As they stepped out of the penthouse, Mariam and Leah decided to relax at a nearby eatery to get accustomed to the neighborhood.Leah needed some time to cool off from the kids, even if it was just for a few hours.She preferred to go to the beach, but she settled for sitting and resting.An hour later, Lucian, a colleague of Alex, walked in while on a call."Alex, where are you? I just walked into the eatery. Hurry up, don't leave me stranded here."Lucian had seen Leah at Alex's house a few times and knew she was his wife back then. They almost became friends, but she had to keep her distance due to Alex's treatment of her.Initially, he didn’t see her, but she was seated close to him, just two seats away. His eyes suddenly landed on her.He stared for a while, contemplating if she was truly the one or perhaps her doppelgänger.It had been seven years; how could he be sure?He was startled when Mariam called out to her because he knew her name started with an "L.""Leah, I should pr
"For fuck's sake, can you at least listen to me? I know I was your husband before, but that doesn’t give you the right to just walk away from me like that. Can't I at least have some time with you? Go on a dinner date with me? What do you say?" Alex asked."Was," she emphasized with air quotes. "I can't remember being married to a man like you. Can you remind me? Or do you have Alzheimer's disease? And dinner? You had all the time in the world but couldn’t take me on a single date. Not even once. Now you stand here, asking me out on a dinner date. You must be sick!""What are you trying to portray in front of these people? That you are a good man? Please, stay away from me," Leah lamented.Leah and her friend tried walking away, but he ran to block them.This infuriated Jack, Mariam's new friend. He had to intervene."Excuse me, sir, can't you see they obviously don't want to have anything or any conversation with you? I suggest you leave them alone.""You have no business with what's
On hearing the glass shatter to the ground, Emily rushed and knocked on the door. "Are you alright? Alex, open the door. Did something bad happen at work today?"She was completely ignored, while Alex silently shed tears, covering his mouth with his hands."What did I get myself into? Why am I suddenly falling in love with her again? She has always been this attractive and reserved; why didn't I see that then?" He let greed cloud his emotions and judgments. He poured himself a glass of alcohol and drank it all in one go."I want to make things right with you, even if we don't get back together. I can just be friends, close to you again... Why didn't I notice you gave me peace of mind? She must have another man by now.""And he must be very wealthy, judging by the way she looks. To be in such an expensive eatery says it all.""She should have fought her way back and stayed in my life, fought for our love...""How could she fight when I didn't even fight for her at all but pushed her in
Emily dialed Lucian's number, and he picked up immediately."Hello, Lucian.""How are you doing?" he asked."I'm alright. I called to check if you guys are busy at work because Alex isn't home yet, and his phone is off.""Yes, it's been a hectic day," Lucian sensed something was wrong. "Don't worry, he’ll be home soon.""Okay, thanks. Could you ask him to turn his phone on, please?""Sure, I will."Lucian was already home since work had ended at 4:00 PM. "Where could Alex be? Probably visiting his ex-wife again. I should check our favorite spot before jumping to conclusions. But first, I need to attend to my pregnant wife."With that, his thoughts drifted, and he forgot about Alex until 10 PM when his wife had finally fallen asleep. He tried calling Alex again, but his phone was still off. "He should be home by now... I'm so exhausted."When Alex finally arrived home, he was heavily intoxicated. How he managed to drive home was a miracle. He had finished a bottle of alcohol in his car
The next morning, Leah was up early for her interview. She prepared everything her boys would need until she was back and left them with Mariam to look after them.She kissed them on their foreheads."Jayden and Jayson, would you boys wish mama Goodluck? She asked."Goodluck mom".. they said in unison."Mom, when are we resuming school?"... Jayson asked."Soon Son, maybe tomorrow. We will go check and register in a new good school. Is that alright with you both?""Yes, mom"... Jayson said while jayden nodded."Okay, for now stay with auntie Mariam and behave yourselves, don't let her talk too much. Pinky finger?"...."Pinky finger, I cross my heart"... they both said."You and your boys. You are almost late for your interview Leah. Go on, I will take it from here and Goodluck today"... Maria said and they hugged each other."Thank you so much"... "You're always welcome"...Then she took the boys to freshen up while Leah left.She booked her taxi and he arrived promptly to pick her u
"There's one condition to maintain this job," Dazzle said."What is the condition?""Go through this work, you have fourty-eight hours to complete the tasks… he added."Okay I will"...You look very much like someone I know. Do you have k… ooh never mind.She almost asked if he slept with a woman, he doesn't know. It was an irresponsible and stupid question to ask on the first day of work. "Does she want to get fired already?" she thought. But what if he was the father of her kids? "No, I don't think so. He just resembles my kids. People can resemble each other too." She could only find out if she saw his arm and shoulder to know if he had the same birthmarks as her kids.Moreover, she was not ready for any man to claim custody of her kids yet. He couldn't just pop up out of nowhere and claim them without knowing how she had coped for the past seven years."Don't worry, Leah. You can ask me anything," Dazzle replied."Have we met before, somewhere in the past?""No, this should be th
When they sat in the car to go back home, Jack asked Mariam about her past relationships. He wasn't the type to judge people for their past lives; he was more concerned with the present and the future.Mariam explained all that had happened to her in previous relationships and why she was hesitant to rush into another one. Jack also shared his experiences with past relationships to ensure they were on the same page. None of his former girlfriends had loved him; they were all after his wealth and material possessions. None gave him the love, affection, and care he desired.His most recent fiancée had stolen his money to give to her ex-boyfriend and also slept with him. The worst part was she got pregnant and pinned it on Jack. After discovering the truth, he canceled the engagement and called off the wedding. He had retreated into his shell and was only now beginning to emerge."I am so sorry. Men and women can both be scum," Mariam replied sympathetically. "Did I tell you my ex-fianc
"Has he been showering her with all his affection while treating me like a rag? Or was it their plan to hide that he slept with her and deflowered her behind my back, convincing me it might be someone else and not the rapists we paid? Is that why he told me the rapists didn't succeed?" More questions crowded her mind as her chest heaved with anger."No, I can't take this. I have to confront her now before it's too late."As Leah took a few steps with the kids towards the cafeteria, Emily grabbed her by the hair."You, Leah!" she yelled, pointing a finger at her.Leah was caught off guard. She hadn't expected this and was trying to understand the reason for it.Leah told Maria to go on with the kids while she dealt with Emily and her issues first. She didn't want to fight in front of her children."What is the meaning of what you just did, Emily? Is everything alright with you or have you gone crazy?" Leah yelled back, folding her arms and waiting for an answer.Emily's expression shif