GLENDA'S POVI was surprised when I heard Maurice say he intended to take me on the trip. That would mean I was going to be meeting his family as his wife! The idea coursed excitement and anxiety through me. I wondered what it would be like to see where Maurice grew up and what made him into the man that he is.I stood by the kitchen counter mulling over these thoughts. Absent-mindedly, I stared fixated at nothing as I seemed to be looking out the window. I was so lost in my head, I didn't hear when someone joined me in the room."Don't think because you get to travel with him just to attend his brother's wedding makes you HIS WIFE! It doesn't change anything!" Lucy's sneering voice behind me interrupted my muddled thoughts. She didn't stop there as she continued her lashing at me."Don't go feeling all high and mighty now, he will never see you as his wife!" I sighed tiredly. I was in a good mood and I didn't want to spoil it. But if Lucy was Benton disturbing my peace, then a litt
MAURICE'S POVI met with Lucy's glare as I descended. Her eyes stared daggers at me. I ignored her completely and continued my journey to my study."Are you going to just keep ignoring me?" Lucy questioned as soon as I reached her down the stairs. Although I could see that she was visibly angry, her tone was a lot calmer than before. I smiled to myself seeing that she understood the message from earlier."What do you mean?" I returned and walked past her without waiting for her to respond.She quickly fell into steps with me and she continued her probing."You no longer have time for me. You snap at me over every little thing…""Lucy, please, I don't have time for bickering." I couldn't hide the irritation in my voice as I cut her from finishing her words."See? You're doing it again. You're getting angry over nothing." She said in exasperation and stopped behind me. "Look… Lucy" I ran a hand hard over my face and sighed. I was out of words to say to her. She was stressing me out an
GLENDA'S POVI didn't know what got into me that made me question Maurice so much. Thankfully he didn't get crossed with me. This was all Nana's fault for setting me up with Maurice.I strode down the hall, darting my eyes back and forth. I wanted to avoid Nana. I knew she would be asking me what Maurice and I agreed on and I haven't thought of what to say to her.Nana would not buy the 'it's a surprise' excuse. That was only a means to escape Maurice's principal study and those piercing eyes of his."Why are you sneaking about like a thief?"I froze and slowly turned around to come face to face with Lucy. Because I had been so caught up in my mission to avoid Nana, I had not recognized her voice.I straightened and collected myself as I looked at Lucy end long."Oh!" She slapped a hand on her face. "I forgot, you are a thief!"I just rolled my eyes at her. She was becoming an insistent nuisance in my life."You are so jealous you can't stand seeing me with Maurice, aren't you?. Don't
MAURICE'S POV"So you are not going to introduce me to your wife?" Sam spared me a quick glance before turning his eyes back to the road.He was driving us to the house. I was seated adjacent to him while both women occupied the back seat.I expected this. knew it would only be a matter of time before Sam would begin asking me questions. All the while Sam kept stealing glances at Glenda through the rearview mirror before he finally voiced his question."Sam, this is Glenda, Maurice's wife. She's an amazing young lady, I tell you." Nana answered him.From the side mirror, I could see the shy smile that spread across Glenda's lips as she bowed her head."It's nice to meet you, Sam." Glenda said."It's nice to finally meet you… You have a very beautiful wife, Maurice." He said to me, giving me a knowing smile.I shut my eyes and shook my head. I knew how Sam could be and I didn't want to have the conversation about Glenda in public, especially not after I told him about the night I spent
GLENDA'S POVMaurice and Sam moved to the boot of the car to offload the bags. Nana took the liberty to introduce me to the older woman Maurice had been so comfortable hugging.Martha, like Nana, immediately took a liking to me. After exchanging greetings, somehow, the conversation metamorphosed into Martha and Nana talking about how they plan to feed me fat during my stay here because Martha thought I looked skinny.Nana insisted that like Nora, Martha was a great cook and that I'll love her meal. I could only smile and nod in agreement as both women chattered along, making me the topic of their discussion."Come on in. The others are inside." Sam said as he dragged the last of the bags into the house just after Maurice had walked past us carrying some bags too.I took one look around before following them into the house. It was a beautiful serene place with tall pine trees around. I made mental plans to take a walk through later.As we stepped into the house, a fair slender tall lad
MAURICE'S POVI walked into my room and Glenda's bags laid by the entrance, untouched and there was no sight of her.I assumed Jane must have taken her somewhere as she was not here. I moved the bags to the corner, simultaneously tugging my shirt from the band of my pants.I took off my shirt and exhaustion suddenly took over me. I settled on the love seat and closed my eyes. For a moment, I drifted off to sleep when the soft creak of a door opening had me flipping my eyes wide open.I scanned the room sleepily, finding nothing until my eyes rested on Glenda.Dripping wet hair that stuck to the sides of her face, long eyelashes that fanned over her eyes, her soft full lips void of lipstick, yet beautiful in its rich nudity.Her soft slender neck and the onset of her molds hidden behind the towel, showing just enough of her cleavage. She was a beautiful messy sight to wake up to.I continued my journey of letting my eyes explore every inch of her body. The swell of her breast down to
GLENDA'S POVMy silly game backfired when I saw Maurice walk out of the bathroom in all his naked glory.I gasped. "What are you doing!" I jerked up, shut my eyes and turned my back to him desperately trying to erase the image of Maurice I had just seen from my memory."Why would you get out naked!" I was yelling at the top of my voice, unable to believe Maurice would take my threats literally."You asked me to get the towel myself."From the sound of his voice, I could sense that he was smiling, even grinning.Damn! I should have known better than to threaten Maurice in that manner and I was deeply regretting my decision."Are you going to just stand there? Cover yourself up!" I bellowed when I didn't hear him move from where he stood."The towel is beside you." There was amusement in his voice. I looked around and found out I had kept the towel at the foot of the bed. It was in my rush to get dressed before Maurice got out of the bathroom. Now I wondered which was better. Him see
MAURICE'S POVThe awe that shone in Glenda's eyes was even more satisfying than the first time I witnessed the Aurora borealis from this same spot. It was one of the beautiful secrets about the location of this house and the angel of this room.She couldn't peeled her gaze away from the colors dancing about in the night skies and I couldn't peeled my eyes away from her.Her genuine appreciation for this beautiful natural phenomenon was breathtaking. I had to admit to myself that I was finding Glenda's naivety and innocence thrilling.She raised soft puppy eyes up at me, the wonder still embedded in them.“Do you go to bed with this view every night?” She asked in wonderment, turning her head back to the view.I chuckled at her question.“No, not every night. The Aurora only occurs at this time of the year. Sometimes I'm able to see it from here, sometimes I'm not.”“This is amazing.”“Yes, it is,” I agreed, but not to her statement. I had seen enough of the northern lights all through
GLENDA'S POVONE WEEK LATER“Where is he? How is he?” Concern adorned my weary voice as my worried gaze rested on my brother-in-law.“He’ll live.” Sam said with a grin.Jane nudged him and gave him a warning glare. “Be serious for once! Don’t scare her with your silly jokes!” She reprimanded him.Sam pouted, but his eyes didn’t discard the mischievous glint they held. “I’m serious. I’m sharing good news.” He said with a shrug.Jane’s irritation at her husband stood up a notch. Her glares intensified. “Can’t you see that she’s worried?”Sam sighed resignedly. “I was only trying to lighten her mood.”“Well you’re doing a terrible job at it!”Sam raised his hands in surrender. He shifted and gave way for Jane to come closer to my gurney.Jane approached the bed with a sweet smile. “We came as soon as we heard. How are you feeling dear?” She helped adjust the gurney so my upper body was elevated. It gave me a better view.“I’m doing fine... Where is Maurice?" I asked again.It has been two
MAURICE'S POVBrian acted impulsively. That's what I thought and I couldn't resist the urge to scold him. He shouldn't have taken such a risky task upon himself. I was most certain that he had hurt himself, his hands were hurting and he was hiding it.“Scold me later, after we leave here.” He smiled at his deed, hiding his pain behind those genuine smile.I couldn't help but manage a half smile. He looked charming. Brian was a good boy. He just needed to be pointed in the right direction and I'm glad he found his way back home.I promised myself at that instance that things would be different from there on. He would be my son and I would be his father.I nodded for him to come along and went ahead with Glenda, expecting him to follow behind us. I had only taken a few steps when I heard the crash.I immediately turned around. “Brian!” I yelled, but it was already too late. “Dad.” He choked out in response. He blinked, sighed and seemed to relax. He looked calm, smiling up at me. As t
BRIAN'S POV“Elsa?” I asked him in surprise.It only meant Elsa had run after me when she couldn't stop me from going into the house. That crazy bitch!With everything that my father had told me, it was clear that she hadn't entered with good intentions. She must have sensed my intentions and she wanted to act ahead of me.She wanted to cement her plans, ensure everything happened according to how she wanted it. It was her house after all. She knew where she had left Glenda and could find her easily.Maybe it was a good thing she came in. This unit was large and finding my father and Glenda in this fiery mess was already proving difficult until I stumbled on the door, and heard the thudding coming from within. If she hadn't locked them in here, then maybe I would not have found them.I wanted to lift Glenda, carry her in my arms, but I thought against it and allowed my father to carry his wife.“I doubt that she's still in the building. Quick, let's get out of here.” I ordered and w
MAURICE'S POVA miracle did happen. Only it wasn't how I expected it.“Glenda!” I thought I was hallucinating someone calling Glenda. I braced myself. The thief had come. Death was near. It was so close, looming over us and breathing over my neck. I could feel it. But I wasn't scared. I wasn't afraid. I was ready for whatever was to come.“Glenda!” The call came again.My eyes flew wide open when I heard the second call. I was not hallucinating. I was not imagining things. Someone was indeed calling Glenda.Quickly, I raised myself from the forlorn stance I had assumed on the floor.My dead hope resurrected instantly. Someone was here. Someone had come for us.“Is anyone there? We are in here!” I yelled. My voice had become hoarse, dried from the smoke. I prayed whoever it was out there had heard me.“We are here!” I tried to increase my volume. I ended up wheezing from the strain.I guess my coughing gave away our location as I heard shuffling, then someone approaching.“Elsa?” I as
MAURICE'S POVHis reaction only confirmed my fears. Glenda was in that heat.I watched in horror as the flames grew taller into the sky. My breath hitched. My fears skyrocketed. Anxiety clothed my core. I was shaking with fright.That's when I caught sight of the approaching figure. A ray of hope stirred within me. Maybe. Just maybe.Brian strode past me like a zombie, his gaze set upon the fire like it was beckoning to him.Once the outline cleared to reveal Elsa, every ounce of hope and logical thinking within me vaporized.At that moment, nothing else mattered. Not Brian. Not Elsa. Not me. Only Glenda.I willed my legs to move and like a flash, I ran past Brian into the fire. The dense, hazy smoke welcomed me. Everything blurred in my vision. I squinted in an attempt to adjust to the smoky view.I squinted through the smoke and raised a hand to fan out the smoke. It didn't help to clear my view.“Glenda!” I called out. A raspy cough escaped my throat as the smoke filled my lungs.
BRIAN'S POVI caught a whiff of the familiar perfume as I entered the house. My heart began to beat at a double rate. My worst fears came alive when I stepped into the room to find it empty. Glenda was gone.“Shit! Shit!” I cussed and kicked.I exasperatedly ran a hand through my hair. Just when I had everything ready. When all my plans were ready and set. That sick bitch had to appear now. Why did I ever bring her here? What had I ever found attractive about that sick witch? I looked down at my crotch and cussed myself for my lack of control. But how could I have known then that this would come back to bite me in the ass? How could I have known that Elsa was as sick as the woman who birthed her?“Darn it!”Was this how all of my plans would be ruined? Would I not be able to protect Glenda? Would I allow Elsa and her mother to have the last laugh?No! I swore to protect Glenda and I would fulfill that promise.But where do I even begin to look for Glenda? Where could Elsa have taken
GLENDA'S POV I didn't want to accept how foolish I had been. How gullible I was. How blindingly trusting I was. “Elsa, please tell me this is all not true. Tell me this is all a prank. Say it. Laugh all this off… Say you're joking!” I yelled at her. I shook my head as though doing that would dispel everything that I had heard. “You are a liar! I don't believe you!” I broke into a sob. “I trusted you, Elsa. I loved you! I trusted you!... You were my sister! That's how much I cherished you.” I spilled through my teary, pain-filled voice. “And I hate you! I hate you Glenda! I hate you!” She countered, panting with dark rage. The room was filled with the heat of the hate emanating from her. The stench of her loath towards me was palpable in the ambience of the room. It felt so surreal. Like acting out a scene with the evil villain. Only, this was far from a dream or a movie. It was my sick reality. I could never have thought Elsa, whom I considered akin to my sister, harbored su
MAURICE POV It was a long drive. It had been two hours ago since Lucy agreed to take me to the place she talked about, yet we still hadn't reached. We kept taking neverending turns and corners. “Are we there yet?” I asked like an impatient child eager to reach the park sooner. “No. It's right up that corner.” Lucy replied. “How many more corners are we going to take?” Exasperation embellished my tone. “How did you even come to know about this place?” I asked out of my impatience and eagerness to quickly reach Glenda. The long hours of driving was beginning to make me rethink my decision. I couldn't help but begin to consider that this may be a ploy to distract me. “Um, he brought me here one time when we needed to talk privately. This is his hideout.” she spoke shyly. From the sound of her voice and the expression on her face, I understood that this was where they came to do all their plotting. Could Brian and Lucy still be working together? Could this also be one of
BRIAN'S POVI repeatedly slapped the passport against my palm, relishing in immense satisfaction as I walked to my car. It had taken longer than I had anticipated to get it done but I was finally holding it. My ticket to leave this place without being spotted by anyone.Best part, I was taking the woman I love along. Everything was falling into place. I smiled to myself as I got in my car. Aunt Helena had no idea how smart I could be. By the time she'll realize anything, we'd be long gone. Far long gone! To a place where no one can ever find us! Our disappearance would be a huge disappointment to Aunt Helena. It would put a big hole in her plans.As I sat in my car, my hand rested idling on the steering wheel. I gaze through the windshield, staring fixated at nothing ahead, my mind traveling back to that day at the hospital.★★★Flash back★★★“I've lost him.” She was crying profusely. “We failed.”I glanced over to Lucy curled on the gurney, an irritated look draped my expression.