"Listen to me, Trey. Just because Rita is a cheater doesn't mean your mom was.""But she did cheat, didn't she? She cheated on my father.""And she told you that she was sorry. If your father knew, it means that she was honest. She confessed And she apologized to your father, and they moved on. I really think if you find it in yourself to forgive her. I know it won't be easy. It won't be quick. Do it at your own pace.""But I feel like I'm like her, Mina. After what I did, what's the difference between her and me? And Eric is my friend. I'm the worst human on earth, Nina.""Okay, let me tell you something. I know you're sad. And you've been wallowing in your own feelings for quite a while. So, why don't we do something to get your mind off it? Come on. Just get bathed. Get dressed. Let's go to work. It'll take your mind off it. I even promise to go to a club with you. Tonight.""Hold on, tonight?? Aren't you back with Emerson? Aren't you
Trey doesnât come back to work.By the time I close upâwhich, as always, makes me the last person outâI head upstairs and find him drinking.I take the glass from his hand. "So, what does this mean? You already look like youâre halfway to wasted, and we agreed we were going out tonight. So what is this?""I donât feel like going out tonight," he mutters. "Why donât we just order in?"I sigh. "Alright, fine. What do you want to eat?""I donât know. Maybe pizza? I donât know. Whatever you want to get.""Okay, Iâll order Chinese. Is that okay with you?""Yeah, whatever."I roll my eyes and order the food, then go take a shower. When I come back, I find him knocked out on the couch.The food arrives, and we sit in silence, eating on the couches while an action movie plays. Thereâs nothing to sayânothing that hasnât already been said.Then he finally speaks. "Eric left me an email. Eric wrote me an
Frustrated, I watch as Trey grabs the ice pack and storms toward the door, limping slightly. "Do whatever you want," he mutters. "Iâm going to bed."I canât believe him.And then it hits me. Emerson.I grab my phone and dial. He picks up after two rings, his voice sleepy. "Hey baby, you miss me already? Want me to come over? I knew Trayson was a bore.""Stop it, Emerson. This is serious."He picks up on the urgency in my voice immediately. "What is it?""Itâs Eric. Something happened. He went home. Mad." My heart is pounding. "And given Ritaâs condition, Iâm afraid he might hurt her. I need you to go over there. Justâpleaseâmake sure everything is okay."Thereâs silence."Emerson? Can you hear me?""Yeah, I hear you." A pause. "And why do you care so much?"I squeeze my eyes shut. "Because if Eric kills Rita, what do you think is gonna happen?! Just go there, okay?""What is this about, what happened?""Just go, Emmerson!"Another pause. Then finally: "Okay, okay. Iâm going. Just tell
I woke up the next day in such a good mood.I wake up early. I even go to Trey's gym in the house. Just, you know, try and do a few sit-up laps or something. I am in such a great mood. I look at myself in the mirror in the gym and, yeah, I think I'm developing a little pouch. Gotta work on that.And my tits are getting bigger, which is good I guess, but I gotta get rid of this pouch. And my thighs... I think Trey was right, I'm getting a little fat. I'm gonna have to hop on that and start working out, I guess.I'll try to get Trey when he's coming to the gym and he can give me a few workouts to do or, I don't know, I can start running again. Yeah, maybe this is all because I haven't been running for a long time, I should start running again.I go back into the living room and decide to prepare breakfast, but then I find Trey is already there. He has iPods in his ears. He is humming as he's preparing breakfast.I go in and walk towards the kitchen island, tap a few times to get his att
"Oh my God! Rita, are you okay?" I asked with worry,I stood up from my seat, the concern rushing through me before I could even think. I wanted to go to her, to hug her, to tell her it was okay. I just wanted to know if she was fine. But the way she raised her hand to stop meâthe way she sneeredâfroze me in my tracks."What? You're going to pretend that you care? You're going to pretend that seeing me like this actually hurts you? Oh please," she sneered. "Youâve probably been praying for this. Youâve probably been waiting for something like this to happen to me."Her words hit like a slap, but she wasnât done."I remember what you said when we met at the parkâthat Eric was violent. You couldn't wait for him to be violent with me too, could you?""What? Rita, I'm just concerned about you. How are you? Are you okay?"She scoffed. "Are you pretending to care because Trey is here? Do you think you can actually help your case by acting like a good person? Sorry for you, but that ship ha
âAre you breaking up with me, Trey?â Ritaâs voice pitched higher, full of disbelief.âIâm not breaking up with you because we were never together, to begin with.ââThen what was all that?â Her voice grew louder, more frantic. âThe way you flirted with me, the way you used to compliment me, the way you and I were so intertwined with each other. The way we fucked... You canât tell me that you didnât feel it.âTrey was silent for a moment before answering. âYouâre right. We didnât make love. We fucked. We had sex. Itâs done. I regret it. Now itâs over. I would really advise you to start focusing on your marriage right now.âThe room went silent for a few seconds, and I leaned closer, straining to hear what they were saying.Then, I heard Ritaâs voice, screeching in fury.âAre you fucking kidding me, Trey? Are you stupid?âI winced.âMy marriage is gone. My marriage is over. Eric doesnât want to fucking see me. He told me that the next time he sees me, heâs going to kill me. I signed a pr
It was Eric. How did he get in here? How did he even find us? I didnât hear the door open. But perhaps it didnât matter, as I had been so absorbed in the heated argument between Trey and Rita that I hadnât noticed anything else.Then, I heard Rita screech. âEric, what are you doing here?ââI followed you, darling,â Eric answered, his voice dripping with mockery. âI wanted to know where you would go. And I had a feeling. And I was right. You fucking stupidââBefore I could react, the sounds of stomping filled the air, then a groan. Rita screamed, âStop it! Stop it! Get off him! Get off him!âThe sound of fists meeting flesh followed, making my stomach churn. I couldnât stay in the hallway any longer. I turned and ran toward the living room, my heart racing.What I saw when I arrived left me frozen in place.Eric and Trey were going at it, their fists flying as they threw punches, pushing each other down, slamming each other into furniture. Their anger was evident in the room.Rita wa
"Don't say that," Rita cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please, don't say that."Ericâs face remained cold, without any emotion. "You destroyed my life." His words were sharp, cutting through the air. "You told me you loved me. You promised me a family because you knew how much I loved talking about having a baby of my own, about having a family. But you? You were never who you pretended to be."Rita shook her head violently. "No, Eric, pleaseâ""What were you after, really?" Eric went on, his voice filled with disdain. "Always speaking ill of Mina behind her back, always trying to turn me against her. Now I see your true colours. I donât know if itâs the hate you have for her or if itâs the money you were after. Because you spent more money than Mina ever did while we started dating until we got married, you spent ten times more. And I let youâbecause I wanted you to be happy. But to realize this about you now....?"His jaw clenched as he exhaled."No, Eric, stop saying t
She looked at me with that twisted, dark smile, the one that told me she thought she had won. As if she had accomplished exactly what she came here to do. But she was still standing in my room, still breathing the same air as me, still existing in my space, and I couldnât take it. The anger, the pain, the years of resentment came over me. My voice came out in a scream, raw and filled with fury. "Get out! Get out, get out, get out!" The door burst open. A nurse rushed in, followed closely by Trey. His eyes darted between me and my mother, concern into his face. "Whatâs going on?" he demanded. "Mina, what happened?" I pointed a shaking hand at Kristy. "I donât want to see this woman ever again in my life!" My voice was hoarse, but I didnât care. "Iâll get a restraining order if I have to. If I ever see you again, I swear I will make you regret it." The words cut through the air.
She looked at me for a long moment before speaking again."I am willing to give you another chance." She announced.A surprised cough escaped my lips. "A chance?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes. "A chance to do what, exactly?""A chance to prove that you have wished no ill for your sister," she said firmly. "To prove that you actually are part of this family."A disbelieving chuckle slipped past my lips, but my mother didnât flinch. She pressed on as if she truly believed she held all the power in this conversation."Youâre going to call Eric," she continued. "Youâre going to tell him that everything that happened with Trey was wrong. You're going to talk to Trey and convince him to tell Eric that maybe he was lying. JustâĶ find something. Make up anything. But make sure that Eric calls Rita, apologizes, and takes your sister back home where she belongs."She said it as if the matter was settled as if she had the final say.
By the time we turned back towards the room, we noticed that the doctor had already left. I guess there had been too much crying in the room. I found myself laughing. "I'm so happy, Emerson." He grinned, his excitement evident. "I'm even happier. You donât know how Iâm feeling right now. I want toâ" He let out a breathless laugh. "I want to dance. I want to jump with joy. I want to scream it from the top of this building. I'm going to be a dad, Mina!" "And I'm going to be a mom," I said, my voice breaking as fresh tears welled in my eyes. Emerson's expression softened. "Oh my God, why are you still crying? I donât think itâs good for the baby to cry so much." "I know," I sniffled, wiping my eyes. "Iâm going to try. I really am. But I donât know how to stopâIâm just so happy." At that moment, my stomach let out a loud rumble. Emerson chuckled. "Looks like our baby is hu
The doctorâs expression remained calm. âDid you drink every day?âI shook my head quickly. âNo, not every day. Just occasionally.âGuilt flooded me. âOh my God, Iâm so sorry. IâI didnât know I was pregnant.â My voice cracked, and the tears returned, burning the back of my eyes.The doctor placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. âMina, itâs okay. You didnât know.âI hiccupped on a sob. âBut what if IâââListen to me,â she interrupted firmly, âYou and the baby are healthy. Tomorrow, weâll do a full examination, and so far, everything looks good. The important thing is that you know now. And because you know, I trust that youâll take better care of yourself from here on out.âI sniffled, nodding, still feeling the weight of my mistakes.âBut I need you to stop panicking, Mina,â she continued. âStress will raise your blood pressure, and thatâs not good for the baby. Right now, I just need you to focus on resting and
I just sat there, staring at Emmerson. My tongue felt heavy like it was weighed down by all that I couldnât bring myself to say.âCome on, what is it?â Emerson urged, his voice softer now, careful. âTell me whatever it is. We can go through it together.âBut there was fear in his eyes. A fear that told me he was bracing himself for the worst.I opened my mouth, but no words came out.Before I could even attempt to find them, Trey spoke up. âWeâre still waiting for the results. There hasnât been a concrete answer yet.âEmerson exhaled, his shoulders losing a fraction of their tension. âWhat do you mean, concrete answer? What did the doctor say? What could it be?ââItâs fine,â I said quickly, nodding as I squeezed his hand. âJust wait for the results.âHe looked at me, then at our intertwined fingers, and for some reason, my hands were trembling.Then he turned to Trey. âTreyson, can I talk to you aside for a minute?âPanic spiked in my chest. I clutched Emersonâs hand tighter. âNo.
Trey looked at me, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyesâsympathy, maybe even sadness. His voice was quiet when he spoke again.âYouâre pregnant, Mina.âI stared at him. The words didnât make sense. They bounced around in my head, refusing to settle.âItâs not possible,â I said, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. It carried no joy, only confusion. âWhat are you saying, Trey? I canât be pregnant. IâĶ Itâs impossible, okay?âI didnât even know what I was saying anymore. My mind scrambled for explanations, for reasons..... This couldn't be true.Trey didnât argue. He simply took my hand and placed it gently on the bed between us. His grip is grounding.âThe doctors just confirmed it. Youâre a hundred per cent pregnant.ââBut how?â I whispered, shaking my head violently, as if denying it hard enough would make it untrue. If I accepted it if I let this idea take root in my mind, only for it to be ripped away laterâĶ I wouldnât survive that. I couldn't.âTheyâre wrong,
I exhaled and looked at him. "Eric, you're just a bad human being. You slept with my sister, got her pregnant, and you were about to marry her. And not once did I attack you. Not once did I go to the papers and say, 'I broke up with Eric Blackwind because he slept with my sister.' That would have made headlines. I could have made a lot of money from your Betrayal. But I didnât."I shook my head, disbelief coursing through me. "But the minute you found out I was with Emerson, youâ" I scoffed. "You acted like I had committed murder... As if I had done something that deserved a death sentence. You acted like the real person that, deep down, you really are."Eric bowed his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not a good person. I'm selfish and arrogant. I'm all those things. I'm evil. I am all that you accuse me of and more"His fingers curled into fists, his jaw tightening before he spoke again. "And you know I didnât want to divorce you.
"You!" Ritaâs voice sliced through the air like a dagger, her finger trembling as she pointed at me. "This is all your fault!" She accused, her voice filled with bitterness.I blinked, frozen. "What did I do?""You did this to me!" she screamed, her face filled with rage. "You turned Trey against me! And now youâre turning Eric against me too! Youâre turning everyone against me!" She cried bitterly.I stared at her in shock and disbelief. "Are you serious?"Her chest heaved. "It was always you. Always you!" she spat. "Mom always complaining about you. Dad would always talk about how smart you were, and how nice you were. It was always Mina this, Mina that! It was almost like I was invisible."Oh. So thatâs what this was about.I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "So this is about our childhood?" I asked, arching a brow. "About how you felt ignored while mom never spared me a glance? Did we have the same childhood? Mom adores you.
"Don't say that," Rita cried, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please, don't say that."Ericâs face remained cold, without any emotion. "You destroyed my life." His words were sharp, cutting through the air. "You told me you loved me. You promised me a family because you knew how much I loved talking about having a baby of my own, about having a family. But you? You were never who you pretended to be."Rita shook her head violently. "No, Eric, pleaseâ""What were you after, really?" Eric went on, his voice filled with disdain. "Always speaking ill of Mina behind her back, always trying to turn me against her. Now I see your true colours. I donât know if itâs the hate you have for her or if itâs the money you were after. Because you spent more money than Mina ever did while we started dating until we got married, you spent ten times more. And I let youâbecause I wanted you to be happy. But to realize this about you now....?"His jaw clenched as he exhaled."No, Eric, stop saying t