next day. These days, she spoke more often without prompting. The cast of season two had already been selected, but he wanted to give her a spot as an extra.IfLance agreed. But Lance would have to.Browsing through his phone, Calvin sat up when he heard approaching footsteps. He looked up to see Cara and Angel. Cara’s eyes were red with tears, and Angel looked to be consoling her. They stopped a few feet from the car and Angel hugged her sister. He waited behind, not sure his presence would be wanted in such moment.Soon, both lad
Christmas was a big deal for the McKenna family, but that wasn’t always the case with Hana. She adjusted her dress a few times, and her husband scooped her up before she could tug on her sleeves one more time.“Baby, you need to stop that,” Kyle warned. She hugged his neck, her eyes closing as she let out a breath. “Everyone already loves you, there’s no need to be nervous.”“Well, yeah, I guess.”Hana’s stomach grumbled. He frowned and placed a hand on her stomach. “Hungry?” “No. Just a bit nervous.”“Don’t be, okay?” he said in a patronising voice. “I love you, and my family loves you.”Hana wasn’t only nervous for herself, she was for her sister too. It was the first family dinner with Cara, Hana, and the entire McKenna clan. After her discharge from the hospital, Cara had gone cold. Or should she say,
Night rolled by without Kyle showing up to the guestroom. Hana curled under the sheet, her eyes filling with tears. Should she have been upset about the loss of their child? Yes, she was. She was hurt. Her heart was shattered for their child, but at no point did she blame her husband for that.If any one should be blamed or punished for it, it was Baba. But Kyle was driving a wall between them with his constant self-blame. They lost a child and should grieve together not push each other apart. She meant what she said about not wanting a fight with him. She had missed him too much to let what was supposed to be a shared suffering drive them apart. He was seeing it as a loss, but she saw it as a gift.Maybe others wouldn’t see it that way, but that was her. Baba pushed her. She fell on her belly but lost only one baby. What if she had lost all? She had so many more positives to be thankful for. One, her sister. Two, her babies. Three, her husband. He mi
Calvin should be a happy man since his kidnapped wife was back home, but he hadn’t gotten the courage to tell her about the babies. He also couldn’t get rid of the guilt that had taken over his chest. No matter what anyone told him, it was his fault. His stubbornness brought them here.Someone tapped him. He looked up, and a fake smile took over his lips. It was his wife.“What are you thinking?” she asked.“Nothing. Just getting ready.”Angel placed a hand on her waist. “Really?”Calvin hadn’t heard his beautiful wife enter the bathroom. She must have caught him staring into space. He tended to do that more often these days. They were getting ready to head to the hospital for their evening checkup. Cara was still there, but she was feeling better than she did last week. His wife had formed a habit of reading a chapter from her favourite romance book to her sister.
Hana’s eyes peeled open slowly. She had gotten so used to her new home that the change had her shutting her eyes again to be sure this wasn’t a dream. This… this didn’t look like where Baba kept her.Where was he? Where was Cara? Each time she tried to remember everything that could have led her to this point, her head throbbed. Someone squeezed Hana’s hand. Groaning softly, she turned to the side and saw Kyle. A minute or two passed. That, that couldn’t be real. Was she dreaming? Was this heaven?“Baby,” he whispered, his fingers brushing her cheek. He was real. Wait, were both of them dead? Did Baba kill her? How did he get here? The heart monitor beside her beeped out of control, and Kyle palmed her cheeks. “Hey, princess. Relax, it’s me. Your dragon prince.”“Kyle?”“Yes. Yes,” he whispered. “I’m here.” Hana winced as she tried to sit up. Her h
They found her. It had been a week since Calvin’s mother gave them the tip about the tracker in the pendant. In that time, they had all worked tirelessly to find Calvin’s wife. Within that time, Calvin experienced too many breakdowns to count. This ordeal wasn’t one he would wish on anyone, not even people he loathed. He sat in his wife’s office, phone in his hand, waiting for a call or something that would take him to her. His heart was broken and hollow, and had stopped beating right a long time ago.This was pain. This was torture.Coming to the office wasn’t actually for him to work. Her absence was driving him insane because her scent was everywhere. He was tired of his whole family fussing over him, so he had promised them he would show up at work to use it as a distraction. That didn’t work. Because he found himself in her office, sometimes just touching all the things she touched, staring into space or pacing the