The day finally came and I could see that both ZG and Zia are really excited for the party. It’s going to be a small party with ZG’s schoolmates. It’s starting in thirty minutes and everything is in place, the only trouble was the clown that my mom hired. He hasn’t arrived yet. I stood there at the entrance of the venue carrying Zia, but not a sign of him. I’m seriously getting worried and ZG have been asking me about the clown every five minutes and I don’t know what to tell him. My mom didn’t give me and contact information for the clown, so I decided to call her. Her phone kept on ringing but she wasn’t picking up her phone. I then felt a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around the clown wearing a bright blue and yellow outfit with red hair and red nose was behind me. “Oh. You gave me a scared there. You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.” I said to him and he just clasped his hands together like he was asking for forgiveness.“Can you not talk?” I asked him and he shook
After the fiasco with Nathan, I honestly don’t know what to do. He ruined ZG’s birthday and to be honest, I still couldn’t believe that he was that kind of a man and that I let him into our lives. The ride home was excruciatingly silent and the two of them stormed into their room as soon as we got home. They both refused to go talk to me and I really can’t blame them. I got into fights with ZG for defending that man while ZG tried to tell me what was happening when I wasn’t looking but I didn’t believe him. I wanted to talk to them and straighten everything out but I knew they needed their space. So, I just showered and was about to go to bed when my phone started ringing again. I’m pretty sure that it was Nathan. He had been calling non-stop since he left the party, but honestly, I don’t have anything to say to him anymore. I lay in my bed but I just couldn’t sleep. My mind was just running all over the place. Then, my phone started ringing again, thankfully, this time it was my mom
We spent the rest of the night packing our things after I booked our flight for tomorrow afternoon. Since it was a Friday, ZG decided to go to school to say goodbye to his friends before leaving. Since I still don't know when we'll be back, I decided to write a letter to his teacher. "Mommy, can I take this with me?" ZG asked, showing me the action figures that Gavin gave him on every occasion he can think of. "Just take one, Z. It might not fit in the luggage anymore. We haven’t packed your clothes yet." I said to him as I was folding his clothes."Okay. That’s fair." He said, before turning around and going back to his packing."Mimi! Bring this?" Zia suddenly said beside me. I looked over at her and saw her trying to wear one of my old bikinis. Oh, how just seeing it brings back memories. Zia has the same red bikini that I wore on the trip when their dad proposed wrapped around her neck. I felt a pang in my chest as I forced myself to smile at my daughter."Yes, baby. We'll bring
The ride home was excruciatingly long and uncomfortable. Thankfully, both ZG and Zia couldn’t keep their mouths shut and they were talking the whole ride home. ZG has always been close with his dad, so him being so talkative with him is expected. What surprised me is how Zia was so close to him. I mean, this was their first time seeing each other for two, almost three years and they act like they’ve been seeing each other every day.I could really see the difference in their attitude to Gavin compared to Nathan. I guess because they’re blood, they somehow have a connection even with being away from each other for so long. “Daddy, aren’t we going to our house? I want to show Zia my room.” ZG said as he peeked his head at the space between me and Gavin.“If your mom lets you then you can stay with me for as long as you want.” He said without taking his eyes off the road. The two then turned their attention to me.“What?” I asked them and the two put on their puppy dog faces.“Can we, mo
It’s been days since I last heard from Gavin. I mean I don’t think that we have anything to talk about, I just thought that he would be in contact with me for our kids. I guess I’m wrong. He talked big about wanting to spend some time with ZG and Zia but now, he’s missing in action. “You’re zoning out again, Cath.” Andrea suddenly said, making me snap out of my thoughts. “With the look on your face, I probably can guess what’s running in your mind.” “I just have lots on my mind, okay?” I said to her as I took a sip of my iced tea. She visited me this morning with her daughter. She’s leaving soon for work, and I agreed to watch Alexa for her today. “I think you just have one thing, or should I say, one person in mind.” She said teasingly as she took a bite of the brownie. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said to her as I continued sipping my drink. “So, you’re telling me that it has nothing to do with Gavin not contacting you at all?” She asked me with a big smile on her
“Zoe, are you still planning on going back to the states?” Mom suddenly asked as we were having our breakfast. I looked at ZG and Zia, while my daughter was stuffing her face with bread, my son looked at me as if waiting for the answer to his grandma’s question. “I don’t really have any plans as of this moment, mom. I’m on indefinite leave at work, but I don’t know if I can get a job here.” I said to them and they all looked at me as if they couldn’t believe what I was saying. “Zoe, seriously? That’s what you’re worried about?” Zab suddenly asked me like I was saying something dumb. “You’re an heiress of one of the biggest business empires in the country, and you’re thinking that you couldn’t find a job here?” “Yeah, Cath. You can have any position that you want. You can even start your own business if you want.” Cam pitched in. “Your sisters are right, Zoe. You’re always welcome here, and besides, taking care of the kids would be easier with all of us here.” Mom said, and warmth i
I felt nervousness creep up in my chest as I held the envelope in my hand. It looks familiar to me, I just don’t know where I saw it before. I opened it but got more confused. Inside were crumpled and ripped-up papers. They weren’t shredded, they look like they were ripped by hand angrily. I took out all of the papers and placed them on the floor. Everything got me so intrigued that I started putting the pieces together. Why would he even keep these papers if he already ripped them apart? I was seriously having fun putting the pieces back together like a puzzle when I finally noticed something off. I found familiar writing in one of the pieces. I looked at it closely and noticed that the writing looks like my own handwriting. I rummaged through all the pieces and I finally found a piece that fits the last one. It wasn't just my handwriting, it was my signature. I started putting the papers together faster than before, and somehow it started to make sense. It was some sort of contr
I suddenly felt a pang of nervousness as we got nearer and nearer to my parent’s house. This is the first time that Gavin and Nathan would see each other and I honestly don’t know how this would play out. “Everything’s gonna be fine, love. Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep my cool.” He said to me holding my hand as we took a turn on the street going to my parent’s house. “As long as he doesn’t get on my last nerve.” I heard him whisper under his breath. “Gav!” I exclaimed as I saw him smirk while still focused on the road. He let out a slight chuckle as he continued driving. “What? I’m just saying. I’ll behave if he behaves.” He replied to me and finally the gates of our mansion were insight. My heart started beating out of my chest as I got out of the car and walked towards the house. Gavin followed behind me and we were immediately greeted by Zab and Cam as the front door opened. “Thank god you’re here. Nath…” Zab said but she immediately paused, her eyes focusing on the person behi
Soon the party settled down and a two-tier birthday cake was pushed into the center of the garden. The people in attendance were just my family, friends, and co-workers, so I looked at my husband and he immediately understood what I was thinking. My kids led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday. Both of them were jumping up and down, clapping their tiny hands. I gestured for them to come over as the song came to an end and they joined me in blowing out my candles as everyone cheered. "Let's hear from the birthday girl!" Cam suddenly said, handing me the microphone. Gavin picked up Zia as I held ZG's hand while I addressed the rest of the crowd. "First and foremost, thanks to all of you for spending your time to celebrate my birthday with me. It has been a rough couple of weeks for me and my family, but standing here in front of you makes me realize just how much love we receive from lots of people around us, and for that, I want to show my gratitude to everyone who gave us strengt
The days in the hospital were still so agonizing. I could still feel the pain in my abdomen, just where the bullet hit me. The doctor told me that I might be experiencing the "phantom effect", you know? The feeling you get when you remove something but it still feels like it's there. They kept reassuring me that everything was fine, but I had my doubts that's why we decided to take a few more tests just to be sure. And just like any other day, Zia and ZG visited me right after school. They would always tell me everything about their day and these past few weeks, their stories have been the highlight of my days inside my dull hospital room. "When are you going home, mommy?" ZG asked as he got ready to go home for the night. "We're still not sure, baby. But I'm fine. The doctors just want to do some more tests to be sure." I answered him, patting his head before giving it a light kiss. "Don't worry, bud. Mommy will be home in no time." Gavin said as he lifted our youngest from t
His lips on mine were pure ecstasy. Honestly, I was left hanging and unsatisfied with his kiss earlier but this erases those longing feelings that were lingering in my chest as my doctor was checking on me earlier. His hand made its way to the back of my neck, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss. We were kissing each other as if our lives depended on it, and frankly, I think it does. It felt like an eternity since our lips met, but when we pulled away, out of breath it still didn't feel enough. Our eyes met and a smile was lingering on his lips. "Welcome back, love. I missed you." He whispered to me before planting a kiss on my forehead. "I missed you too, love." I whispered back, returning his smile before he pulled away and sat on the side of my bed. He started fidgeting with his phone which made my eyebrows furrowed. I just woke up from a two-week-long coma, as per what the doctor said to me, and here is my husband sitting beside me but is preoccupied with whatever inter
"Officer, can you watch over my kids for me? I just need to know what's happening to Cathy." I asked Officer Philipps and he nodded. "ZG, Zia, Officer Philipps will stay with you for a while, okay? He we keep you safe. Daddy is just going to see Mommy." I said to them, and they both nodded at me. "Come back soon, Daddy." ZG said and I nodded at him, giving them each a kiss on the forehead before heading out of their hospital room and making my way to the Emergency Room. "I'm looking for Catherine Mitchel, she got shot." I said as calmly as I could to the person at the desk. She nodded and started tapping on her computer. "The patient has been transferred to the operating room." She said and I dashed off before she could finish talking. The lights in the operating room were already on when I got there, so there was only one thing to do, wait. Minutes passed, then hours, and a couple of minutes after the three-hour mark, the doors opened. "How is she?" I immediately asked the
I got out of the house, I need fresh air. I had to clear my mind or our conversation would not get anywhere. I was in the middle of the park when I decided to call someone I really trusted. "Good afternoon, sir. Can I speak with Officer Philipps?" I asked the person in the other line. "May I ask who this is?" He asked. "This is Gavin Mitchel." I answered shortly. "Okay, sir. I'll patch you in." He replied and a lively tune started playing before I was greeted by a familiar voice. "It's been a long time. How are you, Gavin?" Asked Officer Philipps through the phone. "Not so good, sir. I need your help." I then gave him a quick rundown of everything that went down. After I finished I heard him sigh. "Why do both of you attract these types of people?" He asked curiously, but even I couldn't give him an answer. "For now, be with Cath. I'll look into it and call you as soon as I get something." "Okay, Officer. Thanks... for everything." "Now, go home. And make sure Cath doesn't d
This is probably the longest ten-minute shower I ever had. I'm still waiting for Nathan's instructions and I got into a huge fight with Gavin because of it. “You want me to be okay with him taking my wife in exchange for my kids?” He asked. “No way I’m letting him take any of you.” “Love, we can guarantee that he wouldn’t hurt me but we can’t say that it's the same for our kids. We don’t know what’s going inside his head.” I said, trying to reason with him. “No. No. Sorry, love. That is not an option.” He said walking out of our bedroom. It was a hard decision for me too, but I can't let my kids get hurt. I can't let any of them get hurt because of me again. This time, it's my turn to save them. I got out of the shower and Gavin was still not back in our room. I grabbed my phone and there it was. A message from Nathan. It didn't have any time or date, just the address, making me think that he probably wanted me there as soon as possible. That works for me because I want to see my k
"Where are my kids, Nathan?" I began, trying my best to remain calm in the situation. Gavin tried to snatch my phone from me but I avoided it. I don't think it's a good idea to let the two of them talk. they both might explode. "They're safe. I have them with me. We had a little bonding session today. I was hoping you could join us?" He asked trying to sound sweet, but I couldn't help but feel a shiver down my spine as listened to him talk. "I'm still at work, Nate. Maybe another day? Do you mind dropping them off at the office?" I asked, acting oblivious to his motives. "Oh come on Cath. It's already seven in the evening, you should be home by now, right? Both you and your husband?" He asked and Gavin quickly took the phone from me. "Where are our kids, Nathan? I'm not playing with you!" Gavin angrily said through the phone. "You are going to talk to me! Just what do you want from us!" Then Gavin went silent. He looked at me, his eyes trembling. I could see fear in them. "Fine!
Being with Gavin again made me realize that I have never stopped loving him. No matter how much I wanted to forget about him, my heart remained with him throughout the years. I guess it is true, that no matter how far you walk away from each other, people who are meant to be together will always gravitate back to each other. "Mommy?" I heard Zia's voice as she was tugging on my dress. "Are you okay?" She asked me. "Why? What happened?" Gavin suddenly asked as he and ZG walked towards us. "Mommy was staring at you with a silly smile." Zia said that made my eyes bulge out of their sockets. "No, I wasn't." I said to her, looking right at her. Asking her to shut up with my eyes but it looks like I need to work on my silent communication with my daughter. "Yes. You were." She said before hopping away from us. "Just hold it in, love. Our kids are still awake." Gavin whispered to me, taking the picnic basket from my hand before following our daughter, leaving me dumbfounded. "I wasn't
The weeks went by in such a bliss and now, we’re moving back in with their dad in our old apartment. It took a lot of convincing on my side but eventually, Gavin was able to make me agree with him. “Are we there yet?” Zia asked for the nth time as we were driving to the apartment. She has been very excited since we told them about the move, and couldn’t wait to see the room her big brother was talking about. “No yet baby. We’ll have to stop to get some groceries, remember?” Gavin answered her sweetly. “Aww. Are we going to stay there long?” She asked again with a pout on her face. “Come on, Zia. It’s going to be fun. And you can pick out some decorations for our room.” ZG said, calming her sister in the back seat. “Yey!” Zia screamed as she started humming the theme song of her favorite show. Thank goodness, ZG knows precisely what to say to his sister in every situation. When we got to the groceries, the two of them walked in front of me and Gavin and started getting things that