Valerie With every passing moment the bell rang my anxiety rose. Why wasn't she picking up? Seven rings had passed and still, there was no answer. Did she know that something was up? I could feel my plan going awry. Ten rings later finally the call was picked, and she was there on the other end of the line. "Valerie, hi," she greeted in a cheerful manner. "I'm really sorry that I had to cancel our meeting." Her voice sounded rushed, tinged with a hint of urgency. "Oh, it's alright, no problems with that. However, I wanted to talk to you about something important. Basically, I just want you to hear what I’m saying. I mean it is something really very important, for you, and your wedding." I could hear the rapid beating of my heart in my ears. "Oh why I not, I'm listening. Just tell me what you want to say," Laura replied, her tone eager yet tinged with apprehension. "Thank you. How do I say this?" I paused. "I wanted to talk to you about something related to your past. Around the t
ValerieI lost myself in work, using it as a shield against the pain of my past and the turmoil of my thoughts. Countless hours were spent in my office, buried under a pile of tasks and projects, throwing myself into event planning with a fervor bordering on obsession. I asked my boss for more work, more events to organize, more tasks to keep me occupied, telling her that I needed to work more than I needed air to breathe. And she obliged, perhaps sensing the silent plea for distraction hidden beneath my words.Normalcy felt like a fleeting illusion, a fragile facade I clung to in the presence of my loved ones. With Shay, Dad, and Carmen, I could almost convince myself that everything was okay, that the darkness lurking within me could be kept at bay. But when I was alone, the emptiness crept in, gnawing at the edges of my sanity and driving me to the brink of despair.By late evening, I was able to drag myself home, still buzzing with the chaos of the day. Dad greeted me at the door,
ValerieI couldn't believe my eyes as the chaotic scene unfolded before me. The air was thick with tension, anger, and confusion."What the fucking hell?" Laura's father screamed in pain, desperately trying to evade my Dad's next incoming punch as I stood there like a statue.What in the hell was happening? "Shit," Dad yelled as his fists missed its target, colliding with the unforgiving wall punching a whole through it. As his fist came out of the wall all I could think of was how would I explain this to the building manager. Once again my dad raised his fist to hit him but missed by a hairlines length. Laura's father was a lucky man Laura's dad was in survival mode, attempting to escape or shield himself, while my father seemed hell-bent on unleashing his fury. It was like watching two ferocious animals locked in a battle."Stop!" I screamed, but my plea fell on deaf ears. I had no intention of getting physically involved; I had a gut feeling that I'd end up on the floor if I dared
Valerie"What?" Mr. Johnson stood up in disbelief."I swear to god, that I have never been with anyone other than my wife for the past twenty-seven years," Mr. Johnson insisted, his voice trembling with emotion. I could see the fear in his eyes, the uncertainty as he faced down my father's rage.The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, each word spoken dripping with accusation and disbelief. Mr. Johnson's declaration echoed in my ears, his voice desperate and pleading as he swore on the life of his daughter that he had never been unfaithful to his wife. But my father's anger burned bright, a wildfire consuming everything in its path as he stood, fists clenched at his sides, ready to strike out at the man before him.But my father was having none of it. "Don't you dare fucking lie!" he roared, his voice a thunderous boom that shook the walls of the room. I could feel the weight of his anger bearing down on me, threatening to suffocate me beneath its intensity."Lie
Valerie "I don't know her," he sighed. "I have no idea who she is and I swear on my daughter that I had never seen her." The tension in the room dissipated like a storm passing, leaving behind a sense of eerie calmness. Mr. Johnson's words echoed in my mind, his declaration of innocence a small ray of hope in the midst of chaos. I turned to look at my father, whose expression mirrored my own sense of relief, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he acknowledged the truth. "However," he paused as he took a good look at me. "I think I now understand why your father thinks that I'm the man your mother cheated with," Mr. Johnson continued, his voice tinged with resignation. I felt a surge of anger rise within me at his audacity, at the way he seemed to revel in the chaos he had caused. But I held my tongue, knowing that lashing out would only escalate the situation further. He pulled out his phone, his fingers moving with practiced ease as he searched for something. I watched him with
Valerie The weight of the truth settled over me like a suffocating blanket, pressing down on my chest and stealing the air from my lungs. As Mr. Johnson revealed the identity of my potential biological father, I felt a surge of conflicting emotions wash over me. Relief mingled with uncertainty, gratitude mixed with resentment, leaving me reeling in a whirlwind of confusion. "Please don't tell him about me," I pleaded, my voice trembling with emotion as tears glistened in my eyes. The thought of confronting my potential twin brother, of shattering the illusion of the family I had known for so long, filled me with a sense of dread I couldn't shake. I couldn't replace my father, not with a man who seemed to come with such a colorful and tumultuous history. The idea of losing the father-daughter bond we had fought so hard to revive filled me with a sense of despair I couldn't bear. My dad's and Mr. Johnson's eyes softened as they took in my tear-stained face, their expressions reflecti
Aiden The room was cast in shadows, the dim light filtering through the curtains giving the space an ethereal quality. I lay there, tangled in the sheets, still lost in the remnants of a dream that felt too real. Her words echoed in my mind, haunting me with their sweetness. "I love you," she had said. Her hazel eyes bore into mine, a depth of emotion that left me breathless. Her light brown hair spilled over the pillow, framing her delicate features. Her lips, red and puffy, begged for a connection, a taste of something more profound. I was buried deep inside her, our bodies entwined in a dance of passion. In that moment, it felt like the universe had conspired to bring us together. But then, the dream took a cruel turn. The hazel eyes that had held so much love transformed into cold, indifferent blue. The lips I had longed to kiss turned thin and unfamiliar. The woman beneath me was no longer the one who made my heart race, the one I craved with a desperate longing. Guilt and
Aiden I felt an instant relief when I saw Drew's name flashed on the screen, and I groaned inwardly. I had no desire to speak to that bastard. Ignoring the call, I let it ring until it finally stopped. But it wasn't long before it rang again, persistent and annoying. With a resigned sigh, I reluctantly answered. "Just hear me out before you turn me down," Drew's voice came through the line, urgent and rushed. I remained silent, not willing to give him any indication that I was willing to listen. "It's about Laura, her health," he continued, his words catching my attention despite my reluctance. I felt a knot form in my stomach. Laura's health had always been fragile, her heart condition a constant source of worry for those who cared about her, myself included. If anything were to upset her, it could have dire consequences. "The doctor has warned us countless times that any news that upsets her could land her back in the hospital," Drew explained, his tone heavy with concern. "But
Valerie "I feel like a whale," I told to Shay, who sat at the end of the sofa while I laid on the couch with the remote for the tv. I was going to be around nine months pregnant in a week and this little buddy was going to come out soon. A lot has changed in last six months. I was no longer living in my apartment. Bryan had bought a new house which was closer to Travis and Aiden's house.The nursery was ready with hues of yellow and blue. Aiden and I had grown close but there had been nothing more than kisses and holding each other. The new house had many rooms and one of them was Aiden’s but he usually slept with me. He didn't go to his apartment often and just stayed here with me. He didn't want to miss any part of the baby and me being pregnant. He had warmed up to my heart, but hadn't been able to get that place back in my heart. His relationship with his mother was still rocky but they were at least talking. Whereas Laura and Aiden had drifted worlds apart.Laura had a breakdown
ValerieGod, this had to happen with me only. I groaned internally. this was right embarrassing. I felt Aiden sleeping on my legs with his hand feeling heavy on my belly. Besides it, I realize one more thing which was that I was going to puke. I felt it was coming, I knew it was and before I know I quickly pushing Aiden away and rushing to the bathroom kissing the porcelain seat. I puked and puked then brushed my teeth, gargled with mouthwash to get rid of that vile taste of bile. Being pregnant was not an easy task. "You have been caught red handed Aiden." It was Shay who was talking when I reached back to the living room. Aiden was on the floor rubbing his head. In my run to the bathroom, I might have pushed him a little too hard. Carmen stared at him while Shay busy staring at his share of uneaten food and smoothie. "I think we should have clicked the picture of the two together first," Carmen spoke without caring about the food. "Carmen she was eating mozzarella sticks and d
Aiden held my face and kissed me. I was stunned. I should have pulled back but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I was responding to his kiss, tasting our tears in it. Our kiss was passionate, our lips hungry for each other. It was a kiss filled with love and passion but yet soft. I could feel every part of my body needing his touch. It was wrong and yet it felt so right to do it. I was being lifted and pushed on my back. Our kiss never breaking. His torso in between my legs and my legs wrapped around him. His face in my hand and he took control over our kiss. Our tongues danced in sync. I was breathing heavily, I was feeling a need and then suddenly out of nowhere Laura popped up in my mind and the moment was lost from my side. My body stilled. My lips no longer responding to his and we break apart from our kiss. His eyes looked into mine searching for what stopped me. "What happened Val?" He asked concerned and worried. I closed my eyes and touch my lips. I knew that kiss we just had wa
Valerie "You... you what?" I finally managed to choke out."I didn’t know what else to do," he said, tears streaming down his face. "She was crying, Val. She was so upset, and I just wanted to make it better. I thought if I agreed, she’d be happy, and things would calm down. But I didn’t mean it. I don’t want to marry Laura. I don’t want to be with anyone but you."His words swirled around in my mind, but I couldn’t make sense of them. He had agreed to marry Laura? How could he do that to me, to us? I felt a surge of anger and betrayal."You agreed to marry her?" I repeated, my voice shaking. "How could you, Aiden? How could you do that to us?""I didn’t mean it," he pleaded. "I was just trying to calm her down. I don’t want to marry Laura. I love you, Val. You and our baby are everything to me.""But you said yes," I said, my voice rising. "You told her you’d marry Laura. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Do you even care about what I want, what I need?""Of course, I car
I waited for Aiden to speak something. I wasn;t a patient being but with him I was trying to be. I could see he was fighitng a battle on the inside buit I couldn;t do anytging until he spoke himself. "Mom dropped by the office today," he began. "She demanded to know when I was marrying you," that was literally nothing new. Why ouldn;t the woman get the hint that it wasn;t happening. "I told her it was none of her business, and she went ballistic, telling me that wasn’t the way I should speak to her." I still hated that woman. Travis had made sure she left me alone, even cutting ties with her. Aiden had tried to do the same, but she was his mother, and it was hard for him. I didn’t want him to cut her off for my sake anyway. He had a mother, and although she was mean and self-centered, no son should be separated from his mother. I wouldn;t want my child to be serpated from me like that. "Then she said that if we weren’t getting married, I should marry Laura." I was stunned. I looked
ValerieAs the doorbell rang happiness surged inside of me. At last, my angel came.Opening the door wide my whole concentration was on the packets in his hand rather than on him. Taking the packets for him I just went inside straight to the kitchen without a hello or anything.I just wanted to devour what was inside that packet before Carmen or Shay caught me. Carmen would literally fry me if she knew that I was busy eating fried mozzarella sticks that too with a vanilla chocolate smoothie. I heard the door close and him coming to the kitchen.This had become our norm, I would rush to the kitchen with the food and set each of us with a plate, mine always had a little a more than his. Whatever I ate, he had to eat that too, it was a part in a way for him to become the part of my pregnancy. I hadn;t lied to him when I had said that he would be a part of this preganncy in every step. As I looked up to see where he was I found his near the kitchen door. He stood there smiling at me wi
Valerie Two months later..................."Why," I questioned. "Why now," I was almost near to pnaick. "Why?" My father asked. "What do you mean by why. We are just going to meet each other and Bryan called me here to meet with him, Valerie. I think we should have talked to each other months back." Dad said while standing at the entrance of the house and by dad I meant Travis. I called them both dad but this was going to be first freaking time they were going be together face to face. I won't lie this whole dad one and dad two concept was so confusing for me. I have already told them if they ever were in the same room I will call them by their name rather than Dad. I haven't let them meet each other until now. If you remember when Bryan met Laura's father he beat the shit out of him. I don't want a recap of that with Travis. Gosh I still cringed thinking how beat up Laura's father was after Bryan's beating. "I'm having a bad feeling about this." I really was not going to tend t
Valerie "I.. never knew." a tremble in his voice made me believe that he really had no idea that what had happened."When my father came to know that I wasn't his he decided to hurt my mother by having affairs and dangling them in front of her," I paused taking in deep breaths. "My mother loved my father a lot but she understood what she had done," I continued even though all the memories were painful."She knew that she had hurt him too much, betrayed him. So she decided not to fight with Dad, she fought with the pain she suffered but she didn't give up easily. For four years she lived on knowing how her husband was cheating and hurting her. She lived for me until the day it became too much to handle." A tear escaped my eyes as I remembered finding her dead. The memory was ingrained in my brain for the rest of my life. Looking up to Travis I saw his eyes turned away from mine. He couldn't even look at me anymore.If only he had been brave enough to do the test last time this wouldn'
ValerieI waited for him in the cafe near my office, and let me tell you it was torture. The smell of coffee was in the air and it was hard to not have it. So I did the right thing and ordered one latte for me. I googled and even my doctor said a cup a day won't do any harm but under the watchful eye of Carmen, Shay, and dad I couldn't even have a whiff of coffee. One little sip of it was heaven for me. It had been six days since the thought of meeting him has been taking over my mind. The last I had seen him was a week before.Last night I had asked Aiden for his number when he came home with me. Aiden did really give me space and time. He called before even thinking of coming and he apologized times and again because of his mother showing up here. I really didn't say much about what happened between me and his mother. The only words that slipped my lips was that I didn't like her and he had promised that she won't disturb me anymore. I had called Travis and asked him to meet me at t