LEOI withdrew myself from her and realized that I had been kissing her. I wondered what had come over me to be kissing a woman that I barely knew. "You should go. I'm fine, but I need to rest."All she did was nod and reluctantly, she stood from the bed and headed to the door. "If you need anything, you can call me." She said after which she exited my room.I threw myself on the bed, counting the invisible stars that rested on the ceiling. I got lost in thoughts, thinking how I got trapped in a big mess at a very young age. My mother's unnecessary fight with my stepmom, Cora's aim to run the company herself, and her belief that I don't deserve anything better than what she has, Lilian's support, regarding the fact that her immediate family hated me so much. She was the only one who understood me.Clara's accusation of me getting her pregnant was what I found difficult to accept, but I could not deny it because I was very sure that we had sex on a rough crazy night
SARAHI got back home and headed straight to the kitchen to cook the noodles that I bought on my way home. I was returning from Raya's place. She was the only one I could share my sorrows and joys with, even in my darkest moments, she alone understood me. And that's why I would never stop blessing the day I got to know her.We met at a colleague's wedding party. She was a sister to the groom. She was cheerful and friendly, that was the kind of friend I wanted. That is a story for another day.While cooking the noodles, Leo walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He wore a white shirt, but his chest was opened, exposing the hairs on his chest. "You're home!" He said as he walked up to me, and stretched his hands to grab a glass in the cupboard. His chest, very close to my face "Yes, I'm home," I replied, trying to withdraw myself.He grabbed the glass and got some water from the water dispenser. I froze all the while he was with me, and the only moveme
SARAH.Opening the door to the office with a feigned smile, I noticed the mood was different from usual. My departmental head, Mrs. Montana, stood in front of the room as everyone gathered around, all smiling at me.I was glad to be at work again, at least I wouldn't have to be with my fake, grumpy husband all day. "Our dear Sarah Powells.. no, Sarah Limbert, is resuming today. See how fat she has become in just two weeks of getting married. Welcome back honey, we have missed you." It was a sort of a welcome-back speech from Madam Montana. I was short of words on the kind of reception I received from them."What better way to welcome you back than a little celebration?." She said, as she reached into her drawer and pulled out a bottle of red wine.I accepted a glass of wine from her with so much relief and excitement. It was a small gesture but it meant so much to me. After everything I had been through, it was nice to be part of the team again."I'm so grateful
SARAH. Cora turned back and rolled her eyes against Leo. She ignored him and continued speaking with Julian. "How dare you speak to my wife like that!" he shouted. "Sarah is a part of this family, and you will treat her with respect!"Leo's face was red with anger as he glared at his sister, Cora. Cora didn't back down. "I will not respect her," she said coldly. "She's not welcome here, and I will not pretend otherwise." "Sarah is my wife," he said through gritted teeth as he fumed. "I love her, and I will not tolerate your disrespect towards her."Julian, who had been watching the drama, stepped in. "Leo, calm down. This is not worth getting worked up over."But Leo was beyond reasoning."You stay out of this Julian." He snapped. "This is between me and my sister!"Julian held up his hand in surrender, but his expression remained serious. "I'm just trying to keep the peace, Leo" "There has never been peace between both of us, and there never will be!" C
SARAHMy heart ached at the words that protruded from my mother's mouth. She had been scolding and cursing ever since I stepped into the house. I didn't go to see her, I was only there because my Dad sent for me. And thanks to Raya, who agreed to go along with me. "That's enough Leila!" My dad yelled."Let the poor girl breathe… She has gone through a lot."And there I sat, silent all through. Leo had requested that I find out how much it would cost to get back to the hotel from Anthonio. The knock on the door disrupted my mother's nagging as I sighted Anthonio forcing himself through the door. His protruded belly never ceased to amuse Raya as she would always chuckle anytime she saw him."How would you have married a man like Anthonio? I can't even imagine that!" She spat in a whisper.My mother rushed towards Anthonio, trying to help with his briefcase but he refused her help."Don't bother!" He pushed her aside and walked over to one of the sofas, thro
LEOGoing through a hectic day at work, all I wanted was to get home and have a proper sleep. Clara dropped by at the office, still insisting that the child in her womb belonged to me. "What's up, Man?" Julian looked up at me, stretching out his hand for a shake. Without wanting to speak to anybody, I waved at him and headed straight to my room to freshen up.Done with showering, I descended the stairs, wanting to grab something to eat, then I heard a strange noise. It sounded like someone was sniffling.Curious, I stopped and listened more closely. The sniffling was coming from the living room, so I crept over to investigate. As I peered around the corner, I was shocked to see Sarah, sitting on the couch with tears streaming down her face. Standing in front of her was Julian, looking all concerned and speaking in a hushed voice."You don't want to tell me why you're crying?"I quietly backed away, careful not to attract their attention. When I was out of
SARAHThe night was deep and cold. The moon and the stars were just enough to lighten up the earth and I stood by the train station, thinking of where to go, at least to lay my head for the night.I sat on the cold, metal waiting bench, and my hands were shaking from the chill in the air. The wind howled around me, whipping my hair into my face. I managed to pull my phone out of my bag and quickly unlocked it.My thumb hovered over the "call" button, as I thought if I should call the man with the menacing voice or if I should wait to see if he would call me first.Just as my mind raced, the buzzing of my phone brought me back to reality. Looking into the screen, I found an unknown number and I knew it was the guy with the menacing voice. "Your time is running out," he said, his voice low and threatening. "I'm going to waste Raya's life if you don't do what I say. Do you understand?" "I've already left Leo's house. I've ended everything with him. Please, just
LEO"Why did you keep this away from us? Away from me?" I was mad.Julian had called me earlier that night to say that he had found Sarah and that he had taken her to his grandmother's house far away in town."He threatened to kill Raya if I said anything. He warned me against involving the police too. What do you expect?" She said. "But at least, you should have let me.. ""You're the reason I'm in this mess right now " she accused, pointing her finger at me."I'm asked to stay away from you, and that's what I'm trying to do. But you still find a way to pester around me." "I'm pestering you?" I asked. It was too much of a thing to hear."You both should calm down. Let's figure out how to save Raya. Fighting can never solve this problem." Julian said, cutting the both of us short.Sarah's eyes were pale and reddish. I knew she must have cried a lot the previous night. "I don't need any of you around me. Most especially, you Leo. Please, just disappear from my
SARAH“What the hell are you doing?” I blurted out. I had been standing by the door, watching Emily tamper with Leo's drip. It looked suspicious.Emily quivered when she heard my voice. She turned to me with a scowl and snapped, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m just fixing the drip pipe.”I walked into the ward, crossing my arms. “Since when did you become a doctor or a nurse to know how to handle drips?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.Emily shot me a glare and sat back gently on the chair, her hand resting protectively on her pregnant belly. Caro, who had been right behind me, quickly walked past me over to Emily. She grabbed Emily’s hand and held it tightly.“What are you hiding under your sleeve?” Caro demanded.Emily yanked her hand away and snapped, “I’m not hiding anything! Get out, both of you!”Suddenly, a nurse walked into the ward. “You all need to leave,” she said firmly. “You’re disturbing the patient. He needs to rest.”Emily stood up quickly. “Fine, I’ll leave. I’m t
SARAH I cried as Leo was wheeled away from me, his hand dangling off the stretcher. My hands were still sticky with his blood. "Please," I choked out to the nurse who held me back from following him."Please, I need to be with him."She gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "He's in the best hands, ma'am. We'll do our very best." But her words were drowned out by the roaring in my ears, the fear that clawed at my throat. What if their very best was not enough? The nurse left me then, and I crumpled to the floor, burying my face in my hands. Suddenly, a voice pierced through my despair. "Leo! Where's Leo?"I looked up and saw Emily. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with panic as she ran towards my direction. Her gaze fell on me and then on the bloodstains that marred my clothes. Her hand flew to her mouth to to hold herself from screaming as she stood motionless, staring at me with tears in her eyes. For a moment, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.But then the memory of her bet
SARAHMy hands trembled as I gripped the steering wheel. The address Emma sent – a jumble of numbers and a street name I'd never heard of – was leading me further and further away from the city. Emma. Just the name sent a shiver down my spine. Not because she was scary, not exactly. But because of what she was capable of. What she threatened to do to Caro if I didn't follow her instructions to the letter. "Come alone, Sarah," her text message had read, the words burning themselves into my memory. "And don't even think about calling the police. You know what's at stake."The memory of Raya's kidnapping, years ago, flashed in my mind. The same feeling of helplessness, the same knot of fear twisting in my gut. But this time, it was my own daughter on the line. My beat-up Honda coughed its way to a stop in front of the address Emma had sent. No doubt about it, this was the place. Except "place" didn't quite cover it. It was more like a fortress. A ten-foot-tall iron gate blocked t
SARAH One morning, as I was getting ready for work, my daughter Caro showed up in her nightie, totally out of the blue. Normally, she'd be getting ready for school at this time. "Mum, I'll be going for a special trip today," Caro announced. "A trip?" I asked, confused. "Yes, it's an excursion for my class. Didn't I tell you about it a few weeks ago? And I'm sure they announced it in school too," Caro explained. Suddenly, it all came back to me. The principal had indeed mentioned something about the final year students going on an excursion. My head was already full with worry. She wouldn't blame for for being forgetful. "Alright, whatever," I managed to say, not bothering to inquire further about the details. I figured it was a school-related activity, so it should be safe enough to let her go. With that thought in mind, I rushed off to school as I was almost running late. I was in the middle of teaching my students when my phone rang, disrupting the class. It was the principal
SARAHI regretted being married to Leo. If only I had gotten along with Julian, my ex-boyfriend, things would have been different. But now, Leo canceled our joint accounts, leaving me and my kids in poverty. To survive, I had to be incredibly careful with money.The next few days were tough. Our son, Jake, came back home but he kept threatening to run away if Leo didn't come back too. No matter how much I pleaded with Jake to give his father more time, he didn't listen. It seemed like my words fell on deaf ears. I had no choice but to visit Leo at his office.I walked into his office nervously, with my heart pounding. I couldn't believe it had come to this. I had to confront him face-to-face and find a way to change his mind.In my best suit, a gift from Leo on my last birthday, I anxiously waited outside his office. Leo had been preoccupied with other people and made me wait. I wondered what to expect - the sympathetic Leo I've always known or a love-sick man? To my surprise, a cold
Jake slammed his hands on the table and glared at everyone. "I've lost my appetite!" he exclaimed, stood up and stormed out. "Me too," Caro added, and followed suit. "Don't worry about the kids, they'll come around," Mother-in-law said, clearly pleased with what Leo had said. My heart was heavy, my mind raced, and my thoughts were chaotic. Was Leo really talking about me? I couldn't even find the words to speak. "Why did you do that?" Lucas, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "What?" Leo pretended not to know. He looked at Emily, who was still standing beside Leo, but she seemed too clueless to understand his stare. "Leave now or you'll hate me forever!" Lucas's voice boomed, and she ran out without hesitation. "Why did you do that? I asked again!" Lucas demanded, now turning to face Leo. "He simply stated the truth," Mother-in-law defended Leo's actions. "What stupid truth?" Lucas yelled. "Even in front of the kids?" Leo walked out on us without saying a si
SARAHHer presence in our home was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. I couldn't stand the way she flaunted her body, desperately seeking attention from my husband, Leo. But I wasn't blind to her scheming ways, oh no, I saw right through her little game!On this particular day, Leo came home early, just as I was returning late from visiting a dear friend who had just given birth. And who do I find? None other than Emily, the vixen housekeeper, parading around in skimpy clothing that left nothing to the imagination.Her outfit was daring, to say the least. Her top, barely covering her ample bosom, and her shorts, hugging her curves as if they were painted on. It was clear that she was intentionally putting herself on display for Leo's eyes only.Fury boiled inside of me as I stepped in and saw her. How dare she disrespect me in my own home? I knew exactly what she was trying to do - seduce and steal my husband away from me. Well, she had another thing coming!I f
SARAH Leo was furious after Jake woke up. He had fainted while watering the flowers outside with his aunt Cora. Carolyn called me and informed me that Jake's medication was untouched and still sealed. This meant that he hadn't been taking his medicine."Do you even wish to live? If you truly wanted to survive your condition, you wouldn't have skipped your medication!" Leo shouted at Jake, who sat silently on his grandmother's bed.I enveloped Jake with my hands, as though shielding him from his father's angry outburst."What's the point of me existing, huh?" Jake asked, now looking up at his father."Don't say that, Jake," I whispered to him."I know I'm not your real son. I don't belong here."Leo, who had been yelling all this time, suddenly calmed down, realizing that the boy was revealing his inner truth."Grandma has told me countless times that no matter how hard I try, I'll never truly be accepted into this family."Just then, Lilian who had been out f
SARAHThe house appeared to be engulfed in flames. I couldn't think of anywhere Jake could be at that moment. Adding to the trouble, my mother-in-law seemed unconcerned about finding the boy.Leo grew impatient. It was the first time in years that he had the guts to stand up to his mother and express his disapproval."You're the reason that boy left this house. You've constantly filled his head with foolish and unnecessary lies!" he shouted at his mother."So, you're calling me an idiot?" she asked, pretending to be serious."That's not what I meant! You're twisting my words and I can't stand it when you do that!" he yelled even louder."Dad!" Caro called out, trying to stop her dad from yelling at Grandma."Shut up, Caro! Shut up and stay in your seat!" he snapped at Caro, now facing her directly. She stumbled and fearfully sat back in her chair."All of this is your fault too. You had a loving, caring brother, but you threw it all away because of some stupid