“He has a girlfriend,” Hana murmured.
Hana was sitting by the dresser, her fingers fisted in the air as she tried to take off her earrings. She couldn’t remember how many minutes or hours she had spent in this position, but the moment the driver parked, she had run into her room. Baba wasn’t home when she returned. Mama had been watching a soap opera, so she didn’t get a chance to question Hana.
She finally removed the second earring and tucked it into the case on the table. A groan from the bed reminded her she wasn’t alone. Her sister was reading on her tab. Hana had taken her advice to split the book so Cara was making all the final touches.
“Who?” Cara asked.
Hana picked up her laptop and opened the manuscript. She thought she was done with it. The book had ended with a happy ever after, but the happiness she felt the day she put the last full stop to the document was missing. There was a hol
On Friday, Calvin skipped family dinner. Late in the afternoon on Saturday, he went to his parent’s house and tiptoed into the room to avoid calling attention to himself. Calvin had just climbed into bed when a knock came from behind the door. Pushing the cover off his legs, he sat up against the headboard. The door opened without his permission, and he hid a groan as his sister enter. He must have forgotten to lock up. Sweeping a hand over his body covered in a tank top and briefs, he asked, “What if I was naked, Cam?” “Are you?” “See for yourself,” he retorted. Thoughts of Angel still plagued him, but he wasn’t sure who to discuss it with. Camilla must have heard him enter because he had been very quiet. “So, did that guy ever call you?” Camilla shut the door with her foot and rested her weight on it. They were silent for a moment. He didn’t know if it was a good idea to mention Angel. If Camilla knew, then the
Days had passed, weeks too, and Calvin was yet to hear from Rock. He had started avoiding Charles, not because he didn’t care for his friend, but because he didn’t want to be part of the wedding Charles was planning. His best friend was going ahead with his plans, and as much as he didn’t want to be a buzzkill, he couldn’t hide his disapproval. If he could get a chance with Angel, he would convince her to marry him instead. His parents did it once, and it worked for them. He could do it again. His screen blurred as he stared at it. He had a lot to do. He hadn’t gotten a new assistant to handle aspects of Kenna Prime. People had been showing up, but none of them were good enough. It wasn’t that they lacked the credentials to work for him. He was too distracted to sit still through an interview and pick one of the many available options. He wanted to be a part of the hiring process because the person would work with him as closely as Destinee did. Calvin shut his lapto
Calvin opened the backdoor of his car for his sister to enter. The driver was already behind the wheel. Camilla flipped her hair proper diva style, letting some strands brush his cheek and slipped into the car. He laughed. Given the valuable information she had brought to him today, he couldn’t bring himself to be bothered by her antics. Her iPad was still with him, and he had no plans of returning it anytime soon. But as soon as he joined her in the backseat, she stretched her hand to him. “Give it back.” “Come on. Let me hold onto it for tonight.” Calvin wanted to read the story. Live in the world his angel created. Maybe she would explain why she left him. Perhaps he could understand how her mind worked. He also had to tell her about Diane. She meant nothing to him. They were just sex buddies. “Nope,” his sister replied. “I’ll get you another one.” Tapping a finger to her pouted lips, Camilla told him, “You’ll retu
Hana burst into her sister’s room with a yell. Her phone almost fell from her hand, but she caught it before it hit the ground. Cara, who was taking a nap, roused and rubbed the back of her palm over her eyes. Hana jumped to the bed, yanking the comforter from Cara’s body. Since her sister started attending rehearsals, they hadn’t been spending as much time together. When Cara didn’t look at what Hana was showing her, she held her head steady, forcing her to look at her screen.It was Cara’s idea to put the book on pre-order so they had a chance to send ARCs and promote it before release. Hana hadn’t expected anything. The last few days since the pre-order went live, she had refreshed her page so often to see zero preorders. But today, there was one order. One person freaking paid for her book. She was one book closer to being a bestselling author.Cara had also taken charge of creating social media pages and handling it for her.
Rock, the private investigator Calvin hired, didn’t find anything useful on Angel Kent. She was a new indie author with only one book, which was set to release in June, in her name. Without a picture or her first name, it was a dead end. When Rock asked for more information, probably someone Calvin knew who was in touch with Angel, he had given out his best friend’s details.Calvin had almost disagreed with the PI’s idea of stalking Charles, but it was their only lead. Now, he had Charles’ schedule and had gotten a call from Rock alongside a picture of his best friend with a pretty lady.His lady. No one told Calvin to rush to the venue after getting that picture. He left everything he was doing to be here.Angel wasn’t the only person shocked at his presence. Destinee had tried to stop him from leaving the office, but he ignored her. Angel opened and closed her mouth.Calvin couldn’t help himself from
Words blurred on Calvin’s screen. He had no idea why he was wasting his time here when he had been unproductive for most part of the day. He peeked at his wristwatch and sighed. 1:45 pm. He had never wished for Camilla’s disturbance like he did now. He needed a distraction. Someone to pull him out of this slump he was about to slip into.His phone rang, but once he saw the name on it, he placed it face down. Charles. There was no point holding on or waiting for a girl who blatantly said she couldn’t marry him. He was doing himself no favours. So why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?The door opened, and his assistant offered him a tight smile without entering.“I was knocking, sir.”He didn’t hear. Sitting up, he grabbed the armrests and released a breath. “Come in.”Destinee walked in and dropped her tablet on his desk. He flipped it around to see the images on the screen better. Pictures of
A groan escaped Hana. She fluffed the hem of her dress and smoothened it again. Why did Charles want to see her? She already told him everything she knew about Kyle, which was so little. He had warned her to be careful around him without saying more. Now, he wanted to see her. Why? To cancel the wedding? He couldn’t. He was her only hope out of this place. If she got out, she could get Cara out and Mama too, eventually.Cars drove past theirs. People continued in different directions. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry of some sort. The tinted window shielded her from the glares and curious glances as the car curved into a busy street. It was a narrow street with cafes and shops on either side. Some people were at the tables outside, eating and talking. She saw no signs of Charles. This wasn’t his typical scene. He always preferred private spots.“Where are we going?” she asked the driver.“Almost there, miss,” the man replied.
A day had passed since Hana’s encounter with Charles. She stared at Kyle’s card, her fingertips dancing across his number. Her phone was on the table beside the card. She had typed only the first digit and panicked.“Hana?” someone called from behind. Hana looked over her shoulder as her sister charged towards her. Cara opened her mouth but stopped. Grabbing the card from the table, she screamed, “Oh my God.”Hana plugged her fingers into her ears. “What?”“You know Calvin Kyle McKenna?”Words sat in Hana’s throat, but she wasn’t sure how to voice them. She had kept her last interaction with Kyle to herself. But how did her sister know him? He was hers alone. Well, not hers, but not Cara’s, either.“You know him?” Hana asked instead.Cara laughed and settled down on the floor. Crossing her legs under her, she flipped the card upside down. “No. But
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