Lola’s POVI sat in the living room, my leg crossed upon the other. I poured myself a glass of champagne. What is life without victory? What is life when you cannot take matters into your own hands?The old devil opened the eyes of the fool to see the truth, and you expect that I wouldn’t consult the right pharmacy to give me the best poison and add it to her food? Of course, I would. It was only a matter of time before the truth unraveled, and I had to take action before it destroyed everything I had built.When Tyler asked me why Jasmine’s body tone was different from his, when her eyes were of different colors, I figured it wouldn’t take long before the big cat in the bag revealed itself. And I couldn’t allow that—not after everything I had done.I was a woman who had had to go through hell to get here. I even made sure Tyler ended his marriage with his ex-wife. And you think I would sit back and allow a dying mother to break my marriage?! Never.So, that day, as Tyler left to get
Eunice’s POVI opened my eyes in shock when I heard the news of Diana’s death. My eyes welled up with tears.Did Tyler fail to take care of his mother properly after we ended things, and that has led to her death?Tears streamed down my face immediately. Diana was a good woman—the most loving mother-in-law anyone could ever have.“How did she pass?” I asked Julie slowly, as she brought the news to me.“According to our source, ma’am… she was rushed to the hospital, and she died twenty minutes after arrival,” she explained.I covered my eyes with my hand. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall freely, letting them run down my cheeks as much as they needed to.Diana was the very mother-in-law who never judged me for anything. Even when she didn’t know me before Tyler introduced me as the woman he was going to marry, she embraced me without hesitation.She didn’t judge me when she found out my mother had disowned me and wouldn't be attending our wedding because I disobeyed her by choosi
Tyler’s POVI carried my mother’s dead body into the coffin myself. I didn’t let no one else do this. She was my mother—the one who gave birth to me, breastfed me, raised me into a man. And even now, as she lay cold and lifeless, how could I not adore her? How could I let anyone else touch her now, in her final moments on earth?Today was the day she was going to be buried. Our culture didn’t allow the dead to be left unburied beyond three days. We believed that anyone who wasn’t laid to rest within that time was either a wicked person that their family had abandoned—or someone so lonely, with no one left to care for them, not even in death.In such cases, the government would step in. They would take over the burial process within a week and lay the person to rest along with others who had no one left. It was done appropriately, of course, but without intimacy. Without meaning.I didn’t want that for my mother.After all the motherly love she had shown me? After all she sacrificed to
Eunice POVI watched her as if I watched a toothless dog barking—loud but harmless, just irritating.Purposely, I didn’t take any of my luxurious cars to the burial ceremony. In fact, I had rented this faded-looking sedan because I wanted to keep something far low—lower than low profile. I knew that going to Diana’s burial, Tyler would certainly see me. And when he did, I knew he would start calculating—trying to size me up. Was I doing better after the divorce, or was I doing poorly?I didn’t want him to know my real status after the divorce. Letting him find out that I was now the president of Maison Vivre could trigger some regret within him. And I knew Tyler—he might even try to come back to me.But I don’t want that. I don’t want anything close to that. I wanted him to pay for his actions. Still, at the same time, I needed to pay Diana my last respect. She didn’t deserve to be forgotten because of what her son had done.When you talk of a good and caring mother-in-law, you’d alwa
Lola’s POVI didn’t know Tyler could be that much of a child. A child that crumbles at the loss of his mother. Even after many hours had passed since the burial had been completed, just because the news stations picked up the story and aired it, he broke down crying again?He cradled up to the wall and buried his head into his knees. He cried like a fucking baby who had been abandoned by everyone and couldn’t imagine what his life would turn out to be from now on.But the real truth remained: if he had loved his mother so much—so deeply that her death broke him this way—then why did he continue to let her hate me while she was alive?Why didn’t he ever put her in her place? When she started suspecting that Jasmine had some uniqueness—some traits different from either of us—why didn’t he say something to calm her down or correct her assumptions?Didn’t he know that the instinct of a woman to protect her child, to protect herself, can sometimes spiral into something worse?I said nothin
Tyler’s POVI arrived at the coffee shop, the place Dr. Joel had told me to catch up with him. It was a shop that always dressed their chairs and tables outdoors, and I so much hated going there because anyone could be seen sitting beside the room, having a cup of coffee, completely exposed to the public eye.Still, I went anyway.“Why that place, we could just go to…”“It’s the best place we can use. We will be able to see anyone who was catching up to us without our permission,” Dr. Joel had interrupted me, and well, I understood since he said he was going to tell me a secret. His tone was dead serious. So, I figured he cared deeply about his safety—and maybe mine too.Right from the parking lot where I parked my car, I saw Dr. Joel sitting up front in one of the chairs beside the wall. He was positioned facing the road and looking both to the right and the left with urgency, as if he was being extremely careful not to be followed or seen by someone else.This already felt differen
Tyler’s POVI arrived back at home, and the anger from the nonsense Dr. Joel told me was still sitting hard on my face. The drive hadn’t helped. My mind was a storm.How could he come up with something as ridiculous as that? What kind of doctor even says things like that without proof?As I opened the front door, the weight of my thoughts still dragging behind me, the first person to run with her little legs and open her tiny hands to hug my leg—right at her height level—was my little Jasmine.The moment I carried her up to my chest and played with her nose as I always did, something shifted. I didn’t know what happened, but I knew I was not feeling that level of anger again.Seeing my baby’s face always brought me some kind of solace—even in the midst of tension. It was like a balm I never knew I needed. And then it just hit me. I realized that I had been away from my family emotionally since burying my mother. Not physically, but something inside me had checked out.With that though
Eunice’ POV"Congratulations, you are two weeks pregnant!" Doctor Miranda beamed as she passed my test results across the desk.I couldn't contain my happiness. A wide smile spread across my face as I looked at Dr. Miranda, my heart swelling with joy."Thank you so much!" I said, my voice brimming with excitement.My husband, Tyler, and I had been trying for two years—two long years of disappointment and heartbreak. Just when I had begun to lose hope, I was finally pregnant. The realization sent a wave of relief through me.Eager to share the news, I headed straight to the mall to pick up fresh ingredients. I wanted to surprise Tyler over a well-prepared dinner—his favorite meal, paired with the best news of our lives.I carefully selected everything I needed: filet mignon, vibrant asparagus, golden Yukon potatoes, and a basket of ripe strawberries. A bottle of red wine caught my eye, but after a brief hesitation, I opted for sparkling grape juice instead. Tonight was special, and I w
Tyler’s POVI arrived back at home, and the anger from the nonsense Dr. Joel told me was still sitting hard on my face. The drive hadn’t helped. My mind was a storm.How could he come up with something as ridiculous as that? What kind of doctor even says things like that without proof?As I opened the front door, the weight of my thoughts still dragging behind me, the first person to run with her little legs and open her tiny hands to hug my leg—right at her height level—was my little Jasmine.The moment I carried her up to my chest and played with her nose as I always did, something shifted. I didn’t know what happened, but I knew I was not feeling that level of anger again.Seeing my baby’s face always brought me some kind of solace—even in the midst of tension. It was like a balm I never knew I needed. And then it just hit me. I realized that I had been away from my family emotionally since burying my mother. Not physically, but something inside me had checked out.With that though
Tyler’s POVI arrived at the coffee shop, the place Dr. Joel had told me to catch up with him. It was a shop that always dressed their chairs and tables outdoors, and I so much hated going there because anyone could be seen sitting beside the room, having a cup of coffee, completely exposed to the public eye.Still, I went anyway.“Why that place, we could just go to…”“It’s the best place we can use. We will be able to see anyone who was catching up to us without our permission,” Dr. Joel had interrupted me, and well, I understood since he said he was going to tell me a secret. His tone was dead serious. So, I figured he cared deeply about his safety—and maybe mine too.Right from the parking lot where I parked my car, I saw Dr. Joel sitting up front in one of the chairs beside the wall. He was positioned facing the road and looking both to the right and the left with urgency, as if he was being extremely careful not to be followed or seen by someone else.This already felt differen
Lola’s POVI didn’t know Tyler could be that much of a child. A child that crumbles at the loss of his mother. Even after many hours had passed since the burial had been completed, just because the news stations picked up the story and aired it, he broke down crying again?He cradled up to the wall and buried his head into his knees. He cried like a fucking baby who had been abandoned by everyone and couldn’t imagine what his life would turn out to be from now on.But the real truth remained: if he had loved his mother so much—so deeply that her death broke him this way—then why did he continue to let her hate me while she was alive?Why didn’t he ever put her in her place? When she started suspecting that Jasmine had some uniqueness—some traits different from either of us—why didn’t he say something to calm her down or correct her assumptions?Didn’t he know that the instinct of a woman to protect her child, to protect herself, can sometimes spiral into something worse?I said nothin
Eunice POVI watched her as if I watched a toothless dog barking—loud but harmless, just irritating.Purposely, I didn’t take any of my luxurious cars to the burial ceremony. In fact, I had rented this faded-looking sedan because I wanted to keep something far low—lower than low profile. I knew that going to Diana’s burial, Tyler would certainly see me. And when he did, I knew he would start calculating—trying to size me up. Was I doing better after the divorce, or was I doing poorly?I didn’t want him to know my real status after the divorce. Letting him find out that I was now the president of Maison Vivre could trigger some regret within him. And I knew Tyler—he might even try to come back to me.But I don’t want that. I don’t want anything close to that. I wanted him to pay for his actions. Still, at the same time, I needed to pay Diana my last respect. She didn’t deserve to be forgotten because of what her son had done.When you talk of a good and caring mother-in-law, you’d alwa
Tyler’s POVI carried my mother’s dead body into the coffin myself. I didn’t let no one else do this. She was my mother—the one who gave birth to me, breastfed me, raised me into a man. And even now, as she lay cold and lifeless, how could I not adore her? How could I let anyone else touch her now, in her final moments on earth?Today was the day she was going to be buried. Our culture didn’t allow the dead to be left unburied beyond three days. We believed that anyone who wasn’t laid to rest within that time was either a wicked person that their family had abandoned—or someone so lonely, with no one left to care for them, not even in death.In such cases, the government would step in. They would take over the burial process within a week and lay the person to rest along with others who had no one left. It was done appropriately, of course, but without intimacy. Without meaning.I didn’t want that for my mother.After all the motherly love she had shown me? After all she sacrificed to
Eunice’s POVI opened my eyes in shock when I heard the news of Diana’s death. My eyes welled up with tears.Did Tyler fail to take care of his mother properly after we ended things, and that has led to her death?Tears streamed down my face immediately. Diana was a good woman—the most loving mother-in-law anyone could ever have.“How did she pass?” I asked Julie slowly, as she brought the news to me.“According to our source, ma’am… she was rushed to the hospital, and she died twenty minutes after arrival,” she explained.I covered my eyes with my hand. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall freely, letting them run down my cheeks as much as they needed to.Diana was the very mother-in-law who never judged me for anything. Even when she didn’t know me before Tyler introduced me as the woman he was going to marry, she embraced me without hesitation.She didn’t judge me when she found out my mother had disowned me and wouldn't be attending our wedding because I disobeyed her by choosi
Lola’s POVI sat in the living room, my leg crossed upon the other. I poured myself a glass of champagne. What is life without victory? What is life when you cannot take matters into your own hands?The old devil opened the eyes of the fool to see the truth, and you expect that I wouldn’t consult the right pharmacy to give me the best poison and add it to her food? Of course, I would. It was only a matter of time before the truth unraveled, and I had to take action before it destroyed everything I had built.When Tyler asked me why Jasmine’s body tone was different from his, when her eyes were of different colors, I figured it wouldn’t take long before the big cat in the bag revealed itself. And I couldn’t allow that—not after everything I had done.I was a woman who had had to go through hell to get here. I even made sure Tyler ended his marriage with his ex-wife. And you think I would sit back and allow a dying mother to break my marriage?! Never.So, that day, as Tyler left to get
For some reason, her smile looked like a smirk. But I shook my head off that thought. I mean, why should I think she smirked in the first place?That was something about a man with an issue. My mind had been resolving around the drama that a business wrecker had made on my business. And even though subconsciously I had totally forgotten about it, my mind didn’t entirely let go.Maybe that’s why I was beginning to fabricate things in my head, right?Still lost in thought, I dashed upstairs just like Lola said and took off my clothes. In less than twenty minutes, I was done with my bath, so I walked back downstairs.Just as she said dinner would be ready before I finished bathing, I realized that dinner was indeed done.Standing behind the dining table, Lola smiled at me. She had already set the table.Two plates of big steaks sat at the edge of the table, and two chairs were directly facing them. And then, by the other side of the table, was a smaller big steak.I paused. I didn’t need
Tyler’s POVI fumbled my hands into my pocket immediately and plucked out my phone. I scrolled through my contact list, and just at the bottom, I saw her number—which I had saved as Mrs. Anderson.I didn’t waste time. I mean, if I did, I would be a fool, right? I dialed her number quickly.I didn’t need to rehearse what to tell her. She was a nice woman, as people on the street had spoken of her. Everything I needed to say was already formed in my head. I just had to tell her the whole truth—how my business was in jeopardy due to the fact that she sold her property to someone who launched the same business I had been using to feed my family for years.“The number you are trying to call is switched off. Please try again later,” said the robotic feminine voice on the phone.“Fuck!” I cursed, knowing how important this call was to my life. Still, I didn’t back down easily. I tried her number again, but all I heard was the same response.With frustration mounting, I closed my eyes and let