Chapter 116Melissa My fingers trembled as I planted a knock on Mr Rogers' door. It felt weird to regard him by his last name when I'd taken him to be my father, but what could I do? If Dexter hadn't convinced me to come and see him, I wouldn't have bothered. My father—Mr Rogers had been calling me since yesterday, even till now. I wondered how relieved he'd be when he saw me at his door. Speaking of his door, it moved open, with him behind it. It took him some seconds to register the fact that I was standing before him. His eyes lit up and his lips stretched broadly into a smile. My heart almost melted but I shoved off the fluttery feelings. I wasn't here for reconciliation. I just needed to get some explanations that would help me get closure. "Oh, Melissa, you finally came." He tried to hug me, but I stiffened and subconsciously took a step backward. The smile crashed when he realised that I didn't want any form of closeness from him. "Can I come in?" I knew that I sounded r
Chapter 117Dexter Why did I feel like going to Emilia's house was a bad idea? It was because of this same thought that I didn't bother to visit her when she told me that her house was broken into. Knowing how deceitful she could be, I didn't see the need to go until she called me again this afternoon. Presently, I was standing in front of her apartment, contemplating on going back or seeing through my plans. I chose the former and knocked on her door. It opened and she came out, training a scowl at me. "It took you ages to get here." She whined while I rolled my eyes. I rolled my eyes incessantly when I was with her because she was very annoying. "Are we going to have the conversation out here or do you want me to get home?" "Come in," She said lazily and I did, running a quick scan around the living room. The walls were still intact, the same went for the windows which were odd. If there was a break in, the first place they'd think of exiting would be through the window excep
Chapter 118Dexter Liam struggled to get off my grip but he couldn't as I made sure that my grip on his shirt didn't slacken. "You thought you could run away from me after all the havoc you wrecked, right?" I snarled, glaring daggers at him. I still couldn't believe that he was right in front of me after searching for him for so long. Later I'd ask him what relationship he had with Emilia that made him come over to her house, but that would be after the police had picked him up. "Let go of me, Dexter. It's not what you think." He pleaded, his eyes blazing with so much fear when he realized that I wasn't joking around. "What makes you think that I'll let you off the hook that easily, huh? And while we are at it, you'd better call your accomplice because the both of you are going to rot in prison." I threatened and a visible shudder surged through him. "Call the cops!" I said to Emilia who scurried around in search of her phone. "I don't know where Blake is and I came here because
Chapter 119Melissa Three empty bottles of beer laid in a scattered pattern on the counter, but I wasn't even started. Dexter had caused me to break my no-drinking rule. Even when I left him for two years, I never harbored the thought of dabbling in alcohol. Finally, I'd broken my rule and I felt like a bag of shit. Why didn't he call me beforehand to tell me that she was around? I would have stayed back at my father's and spent more time with him. But like the fool that I was, I headed straight to his house because I wanted to share the good news with someone who didn't deserve to be in my life. I thought he didn't love her. Heck! He even took their daughter away from her because he was scared that she would influence Lilly with her bad manners, so why would she be in his house, dressed like they were having their honeymoon? I ordered two extra bottles of beer, and leaned on the bar counter, my heart clenching with pain. The bartender served me the drinks, his eyes filled with
Chapter 120Melissa I broke the kiss, my breathing coming in hitches as I tried to get a grip on myself. My panties were already soaked, but Dexter didn't have to know about it. He was already having a fill-day, knowing that he could always get a reaction out of me. "What are you doing, Dexter? We are in public for crying out loud!" I rebuked him, but he shrugged and led us to the karaoke session of the bar. My eyes widened when I realised what he was about to do. "Come on, Dexter. We are giving the internet more reasons to trend. I don't want that." I said worriedly. "Are you ashamed of me?" He asked tersely, causing me to flinch. I'd never be ashamed of a hot piece of meat like him. My admiration for him ran deep and not liking him could be akin to not breathing. He was almost every woman's dream so why would I be ashamed to have someone like him? I felt like telling him all of that, but I chose a simpler answer. "No, Dexter, I'm not ashamed of you." "Good!" He climbed onto
Chapter 121Author's POV She glanced sideways then headed into the police cell after tipping the officer on duty to keep his mouth shut. Apparently, it wasn't hard to get anyone to do what you wanted as long as you had the money. Again, her head was covered with a veil and she donned a pair of sunshades even though the weather wasn't too sunny. She had to be extra careful if she wanted everything to go smoothly. Liam, who sat shirtless inside the cell, sprang to his feet the moment he saw his visitor. He already had a scowl, but it became more vicious when he realised who came visiting. "Hi, Liam." She greeted rather quietly, as she didn't even want his other cell inmate to guess she was the one. "How are you faring?" Liam chuckled deeply, then continued frowning. His nostrils flared as he glared daggers at her. "Are you really asking me that?" His voice bore a proof of barely suppressed anger. "It's because of you that I'm stuck in this shit-hole and you are asking me how I'm f
Chapter 122Dexter "Don't tell me that you are still pining for a woman that rejected you? I thought you wouldn't be capable of falling in love again, but here you are, sulking like a breast-starved baby." Wyatt made a jest of me as he twirled his chair around playfully, raising his eyebrows at me in disbelief. If he wasn't genuinely concerned about my situation, I'd have thrown him a punch. But right now, he was the only one I could bear my feelings to without getting judged. "I don't know how it's happening, man, and please, don't make a jest of me. My life is in shambles and right now I don't even know what to do." I confessed. My mind replayed the conversation Melissa and I had, and my heart skipped a beat. I knew that I shouldn't be thinking of getting into another relationship when I hadn't even gotten out of my failed marriage with Lorraine, but I didn't know what to do. "Why did you ask her out anyways? We haven't even found Lorraine yet," I threw him a hard glare and
Chapter 123Melissa The past few days had been hectic for me. My emotions took an immediate roller-coaster ride the moment I rejected Dexter's proposal. Sometimes I became overwhelmed with guilt, but standing my ground was the only way I would forge ahead undistracted. Dexter didn't love me, he was attracted to me, but I could tell that he was confused and he was trying to run away from his reality. And that could only be possible if he was no longer on this earth. I bent down to pick up my hair comb and regretted taking that action because I felt dizzy instantly. I quickly held onto the edge of my vanity table, leaning on it till I felt better then I gently collapsed on the bed. This wasn't the first time I felt like this and I couldn't tell what it was. My doctor had cleared me of any illness the last time I went for a check up so I couldn't be sick. My eyes flitted toward the clock and I quickly got up with a gasp. Just like the last time, I'd be running late for the meeting.
Chapter 160ONE YEAR LATER "You look so ravishing," Mrs Gonzales cupped my made up cheeks and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you, aunt." I beamed with a smile as the veil was set on my head while she left the room to attend to something else. Aunty Rosa, as I fondly called her, had become a part of the family. I made her the CEO of my company as she was more than capable of being a leader, and also, I wanted to compensate her for everything she did for my mother. I was fine with being a consultant and when she was ready to retire, I'd take over. Since we moved to Colorado, my life with Dexter had been all shades of fun. The happiness I craved for after losing my mother was restored, and never did a day pass without me thanking the universe for granting me my wishes. And today, after five months of having my twins; Nyla and Brian, I was ready to walk down the aisle and experience what a beautiful wedding felt like. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at how wel
Chapter 159Melissa I peered down at Dexter's sleeping face and sighed. Doctor Luca had constantly assured me that he would be fine, but I was yet to understand why he hadn't woken up already. If Leonardo had succeeded in killing him, I'd have resurrected his dead body and murdered him myself. Actually, I low-key wished that I was the one who shot him, but it didn't matter anymore because he was dead and gone. Staring at the tubes connected to his body caused goosebumps to cover my skin. He was in the situation because of me. My mind wandered as several thoughts filtered in and out of my head. Lilly had come earlier with Mary to visit him, but even her presence couldn't stir him up. No! He couldn't remain this way forever. He had to wake up. I took one of the chairs in the ward and sat beside him, entwining our fingers while I used my free fingers to caress his face lightly. He was still the most handsome man I'd ever seen, even in unconsciousness. "Cupcake, how are you
Chapter 158Melissa Blood drained from my face as the bullet went straight to his chest, causing him to slump on the ground. Leonardo pushed Lilly away and tried to break into a sprint, but he was gunned down by the cops who opened fire on him until his body was filled with bullet holes. If Dexter wasn't lying on the ground in the pool of his own blood, I'd have been rejoicing that the source of all my troubles was dead, but the sight of him in a lifeless state snuffed out any trace of happiness within me. "Get the ambulance, please!" I roared, my heart plummeting as blood gushed out from his mouth. I held his hands, my tears forming a wet mask on my face as I caressed his head. His eyes were shut, but I refused to believe that he was dying. I sat on the ground and placed his head on top of my neck, then I tore the hem of my dress and dabbed his chest with him to reduce the rate of the blood flow. All the while I did that, my heart skipped several beats and my fingers trembl
Chapter 157Dexter"You need to come back home now, sir, Leonardo is threatening to shoot the madam." Mary, my nanny, whispered with a note of urgency as if she was being restricted from talking. At the mention of his name, my heart skipped a beat and my palms became clammy with sweat. Not because I was scared of him, but with him in our house, my wife's safety wasn't guaranteed. I'd gotten her message so there was no need for us to keep talking. I dropped the call and put inspector James on the line. As the minutes passed, my anxiety skyrocketed, threatening to hit the roof. My previously distracted mind was transcending into a state of frenzy and I couldn't do anything about it. He picked up after what seemed like eternity, and if he wasn't a noble police officer, I'd have thrown a punch at him. "Hi, Mr Hemingway. How are—" I cut through the pleasantries with clenched teeth. "I'm not fine, inspector James, Leonardo is in my house right now." "What? How is that even possible?
Chapter 156Melissa The sun shone brightly, the atmosphere bubbly and charged, but my feelings were the direct opposite as I worked on packing the rest of my clothes. It was past one pm, and it gradually dawned on me that in less than three hours, I'd be leaving California to Mexico. Mexico was a nice country, but I wasn't sure it would be nice to me if Dexter wasn't there. What could I do about it? Nothing! The doorbell jingle, so I dropped the last pair of black shoes I'd selected as I didn't know what event I might be attending, even though I planned to stay indoors throughout my visit there. My chest tightened since I wasn't expecting any visitors, then I shook away my suspicion, reminding myself that if it was Leonardo he wouldn't be coming directly through the door. I took a peek at the peephole and found a man standing beside a bike with a box, causing me to frown. It was strange to see him because I didn't make an order and I clearly wasn't expecting anything from some
Chapter 155Melissa He came in, his expression glimmering with pure exhaustion. My eyes intently followed his sluggish movement as I tried to overcome the barrier between us so that I would welcome him properly. "You didn't tell me that you'll be coming back this late. I've been waiting." His eyes darted to his wristwatch, then he palmed his forehead with a sigh. "I'm so sorry. I lost track of time. Today was really hectic, several things had to be put in place and I wanted to oversee some of the activities by myself." He explained calmly, while I peered at him, my jaws slackened in surprise. We were supposed to be having a beef, but here he was, explaining how his entire day went even though his body screamed for rest. Strings of guilt gnawed at my chest as I fiddled with my fingers. I'd been completely selfish, and that was why I couldn't notice that my husband was slowly losing his mind because of my problems. I wasn't even making things easier for him. "Can you come over to
Chapter 154Melissa It was over a week since Leonardo managed to outsmart the cops and ran away, and I'd admit that I lost my peace of mind ever since. He could be lurking around, patiently waiting for the right time to strike and I wouldn't know. I wanted it all to end. I wanted to live happily with my family, take a long break from work and just reap all the fruits of my hard work, but all of my wishes wouldn't happen with Leonardo running freely while his daughter was behind bars. Dexter came into the room with a brown envelope in his hands. Once he heard that Leonardo had escaped, he lost his peace as he aided the cops in searching for him. He had become a shadow of his handsome self, as he was more interested in keeping Lilly and I safe. "Hi, cupcake, how was your day?" I asked as he sank on the bed and kissed my lips lightly. His hands moved to my abdomen which he caressed fondly. It was still flat as the pregnancy hadn't gotten to three months. It was a good thing becau
Chapter 153Melissa Seeing that everyone was already seated in the boardroom, including Leonardo and the rest of the staff, I stood up to address them. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I called for this impromptu meeting. It's because we have an important announcement to make, but before that, I'd like to appreciate everyone who is working tirelessly to ensure that Hills Jewelry is back to the top again." I said and they followed my speech with an ovation. I spoke to them with an air of confidence, passing glances at Leonardo who tried to hide his frown. If only he knew what I had in store for him today, he wouldn't be present at the meeting at all. But I found a way to lure him here, promising him that I was going to help him return to his former position. "You all showed me love and unwavering support, and in these few days of working together, we have been able to convince Troy Golds to partner with us. The partnership will be more beneficial to us because of their influenc
Chapter 152DexterMy heart thudded faster as I waited patiently in Doctor Luca's office for him to come with the DNA test result. I knew that Liam claimed to be Lilly's father and he had several ways of proving it, but for some unknown reasons, I hoped that a miracle would occur and the result would be in my favor. The door made a creaking sound as Doctor Luca let himself in. I searched his face for a clue, but as usual, his face gave away nothing. He sank onto his seat and said nothing for some seconds, then he inhaled and fixed his gaze on me. "The result is ready." He announced like I didn't know already. "Can I have it?" I asked curtly, getting cranky by the minute. He passed a brown envelope to me which I opened. A white paper fell out and I opened it, unwilling to drag the tension further. I scanned through the information, unable to make out what it meant until I got to the end and saw the statement of the result. My heart plummeted when I read that the probability of my