Jasmine was disappointed with her daughter as the latter was not taking her seriously. "Can you show a bit more concern for your father's case?" Lifting her chin, Sarah looked at her mother. "Is there a point, Mom? The verdict is out." Personally, she felt a life sentence was better than a death sentence because he was her father, after all. Robert had always been nice to her throughout the years. Jasmine stared at Sarah in silence for a while. "Do you know how your father threatened me?" It never occurred to Jasmine that her daughter would still carry the hope that Robert was still family to her. Sarah should be like her, casting Robert away from their lives. For all they knew, Robert might get desperate and sell them out. Sarah gave a nod. "You told me the last time, but Dad won't indulge my deeds to Laurence. It serves him no purpose anyway." Jasmine balled her fists. She had pushed Robert into a situation that there was no turning back from. Robert was vindictive, a
Love was a need to possess. It was jealousy. Unrequited love tended to bring out the ugliness in people. Sure, Laurence was possessive of Zoey in the past, and his claim over her was based on nothing more than a fleeting urge. He could abandon her anytime because his possessiveness was not rooted in real feelings for her. Laurence struggled to accept the tenderness Zoey showed to her unborn child now. The child had stolen most of her attention and love before it was born, and the love would only run deeper after the birth. Laurence’s staring gave Zoey the creeps. Even without lifting her chin, she caught his burning gaze from the corner of her eye. She finally met his gaze, but Laurence showed no guilt for getting caught in the act. He asked nonchalantly, "What’s the matter?" Zoey looked away. "Nothing."A nurse entered the ward to redress her wound. The afternoon sun always seemed to cast a spell of fatigue. After taking her meds, Zoey’s eyelids felt heavy, courtesy of th
"Can you not touch my stuff without permission?" Zoey asked, exasperated.Her cutting remark silenced Laurence, and he pursed his lips. "I saw the books, so I wanted to ask." Zoey clutched the books to her chest and said stiffly, "I studied French a long time ago. I haven’t had time to hit the books since then.”While in college, she used to sit in on French classes in the foreign language school. It was not an easy language to learn. Laurence was skeptical. "I speak French. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”Zoey lowered her gaze before replying, "I have no interest now." French was a lot harder compared to English. The words Laurence had used were common ones she had picked up from sitting in on the French lessons. The lecturer taught the students in their first lesson—"Je t'aime." The sentence was neither complex nor challenging to learn. Zoey had her hands full in college, occupied with classes and her part-time job. Despite her packed schedule, she would make h
Zoey was caught off guard by the sudden visit. She hesitated before nodding. "Sure." On the way to the café, Zoey’s emotions were all over the place, ridden with guilt of getting caught red-handed. She had a sinking feeling Jared's parents had discovered her monthly payments of two thousand dollars to Jared. Zoey opened her mouth several times, at a loss as to how to explain herself. There was nothing she could say to deny the truth. Zoey found herself shameless, to be honest. As they entered the café and made their way to their table, Mr. and Mrs. Peyton remained courteous. They were mindful of her needs and spoke to her in a considerate manner. "Please sit." Jared's mother offered, pouring Zoey a cup a tea. She continued, "My son doesn't know I’ve come to see you today. Otherwise, he would be furious." Zoey cradled the cup, her eyes downcast and her expression hidden. She caught onto the meaning behind Sonya's words. His mother would prefer the conversation be kept betwee
After Jared's parents left, Zoey sat in the cafe for a while. She needed to be alone to clear her head. Zoey thought the divorce had put an end to her past with Laurence. She had intended to cut all ties with him. Now, it seemed she had been too naïve. Laurence intruded into her personal life easily, and she was at his mercy. The fury within her gradually subsided, and all that remained was disappointment. Zoey knew anger would only hurt her, so she forced herself to stay calm. Laurence's constant meddling in her life was the last straw, and she’d had enough. He said he loved her. However, if the love came from his heart, he would want to see her happy. Instead, he put her through hell by contacting Jared’s parents. Love was supposed to be selfish. At the end of the day, Laurence did not love her enough. Zoey picked up the glass and took a few sips of water before rising to her feet. She was about to leave the café when the phone in her purse rang. It was a call from Jared. T
Laurence had only done what he did to show Jared the reality of the situation. Since Jared was too blind to see the truth, Laurence didn't mind giving him a hand. The indirect hurt he’d caused Zoey was unintended. He had no explanation to offer to justify his actions. Zoey was exhausted and emotionally drained. She didn't have the energy to argue with him. She dismissed him curtly, "Get out." Laurence looked at her pale face, and she did not look too good. He shouldn't upset her further at a time like this. He was aloof and distant in nature, keeping people at arm's length. Yet, he did not want to walk away there and then. Laurence was not a gentle person, and such was his nature. The man furrowed his brows silently. "I'm sorry, but I didn't tell his parents so they would insult you." It was not his intention, but it was a result of his actions. There was something brewing behind Laurence's blank eyes. His eyes turned bloodshot, and his knitted brows disclosed a discreet an
Rumors often spread like wildfire, and unreliable news tended to attract a lot of attention. Zoey still kept in touch with a few college friends in the group chat. They saw the messages and checked out Zoey's Facebook profile. There, they saw a photo of Zoey's new boyfriend. The young man was dashing and good-looking. Other than that, there was no wedding announcement or anything of the sort. Since Zoey was at the end of her second trimester, she rarely scrolled on her phone in case the radiation harmed the baby. She was not active in the group chat with her former college friends, so she had no idea she was the hot topic among her friends. Rose quickly sought redemption with Zoey. "Zoey, I didn't mean to! I don't know how it happened, but people think you're about to get married." Zoey was confused. "Huh? What?" Rose told Zoey the whole story before saying regretfully, "That’s how the rumors started. Jared asked me in all seriousness about your ring preference. He said he
Before her uncle turned up, Zoey was extremely apprehensive. If Laurence suddenly went off the rails and showed himself again, they probably wouldn't see the end of this.Though she hid it well, Zoey couldn't help the guilt that washed over her when she saw her uncle's face. He wouldn't have taken a bullet from Laurence if it weren't for her. A gunshot wound like that may not mean much in his youth, but who knew what impact it would bring with age?Fortunately, during these anxious hours, Laurence didn't try looming. Jason parked his car outside. Rose was on his heels, keeping her distance two steps behind him. She thought about breaking the awkward silence several times, but she’d stopped for fear of being ignored. What if he ignored her attempts? That would only make things even more awkward! Rose ruffled her hair in annoyance. She couldn't fathom why feelings were starting to bud long after the passing of spring.The courtyard gate was unlocked, and Zoey perched herself on the