MAURICE'S POV"Dad... Dad... Maurice!"I jolted and stared at Brian wide-eyed. His face was turned up in an irate expression."Um... What did you say?" I asked, trying to hide the fact that I had not been listening.Brian had been saying something and I wasn't paying any attention. I was so distant and lost in my thoughts.I took a minute to comport myself. The events of the past few days were taking a toll on me and I was zoning out too often. I peeled my eyes up at Brian who had been intently observing me. He was giving me a berating look.Brian. My son. I sighed deeply. Everything was in a total mess and I was so confused on where to start."Sorry." I apologized. "I wasn't listening.""That was obvious. I guess having a wife and a pregnant mistress isn't going as easy as you thought it would." Why did he always do this? He always spoke without reasoning, blurting out the first stupid sentence that pops up in his mind. One thing I was at least certain of was that he didn't inherit
GLENDA'S POVLucy was a constant disturbance. She was always wanting something from Maurice under the guise of her being pregnant. And for some inexplicable reason, Maurice was always too quick to indulge her.I was beginning to feel lonely, left out and abandoned. I saw Maurice everyday, but we barely talked. The situation was even more difficult than I envisioned.I stood by the kitchen island, absent-mindedly staring at the mess I had made in Nora's perfectly clean sink. The water I had come for, had spilled over it and I knew just how much Nora hated that. I took note to ensure that I cleaned up after."You're still here."I raised my head in the direction of the voice, Lucy was inclined against the door. Her hand crossed over her chest.I glanced at her, ignored her and set about returning the glass to its place in the cabinet. I jerked in shock when I turned to see Lucy behind me, so close.She was smiling eerily. "Did I scare you?"I was exhausted and had no energy to deal wit
MAURICE'S POV"Are you even listening to me?" Sam's agitation was evident in his voice.The pattern of me zoning out on people talking to me was becoming a habit. Too much was going on in my mind."I'm sorry, bro. What were you saying?""You are doing this too often." He commented. "Why are you distant? Did something else happen?"I sighed, unsure if I should keep bothering Sam with my many problems and complicated life. "How is Glenda?" Sam asked, worry etched in his voice.He was always too quick to ask about Glenda. Why he thought she was the only one who had trouble with everything going on baffled me. I couldn't understand why he never once thought that maybe Glenda was the one causing us trouble."She is changing, Sam." I began."Changing?... How?""Just yesterday, I found her twisting Lucy's wrist in the kitchen. Lucy was practically in tears, but Glenda wasn't letting go. I could never have imagined her to behave in such a manner.""And what did she tell you?" Sam asked."Luc
GLENDA'S POV I rang the doorbell with apprehension, nervously twisting, linking and unlinking my fingers as I waited for an answer to the door. My nervous gaze darted around the familiar front porch of my father's house. Memories of me and Elsa running around as kids flooded my mind. My heart repeatedly thumped against my chest violently. The wait seemed to take forever and my fears grew with each passage of time. Slowly, the door finally peeled open to reveal the one person I thought would deal mercifully with me. The one person who would try to understand my plight and extend a comforting embrace. Or so I thought. Instead, once the door swung wide open to reveal the length of me, the neutral expression that adorned her face immediately turned scornful, hateful, embellished with contempt. It was a nasty mix. “Why are you here? Why have you come?” she fired at me. “Elsa.” My tone and gaze were pleading. “Glenda.” Elsa spat back at me with venom. Under Elsa's condescending ga
MAURICE'S POVThe joints in my neck popped as I twisted my neck tiredly. I was exhausted. My back ached from sitting for so long.I had been seated at this desk since the early hours of this morning working out figures. My eyes were strained from the constant switch between the papers and the screen of my laptop. Everything about me screamed exhaustion, but I had no intention of leaving this study until I had things sorted out.I could have easily handed this herculean task to someone at the office, but as it seemed, I couldn't trust anyone now. I needed to catch the thief and I was going to do it myself.It was late into mid-day by the time any of the figures began to make sense to me. The culprit had meticulously mapped out every detail of their plan so that it would be difficult to catch them.Anger rose within me as I stirred at the screen of my computer. The final result of the search stared blankly at me.I jerked up from my seat. I took quick long strides and headed for the do
GLENDA'S POVWhat did Brian just do? Oh my goodness! Maurice! Maurice!My body trembled with fear. He doesn't want me near him. He hates me. I've lost him. Tears streamed down my face.The unpleasant possibilities filled me with dread. I began to hyperventilate. My lungs felt too tight and breathing became difficult. I grasped for air as though I would die the next minute.“Glenda!” Brian rushed over to my side. He placed his hand on my back and tried to calm me.As I slowly regain control of my senses. I yanked myself free from his hold and pushed his chest. I pushed him again. The force of the subsequent push harder than the last.“What did you just do? Why did you do that? Why did you kiss me? You and I know that there's nothing going on between us. Why did you lie to him? Why did you claim we had something going?” I stared at him with vicious eyes and wished I could rip him apart with my gaze.“Glenda.” He sounded surprised at my outburst.“You fool!” I jabbed at him. “You fucking
MAURICE'S POV Robotically, I strode through the hallway. My mind and body were different entities from each other. I was numb to my very core. I had dealt with so much pain that I could no longer feel it. Now, all I felt was emptiness, numbness, and unemotional. I felt like a walking dead. Why? Hadn't I been through enough already? Doesn't the spree of betrayal ever stop? Does it get worse as one ages? Or was I just cursed? Twice married, twice cheated on, twice betrayed. How couldn't I have known? How couldn't I have sensed it? There was always this bad blood between those two. Brian had never seemed to like Glenda. I scoffed at the thought. All an act. All the while it was all an act between those two. How did I fall prey to this? Did my experience with Lois teach me nothing? Was I the famous fool at forty? I let out a painful breath as I collapsed tiredly onto the sofa in my study. I looked around the room in a haze. My eyes rested on my opened laptop still seated on my desk
GLENDA'S POVI cried my eyes out after Maurice left me to myself in his study.He was mad and feeling betrayed. I couldn't fault him. He had every right to feel that way. I had kept my past a secret from him. Not intentionally, but it doesn't change the fact that I never mentioned it.What a grave mistake I made by allowing Brian get close. I should have known better. He was out to cause trouble for me.I still laid sprawled on the floor, drowning myself in self-reprove and self-loath when the sound of eerie, mocking laughter suddenly filled the room. It was a familiar sound.I raised my head to see the feminine figure towering menacingly over me. Of course, the news must have reached her and she had come to gloat.“That's exactly where you belong. On the floor I walk on.” Lucy spat at me. A victorious smile graced her lips.“Who is laughing now?” She chuckled. “You are even worse than I thought. Sleeping with both father and son.” She sneered.I was too exhausted to deal with this l
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.