NancyJake and I decided to take a longer car trip to New York, opting for the scenic route to avoid Bruce’s watchful eye and to seize the opportunity to spend more time together, enjoying the beautiful cities and the climate of traveling by car, thus getting in touch with nature in the south of the country. We left California a few days after arriving, heading for Texas via Arizona. Jake and I were eager to create pleasant memories; he even had an old Polaroid camera that developed the photo immediately after it was taken. Occasionally, we stopped in the middle of nowhere to walk hand in hand, stretching our legs and enjoying nature, since we were traveling by car. With Jake, I felt no rush to reach our destination because, with him, I felt like I had already arrived.“What a beautiful woman I have! Definitely a sight for sore eyes,” he commented passionately as I tried to concentrate on navigating the road stop.I laughed at his silliness and nearly veered off the road, distracted b
Amber Morton“Kris, your fake boyfriend got his girl pregnant, and you had the nerve to try to bribe the girl to get pregnant in exchange for money. All this so you can keep your name unsullied before the public? Wow, Amber! You really are a bitter girl, aren’t you?” A female voice said, and I knew that voice very well; it was the voice of Jade McLaughlin, my arch-enemy.I was still standing in front of the building where Kris lived. My heart almost stopped beating as I stared at my cell phone screen with a disbelieving expression. Had Jade found out about that? But I had barely left Kris' apartment. How come she already had this information? It was true that I had gone to meet Kris and his girlfriend to discuss her pregnancy. Kris and I had been maintaining a fake relationship for years, just to keep our status at the level it was at. It wasn't easy to stay famous, and always, in the trends of the moment, it was necessary to tell a lie here and there. Everyone did that in the celebr
Amber MortonWhen I woke up the next morning, chaos had really taken hold in the world of media. So much had happened that it was difficult to take it all in at once, but my advisor made sure to keep me up to date. They told me that after the photo I posted and after the gossip sites bombarded the internet with scandals about Kris, photos, videos, screenshots of his DM being an arrogant, abusive guy who had never really valued me, the basics of scandals that served to destroy someone's career, and the revelation that he had gotten another woman pregnant while still dating me, was the icing on the cake. In only one night, Kris' two million followers grotesquely plummeted to three hundred thousand, and several advertising companies and stretchers stopped following him too; that guy was completely canceled and wasn't going to bounce back so easily. Even the exposed that came out of me about Jade's recording, which seemed like I was bribing Kris's girlfriend so that she could terminate h
NancyAfter spending almost two weeks traveling by car, Jake and I finally arrived in New York. The car trip from Las Vegas to here was great, with stops to enjoy the landscape and dive into the crystal-clear waters of the Texas waterfalls. I had never experienced anything as exciting as what I've experienced with Jake so far; I looked like a child, radiant at finally finding my happiness in his company. Jake had a medium-sized flat in downtown Manhattan that he lived alone in. The place was well-equipped and bold, perfect for a single man. The house only had one bedroom, and the first thing I thought about was where my children would sleep if they came to visit me. “By the look on your face, it looks like you didn’t like the house very much,” he said with an embarrassed chuckle, and then scratched his head. “If you want, we can change the furniture; I don’t know. Bring more life to the place? It is like, I don't spend much time at home, so I kind of...”“Jake, you don't have to exp
Nancy“Oh, Jake. You really are old-fashioned. Even I have a profile on the social network! I was kind of forced to create it by my daughter; I even have, I don't know, a hundred thousand followers. I am not sure. Furthermore, I haven’t seen anything on social media in a long time,” I told him. “Hm, so you're famous, uh? With all this beauty, I wouldn't be surprised,” he said and sniffed my neck, making me laugh. "I am not! In fact, the most popular one is my daughter. Would you like to see her?” I took out my cell phone to show it to him. “I bet she's as pretty as you,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s quite possible that she’s even more beautiful than me,” I commented, logging into the app and searching for her profile name. I was shocked when I saw that she had almost ten million followers now. Some time ago, we were celebrating her reaching five million followers, and now she already has all that. “Wow! She's really becoming popular now,” I commented, suppressed. Jake peeked ove
NancyThe next morning, Jake woke me up very early, almost dawn. His docile voice in my ear was seductive. “Babe, wake up. I just want to say goodbye. I need to leave now to go to the police station where I work. I didn't want to leave without kissing you goodbye first,” he said when I woke up and looked at him with a sleepy face. The lighting in the room was dim, but I could see that he was wearing a black special forces uniform; he even had power.“Are you in uniform? My God, that's so sexy...” I mumbled, still sleepy, and sat on his lap, all sly, and started kissing and smelling him. He chuckled, but his hands were on my waist, hugging and caressing me. “Are you sure you'll be okay here alone? If you want, I'll arrange for you to come to work with me,” he suggested, caressing my back with those big, strong hands of his, sending goosebumps across my sensitive skin. “Um, I don't want everyone staring at me; besides, today I'm super sensitive; I'll be jealous of everyone close to y
NancyI knew Jake wouldn't like knowing that I had called Amber, but the day he became a father, he would understand my decision today. So I picked up my cell phone and called my daughter... Since I was using a new cell phone that didn't have my data on it, I dialed my daughter's private cell phone number, the same number I always used to call her. Her cell phone rang and rang, but no one answered and it ended up going to voicemail. I clicked my tongue and wanted to call again, but the doorbell at Jake's house rang, catching my attention. I looked towards the door, a little scared, when I saw the doorbell ringing. Not only that, but I didn't know what to think. Who could it be, anyway? Jake had texted me earlier, saying he was going to be a little late today, but he was going to be there at dinner time, but he didn't tell me that someone was coming here. The campaign rang again. I took the towel and cleaned my face, quickly applied light makeup to hide my crying face, and pulled my
NancyThat night, when Jake came home from work, he went straight to the kitchen, hugging me from behind with affection and love. “Mmm, that smells so good! I didn't know my woman was cooking for me; I'm so glad,” he said, all happy, his big hands hugging my waist and his lips filling me with kisses. I ended up laughing unintentionally as I stirred the mashed potatoes I was making. “I don't know if you deserve to eat my food since you love eating your busty neighbor's food and stuff,” I said, clicking my tongue and wiping my hands on a kitchen towel immediately afterward. He stopped caressing me after he heard what I said. “Was Avery here?” he asked quickly. I turned to him and looked at him. “You guys make a nice couple, you know that? She cares so much about you; she even brought you a milk pudding, your favorite.” I said that to him to make him realize that I had been jealous. “Baby, it’s not anything like what you’re thinking.” He wanted to touch me, but I avoided him and went
Nancy“Argh, don’t tighten it too much… You’re hurting my neck!” Peter was grumbling with a grimace as I straightened his tie.“Remain calm; just lift your chin; I’m almost done,” I told him, adjusting my collar. Today was my wedding day with Jake. I was already dressed as a bride and everything, and the ceremony would start in a few minutes. I was so nervous. Not only that, but I really hoped everything would go well.He grumbled in disgust. “Did you know that children shouldn’t be present at their parents’ weddings, Mom?” he said, making me frown.“What? Why do you think that?” I asked.“Because naturally, children are not born before their parents marry. It's not the natural order of things, let alone divorce and second marriages,” he said, being clear in his opinion, as he didn't want to accept my relationship with Jake.I sighed, smoothing his jacket after straightening his tie. “You're getting so big. You're even taller than me.” I smiled softly, and I stroked his black hair. “I
NancyMoments later, Jason and Jake were in the wine cellar, somewhere in the mansion, talking about wine and things like that. Laura and I were walking in the manicured gardens of their mansion, which were so beautiful and comforting.“Why aren’t they coming?” I asked after a while, looking behind me to see if her husband and my fiancé were coming to catch up with us, since they were just getting us some wine to drink and talk on the sofas that were there in the garden under a cozy porch."Oh my God! Jason must have stuck him with a long wine conversation,” Laura said with a long chuckle. “We received bottles of the first line from a friend of ours in Chicago, Carter,” she added.“Are you talking about Joshua Carter?” I asked because I knew that name and knew that he had a wine production company.“Yes, I am,” Laura nodded. “What a fortuity that you know him, too.”“Um, I actually met him because of Bruce,” I said. “The Mortons were an influential family, and from time to time Bruce
NancyJake and I traveled to New York to visit our friends who lived there, the couple Jason and Laura Davies, who, since the last time we had seen them, had evolved a lot in their relationship, that is, when I met them, they were still fighting and trying to see what they were going to do in their relationship because they also had issues to resolve. But I remembered Laura's words, when she told me at the time that her husband had hurt her heart, but that nothing he had done compared to what Bruce had done to me. So today it was very satisfying for me to be able to see the two of them together and happy after having solved all their problems. They had even had another set of twins, and they seemed so happy now that their eldest daughter was playing with the babies, running around exuding happiness and joy while Jake, I, and the couple were sitting on the mansion's porch, drinking wine and talking about everything that had happened. This couple had been very important in helping us
Nancy "What? Give it back in kind and make him taste his own medicine? What are you suggesting, Lanie?” I asked, being a little dumbfounded. She and I were still at the dinner table, and she had just suggested that. She shrugged now. "Yes. Didn't your husband go to bed with someone else? Then you also go to bed with another man, and then you become equals,” she explained, making me gasp. “How can you suggest such a thing? Do you think I'm such a vulgar woman up to this point? Do you think me going to bed with another man will solve things for me?” I asked, shocked that she was suggesting such a deviant thing. “It probably won't solve anything, but it will make you feel a little better. What is it? Do you think Bruce deserves happiness after all these years he played with you?” She retorted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to smudge my body by getting involved with someone I don’t know just to get revenge on him,” I countered. Lanie laughed, waving her hand. “I don't see it
Days were passing, and I thanked the heavens that everything was going so well, but today in particular, it was a year since Lanie, my dear friend, had died, and I was terribly sad remembering her.I remembered how she had done everything she could to cheer me up when I was at rock bottom after finding out who Bruce Morton really was.I remembered in detail what the season at her house had been like and how much she helped me, God in heaven...Nancy On that day, the ringing of my cell phone woke me up, and I felt my lamp, picked up the device, and saw that my daughter was calling me. “Hi, my love,” I said as soon as I answered, rubbing my face with my hand, still drowsy. “Hello, Mom? Haven’t you come home yet?” Amber asked on the other end of the line. "Um… Not yet, darling,” I replied a little fearfully. It had been two weeks since I was at my friend Lanie's house. "Um... Okay? When do you plan to return?” She asked in a somewhat petulant manner. I sighed. “To be honest, I
NancyThe last few weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions. After everything that happened with Candace, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. The scars of pain and struggle were still there, but the feeling of relief was in the air. It was a new beginning for all of us. Like a good mother, I tried my best to care for Candace, and now, seeing her at home, taking a deep breath and starting to rebuild her life, my heart is filled with hope.It was on a mild morning that we realized that life was returning to normal. Amber's laughter echoed through the house as she tried to decide what to wear for a date. I watched her from the kitchen, where she was preparing a simple but nutritious breakfast. The smell of toasting bread mixed with the aroma of fresh coffee, creating a welcoming atmosphere.“Amber, do you need help?” I asked, trying to hide my smile at seeing her so excited and nervous at the same time.“No, mom, I can do it!” she replied, a little louder than usua
CandaceThe joy I felt holding my daughter in my arms was indescribable. After hours of pain and struggle, the little one was finally here, and I couldn't stop smiling. It was a girl. The doctor had shown me quickly, and I couldn't believe that this little creature, so perfect, was my daughter. I felt a wave of love that I had never experienced before, and that feeling enveloped me like a warm blanket on a cold day. I looked at her face, so small and vulnerable, and wondered what the future held for us.Jake and Harald were in the room, both overjoyed with the news. The energy was contagious, and the happiness in the atmosphere was palpable, like happy music that filled every space. The smell of disinfectant mixed with the light scent of flowers someone had brought, creating an atmosphere of celebration and hope."Look, Candace, you did an amazing job!" Jake said it with a wide smile that lit up his face. He seemed genuinely touched, and I could feel that he was genuinely happy for me
NancyThe morning seemed perfect, the kind of day I always imagined as a normal family, without constant tension or fears. Recent times had been full of challenges, losses and changes, but being there, in Jake's house, surrounded by the people he loved most, brought a feeling of completeness. Everything felt a little lighter. Of course, there were still traces of the past that occasionally appeared in our conversations and gestures, but something had changed within me, and perhaps even within my children.That day, we decided to have a family lunch. Me, Amber, Peter, Jake, Harald, Ivor and Candace, all gathered at a table for the first time, without formalities and without protocols. I wasn't sure what to expect from this meeting, especially with Harald there, a presence that, some time ago, would perhaps have been unthinkable in such an intimate environment. But, little by little, everyone had found a way to live together, with the wounds still healing, but now ready for a new phase.
NancyThe next morning, very early, before the sun even fully illuminated the house, I was already awake, organizing my thoughts. I knew I needed to talk to Amber and Peter, just the three of us, without Jake around. This moment was very important, and I wanted them to feel comfortable saying what they really thought, without fear. I knew this conversation was necessary, as there was a lot at stake. Jake was part of this new life I wanted to build, but most of all, my children needed to feel part of it.I took a deep breath before entering their room. Amber was already stretching, her eyes still sleepy, but she noticed my presence and smiled. Peter, still sleeping soundly, had a serene face, something rare to see. I approached him gently, touching his shoulder lightly. “Peter, honey, are we going to wake up? I need to talk to you and Amber. Just the three of us, without Jake.”He opened his eyes slowly, still confused from sleep, but nodded. Amber looked at me with a mix of curiosity