Whitney McCartney “Hi mother”, I said, as I approached her. “Whitney”, Mother replied simply, without taking her eyes off the magazine she seemed to be engrossed in. For some reason though, I did not think she was really interested in the magazine. It felt like she was only acting to be interested in it just so she would avoid talking to me. I know this because I know Mother. If there was anything really intriguing about that magazine she would have been happy to talk about it.“Or maybe there is something intriguing in it and she is just too angry at me to want to tell me about it”, I thought. The thought of this cut me deeply. “This is all because of that stupid Charlotte that just refused to stay where she was supposed to be. I still don't know what was the need to do a wedding to solidify their stupid marriage in the first place. Talk more of making a big deal out of it so much as to come all the way here, to this mansion to inform Mother and try to rub his love for her in eve
Charlotte McCartney “Hey! Stop there! Where are you going with that bouquet of flowers and box of candy?” The receptionist at the hospital where Josh Xavier had been admitted held my arm.Her grip jolted me to reality. I had been too immersed in my thoughts that I had forgotten to sign in at the entrance.“Oh I'm sorry. My name is Charlotte. I have been here before. I am looking for one of the patients. He was brought in here some weeks ago. The accident victim. His name is Josh Xavier. I brought him these gifts”, I raised the bouquet of flowers as well as the box of candy so she could see it.“And who are you supposed to be?” She examined the flower.“I’m just a friend. My sister is his ex-girlfriend”, I smiled.“So what are you doing here? Please leave here! Don't you know he has been discharged?”She looked ready for a quarrel.TCHHHHHHH!I heard her hissing loudly as I turned to leave. I felt very stupid as I walked away. Why did she have to be so rude? I was there to see a pati
Charlotte McCartneyTired and drowsy, I started the engine of my car and headed home. It had been more than one week since I walked in on my boyfriend Ron and my sister Whitney kissing in the sitting room, and I had still not gotten over the fact that my sister had stolen my boyfriend.I had also not gotten over mom’s reaction when I explained the situation and the stinging slap she gave me for getting angry and making a big deal over Whitney’s relationship with my boyfriend Ron.So everyday for the next one week, I lived like a ghost, avoiding everyone in the house. Luckily I had my job to escape to and my daughter Elsie to distract me. Still Whitney always found a way to rub their relationship in my face. She took Ron everywhere around the house kissing and fondling each other.For some reason Ron was visiting too frequently. I hoped he would have the decency to stay away for a little while but he did not. He and Whitney were constantly acting like two lovebirds, smiling, laughing a
Untitled documentChapter TwoCharlotte McCartneyCharlotte McCartney For your information, in case you are looking for your money, you will not be able to find the money. Your sister and I have removed it from the safe and moved it somewhere else. You can search if you want. You will never find it”, mom said looking at me devilishly.My heart skipped when I heard mom make this shocking revelation. That was all the money I had. The money in my safe which mom and Whitney found and claimed to have kept was not a small amount like mom had said. That was my nine months savings“How did they find the safe? I made sure it was well hidden”, I asked myself feeling very uneasy and my face did nothing to hide my feelings especially with my mouth hanging open as it was.“Why do you look surprised? You didn't think we would find out that you were planning to run away did you?” Whitney asked and laughed like a little demon.“I was not planning to run away with the money. I only hid it there to pr
Charlotte McCartney The morning that I moved to Josh Xavier's mansion marked the beginning of our marriage. I used to have dreams of my wedding to my prince charming when I was a little girl. I would imagine my wedding dress to be as beautiful as Cinderella’s wedding dress and my husband prince charming. But that was before I got pregnant. It was a long, long time before I gave birth to my daughter Kelcie. Even though I loved her and could not imagine life without her, I knew that my life took a new turn when I got pregnant. I could no longer marry Prince Charming or a billionaire. Mom made sure she sang it to me every day. “No billionaire will marry you after what you have done to yourself. Which billionaire wants a woman as trashy as an Afterone?” Mom constantly repeated, referring to me as an Afterone, a name she used to describe women who gave birth to children for men who refused to marry them. In my case, though, I did not know the father of my child, so it seemed worse.Meet
Josh Xavier“Many times bad things happen to us and everyone expects us to get over it quickly and move on with our lives. But it's not always so easy to get over things, nor is it so easy to move on. And it's stupid of anyone to expect that”, I said to myself angrily the morning Charlotte and her daughter, Kelcie arrived.My life was different from what it used to be. Three months ago I was involved in a fatal car accident which changed the course of my life. Everyone who has come to visit me since the accident has expressed how lucky I am to have survived the accident. “But what is the use of being alive if I can never walk again? What sort of man have I become? A handicap? I, Josh Xavier a disabled person ", I said and angrily flung the teacup I was holding out of my hand, smashing it against the wall.I hated my life many times I attempted to kill myself but even that I didn't have the balls to do. “Not this Josh Xavier anyway, the former Josh Xavier though. That one had the ball
Charlotte McCartney After the incident with Josh Xavier, I decided once Kelcie was properly fixated on playing chess on my phone that I was going back to confront him for being such a demon and worse of all he didn't even consider the presence of my little girl while he was being so demon possessed. Whatever it was, I resolved that I was going to tell him to at least have the decency to deal with me personally and for the sake of whatever keep it away from Kelcie. I walked to the same room I first found him almost unconsciously. It wasn't exactly his bedroom from what I heard from Lydia. But from the look of it, it seemed like a place you could find him. In my heart I hoped to find him there. The house was still too unfamiliar and that seemed to be the only place I had managed to take note of. On getting to the room, I found the door slightly ajar and he was inside this time though he did not look as disoriented as he looked at first. “Mr Xavier, I'd like a word” I said breathless
Charlotte McCartney I was awoken by Lydia’s polite but firm knock. Polite because she took minutes in between knocks to probably give me time to get up. Its firmness was in its repetition which went on for almost an hour. I was finally awake. “What's the time?” I thought to myself, then I turned to check the time. “11:30!” I screamed, noticing it was already pretty bright. I looked around and Kelcie was nowhere to be seen.“Good morning ma'am”, Lydia greeted as I opened the door to her.“Not to worry your daughter is not lost, she's down in the stables with the horses. She awoke earlier to have breakfast. We both tried to get you out of bed but you seemed too tired. We gave up and just let you sleep”, she said and gave me a warm smile.“I must have really been tired”, I thought aloud feeling a bit embarrassed “Yes ma'am”, she replied. “Would you need me to do anything for you? Breakfast has been served but I can have something sent up for you or if you want to come down to the di
Whitney McCartney “Hi mother”, I said, as I approached her. “Whitney”, Mother replied simply, without taking her eyes off the magazine she seemed to be engrossed in. For some reason though, I did not think she was really interested in the magazine. It felt like she was only acting to be interested in it just so she would avoid talking to me. I know this because I know Mother. If there was anything really intriguing about that magazine she would have been happy to talk about it.“Or maybe there is something intriguing in it and she is just too angry at me to want to tell me about it”, I thought. The thought of this cut me deeply. “This is all because of that stupid Charlotte that just refused to stay where she was supposed to be. I still don't know what was the need to do a wedding to solidify their stupid marriage in the first place. Talk more of making a big deal out of it so much as to come all the way here, to this mansion to inform Mother and try to rub his love for her in eve
Charlotte McCartneyMr Peter Masketov himself along with a chain of assistants were outside waiting by the time we got there. “Mommy is that for us?” Kelcie inquired as soon as we got to where the small crowd of people converged.“I don't know Kelcie, let's see”, I replied, “let's see”, I repeated in my heart. “Alright, let's do this”, I said out loud, as the car revved to a halt, talking to myself much more than I was even telling her. We got out of the car. And set to head on to meet with the small crowd that was already smiling at us, a gesture of goodwill and show of an anticipated presence.“Ma'am”, the driver called back as we were about to join the convergence. “What time will be convenient for me to come back? I already have a time set to return but the boss signified that I inquire if you may want to take out some more time to do some other things before I return to take you to your destination” he said, speaking politely.“The boss, Josh” I thought. Up till now, I had not s
Whitney McCartney For the first time in my life I feel so insignificant. This house, this mansion where I was born, where I have always called home feels like a strange land to me. “What is this?” I asked rhetorically, noticing a fading drawing on a small part of the mansion’s entrance. I walked closer to see what it was. “What is this? Why am I just seeing this?” I asked myself as I stared at the fading image of a lion. “Oh it's probably Grandfather's lion painting, the one mother was planning to have redrawn. So this is where it was?” I thought. I had not noticed it in all the years I had walked past that entrance.“Everything feels so unfamiliar. This unusual silence that is screaming so loudly only began after Charlotte’s uninvited and unwelcome visitation. Why did she have to come here anyway? Why could she not stay where she was? Why did she come here? She should have stayed there, where she belongs, with that broken piece of shit that calls himself Josh”, I thought, angrily.
Charlotte McCartney“Weeeeeeee! That's how the plane goes mommy, weeeee!” Kelcie said completely ecstatic. I wondered how it was possible to not have been infected by this cheerfulness. Evidently Josh had made it happen. Her dream of flying was finally coming through and yet I couldn't find it in me to be happy because I knew what happened and certainly what lay ahead may only have looked good but was not at all. “Before I forget, your friend Maddie will be joining you two at the resort”, Lydia informed me. “She will be coming with a couple visitors”, she added.“Which visitors?” I asked, a little worried. I did not mind Maddie joining us at all. She would even be good companion. “But who else would she bring?” I asked myself, not wanting strangers. “It would be easy to face my embarrassment with Maddie and Kelcie alone. Maddie could even defend me if the need arises” I thought.“Don't worry, it's not too many people. She will be coming along with her sister and her sister's daughter
Charlotte McCartney“Mommy! mommy! Get off the bed, we are already late”, Kelcie said, shaking me from my sleep.“I must have fallen asleep again”, I thought, recalling I wanted to shower earlier.“Late for what?” I asked, still very much asleep. Apparently, her shakes were courtesy of the fact that her baby strength had very little impact in doing what she had intended to do.“Come on now Charlotte, you can't still be this sleepy”, Lydia said. I hadn't even noticed she was also here too.“I'm really having a hard time knowing what I'll be late for”, I answered her.“Oh so you really have forgotten then?” she replied even in my daze I could hear the mild surprise in her voice.“Mommy, we're supposed to go and see the dressers today”, Kelcie replied this time.“Oh yes Charlotte”, Lydia joined in,”Your appointment was set for this date, today”.“Oh that”, I recalled loudly. “Is that even still happening?" I thought to myself. Today I was supposed to go to check out my wedding dress, fin
Charlotte McCartney By the time I came out of the bathroom my baby was no longer sleeping. She had turned on the bedroom light and was already out of the room as she usually did in the mornings. I looked up at the antique wall clock in our bedroom, “7:41am”, I said. “Kelcie must be having her milkshakes by now or just talking to Lydia”, I thought, then it hit me like a blow.“Lydia knows”, I said out loud. “She knows. There is no way she doesn't know. She was the one who called Josh to come and conduct the wine tasting. We were supposed to do it together but she excused herself. I'm sure she would have expected me to do the same as soon as Josh arrived but I stayed, foolishly”, I thought.“That's what mother always talked about. This is the same thing mother always said about me, the same reason she's always complaining. I'm so stupid. I never think before I act. I'm just so stupid. I could have left. There was nothing stopping me from leaving. But I stayed. Why? I could have left it
Charlotte McCartney “Baby”, I said as I stretched my hand to reach my baby. “Oh she's out already”, I concluded to myself as my outstretched hand met an empty bed. “She's probably watching the sunrise now”, I added, as I tried to sit up in bed. “There is something hard about this bed”, I thought, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. “Did someone replace the bed when I was out?” I asked myself.I yawned and laid back down to sleep but my eyes flew open almost immediately and I sat up at about the same instance. “Where am I?” I asked myself, looking round to check my surroundings. “Where am…” I was going to repeat the question again, when realization dawned me. “This is Josh's room. How did I get here?” I questioned, quite confused.“Oh my God! No! No! It did not happen again”, I said, wrapping my hand around my naked body, as I realized I was lying naked under Josh's sheets. My clothes were folded neatly at the foot of the bed.“Oh God please! This did not happen. How could I ha
Charlotte McCartneyThe sound of his name had butterflies swimming around my stomach all of a sudden. I had deliberately avoided talking about him all morning and had tried my best to not spend my whole day thinking as well as talking about him but he was everywhere nonetheless.“What Is that?” Lydia teased. “You think I'm going to be carrying you around afterwards?” She asked, pausing dramatically. “No young lady, not when you have a loving husband”.I bowed my head feeling slightly embarrassed and mildly amused. “Lydia and her mean little humour could somehow take one off guard like that. But it's alright the lady means no harm”, I said to myself.“Don't you worry though? I'll go call him for you. I bet he's still in his room but definitely awake by now. Come on I bet it'll be fun too”, she said assuringly.As she hurried off, thoughts of the last night we were together filled my mind. I yearned so much for his presence but yet was still shy and scared to admit it. It just felt too
Charlotte McCartney “The sugar is literally making me drunk”, Lydia exclaimed “It's too much don't you think?” she asked. “I love it Mommy”, Kelcie said to me. “Ms Lydia, why do you not like it?” Kelcie asked, turning to Lydia. Then, she chattered on and on as though the sugar was really getting her excited as Lydia had complained.“Too much sugar like this baby will have me living in the toilet for a couple days or weeks maybe”, she said, squinting her face. A proper look at the lady and you'd know that she had been a beauty in her youthful days and still, till this day gave off the impression of a beautiful aged lady.Kelcie laughed, “Ms Lydia you're saying the cake is going to make you poo poo?” She asked, amused. “Oh lots of poo poo I'm afraid”, she said, still squinting up her face.“But they do taste creamy as well”, I said. I personally thought it tasted quite good, heavenly to be exact, everything felt heavenly right now.“Yeah there's cream but there's sugar as well but p