Chapter 60Lorraine I nearly flung myself at Victoria, who was standing in front of the café's entrance when we saw each other again. After going on two rounds of lovemaking earlier this morning, Dexter suggested that we visited his sister and I didn't hesitate in agreeing. I could imagine how lonely she'd be now that her freedom had been taken from her. "How have you been?" I held her tightly, caressing her hair as she sobbed on my shoulder. She sniffed and cleaned her eyes. "Lonely," She replied just as I expected. "But I didn't expect you guys here. It's such a wonderful surprise." She giggled. Dexter stepped closer to us and pulled his sister in for a hug. I gave them some space, watching their public display of love. Dexter, who looked troubled on his way here, became relaxed. We all sat down after the exchange of pleasantries and a waiter came to take our order. "How's the place like? Do they treat you badly? Does any part of your body hurt?" I threw the questions at her,
Chapter 61Lorraine It felt so good to prepare for the main runway show. Despite the obstacles that caused me some distractions, it didn't stop me from getting the job done. The new designs were mind blowing and I couldn't wait to put them on. I could own all of them if I wanted, all I needed to do was make a demand and it will be settled. As soon as the artist finished with my face, Dexter barged in with a bright smile, his eyes blaring with adoration for me. I liked it when he looked at me that way, like he wasn't tired of being with me. Ever since the video about my marriage with Dexter hit the internet, my colleagues stayed away from me and changed their attitude. Marianna, who disliked me with passion, went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable when I came this morning. I guess they were all scared of losing their contracts with the agency. "You look so stunning, baby. I can't wait for you to climb that stage and show them who the boss is." He said, hyping me wi
Chapter 62Lorraine I found myself at the beach the next day which was the location the skincare brand wanted me to model for them. The demand was impromptu because the other model that I'd replaced backed out on the deal, and it was mandatory that the shoot should be held today. Dexter offered to tag along, but I didn't allow him as I wanted him to focus on his job. So I was here with just Stella who was asked to accompany me, and Drake who Dexter had turned to my bodyguard. "Good morning, miss. You're quite early." The director commended me after I'd dropped my bag on the table and was about to go in search of the crew. A satisfied grin rose to my lips. "It's a principle, sir. I like to be punctual." "That's good, because we thought that we would have to wait for a long time for you to come. The other models do that." He sounded disappointed and if I was in his shoes I'd feel the same way too. "Well, now that you're here, the concept of the shoot will be explained to you and
Chapter 63Dexter "What's wrong with her?" I panicked, my eyes trained on Lorraine who laid unconscious on the bed, her face pale and almost lifeless. My heart clenched in pain, seeing her helpless and vulnerable. "She was poisoned by what she might have taken in, and the poison has caused a lot of complications for her. She'll be awake soon, but we are still checking the amount of damage done in her system." Doctor Luca explained, his expression as unreadable as usual, but there was a glint of pity in his eyes. "Wait a minute, Doctor Luca, you just talked about food poisoning. Is it the normal kind of poison because Lorraine is very careful of what she eats?" He shook his head, taking off his glasses that exposed a little bit of vulnerability from him. He wasn't just a doctor, he was my family doctor and he had treated a lot of cases that happened to me, so I didn't expect formality from him. "Look, Dexter. It wouldn't have been this fatal if it was mere food poisoning. The sym
Chapter 64Lorraine My eyes fluttered open, but I wished they didn't. Being unconscious made me unaware of the pain, and then I understood why people resorted to drowning themselves in alcohol when they became overwhelmed with their endless problems. A pair of worried brown eyes peered at me, but I looked away, unable to face him. I sighed deeply, trying to rein in the emotions that choked me. The room was silent and when I glanced around, I noticed that it was just the both of us in it. "You're awake." He said in relief. "What's the point of waking up? I should have gone to meet my parents from there." I replied with a nonchalant tone. "Don't you dare say that, Lorraine. I've been waiting for you to wake up because I can't carry on without you so don't ever wish for death." He scolded me, his voice sounding harsh and angry. I couldn't apologise. There was no need of apologizing for what couldn't be solved. Why was he still interested in a woman that couldn't bear children? Di
Chapter 65Dexter "Oh God!" I groaned, forcing my eyes open as the brightness of the room jolted me from my sleep. I shouldn't have jerked or made any sharp movement because the effect went straight to my head, causing a banging headache. What in God's name happened last night? Why did I feel like something had gone wrong but I couldn't do anything? I stood up slowly, afraid of losing control, then I held onto the edge of the sofa to steady myself. A realisation hit me. I slept on the sofa...! Lorraine? My heart skipped a beat. Where was Lorraine? "Baby," I called, taking the stairs in twos, eager to get to the bedroom. She didn't respond, rather my voice echoed back. I held my breath, barging into the room with my worst fear rising to my throat. What if she had fainted again and I didn't know? What if she got sick again? Several 'what ifs' crossed my mind, but it didn't assuage the panic I felt when I met the bed empty. The sheet was neatly arranged just the way I left i
Chapter 66Dexter Okay... This is going to be fun. "W-What k..kind of question is that?" She stuttered, her cheeks flaming red. I folded my arms and huffed. "I asked a simple question that needs a simple response. I hope you know that you're wasting my time." I said calmly, even though I was anything but calm. She straightened her hair and swallowed nervously, unable to keep my gaze. "Ummm..." She took a deep breath. "I went to the office and asked after her, then Stefan told me where she went. Are you happy now?" She snarled, picked up her purse and walked past me. "Are you sure about that?" I probed further, watching her uneasy gesticulations. "Yes. You can go ahead and ask him if you think I'm lying. I'm out of here." She hurried out of the living room. Once again, good riddance to bad rubbish. Now that she was gone, the reality of Lorraine's absence dawned on me. The house was empty and boring without her. I couldn't even think straight. I called Drake and he picked up
Chapter 67Lorraine "How was your day?" Stella asked me just as she returned from work. I quickly dried my eyes and sniffed. "Boring. " I replied quietly, staring at the flower on the table beside the wall. She dropped her bag and sat down beside me, tilting my face to hers. "You've been crying all day. Take a look at your face, it's red and swollen and you have become a shadow of yourself." She said gently, though deeply worried. I couldn't hold back my emotions as my body retched with heavy sobs that turned into a bawl. It had been my routine since I dropped by at her place after leaving Dexter's house last night. She was surprised to see me at first, then I told her that I wouldn't stay for long, and I just needed somewhere to lay my head and that would be it. She agreed and when she left for work, the burden of my present reality came crashing down my fragile shoulders. I couldn't eat anything, not even the toast bread she prepped before leaving as it was repulsive to me. "
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