Everyone is watching.
Bren. Wyn. Joshua. They have been watching Brianna for the last few minutes, expecting her to stir awake and probably speak. Wyn sighs first and props herself by the elbows on her side of the bed. She looks the most frustrated. I slipped and told them Brianna spoke once, now, they want her to prove it.
Joshua examines the wheelchair, face pensive as his fingers trace the buttons on one side. The buttons are for fancy since Brianna can’t use them yet. Mia, her caregiver is somewhere in the house to allow us privacy with her. I slouch on the edge of the bed, face buried in my hands. Three weeks and there has been little or no improvements yet. I should be thinking about the girls birthday party. Christmas too.
I haven’t even shopped for their presents.
The phone in my pocket pings with a message from Jei. Wrinkles mar my forehead. He wants us to meet now. I slide the phone into my pocket without a re
I like to think I'll write a spin-off series called Blinded. It will involve Joshua, Sophia and any character from Mr and Mrs Reluctant. I don't know for sure yet, it's just an idea.
The party is in full swing.Balloons. Music. Tents. Bunch of kids from the twins school with their parents in tow.From my position, the twins look to be having fun. And what is that dance? I push Brianna’s wheelchair to the window so she can have an idea what the noise is all about and a gentle breeze welcomes us.We would have stayed back at home but the twins wanted her here. There was no way I would miss their party. The party that marks their big girl-ness and entry into a new world. They don’t want to keep wearing matching dresses anymore. It’s a bit scary but I guess it’s time for them to choose their styles.A part of me hopes they don’t stick by it but judging from the heap of new clothes El bought for them, I don’t see that happening. The twins are her first models for her clothing line. The launch is next week.Tucking the blank canvas under my armpit, I drag my seat close
El stands at the door, gaze sliding between me and Mia with her nose stuck in the air. A fake smile etches on her lips as she steps inside. I see through it and muster a sheepish grin. “It’s time to cut the cake.”I send Mia a curt nod and follow behind El. As soon as we are alone in the corridor, she spins to face me. Hands resting on her hips, her pupils dilate with anger. “Now you are flirting with the caregiver, huh?”Her audacity irritates me more than her accusation. “What I do is none of your business.”“It’s my business if you are doing it where my kids are.” Laughter trickles out of my lips. She has nerves.“They are my kids too, El. I know what’s good for them.” I am so horny I will fuck a tree but if Mia had given herself up to me, I wouldn’t have touched her. It is one reason she is getting fired. I don’t want to find out if today is part of a
An inaudible gasp escapes El, my teeth graze her neck, her shoulder and she sucks in a sharp breath. My hand slides between her legs. She shudders. I tug on the tiny, elastic waistband of her panties and release it without notice. El whimpers. I don’t care if it hurts, I repeat it again and again until she grabs my hand. She was with T. She should be punished.“It hurts,” she cries. Her eyes beg for mercy and my chest falls in defeat. What are we even doing?“Take it off,” I order. Her hesitation irks me, my jaw ticks. If she didn’t want to be here, she would have left. She wants me too, not that fucker. “Now.”El gives a shaky nod. I step back for her to pull off her panties. The stirring in my groins intensifies at the colour of her underwear. Red. The colour of sin. Does T also know the colour? I stretch my hand for it, she drops it on my palm and I sniff it. Amazing.“You smell good,” I
We cut the cake, take tons of pictures. My parents manage to sneak into a few. I clench my jaw as they pose for a picture with Joshua. He is all smiles as he stands in their middle, hands around their shoulders. A wave of anger sweeps over me. I want to march there and slap the smile off his face. He keeps acting like they are the best parents a child can wish for. They ruined us. I turn away while their photography session is still ongoing so I won’t be forced into the picture. Where’s my wife? We are not done talking. Maybe we are. El is with T. They might be discussing business but she’s staring hard at him and her brows are furrowed in concentration. She nods at something he says, barks out a laugh and punches him slightly on his arm. We fuck and she returns to her buddy, is that it? Am I a fuck buddy? Or, fuck husband? Changing direction to an empty tent, I grab a saucer with a slice of moist cake to eat away the jealousy
I didn’t dance with El. I danced all night with Mother, stepping her a few times like the awful dancer I am.Mother is feeding Brianna when I arrive downstairs. I toss my briefcase on the table and give Brianna a peck after bopping her nose. Mother watches our exchange. She is still taking it all in. The videos and pictures. She hasn’t spoken about them or what she feels about Brendan’s actions and I doubt she will.“We will be leaving in a bit,” she says with a side glance at Father who has his phone pressed to his ear.“Good morning.” My hand covers hers resting on the dinning table and I give it a small squeeze. “You can stay for dinner. The twins will be here.” I get them for the rest of this week and next until El arrives. She left with her mother while I danced with mine. A crash sounds, we dart a look at the balcony. Father tugs on his hair from the roots. He turns to us and waves, I
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you, Mummyyyy...” the twins flanked on each side of me drag the words out in a sing-song voice. El rolls her eyes but her smile never falters. I tilt the screen of my laptop to have a better view of her face. Her smile is not directed at me but the sight of it warms me. Our eyes meet briefly, she looks away. “Happy birthday to you.” They look at each other. “Hip. Hip. Hip.”“Hurray,” El finishes for them. She yanks her robe close and I smother a groan. I loved the view. “Thank you, my loves.”Wyn pries the laptop from my laps to hoist it on her legs, Bren relocates to her side of the couch. They cradle the laptop like a toddler, careful to keep it on their knees. “How old are you, Mummy?” Wyn asks.“I’m plus one.”“What’s plus one?” Bren asks.The laptop returns to my legs, the twins prop
My first instinct is to call T and punch the living daylights out of him because every bad thing that’s going wrong in our lives is his fault. I run my fingers through my scalp until the tremors wear off. El squints.“Why?” She’s too calm. Too collected for someone who talked so much about wanting this. I will lose my shit if I have to reschedule the launch of Project El. Heck. I lose my shit each time I have to tolerate Jei’s arrogant ass. It is not my place to ask, not with our pending issue but I whisper, “Did something happen?”“It’s one of the things we need to talk about.”The phone on the heap of file pings. I ignore it. “Why can’t we talk about it now?”She shrugs off her robe to reveal a black top that exposes her midriff. I lick my lips. That banging body is one of the many reasons we need to get back together. With the amount of stress I am passing through
Everything fades as Vincent and I observe each other in silence. Did he follow me? Why is he smiling so much like he won a lottery? That same sickening smile that was on his face that day in the elevator is present. I flex my fingers to remind him what can happen if he makes the wrong move and he arches a brow as if telling me to try. He tips the bottle of wine to empty the content into his glass and takes a long sip.After another sip, I throw caution to the wind and ask, “What do you know about Sofie?”Vincent spits out his drink, leaving a red stain on the tablecloth. He recovers quickly and lowers his glass. A smirk curves his lips, chills race down my back and my spine stiffens. My hand tightens around the handle of my briefcase sitting at my feet, I force my breathing under control and level him a stern look.He can’t do shit. I beat him once, I will do it again.“If I were you, I would be more worried about the things