~Rosemary~All four heads turned in my direction as I dragged my feet while holding the wall for support. Max and Amani frowned when they saw me. On the other hand, Gerald rushed over to me. “Hey, what are you doing out here? I told you to stay in bed.”I gripped his arm and leaned on him, feeling breathless. “You were taking so long. I had to come check what was wrong.”Gerald took a deep breath. He slung my arm over his shoulders and held my waist gently. “Let’s get you back to bed.”“Security! Don’t let him get away! He has a patient’s card in his possession!” Max shouted just as we were about to leave.I stopped and looked at him, noticing for the first time how wounded he was. What in the world happened to him? Was he in an accident? Was he okay? He must be in so much pain…As pity began to creep into my heart, Amani walked up to us and snarled, “How does it feel knowing that you married a thief, Rosemary?”I looked away from Max. Staring at my sister, I stuttered, “W-what did you
~Rosemary~I opened my eyes slowly. My vision was a little blurry, so I rubbed my eyes and opened them again. Only then did I see a small but beautiful one-story building in front of me. I turned to Gerald. “Where’s the surprise?”Gerald opened his arms wide. “This is it, Rosemary. This is our new house!”“Our new house?” I uttered, hella confused. I looked around, only to realize that this neighborhood was familiar. Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Wasn’t this the estate where Max’s house is located? “What’s going on, Gerald? Why did you bring me here?”Gerald’s smile faded a little. He gestured to the house again. “I just bought this house. It’s ours now.”“You are kidding!” I still couldn’t believe my ears. I looked between him and the house. “You bought this? How is that even possible?”The brightness of Gerald’s smile returned and I could have sworn that I saw him blushing with pride as he explained, “Earlier this week, I put my photography catalog up for sale and got a g
~Gerald~My lips were about to collide into hers when the ringtone suddenly interrupted the moment. I groaned and tried to hold on to her, but Rosemary pulled away and walked over to her bag which she had dumped on the shelf by the doorway. I rubbed my nose, trying to suppress the heat that was about to consume me. While at it, I heard Rosemary say her best friend’s name on the phone.“What a spoilsport! Why did she have to call now?” I muttered under my breath, but then felt guilty. I shouldn’t be mad at Sabrina. After all, how could she have known that Rosemary and I were having a moment?I raked my hair and walked up the stairs. After putting a safe space between Rosemary and I, the heat inside me slowly subsided. I stood on the upstairs balcony and watched Rosemary intently. She had one hand on her waist as she did slow half-spins like a little girl.My smile returned when she mentioned my name and praised me. Holding the railing, I said silently, “This is just the beginning, Rose
~Gerald~The video! I can’t let her see the video of Max acting like a lunatic. At that thought, I snatched the tablet off her hands just as she was about to look at the screen.I hid the tablet behind me. Then smiled, trying to reveal nothing on my face. “I wasn’t up to anything. Why…why are you here?”Rosemary yawned for a moment, but her suspicious expression returned thereafter. “I have never seen you so jumpy. Are you hiding something from me?”She stretched out a hand to my side. Quickly, I shifted back. “No, I am not.”“Are you sure?” She folded her arms and gave me a side look. “But why can I feel it in my guts that you are hiding something and that something is in that tablet?”“What is it?” she pressed.I moved back again, pressing the power button of the tablet. I felt it vibrate and then turn off. Still, I wasn’t so relieved because Rosemary was staring right at me. I kept a straight face and argued calmly, “You have to believe me. I am not hiding anything.”I wished she w
~Rosemary~How they introduced Gerald and I was a little over the top. I cringed when several heads turned in our direction. A few people waved and nodded while others raised their glasses to us. Gerald and I nodded slightly before the hostess said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please make yourselves comfortable.”I watched as the guests walked over to the large table. Just as Gerald and I were about to do the same, someone shouted, “This is absolutely ridiculous! Since when did Palms Estate become a place for just anybody? The standard of this neighborhood is being ruined and I will not stand for it!”There was only one person I knew who would want to make a scene here— my ever-annoying twin sister. I turned to find her standing close to the head of the table with Max still by her side. She was giving me a pining look, but I didn’t give a damn, neither did Gerald.He pulled out a chair for me and after I sat down, he sat by my right. Everyone else also sat down, except Amani. She raised he
~Rosemary~I had many fears after the episode at the HOA meeting earlier. I knew living in this discriminatory neighborhood would be tough. But waking up to find a car crashed into my house was something I hadn’t anticipated at all.“What the hell!” I coughed, squinting my eyes as the smoke stung my eyes and throat. I looked to the side and saw that the car had knocked down the picket fence and run over the new flower beds before crashing right into the white garage door. The door was now wrecked beyond recognition.Gerald stretched out his arm to guard me, but I ducked over it and hurried forward. I had just gotten to the driver’s side when the door opened. A foot stuck out and then a woman got out.Amani.I froze, watching her stagger and lean her side on the car. She tried to wave off the smoke. When she saw me, her face twisted under the light. Her breath stank as she spoke, “You! Leave my neighborhood. You have no place here!”“Are you out of your freaking mind, Amani?” I shouted
~Rosemary~I ran into my study and turned on my computer. After accessing the home monitoring system, I located the surveillance footage from last night. The video clearly showed Amani behind the wheel of her car. She had paused in front of the house, revved up the engine, then drove right through the picket fence. I edited bits of the footage, concealing mine and Gerald’s face. Thereafter, I sent it to an Instagram gossip blogger through my burner account. The anonymous blogger posted the video on his/her over a million followers page in less than an hour. The tag read, “Influencer and billionaire, Max Smith’s wife, Amani captured driving into a building intentionally. Was she drunk?”The video gained thousands of views and hundreds of comments in a few minutes. Many people slammed Amani. One said: I can’t believe this! How in the hell is she roaming free after such an act? I just saw her entering a cafe when I went for my morning run.Another wrote: Does the law not apply to rich
~Rosemary~My hunger vanished as I watched the police car drive away with Amani in it. I made a U-turn back home, intending to cook a feast while I waited for Gerald to return. But as I pulled into the driveway, I saw that the wrecked garage door was now lying on the ground. Also, the front door was ajar.Was Gerald back? Or…or did someone break in?I opened the trunk of my car and took out a huge plier. Then I tiptoed to the door, holding the plier with both hands. “Who is there…”My words trailed off when I peered inside and found Gerald standing in the living room. He wasn’t alone. A woman was standing with her back to me. I looked at her from down up. Her hair was dyed purple and she was wearing a tight singlet and yoga pants that divided her ass strangely. Her thighs were very thin for all that ass…Her doctor needs to be arrested!I frowned, and when Gerald looked over to me, I pushed the door farther open. The woman spun around immediately. Her face fell for a millisecond, but
~Rosemary~A year later.“Are you nervous? Getting cold feet?”I blinked when I heard that voice. Sitting in front of the mirror, I looked at Sabrina who was styling my hair. “No, I am not nervous.”She sighed and stared straight at me. “So why have you zoned out more than three times since I started doing your hair? Something else bothering you?”I shook my head slightly. “I was just...just thinking about how different today would have been if my mom, dad, and Amani were here.”“Ugh!” Sabrina gagged. “How can you think of those fools on such a beautiful day?”My head lowered and I inhaled deeply.“Come on, girl. Forget about those folks. It’s not your fault that they were jerks. You have kept your mom out of your life for a year. Don't allow her into your heart again.”I raised my head. Then nodded. “Okay. I won't.”It had been more than a year since Amani committed suicide with the large dose of fentanyl she had on herself when she was arrested. And it had been seven months since my
~Rosemary~I pricked up my ear after Gerald removed the call from speakerphone and then said a few words. Although I didn't hear anything more, I was fairly certain it had to do with me.“I am coming with you,” I said as soon as he ended the call.Gerald shook his head. “No, you can't. Let me handle this.”“You are not the boss of me.”I took a deep breath, realizing that I was getting worked up. “I’m sorry. I—”“It’s fine. I can only imagine how you must be feeling now. But you don't have to follow me to the station.”“I do. And I want to. I want to look her in the eye and ask her why she did that to me. I also want to see Max and Amani. I want all of them to know that despite everything they did to me, they cannot break me.”Gerald stared at me, and I saw more reluctance in his eyes.“She deserves that much, Gerald,” Elvis chipped in. “After all she has been through recently, she deserves to look at her enemies in the eye.”Gerald said to him, “Stay out of this. Please.”“I know you
~Rosemary~Gerald’s head shot up as soon as I spoke. His eyes lit up and then, I felt his body crushing mine.“You are back!” he said, kissing my face. “What took you so long?”He pulled back and held my face. “Oh, my God! You scared the shit out of me. Don't do that again, okay?”I chuckled. “Okay, Mr. Beckett.”“I was so worried about…” His words trailed off. “Wait, what did you just call me?”I shrugged, “Mr. Beckett?”“You…you remember me?”I nodded. “I remember everything, Gerald. I am sorry that—”Before I could finish speaking, he knocked the breath out of me with a hard kiss. I smiled against his lips and then parted mine.Until now, I didn't know how much I had missed his lips on mine. As always, it felt like heaven. I held his strong arm despite the pain in the back of my hand due to the IV needle.“Catch your breath,” Gerald said, pulling back after like a minute.“What?” I chuckled again.“I’m not done yet. Just breathe.”I did as he said. And the second I was no longer g
~Gerald~“Seize them!” I roared the second I kicked the door open.All six of my men matched in and surrounded Max and Amani. They struggled but were pinned down within seconds.I squatted by the door, seeing Rosemary lying down.“Baby!” I scooped her up.She smiled at me. “You are here.”When she coughed out blood, I held her face. “Shh! Don't say anything. Let’s get you to the hospital.”“Wait!” Rosemary reached out and held my face. “I’m sorry for not believing you. Sorry, I realized too late.”“No! It’s not too late.”“I’m afraid it is.” She smiled again. “If I were to come back to this world again, I’d love to be your woman again. I would love to know love like you love me. To love you and be loved by you, Gerald. Just by reading your words, I realized that you are the man I always dreamed of having as a child.”She rubbed my face. “Promise me that we will meet in another life? Promise me that you will look at me the way you are looking at me right now.”“No! I can't promise you
~Rosemary~It was already past closing hour for most jobs, but my lawyer agreed that I come in to start the process. On the way, my phone dinged.A notification from the doorbell camera had just come in. I opened it and saw the live footage of Amani’s car pulling up in the driveway of Max's house.What’s she doing there? And immediately I just left too.I watched as Amani got out of her car. Max showed up from the inside. They spoke for a while. I thought they were arguing again. But then…“Oh, my God!” I screamed the second Max kissed Amani.“Ma’am,” said the taxi driver. “Are you okay?”I covered my mouth, shaking as Amani and Max made out on the porch. They looked like they wanted to gobble each other up. Max even grabbed her ass and squeezed it. Then they staggered into the house, still not letting each other go.“Ma’am, is anything the matter?”Hearing the taxi driver’s voice again, I raised my head. “Please, can you take my back? I will pay double.”He looked at me through the r
~Rosemary~I couldn't stop thinking of what Gerald said to me about proposing a prenuptial agreement. He sounded so sure that Max wanted me for my money. But Max was a billionaire, right?Right?I took out my phone and searched for the name of Max’s company. A few headlines came up.The first one: Brix Cars to get new CEOThe second: Max Smith resigns from the CEO position. Would this mark the end of the family’s hold on the company?The third: Brix Cars reportedly plunges into 30 billion-dollar debt.My jaw dropped lower with each headline I read. I had no idea that Max’s business was suffering this much, let alone the fact that he was no longer the CEO.Why didn't he tell me? Did this mean Gerald was right?Well… there's only one way to find out.I pulled out my phone and called the number saved under legal. “Erm… I’d like to draft a prenuptial agreement.”*****“What’s this?” Max frowned the second I handed the document to him.I kept my distance, a little scared. “Since we are goi
~Gerald~I slammed the door in his face. Before turning away, I listened as he stormed off, huffing and puffing about how I was making a huge mistake.“Before you say anything…” I began, looking at Elvis. “Get on the phone with the Russian mafia. I’m sure they would be pleased to know that Angel showed up here.”“No!”“What?” I exclaimed on the way to grab a glass of water.Elvis shook his head. “I don't think it’s a good idea to get involved in the battle between Angel and them. Time and time again, this has always ended with a bloodbath. It was hard enough for you to stay alive all these years despite having many enemies. I can't watch you get involved in a mafia war just because you want to take Angel down.”I sighed. “What do you suggest I do then?”“I suggest we wait. We wait for them to locate Angel and take him out. Since he's roaming without a care in the world, that should be pretty easy.”I shook my head with uncertainty. As far as I knew, Angel was much more powerful than m
~Rosemary~“Boss, are you okay? Boss!” Elvis ran to me as soon as the phone dropped from my hand. He made me sit on the sofa and peered down at my face.His tone changed. “Gerald, are you okay? Should I call the doctor?”I shook my head, clutching my chest. It was as if I was going to have a heart attack. But I knew going to the hospital won't help me.“Was that Rosemary on the phone? What did she say? Why are you like this?”I looked at him. “I don't know what to do, man. She’s getting married to Max again.”“What! How…but your divorce hasn't being finalized. You didn't sign the divorce papers, did you?”“I didn't. But now that she doesn't remember me or the love we shared, I’m afraid Max would make her drag me to court for the divorce. He's manipulating her big time.”I went on to tell him about the wedding photo Rosemary found and how she accused me of faking it and planting it in Max’s house.“This is getting out of hand. Should I tell the boys to take him out?”I groaned. “No. T
~Rosemary~“H-how is this… how did this…”I couldn't believe my eyes at all. I stared at the woman standing beside Max. She was wearing a very beautiful wedding dress. Most importantly, she wasn't me!She looked like me, but she wasn't me. She was Amani. I was sure of it!“So it’s true? What that man said is true! Max divorced me so he could be with Amani?”The photo slipped off my hands. Taking a step back, I stared down at it. “They even had a wedding. But why did Max propose to me two days ago? And Amani was so happy for me!”What the fuck is going on? Who's playing me for a freaking fool!All of a sudden, the door opened. I turned and saw Max. His eyes widened at the sight of me. He looked at my feet, and his eyes widened even more.“Care to explain?” I asked, folding my arms.I was trying so hard to keep it together. Heaven knows I wanted to jump at him and scratch his face. Another part of me also wanted to just break down crying. This moment reminded me of the heartbreak I su