I laugh, shaking my head as I step inside the elevator. “Emerson, you are ridiculous.”He follows me in, standing way too close. “Five minutes, Mina. That’s all I need.” His voice drops lower, rough. “You know I can make it worth your while.”I cross my arms, pretending to be unimpressed. “You think you can.”He grins, getting closer. “I know I can.”The elevator doors slide shut, trapping us inside. My breath hitches as his hands skim my waist, his touch deliberate. I should push him away. I should tell him to behave. But instead, my body hums in anticipation, betraying me.The elevator starts moving, but the air between us is completely still, charged with tension.I glance up at him, trying to keep my cool. “You’re really not going to stop, are you?”He smirks. “Not until you admit you want me as badly as I want you.”I roll my eyes, but I don’t deny it. Emerson takes my silence as his cue. His smirk de
Trey suddenly bursts into laughter. I stare at him, completely thrown off. What the hell am I dealing with here? His laugh is almost manic like he's unraveling "It's nothing that bad," he finally says, shaking his head as if trying to convince himself. "I can't believe I'm reacting like this." I blink at him, not buying it. "What do you mean? Just go straight to the point, Trey. You're acting weird, and it's starting to freak me out." He sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. "You know, when I was doing it, I didn’t think it would mess with me like this." His voice cracks slightly, and then, he laughs again. "Fuck. I don't even understand myself." "Trey, seriously. What did you do?" I demand, my patience wearing thin. He exhales and looks at me. "Okay, okay. I didn’t do anything bad, and I think I might be overreacting about the whole thing. I’m being dramatic." I nod, urging him to keep going. "I slept with someone I shouldn’t have." My stomach drops. For a second, I just sta
I’m still shaking my head, staring at Trey, hoping—praying—this is one of his twisted jokes. That he’s playing a trick on me. That at any moment, he’s going to smirk and say, Gotcha, Mina.But he doesn’t.He just sighs, rubbing his face with his hands like he wants to erase the last twenty-four hours."Is this a joke?" I finally ask, my voice barely above a whisper.He looks up at me, seriously. "No. No, it’s not a joke." His voice is low, almost ashamed. "It happened, okay? I slept with your younger sister...."" My ex-younger sister—" I am quick to correct."Eric’s wife," he interjects bitterly."Your friend's wife," I whisper, my voice thick with disbelief. "She's pregnant, Trey. She's carrying his baby."He lets out a humourless laugh and runs a hand through his already messy hair. "I know all of that, Mina.""Do you?" My voice rises. "Do you?! Because if you really knew that, then you wou
By now, I have to cut him off. "Okay, stop! Wait a minute. I don't want to hear how you did it or where you did it. Fuck it. Trey.""Yeah, that's the gist of what happened." He Answers unbothered by my statement.I can't believe this. I keep saying to myself, but he continues."So, then by nine, She wakes up gets dressed and tells me She better hurry on before Eric wakes up and doesn’t find her. Kisses me and leaves the hotel in a hurry. So I don’t think anything about it.""You don’t think anything about it, Trey? Are you serious? You slept with somebody else's wife, a married woman, and you don’t think about it?""Hey, why are you so mad at me for, Mina?" Trey asks, his tone exasperated. "I mean, I'm not the one who's married. I'm not the one who promised my life and my faithfulness to somebody. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't have a wife. I'm not committed to anybody. Why are you so mad at me? Why aren't you mad at me, Rita? Why are you mad at me?"I can't believe this. I keep r
"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 doesn’t come back to work.By the time I close up—which, as always, makes me the last person out—I head upstairs and find him drinking.I take the glass from his hand. "So, what does this mean? You already look like you’re halfway to wasted, and we agreed we were going out tonight. So what is this?""I don’t feel like going out tonight," he mutters. "Why don’t we just order in?"I sigh. "Alright, fine. What do you want to eat?""I don’t know. Maybe pizza? I don’t know. Whatever you want to get.""Okay, I’ll 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. There’s nothing to say—nothing that hasn’t 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. "I’m going to bed."I can’t 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?""It’s Eric. Something happened. He went home. Mad." My heart is pounding. "And given Rita’s condition, I’m afraid he might hurt her. I need you to go over there. Just—please—make sure everything is okay."There’s 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. I’m 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
Eric opened his mouth, hesitating. "I was just—1... We ...."But he seemed stuck. His usual confidence wavered, and I could see the turmoil in his eyes. So, I took the initiative for him."Eric just came to see me," I said, keeping my voice light. "He heard I was pregnant and wanted to tell me how happy and excited he was that he’s getting a sibling."I turned to Eric and gave him a small smile."We were just hashing out our little differences," I continued, "because now, we’re going to be a real family."Eric stood up abruptly, nodding his head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… I’m just gonna— I’m gonna go."Emerson watched him closely. "Okay. Did you need anything?"Eric didn’t look fine. His usual sharp presence was replaced by something… lost.He just kept nodding. "I just— I have to clear my head. I’m just— I’m going to go."Emerson stepped aside, allowing him to pass. Eric walked out without another word.
"Of course, I am serious, Mina," Eric said, unwavering. "I have never been serious about something as much as I am serious about this—about us."He leaned forward, his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my skin crawl. "Mina, what’s stopping you? What’s keeping you back?"I opened my mouth, ready to tell him exactly what was stopping me, but he cut me off before I could even form the words."I know you don’t love my father," he pressed on. "I mean, you two weren't even together a few days ago. And suddenly, the moment he finds out you’re pregnant, you’re back together? Just like that?" He scoffed. "You and I both know that’s not real. You weren’t with him because you loved him. You were with him for revenge—because of me. Because you still love me."I clenched my fists, as I forced myself to stay calm.He wasn’t finished. "Do you really want to start a family with my father? For God’s sake, Mina, he’s an old man!" His voice
"Eric, I have no idea what you're talking about. I am—""No!" He cut me off sharply, his voice urgent. "Shhh! Mina, just listen to me, okay? Listen to me."I stiffened at the intensity in his voice."Think about you and me. Think of us as kids. Think of us as grown-ups. We have always been together. We have always done things together. You and I… we could have been the most powerful couple in the world," he said, his eyes locking onto mine.I opened my mouth to protest, but he didn’t let me."Just think of our plans," he urged, his voice filled with desperation. "Think of our plans when we were together. Think of our plans when we were at university. Think of the future we wanted.""Eric, no, wait—""Just think of those as you listen to me, okay?" He moved closer. "We had plans to conquer the world. You and I… we were going to be the richest couple on this planet. You are just so smart. And you're so amazing and intelligent. And when you focus on something, you actually make wonders,
"Thank you," I said, smiling genuinely at Madeline. Her response was a soft laugh as if she couldn’t help herself. I wasn’t upset by her questions, though, and I didn’t think much of it.Emmerson's voice cut through the silence. "Mina has been through a lot, so I’m going to get her to bed upstairs to relax." He turned towards Madeline. "Madeline, I’m sure you’ve prepared the soup, can you bring it up in about 15 minutes so I can help her get showered and changed?"Madeline nodded, looking at me. "Of course."With that, Madeline left towards the kitchen, and everyone else dispersed. Emerson then carried me up the stairs. He prepared the bath for me, making sure the water temperature was just right. We then found ourselves in a debate about whether he should give me a bath. Of course, he won, insisting that I needed help.There was something tender in the way he handled me, every movement was made with love and care. After the bath, he helped me apply oil to my skin, the sensation soo
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 couldn’t 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. "What’s going on?" he demanded. "Mina, what happened?" I pointed a shaking hand at Kristy. "I don’t want to see this woman ever again in my life!" My voice was hoarse, but I didn’t care. "I’ll 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 didn’t flinch. She pressed on as if she truly believed she held all the power in this conversation."You’re going to call Eric," she continued. "You’re 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. Just… 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 don’t know how I’m feeling right now. I want to—" 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 don’t think it’s good for the baby to cry so much." "I know," I sniffled, wiping my eyes. "I’m going to try. I really am. But I don’t know how to stop—I’m just so happy." At that moment, my stomach let out a loud rumble. Emerson chuckled. "Looks like our baby is hu
The doctor’s expression remained calm. “Did you drink every day?”I shook my head quickly. “No, not every day. Just occasionally.”Guilt flooded me. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I—I didn’t know I was pregnant.” My voice cracked, and the tears returned, burning the back of my eyes.The doctor placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “Mina, it’s okay. You didn’t know.”I hiccupped on a sob. “But what if I—”“Listen to me,” she interrupted firmly, “You and the baby are healthy. Tomorrow, we’ll 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 you’ll take better care of yourself from here on out.”I sniffled, nodding, still feeling the weight of my mistakes.“But I need you to stop panicking, Mina,” she continued. “Stress will raise your blood pressure, and that’s 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 couldn’t bring myself to say.“Come on, what is it?” Emerson urged, his voice softer now, careful. “Tell me whatever it is. We can go through it together.”But 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. “We’re still waiting for the results. There hasn’t been a concrete answer yet.”Emerson exhaled, his shoulders losing a fraction of their tension. “What do you mean, concrete answer? What did the doctor say? What could it be?”“It’s fine,” I said quickly, nodding as I squeezed his hand. “Just wait for the results.”He looked at me, then at our intertwined fingers, and for some reason, my hands were trembling.Then he turned to Trey. “Treyson, can I talk to you aside for a minute?”Panic spiked in my chest. I clutched Emerson’s hand tighter. “No.