Leah sat on the coach, scrolling through her phone as the afternoon sun poured through the window. The house was quiet with just the TV sounds of soft music, with Richie out having meetings here and there,working with clients. She found herself in a rare moment of solitude. She sipped on her coffee absentmindedly, her mind drifting until it landed on Mariam.It had been weeks since she last spoke to her, and she suddenly realized how much she missed her friend. She remembered the last time they were together—when she introduced Richie to Mariam, Mrs. Adams and Grandmother. They had laughed, shared stories, and for a brief moment, everything had felt perfect. The evening had gone well, with good food, but now, as she thought back, she realized she hadn’t heard much from Mariam since then. Leah felt a twinge of guilt for not checking in with Mariam sooner. Life had been so hectic lately, with work and trying to juggle the responsibilities of marriage.She quickly tapped Mariam’s number
Leah’s day had been the usual tasks and deadlines in the company. By the time lunchtime rolled around, she desperately needed a break. Deciding to treat herself, she headed to a cozy little restaurant not far from her office, a spot she often visited for a quiet, peaceful meal alongsideDazzleand Richie. As she stepped inside, the warm, inviting aroma of freshly cooked food greeted her, and she sighed in relief. This was exactly what she needed.She found a small table by the window, ordered a salad, and settled in with her phone. But before she could get too engrossed in her emails, she noticed a familiar figure walk into the restaurant. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized him—Jack.He looked different. Tired, maybe a little lost, as he scanned the room. Leah hesitated for a moment, considering whether to wave or just stay hidden. But then he spotted her, and it was too late. Jack’s eyes lit up with recognition, and he made his way over to her table."Leah, hey!" Jack greete
Jack left the office late, his mind still buzzing with the remnants of the day’s work. He had stayed behind to finish a report that absolutely couldn’t wait, and by the time he shut down his computer, the building was empty and silent. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything substantial since lunchtime, just a cup of coffee but the thought of heading home to a lonely apartment wasn’t appealing. Instead, he found himself veering towards the small pub down the street, the one he frequented when he needed to unwind.The bar was dimly lit, with a few regulars slouched over their drinks. Jack slipped into a seat at the bar, ordered a whiskey, and took a long, slow sip. The burn of the alcohol felt good, numbing the edges of his thoughts, which were starting to fray under the weight of exhaustion.As he sat there, lost in the amber glow of his drink, he didn’t realize how much time had passed. By the time he finally decided to head home, he was tipsy, but not quite
Jack woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache, his mind foggy from the previous night’s drinks. As he tried to piece together the fragmented memories of the evening, he realized something was off. The unfamiliar weight next to him on the bed made him freeze. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the bare back of a woman lying beside him.For a moment, he panicked, hoping against hope that this was some kind of mistake or a bad dream. He stared at the back, trying to remember who it could be, but nothing came to mind. Until when the woman shifted and turned slightly, he caught a glimpse of her face."Tasha?" The name slipped from his lips before he could stop himself.Tasha stirred, stretching like a cat basking in the morning sun, completely oblivious to the shock that was running through Jack’s face. She turned to face him, a lazy smile curling her lips as she saw him sitting up, clutching the quilt around his waist as if it were a shield."Good
Jack stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, his eyes swollen, he was so wasted last night.. accompanied with throbbing headache.The weight of his actions from the previous evening clung to him like a heavy shroud. Regret had taken hold of him, gnawing at his insides, making it nearly impossible to think of anything else.He turned on the shower, hoping the hot water would wash away some of the guilt, but as he stood under the stream, the tears began to fall, mingling with the water. He couldn’t stop them. He felt like he was drowning, not in the water, but in the overwhelming guilt that filled his chest. “How am I supposed to face Mariam?” he whispered to himself, his voice cracking. He loved her deeply, more than he had ever loved anyone, but now that love felt tainted, corrupted by his actions. The thought of what he had done tore at him, the betrayal too fresh, too raw to be pushed aside."Maybe we were meant to stay apart", he thought bitterly. "Two different people in
Brown, one of the executives, walked into Jack’s main office after the clients had left. He had been waiting outside after the meeting, for Jack to speak one on one with them. Knowing how important it was to Jack. But as he entered and saw the look on his face, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.“Jack?” he said softly, his voice filled with concern. “What happened in there?”Jack looked up at him, his eyes filled with the regret and guilt that had been eating at him all morning. He couldn’t bring himself to explain, couldn’t tell him that his personal life had spilled over into his professional one and had cost them the deal.“We lost it,” he said simply, his voice flat.Brown frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. “But why? We were so prepared. You were so prepared. What went wrong?” "I made sure I coordinated the meeting arrangements properly alongside your assistant".Jack shook his head, unable to find the words. How could he explain to him that he had been too consumed
Jack was lost in thoughts until his phone buzzed again, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Mariam’s name on the screen. But this time, it wasn’t a text. It was a call.For a moment, Jack considered letting it go to voicemail, considered avoiding the conversation he knew was coming. But he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t keep running away from her. They need to sort things out or everyone goes their various ways. Taking a deep breath, he swiped up to answer the call, bringing the phone to his ear.“Hello?” he said, his voice trembling slightly.“Jack?” Mariam’s voice was calm, “Can we talk?”Jack closed his eyes, “Yeah, Mariam. We need to talk.”“I’m outside your office,” she said. “Can I come up?”"Again?".. he said inaudibly."I didn't ask you to meet me in my office, Mariam?"..."I know but you didn't reply to any of my messages, so what would you have me do? Stay idle and wait?"..Jack’s heart raced. She was here already, at his office. There was no more avoiding it.“Of course
Richie had been away for over a few weeks, traveling for work—a series of important meetings that couldn’t be handled over the phone or zoom, despite Leah’s gentle suggestions. This was the longest stretch of time he’d been away from Leah and their boys, Jayden and Jayson, in weeks. As important as the work seemed, He still missed home so much. Especially being around his wife, Leah.Every evening, no matter how late it was, Richie found a quiet corner in his hotel room, propped up his phone, and called her... They would talk for hours, their voices soft, filled with longing. It didn’t matter what they talked about. Their day, the kids, what they had for dinner. They just wanted to keep talking to each other.One evening, after an especially grueling day of meetings, Richie called Leah. He flopped onto his hotel bed with a tired groan, barely waiting for the video call to connect before Leah’s face appeared on the screen, her smile instantly making him feel at ease.“There’s my han