“It’s none of your business.” “It’s not my business, but it’s yours.”“It’s not my business either.”Cecilia and Fame finally got in the car. Mr. Pepper started driving and followed them.Actually, I was curious too. Last time, we were wondering if Cecilia was cheating, and today, we found out for sure.Mr. Pepper was a skilled driver, and we followed them without being noticed.Fame’s car drove into a fancy neighborhood. Sophie was excited. “Haha, you can tell this isn’t the first time.”We followed their car to a villa. The two of them got out. Sophie told me, “They were kissing all the way to the house. So disgusting.”“Alright. We know for sure now. Let’s go back.”“No way.” Sophie was busy typing on her phone: “I’m sending these photos to the private detective and having him send them to Zach from a phone he won’t trace. Then, we can wait for the drama to unfold.”“D*mn.” I forgot about not cursing in front of the babies. “You’re seriously mean.”“Mean? I’m just doing
I got home. After getting ready for bed, Sophie texted me. [Zach still hasn’t shown up. Do you think he’s too scared to go? Maybe he’s worried it’ll make things worse with Cecilia, and there’s no going back, so he’s avoiding it.]How would I know? I was not inside his head.[Go to sleep. Stop bothering with it.][Only now do I realize how deeply Zach loves Cecilia.]I just realized that too. Zach loved Cecilia so much that he was too scared to deal with it.Later, I texted Mr. Pepper and sent him some money. I told him not to wait anymore and to come back. If Zach was going to show up, he would have right away. People usually caught cheaters red-handed, not after it was already done.Zach was not going there tonight.The next morning, while having breakfast, I got a call from Mrs. Smith. She asked, “Haven’t you decided yet?”It had not even been a full day, and she was already in a hurry.I told her I had decided, but I was not sure how to tell Hayden.“Today’s my birthday.
“Tell your mom ‘Happy Birthday’ for me. I won’t be going.”“What’s wrong? Are you sick or something?”“I…” I held the phone to my ear and looked at my mom, who had almost stuck her face to mine. She moved away a little. I bit my lip. I really did not know how to break up with Hayden.When I broke up with Zach, it was because he had hurt me too much. But Hayden was really good to me. I did not know how to say it.“Cassia, what’s going on? Where are you? I’ll come find you.”“Uh, Hayden…” I stood up slowly while holding onto the couch for support. “I think we should… break up.”I finally said it. I was sweating.It was silent on the phone. Hayden did not respond.I knew he heard me clearly.After a long pause, he asked, “Did my mom talk to you?”“Is this a scene from a TV drama?” I laughed a little. “Hayden, I’m serious. I don’t think this is the right time for us. I agreed to be with you because I was going through a rough time, but I’m better now. Also, I’m about to have th
I did not even realize how I ended the call with Hayden. After hanging up, I felt completely wiped out. I sat down on the steps inside my house and felt cold beads of sweat form on my skin.My mom came over with a cup of hot water. I held it tightly and gulped it down quickly. Then, I handed the empty cup back. She sat down beside me and asked, “How are you feeling? Do you feel sorry for Hayden?”“Mom, am I being horrible? Am I going to end up miserable for this?”“Don’t overthink it.” She gave me a gentle tap. “Are you really thinking of going back to Zach? You broke up with Hayden for his own sake. And… Are you feeling a bit insecure?”I had not thought about that. But whenever I saw Yulia, I felt like I was not the best match for him.Somehow, Yulia just seemed like a better fit for Hayden, though I was not sure why.“Insecure? No, not really. I don’t feel less worthy just because I’m pregnant.”“That’s good. As long as you know what you want and don’t let others push y
I had to love him back the same way. Otherwise, why should I get his love without giving anything in return?I lay next to Sophie and rested my head on her shoulder.I felt sad. It was awful to waste someone’s love.“I want to love Hayden the right way, but I’m pregnant. I can’t fully focus on him. Do you understand, Sophie?”“I get it, but I still want to hit you.”“Hit who?” my mom came over and joined in. “His mom doesn’t want Cassia. What’s she supposed to do? Ignore her and continue to date Hayden? She’s carrying Zach’s babies, and it’s tough for her. My poor child…”“Aunt Phoebe, don’t cry.”Sophie started crying too. They both cried together.I did not understand why they were crying. I had not even cried yet!Sometimes, I could be too strong and make them think I did not care about Hayden.I did care about him. I was ready to fall in love with him.It was hard to say who was wrong here.Mrs. Smith was not wrong, I was not wrong, and Hayden was not wrong.It was j
The next day, I went with Sophie because I did not feel at ease letting her go alone with Lucy. I was worried something might happen.If I went with her, Sophie would have to look after me, so things would not spiral out of control.When we arrived at the hospital, Lucy still was not there. Sophie was getting impatient, and she walked around outside.I said, “Calm down.”“Would you be calm if it were Zach?” “I’d stay calm.”She sighed. “What have I done to deserve this?”“You could choose not to get involved.”“Can I leave now?”“It’s too late.” I spotted a fashionable figure stepping out of a taxi. It was probably Lucy.It was indeed Lucy. We could hear her before she even arrived.“Didn’t you say you’re not going to help me? What’s the deal? Your crush told you to come? Ms. Freeman, you’re a rich lady. How could you—”“Enough with the insults,” I interrupted her. “Just go inside.”She seemed like a rebellious girl. I was not sure if her parents still cared for her.We
I did not know how many people Brent had saved, but I did know that many people had died because of him. His hospital is well-known for its obstetrics and gynecology department, but more people came in for abortions than for giving birth.One time, when we were eating, Brent sighed and said, “I’ve performed so many abortions that I feel like a killer.”I hesitated and asked, “Lucy doesn’t have a guardian and is underage. Will this get Brent into trouble?”“He has performed abortions for girls as young as fourteen. Lucy is seventeen. She can make decisions for herself. She can sign the papers and has an ID. It’s fine.”We decided to go ahead, but it still felt wrong. We went back to find Lucy.After searching for a while, we still could not find her. Then, a nurse came out of the restroom and angrily said, “What the hell? She’s smoking in the restroom! This isn’t a smoking area! These young girls today don’t know how to behave!”It was probably Lucy. Sophie got angry. “Cassia, w
Sophie had her friend look up Lucy’s background and send it to us.Lucy’s story was pretty simple.Her mom, Jane Lynch, had passed away. She had worked in a lot of different places, mostly ones where she used her looks.Her dad was unknown. He had never been in her life since she was born.She had no siblings and not many friends. She came to West City earlier this year to work as a model. It was unclear how she met Austin, but she seemed to have pursued him on her own.The file did not reveal much. The only clear thing was that Lucy had no one to take care of her. She was completely alone. She could either keep the baby or have an abortion.At just seventeen, having a baby would ruin her future.We sat in my garden. After reading the file, Sophie sighed. “No one ever took care of her. That’s why she turned into a troubled girl.”Sophie sounded almost sympathetic.Even though Sophie seemed tough, she was actually very kind-hearted and caring.“She’s kind of pitiful, being on
Sophie knocked on my door the next day around 7 a.m.I only managed to fall asleep at about 2 a.m., so I had a bad headache. I sat on the bed as she ran over excitedly and asked, “Are you busy this morning?” “Go away.” I lay down again. “Come to the city hall with me. I’m getting married!”“Why do you need me there? Am I going to breastfeed you?”“You don’t have milk right now.” I was disgusted by our conversation. Rachel sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you going to the city hall?”“To get married.”“Shouldn’t you be going to a church for that? There’s supposed to be a priest with a bible that asks if you’re willing to marry this person next to you regardless of… something?”“That’s a religious wedding. Besides, it has to be lawful. What we’re doing today is the legal side of things.” Sophie carried Rachel up from the bed. “Do you want to be a witness to our marriage?” “Yay, sure!” Rachel immediately beamed and agreed. “I want to be the priest who holds the bibl
Cecilia had no shame at all. I would be speechless if this worked on Zach. After a while, she walked out dejectedly with her flowers. It seemed like she did not even manage to enter his office. She stood there in annoyance for a while before she suddenly looked over in my direction. I could see her, but she might not be able to see me. I was on a high floor, and the sun was blinding. Right then, Hailey gave me a call. I knew that she wanted to rant about Cecilia. Sure enough, Hailey started to complain, “Ms. Freeman, Cecilia is really shameless. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman. When Mr. Gordon was cut off from Gordon Corporation, she abandoned him immediately. Now that she knows he’s going to be Gordon Corporation’s acting CEO, she instantly starts visiting him again. I really can’t stand her.” “Hasn’t she always been like this?” I was unfazed. “Fortunately, Mr. Gordon is not willing to see her.” Hailey sounded relieved. “Do you really think he won’t see her fo
I looked at Austin’s pale face, and I was at a loss for words. His argument was reasonable, and I had no way to refute it. I was upset, but I could not cry. I felt a heavy feeling in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. “Look at your face. Have I ever said that I liked Sophie? I don’t like girls like her. I prefer girls like you who are smart, beautiful, and decisive. Why don’t you marry me after you give birth to your babies?”I did not want to joke around with him. It was not funny.After that, Lucy exited the bridal shop and got into the backseat of the car. I stood in front of the bridal shop and watched as his car disappeared into the corner. “Cassia,” Sophie called out to me. I turned around. “What?”“Whose side are you on? I realize you’ve been extra nice to Austin recently. Have you forgotten that he’s a jerk?”“Watch your mouth.”I got into my car unhappily. “I’ll make a move first.”“Aren’t we having dinner together to
I knew that he was looking at the photos of him and Sophie in her wedding gown. Perhaps this would be the only time in his entire life that he could stand next to Sophie while she was dressed in a wedding gown. I felt the waterworks coming. When I tried to look for tissue papers in my bag, Zach called me. He sounded a bit excited. “Cassia, there’s this person overseas who has the same blood type as Austin. He has ALS, which is a fatal motor neuron disease. His family has already signed an organ donation form for him, and his condition recently worsened. He may pass in a month’s time, so I got in contact with them. His family has agreed to donate his heart to Austin.” “Really?” It was good news, and I almost leaped in joy. I glanced at Austin excitedly. He was staring intently at his phone, so he did not notice me. “Does Austin have to leave immediately?”“It’s still early. We can leave when the donor’s condition worsens.” I estimated the time. Zach said that it would ta
Sophie could easily start a fight wherever she went. I immediately went over and saw that Austin’s forehead had turned red. It seemed to be getting swollen. I kicked Sophie in anger. “Is there something wrong with you? What are you doing?” “Why did you kick me? Didn’t you hear what he just said?”Austin bent down and picked up Sophie’s phone for her. “Luckily, your phone screen isn’t cracked. It’s fine if my skull is cracked; it can heal.” Sophie took her phone, and it immediately unlocked due to face ID. Her wallpaper was a photo of Kingston and her. She had just changed the wallpaper yesterday. It used to be a photo of me and her. Austin was the one who had taken that photo. Even though Austin was not directly in the photo, it felt like it was a photo of the three of us. He must have noticed it. He smiled and said, “I’ll make a move. Tell Lucy I’ll be waiting for her in the car.” Austin walked out of the bridal shop, and Sophie looked dispirited. “I was quite happy, bu
“You’re getting married too?”“I’ll be your best man or maid of honor. What? You’re too cheap to pay for the outfits?”“You, my best man?”“Look around you. Are there any single people left?”Sophie rolled her eyes. “Hah, I wasn’t planning on inviting you.”Kingston tried to shake Austin’s hand, but Austin ignored him. Sophie got mad and pulled Kingston away. “Don’t pay attention to him. He thinks he’s too good for anyone. He’s crazy.”“Sophie,” I warned.“What? He’s always acting crazy!” she yelled.I was not sure if Austin really wanted to be Sophie’s best man, or if it was just an excuse to come here.Anyway, Austin went to change too. I could not tell the difference between the best man’s and groom’s outfits. However, the difference between the bridesmaid and bride was clear.While Sophie was posing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, Austin came out of the fitting room.Austin was very thin, and the suit hung loosely on him, but it still looked good.He had a
Sophie’s wedding preparations were progressing quickly. She limped to work in the mornings and dragged me along in the afternoons to buy wedding stuff.I felt like the wedding was just an excuse for her to go shopping.“This afternoon, Kingston and I are trying on our wedding outfits. You should come too.”“It’s your wedding. Why should I come?”“To help me choose! I look good in everything, so it’s hard to pick.”“If it’s that hard, just buy them all. Aren’t you rich?”“Why are you so grouchy?” She leaned closer and observed me. “Cassia, are your hormones off balance?”“I’m pregnant, so everything’s a mess right now.”After some thought, I called Austin and told him, “Sophie’s trying on wedding dresses this afternoon.”“Okay,” he replied in his usual lifeless tone.“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?”“Don’t eat too much. The wedding dress will be a pain to alter.”I was so angry that I hung up. He was so stubborn. I was sure that he would regret it and cry later.M
Austin was the weakest among us when we were kids. He could not climb trees, run, or do anything physically demanding. Instead, he would play board games and puzzles with us.Sophie always thought that he was smart, and she admired him.I never imagined that someone I grew up with might die so soon.“You should leave,” he said weakly. “She should be done by now.”“Austin.” I wanted to say something more, but he turned his back to me.He did not want to listen, so I had no choice but to leave.As I reached the door, I heard him say, “Actually, this is a good thing.”Was he saying that Sophie marrying Kingston was a good thing?What was good about it?I felt like grabbing Sophie over. I wanted to point at the dying man in bed and say, “This guy loves you more than you know. He helped you test Kingston’s character. He thinks about you all the time. He comes to see you every night using his half-sister as an excuse, but he’s dying. He doesn’t want you to be sad, so he plans to die
“I just went for a checkup.” Austin walked over to me. “Why are you sweating so much?”He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. Honestly, only Austin would still carry a handkerchief in his condition.I wiped my sweat. “I came with Sophie to get her cast off, and I thought I’d stop by to see you.”“Get her cast off? I thought that wasn’t until next month?”“She insisted on getting it off today. The doctor checked, and her bone is healing well, so it’s fine for her to take it off.”“When did she start caring so much about her looks?” Austin walked back to his room, and I followed him.He sat down and seemed a little out of breath. I had already asked the doctor about him. Austin could not engage in any physical activity; he could not even walk fast.I was about to pour him some water, but he waved me off. “Don’t bother. I’m not thirsty. How could I let you take care of me? I might be a patient, but you’re pregnant.”At least, he could still joke. If I were him