Fredericks POV“So there you have it; are you happy now? I was placed in that cell because of my mother, who is now a fucking mom to aa three-year-ol boy.” The pain hits hard again; she had her own family; maybe she was happy there; she should be happy there; that’s why she chose to ignore the fact that I existed.I still fought back tears because that was all I could do at that moment, and for the rest of the day, Joan didn’t bother asking me any other questions; we simply left in utter silence.I didn’t know what her name was; Dad didn’t tell me her name, and that one time was the only time I got to see her picture, so maybe I had mistaken her for someone else. That should be the truth.‘I didn’t see my mother. If she were really my mother, she wouldn’t run the second time.The front door bell rang, but I didn’t feel motivated to move; whoever it was should move back to where they were coming from. I wasn’t prepared to see anyone now, but this prick somehow had the nerve to ring con
Joan’s povHe wouldn’t hear me out; he was becoming such a prick, but I wouldn’t blame him. There was just something off about this woman that didn’t sit right with me; it was as though she was seeking sympathy, which was still obvious, but Fred was too blinded.I was going to find out what really happened, and even though it sucked to actually say this, I knew Jones was a freak, but I wanted to hear his side of the story; it shouldn’t be any different from the story she had proposed, and even if it had to be, I just wanted to know how and what had happened between both of us.I did all I did mostly because of Fred. I had seen the way he covet her return; he deserves more than just lies.I was willing to stoop as low as talking to Jones. Wanting to see him would bring back so much trauma, not like I didn’t have enough drama going on already; I had vouch never to see him again, but just this one time.Maybe I will just sit back home and watch how things play out before everyone; beside
Joan’s pov“Real mother,” I repeated.It sounded bizarre, and it was hard for me too. Fred’s mother had been out of his life for as long as everyone could remember. and now she was back at home, and I don’t feel good about it, but I couldn’t bore mom with all the weird feelings I felt inside or the insane fact that her husband had been locked up, or I was molested all along, or Fred was expelled from the college she wanted him to graduate from. .It was made clear that she shouldn’t know about everything until she is done with surgery, so she doesn’t stress her heart.The possibility of having high blood pressure was high if she was stressed. Most likely, we were supposed to make her happy, but not too happy. So in her innocent heart, her husband was too busy and got a job offer, and they were having issues, and he didn’t come.And Fred was back home because I told him that she was sick and it made her happy, but it was all lies.A lot had gone wrong in the family, and I feared she mig
Joan’s POVI hated everyone.Angered and frightened, I let myself fall to the bed, the tears trickling down the back of my eyes. How can Fred just come back to him? And the first thing he does is assume that I would slap a woman the age of my mother because I hated her.I was too gullible to attempt such a mistake, but I had already accepted my fate; she was his mother; she was just his mother.I let the anger take a toll on me and slowly drove me to sleep, just to wake up to the loony weather. My stomach rumbled, but the sadness made me nauseous. But there was just this scent that piqued my interest; it smelt like a perfectly made stake, and on a platter, it made my belly sing even more.But then, when I remembered who might be preparing this food, the hunger died immediately. Fred wasn’t a good cook. I learned that the hard way. After, he prepared food for me to eat during my mom's vacation with Jones. Thank goodness she dropped leftovers, but that wasn’t the matter on the ground.I
Joan’s POV“Wow, just…”“What do you want to do? Call Fred and cry to him about how unjustly I treated you. For fuck sake, you are old enough to be a little bit wise and know when to leave the room; don’t be a cow; move,” she said, pushing me out of the room and locking the door. Leaving me outside totally left me in dismay and confusion.She was just too confident, and it hurt me to know she was right, but complaining about this now wouldn’t resolve anything; I needed to find whatever she was looking for before she finally took it. A part of me tells me that whatever she was planning on taking was going to leave a dent in this family.And that might be the sole reason she came back home. She didn’t come back to Fred; at least I knew that enough after all the displays of control and her pettiness. She was only concentrating on toying with his feelings and his trauma.She wanted to use him, and she knew he would fall for her the moment she came into his life. I was beginning to doubt e
Joan’s POVThe next morning...I felt sore inside; I barely ate the previous day, so my belly told me. The room was hazy, and the thought of everything that had happened these previous days weighed me down and filled me with sadness, but I just chose to be okay with it; otherwise, I would be punishing myself with all these bodily demands.I could perceive the scent of warm food this early, and it messed with me, but I wasn’t going to starve because I didn’t want them to see me at my lowest, so I stood from the bed, dressed myself up, took my bath, and then walked out of my room.As always, they had that picture-perfect family look; literally, the view needed to see them as happy.Lisa was holding Fred's hands as he chopped something on the board while West was on the table playing, and then Joan stared at them in disdain. My sanity was placed at the expense of whatever joy they thought they would have with me out of the picture.I stood at the far end of the living room, taking glance
Joan’s POV"Lisa had a child with Jones; she would call it a mistake, cry, and whine about it for days, and she was so sorry for hurting my feelings. She was my first. I don’t think I can really be angry with her. She continued playing with me over and over again. I allowed her into my life after Frederick was born. I nurtured her till she was due.She was the sole reason why I hate jokes to this day; both of them are justHe signed and then walked out of the living room, just to come back with another set of juice boxes.“Pardon, I just can’t do without it,” he said, placing it on the desk, then continuing to his seat.“Well, Lisa came back after the birth of Fred and decided she would stay with me, and we would be fine together. She promised she wouldn’t have anything to do with Jone and had cast him away completely, but instead of her finally accepting how evil she is, she stole from me, then gave it all to Jone. I didn’t know how bankrupt I was until the day she finally left our c
Joan’s POVInside mom's room was the same as Jones's too, which this couple had defied; the broken vase was no longer there, so either Fred or his mother had cleared it because I wouldn’t, and not just that, I hope she hasn’t dented my mother's property because she was looking for something to steal; I won’t be quiet if that was what she was looking for.I would expose her to the world, and she would be dragged into it for the rest of her life. They could torment me all they wanted, but never my mother; she was too good to be despised continuously.Eagerly ruffling through everywhere till I finally saw a key similar to what she had explained, relief flushed over me.“Finally!”The tag and the address were just tagged at the side, and from the looks of it, wherever this warehouse was, it would take me an hour to get there, but since it was the only way I could find happiness on a day like this,.Why not?Shoving it in my pocket, I walked out of the room. I made my way out of the room j
In a penthouse far from the world's trouble, Joan and Fred had just gotten the best news yet: she was pregnant with their second child after their first child, Janet.Their happiness was boundless; it was a miracle yet again. Fred held onto Joan’s waist, swimming her in the living room as they danced to the song made by the trees that surrounded them, while Janet clung to their feet, dancing around with them.It’s been three years since they had problems that were out of the ordinary—three years of utter bliss and love at their peak. And there were no enemies at their doorstep; they were so far from world trouble that they had forgotten what it felt like to be hated.After the gunshot at Joan’s wedding, Sophia shot herself and died at the reception. The wedding made news about how the billionaire's daughter shot her ex-boyfriend on his wedding day.Everyone criticised them for making her lose her own life; they trolled her for being his stepsister until they found out what really warr
Joan’s POV“You can take a look now,” the makeup artist said, turning the drafting chair so I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I was left speechless, and she placed the veil on my head, making my heart jitter.It looked so beautiful. I looked this beautiful, and it was a surprise to me at my wedding that I wouldn’t see my reflection till the final touch, just staring at the final touch.“Do you like it?” She said, patting my cheek with a makeup brush.“It’s perfect"“Well, I hope the groom is more shocked than you because you look stunned," she said, and with a fine touch, she kissed my forehead.It was my wedding day, and I had been up since 5 a.m., but it was worth it; the look was perfect.Few hours from now, Fred and I would be arriving in the church to exchange our vows before the reception, and even after so much planning, I still felt a knot in my belly, my heart pounding and my hands itching to be held by him.I imagined what he would look like and what his reaction woul
TWO YEARS LATERJoan’s POVThe weather seemed so cold today. I stretched my hands to feel his body, but it's nowhere to be found—not even close enough after rolling to the edge of the bed.“Baby,” I whispered, yet nothing at all"Babe, where are you?"Yet it was all so quiet. I waited a little; maybe he went to the bathroom. Looking at the side of the bed, it’s just 6 a.m. in the morning, so he either went for a run or would be back soon, so I waited, but it clocked nine and I was still on the bed.It’s a Saturday, and not just like every Saturday, it’s my birthday. I had expected him to wake me up with kisses and maybe good morning sex, but no, he chose to go out instead. I felt so disappointed in him.Picking up my phone I called him, but his phone was ringing, and he wasn’t answering. Fred was a sucker for his smartphone; he only slept two inches away from it every night, so I could swear that he saw my calls and heard all my endless voice messages, and he chose to ignore them.It
Fredericks POV“Never!”Dad turned immediately, shooting the first person who was unfortunate enough to be at the mercy of the pistol.George….“No!"Rushing towards him, I yanked the gun from his hands and pointed it at him.“Frederick, don’t shoot him; he can’t run anywhere now." George, who had just been shot in the arm, said he was bleeding on the floor and had now been carried away by the paramedics.Then I stared back at this embarrassment of a father. He held a smug look on his face as she stared deadpan at me.“You don’t have what it takes to pull the trigger; you think having balls like a man makes you any stronger; no, it doesn't; do your worst; you are just like me anyway.""Never; I am nothing like you; I never will be." I yelled, forbidding whatever he said. I had fought too much to remove that thought from my mind. I didn’t waste money on so much therapy just so he could look me in the eye and call me a replica.I was nothing like my father—nothing at all.“Fight it all
Fredericks POVAnother round of sex, a little kiss on the chin, some I love you and love you too, and she was good to go. I had just dropped Joan off at her school when I was driving back home.It’s been tough. So tough, but with all that had happened, at least I came out strong. The money from the inheritance was big enough to get me a house on the other side of the city, and I am currently building a car repair store. I had this undyinfnpassing for carsIt has always been my dream to own something like this, and somehow the universe came up to me at my lowest, gave me a fortune, and set me on the right path, which I took with the help of mom and Joan. I couldn’t be any happier, and even if I could, I knew it wouldn’t be different from this feeling I had inside.The feeling of utter bliss and no confusion, the calmness needed to pursue a dream I always wanted, the family support, and everyone else needed to get the perfect kickstart.And with time, I have come to understand that fami
Joan’s POVAfter mom's surgery, we were to go home and probably come to pay her regular visit, but that wasn’t the only good thing that had happened.Fred and I left the hospital and went back home, just to hear West crying. It was concerning, given the fact that Lisa should be consoling him, but he was banging on the door and crying bitterly when Fred and I pulled up at the house.“Hey baby, I am coming,” I said, rising towards the door and hitting on it so Lisa would open the door. I hoped she didn’t vent her anger on the little child who did absolutely nothing to cause her this much misery, but it seemed she wasn’t going to open the door, so Fred called her, endlessly hoping she would open the door but still doing the same thing.“Did she lock us out for good? You gave her the house, didn’t you?”“Yes, but is it not too quick to throw us out? I mean, I have things in there too." We started off by calling her name and banging on it even more. But it's still the same thing.“Move asi
Joan’s POVThe headaches, the gut feeling that made me want to sleep for a whole three days, and this crippling depression that I felt at the corner of my eyes made me feel like throwing up, but I didn’t drink beer; there was no throwing up here.I was just made to suffer the hangover coupled with this level of sadness that came over me the moment I opened my eyes. It's already morning, like most of the morning we had in this house. I wasn’t prepared to stand; I just wanted to survive the day while doing absolutely nothing.But it was mom's surgery; she needed me there. At least I can’t stay here or let Fred go all alone; it’s suicide, but seeing his face would be the end of me. I don’t want to know if he woke up well this morning or barely slept last night. I didn’t want to have the slightest affect shown towards me by him.I just wanted him out.But then again.Hospital..Mom…So I stood from my bed, then sluggishly carried my body to the bathroom. I was wrecked of sweat and liquor,
Joan’s POV“What?”“Yes, so just so you know, before you start blaming me for everything that has happened, I saw your message in the damn hospital. Get your head straight for once in your life, would you?"“Is mom okay? Where is she? What happened to my mother?" I yelled, pulling his collar. If anything were to happen to mom, I wouldn’t survive past today, and I made him know that with the way I reacted.“She’s fine, just a little seizure, and the surgery commences tomorrow, so we have to be there tomorrow unfailingly in the morning, and here you are, blaming me for taking time to see our mother; you are just, ahh, what will I do with you?”“Don’t talk to me like that; how would I have known?" I whined, feeling the pain of guilt down my chest; the liquor I had taken quenched, and my little uproar of courage died. I found myself wanting to cry again, but my eyes were tired, and if they had a mind of their own, I bet they would purge out of the socket. I had cried way too much today, b
Joan’s POVInside mom's room was the same as Jones's too, which this couple had defied; the broken vase was no longer there, so either Fred or his mother had cleared it because I wouldn’t, and not just that, I hope she hasn’t dented my mother's property because she was looking for something to steal; I won’t be quiet if that was what she was looking for.I would expose her to the world, and she would be dragged into it for the rest of her life. They could torment me all they wanted, but never my mother; she was too good to be despised continuously.Eagerly ruffling through everywhere till I finally saw a key similar to what she had explained, relief flushed over me.“Finally!”The tag and the address were just tagged at the side, and from the looks of it, wherever this warehouse was, it would take me an hour to get there, but since it was the only way I could find happiness on a day like this,.Why not?Shoving it in my pocket, I walked out of the room. I made my way out of the room j