A week later, I was standing in front of Clark and Mason Corporation. Despite Enzo’s reluctance to let me work, I signed with them earlier this week. I would be one of their programmers, and if all went well, Professor Clark said there would be bigger roles for me to fulfil. “All the best.” he mumbled as he lowered the window of his carLeaning in, I planted a kiss on his mouth. “Thank you.” “I’ll pick you up in the evening.” he said, “or worst case, I’ll send my driver.” “Okay.” With that said, I walked into the building. It didn’t take me long to find their office, where Melissa, one of my teammates, took me inside. “Hello, Cassandra. I’m so glad to finally see you.” She said, “You can imagine how difficult it was for us after our programmer resigned last month. The entire team has been eagerly waiting for you to join us.” “I can’t wait to meet them either.” I said, “Although, we’re supposed to meet our client today. Isn’t it?” “Yes. He’s already waiting for us.” She said,
I rolled my eyes, “Don’t try to deny it, Calvin. I know you’re having a baby with Becky. And you know what? Go ahead. I don’t care. We’re divorced, and let’s not forget that.” He was enraged with my words, “Shut up, Cassie. I’m not having a baby with Becky.” Oh, my God. This man. He was insufferable. How could he lie to me about it after everything? “Yeah, well, then, someone else is. Because I saw her at the hospital the other day when she came for her checkup.” Calvin widened his eyes, sinking back into his chair as though realization just struck him. He grabbed the water bottle and chugged it, his hands shaking. What was happening? Did he really not know that she was pregnant? “Who was she with?” He asked. “Alone.” I said, “Did you not know?” He shook his head and abruptly got up. “I need to go.” “Wait, what about our meeting?” I asked, but he didn’t stop. He stormed out of the room. “Bloody hell.” I muttered to myself. “What was that about?” I instantly dialled Enzo’s nu
By the time evening rolled around, I couldn’t help but feel content with the day. It felt great to get behind the computer, doing what I truly loved. Once I got done with work, I called Enzo.“Hey,” I said, heading down. “Are you coming to pick me up?” Enzo paused for a second, “Shit, I completely forgot.” He said, “I’m so sorry, Cassie. I got held up at work. Why don’t you wait for a few minutes? I’ll send my driver right away.” “No, don’t worry about it.” I said, “I’ll just take the bus. The studio’s just ten minutes away from here.” “No, no. I’ll send the driver. It’s not going to take long.” “Enzo, it’ll take fifteen minutes at least. I can reach the studio in that time.” I said, “It’s fine. It’s not like I have to walk there. The bus is convenient.” “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I forgot.” “You’re a busy man, it’s fine.” I said, “I’ll see you for dinner?”“Yes, I’ll pick you up from the studio at 8?” “Done. Can’t wait to see you.” With that, I cut the call and got outside
Enzo’s POV Life was cruel. Anybody who witnessed my life in the last few months would agree with me on that. I just stepped into a meeting when I got Kelly’s call. She was wailing on the phone, barely holding up to tell me what happened. But I managed to deduce something. Cassie met with an accident. There was a car involved, and she was unconscious at the scene. My brain was paralysed for a moment. I froze in time. It wasn’t until my colleague asked if I was alright that I realized that I wasn’t. I instantly cancelled the meeting and got out of there. On my way down the elevator, the hospital called me. They were examining Cassie, and they won’t know how she is doing for a while. And there was no news about the baby. Every passing second felt like an eternity. I sped past all the signals, breaking every traffic rule as I went to the hospital. As soon as I got there, I headed into the emergency, suspecting that that was where Cassie was. “Mr. De Luca?” said a nurse at the recep
Cassie’s POV My heart refused to calm down until I saw Enzo walking inside. His eyes were red, his face filled with sorrow and regret. Yet, he managed to give me a kind smile. “Hey.” “The baby’s fine.” I muttered. Enzo walked up to me quietly, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Taking my hand into his, he gave it a gentle squeeze, “How are you?” “I’m okay.” I said, “It wasn’t that bad. I think I just got too scared.” “I got your note.” He said, his eyes looking at her entwined hands. “You did?” I said, exhaling, “Well, I meant it. I love you, Enzo.” His eyes found mine then, and then he instantly leaned forward to plant a kiss on my lips. “I was so scared for you.” “Me too.” I said, “I was afraid that I would die without telling you how I really feel. I delayed it for too long, Enzo. I was afraid to admit my own feelings. I guess… I guess I was not ready to accept that there was… that I love you. I guess I was scared that I would lose myself all over again, or worse.. That
The old couple sat across from me inside the tiny room. Enzo was beside me, his hand entwined in mine for support. I agreed to meet the couple that claimed to be my family, but as I looked at them, I did not feel like I belonged anywhere close to them. The watch the old man was wearing was worth more than my annual pay. The diamonds around the lady’s neck could fund my retirement plan. And despite all the wealth, the love and concern they had for me in their eyes stood in stark contrast to everything they embodied.“It’s good to see you, Cassie.” She said, her eyes slowly welling up, “We’ve been searching for you for over twenty years. And now that you’re sitting in front of us, it does not feel real.” I gave her a small, awkward smile. I didn’t know how to react to that. It was the first time that I was receiving so much affection from someone. “I think Enzo told you about us.” The oldman said. “Do you have anything you want to say?’“Yes.” I said, “Where are my parents?” His ja
The entire ride back home was confusing. The accident, the revelation and the pressure that came with it, it was all too much to handle at once. When I told Enzo about the same, he told me that I should not worry myself too much. “That’s easy for you to say.” I mumbled. “You’re not in my shoes.” “I get it.” He said, clasping my hand on my thigh. “Why don’t you come home, Cassie? Just for a few days. I want to be with you for a while. It will help you keep your mind off things.” “But Enzo…”“What, come on? Am I not allowed to take care of you when you need me?” He said, “Don’t be difficult, Cassie. Please.”“What about my clothes? And my laptop? I need it for work.” “I’ll send someone to your house to bring all of that.” He said, “And you can talk to Melissa about your situation. I’m sure she’ll grant you leave for a few days. You can’t work with a broken arm.” He was right. I needed rest for at least a week. “Okay.” I said, “Help me write an email once we get home.” He glanced
Enzo continued to tease my breasts, occasionally playing with my nipples. He was no longer just washing my body, he was now seducing me. I moved away from his chest at once and turned around. Enzo’s eyes slightly widened in surprise as I faced him. Wrapping my legs around his torso, I pulled my body close to his. “What do you think about my plan?” I asked, feigning nonchalance to his tactics. Enzo grabbed the hand shower and ran the hot water over my body, rinsing away the soap. “Well, it sounds good to me.” He said, holding the nozzle over my cleavage. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” He grabbed some more soap for my arms. “Really?” I asked, inching closer to him. “Anything?” “Of course,” He said, his hands reaching my shoulders. Before he could go any further, I caught his hand. “Well, then, I want this.” I said, and inched closer to him so that my clit could rest against the bulge between his fingers. Before he could protest, I captured his lips with mine. We instantly
She started crying. No, she started screaming in pain. “Oh fuck,” I said, “Emmy, are you OK?”Since her only response was more crying, I realized I fucked up. There you goI was not safe. I just hurt my daughter while I tried to bring her out of the crib. What the fuck was I supposed to do now?My first instinct was to call Cassie and that’s what I did but to my dismay, she did not pick up the call. “Fuck this,” I said, “Pick up the damn phone, Cassie. But she wouldn’t. It just just kept going to voicemail. I called Sarah and Mark, but they would not talk to me either.Helpless, I stared at my wailing baby. I realized that I had only one option left. ****The ER was not a pretty place to be in, especially if you are a parent, but I still found myself in it. I waited outside the room as the Pediatrician was seeing Emmy. She allowed me to stay inside with her, but I chickened out. I couldn’t see Emmy in pain, knowing very well that I had caused it to her. After what felt like hour
Enzo’s POV Cassie was going to be the death of me.I knew that this was her scheme. She purposefully made sure that I would stay home by trapping me with Emmy‘s responsibility. I did not mind taking care of my daughter. I loved her. It’s just that I no longer trusted myself around her. I barely recognized myself and my daughter shouldn’t have to be in the hands of a person like me.I was not proud of it, but I knew that I had no idea how to handle her. For the past few days, I’ve made zero contribution towards taking care of her. It was all Sara and Cassie who were doing it. Hence, I could not be trusted with her. Why couldn’t Cassie understand that?After hours of negotiating with her, Cassie even stopped replying to my texts. Sarah and Mark were also unreachable and it finally dawned on me that today, I had to be taking care of my daughter. All alone.Right now, Emmy was asleep, but I knew that the moment she would get up, she would start crying. She needed a familiar figure to so
That night when I came home, another disappointment was awaiting me.Enzo was nowhere to be seen, yet again.“I found a lead and I told Enzo about it.” Mark said, “But he simply didn’t care. He said he had something to do outside and he just left.”I frowned, looking at Sara, but she just raised her hands up in defense. Before she could explain herself, Mark came to her rescue. “No, Sara tried really hard to stop him and I did too, but he simply wouldn’t listen. It was either that or physically block him but none of us had the courage. Sorry, Cassie. We couldn’t do anything.”I shook my head, closing my eyes. I should’ve known this. Why did I think he would change so soon? Of course, he was gone drinking again. What do I do with this man?“It’s fine, Mark. I know it’s not your fault. And Sara, how is Emmy doing?”“She’s fine, just fast asleep. And I made dinner.”I sighed in relief, “Thank you so much. Do you guys wanna join me?”“No, we already ate.”“All right, I’ll see you guys lat
I pushed him off of my body at once. “How dare you?” I demanded, fixing him with an angry glare. “I met him today.” He said, “He came to meet me at the bar. He even bought me a whiskey, since you know, he thought I can’t afford it. Generous guy.” He laughed. “Anyway, he told me about your little meeting today. And what you told him.” “What I told him?” I said. “I didn’t say anything.” “Which was precisely his point.” He said, “Said you were reconsidering things in the wake of everything.” “I can’t believe you bought that shit.” I said, “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” He shrugged, “I didn’t think you’d be honest with me.”“When did I ever lie to you?” I said, “Did you really think I would leave you for a scum like him?” “Well, the way he said it…”“He’s Calvin. He’ll say anything to get to you.” I said, “He’s the same man who abducted me. The same man that put me in jail. And you decide to believe his word over mine just because you want to feel pain? You want ever
That night when I went home, things couldn’t have gotten worse.Enzo was missing yet again, and I was afraid that it was slowly becoming a habit of his. I couldn’t understand what it was about him disappearing without letting any of us know. I knew he was having a tough time but this was unreasonable. He was punishing us with his recklessness and that did not deserve my kindness. I was patient with him till now. But not anymore. Sara had already gone to sleep while Emmy refused to retire to bed early. Since I needed that distraction, I played with her for a while before her eyes drooped. She fell asleep as I fed her, and I took her back into her room to place her in her crib. When I returned, I could hear the knob of the door twist. I glanced at the time. It was way past midnight. As soon as Enzo walked in, I could tell that he had been drinking yet again. He was reeking of whiskey from a mile away. “Where were you?” I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. “At the bar. Can’t yo
I realized a few days later that the only silver lining amidst this chaos was my work. I was thriving at the professional front. Despite what was happening at home, I managed to bag a couple of very good projects, and my team was extremely impressed. I had just finished a meeting at one such client's office and was heading back to my own when I spotted a hotdog stand by the sidewalk. It was way past my lunch time, so I decided to take some much needed break while I sat outside. Right then, Sara called me on facetime. Taking it, I was amused to find Emmy’s face hovering over it. “Oh, Emmy.” I cooed, “You silly girl, what are you doing with Aunt Sara’s phone?” “Arrr…” She made some weird noise and the camera faced the sheet on the mattress. “Emmy!” I said, “Are you chewing on the phone?”“Oh, shit!” I heard Sara’s voice and her face came into view. “I’m so sorry. I was in the shower. I don’t know how she managed to call you.” I laughed, “Perhaps because I was your last call.” “Ye
As I walked in, Enzo had already discarded his clothes and was preparing to go to bed. “What the hell was that, Enzo?’ I said, “You were way out of line.” “About what?” He asked lazily. “Don’t try to play the fool with me. You know what I’m talking about.” I said, “What is your scheme really? Is this your way of pushing us away?” “Think whatever you have to, Cassie. I don’t care. I’m just doing what I feel is right.” “Oh, really?” I said, “This feels right to you? Worrying us until we’re sick and showing up this late? Not to mention drunk out of your mind?” He groaned, “So now I don’t have the freedom to do what I want to?” He said, “I didn’t know that the rules change when we’re living in your house.” That made me shut up. I couldn’t believe he said that. He was definitely trying to rile me up, so I desperately needed to distract him. There was no point trying to argue with him now. “Don’t you want to shower?” I asked him, eyeing his body. He could definitely use one. Maybe t
After a long, distracting day at work, all I wanted was my bed. I was hoping Sara had already cooked us some food like she had been for the past few days. But if she hadn’t, we would have to place an order. And I had no energy for that either. As I entered our apartment, I was relieved to smell the aroma of freshly prepared food. I walked into the kitchen, ready to thank Sara for her help. However, before I could do that, she walked out of the kitchen all tense. “Oh, Cassie. Thank God you’re back.” She said, “Why were you not taking my calls?” “Oh?” I said, quizzically and opened my phone. As she said, there really were four missed calls from her number. “My bad. It was on silent. What’s the matter?” “Enzo hasn’t come home since afternoon.” She said, “He said he was stepping out for lunch and he still didn’t return.” “What?” I asked, “Why did he go out for lunch? Was he going alone?” “I have no idea. He wouldn’t answer me. He got so angry when I tried to push him… I just kept
Enzo watched me as I got ready for work.It was my first day back at the office and I couldn’t be more relieved. To say the past few days have been difficult would be an understatement. I needed a distraction from everything, and what was better than going to the office? With Enzo unemployed, I had to make sure that I could put some bread on the table. Although my grandparents have been continuously calling me, offering me help, or in their words - letting me have what was mine, I simply could not let them. That would be the last straw for Enzo. He was already beating himself up as he saw me working day and night to make ends meet. “Did you speak to that friend of yours you were talking about?” I said, “The lawyer. He was offering you a job, wasn’t he?” “I lost my license to practice, Cassie.” He said, “I can’t practice law anywhere else.” I turned around, puzzled. “But Raymond told me that he offered you a position of a legal advisor. You can’t be an member of the bar, but surel