"You don’t walk out on me like that!" he snapped, grabbing her arm from behind. "Let go of me," Laura hissed, jerking away from his grip."You’ve been getting more defiant lately, Laura. And honestly, it’s pissing me off. What’s wrong with you?" Daniel barked. "Oh really? What’s wrong with me?" she shot back, spinning to face him. "Maybe you should ask yourself that, because I don't even recognize who you are anymore. And frankly, I can’t figure out what your real issue is."Earlier that evening, Daniel had woken Laura from sleep, saying he needed to talk. She’d agreed, half-asleep, assuming it was something urgent.But the conversation took a sharp turn when he told her she’d be moving to another city with him until after she gave birth. No prior discussion—just a decision he’d already made.Laura couldn’t wrap her head around it. With everything going wrong in her family, she didn’t want to be far away. The timing, the decision—none of it made sense. She calmly told Daniel she wasn’
As the sun dipped low on the horizon, Rolland dropped Bryan off at his apartment. Just as he was about to pull away, his gaze froze on a familiar figure leaning against a nearby car. It was Raymond.Rolland’s heart pounded as he hit the brakes and stepped out of the car, stunned. Raymond stared coldly at him, his expression unreadable.Does he know about Bryan? Has he been following me?Questions raced through Rolland’s mind as he cautiously approached his second son. “What are you doing here, Raymond?” Rolland asked, his voice uneasy.“My instincts were right,” Raymond said, his tone low and steely. “You’ve been sneaking around with your other son.”Rolland’s heart sank. He knows about Bryan. “I—I can explain,” he stammered. “Don’t bother,” Raymond cut in, shaking his head. “You’ve betrayed the very people who stood by you for years—Mom, me. And for what? I’m just… disgusted.”“No, son. It’s not what you think. You don’t understand how this all unfolded,” Rolland tried to defend.“St
And Markson… he didn’t want to hear any of it.Because what could she possibly say now that would undo the years of betrayal? Laura pulled up in front of her parents’ house, barely letting the car come to a stop before she jumped out and rushed to the front door.Her mother had called earlier, her voice breaking with tears—but offered no explanation. Just sobs. That alone was enough to send Laura into a spiral of worry. "Mom? Dad?" she called out as she stepped inside, her voice echoing through the quiet house.No response.She made her way down the hallway, her footsteps quickening when she heard muffled crying coming from the master bedroom.Pushing the door open, she found her mother curled on the bed, shoulders trembling with every sob."Mom?" Laura rushed over and sat beside her, concern etched into her face. "What’s wrong?"Without a word, Claudia pulled her into a desperate hug, clinging tightly as though she'd been holding herself together for far too long.Laura held her in s
In the family library, Raymond was hunched over a stack of documents, combing through files in preparation for his father’s campaign.Suddenly, the door creaked open and Anthonia stepped inside."I’ve been looking all over for you," she said. Startled, Raymond glanced up."Mom... I’ve been here for a while. Just making sure everything’s in place for Dad’s campaign. You know how important this is to him."Anthonia walked over and took a seat across from him, letting out a soft sigh."I know how much it means to your father. But lately... I don’t know. He’s been distant, distracted. I feel like he’s hiding something from me, and I just can’t figure out what." Raymond stiffened, watching her carefully. ‘She’s getting close. Closer than she realizes,’ he thought. ‘And when she finds out the truth—that Dad has another son—God knows how crushed she’ll be.’Raymond masked his concern with a calm expression, pretending he knew nothing. "You know what, Mom?" he said, breaking the silence. "I t
"Is that Harold again? What does he want now?" Laura muttered as she stood up to answer the door.But instead of Harold, she froze in surprise. Standing there was her husband, Daniel. "D-Daniel?" she stammered, her arms slowly wrapping around him in a hesitant hug, her face a mix of surprise and confusion."Surprised to see me?" Daniel asked with a playful smile, gently rubbing her back. "Yeah... I am, actually. You said you’d be back this weekend." Laura replied, still trying to process his unexpected return."Hmm. I thought you’d be more excited to see me," Daniel said as he stepped into the house—only to spot Laura’s parents seated in the living room. His smile faded.So this is why she isn’t thrilled to see me... They shouldn’t be here, he thought, his eyes fixed on them.Clearly, their presence wasn't welcome. Both Markson and Claudia acknowledged Daniel with a polite nod, but he merely returned it with a stiff one and headed straight upstairs.Sensing her husband's irritation, La
"Sir, you have a patient in ward 35 who needs your attention," a nurse reported as she walked into Harold's office.Harold, maintaining his composure, nodded. "Okay, I'll be right there," he replied.Steadying his emotions, Harold composed himself and left his office.When Laura was discharged, she felt so emotional that she didn't want to see Harold before leaving the hospital. Seeing him would only make her longing for him more intense, despite his explanations.As she and her maid Venessa entered the car, her phone rang. Glancing at the screen, Laura immediately answered, "Hi, dear." Her voice was sore."Hey... Darling, are you still at the hospital?" Daniel inquired worriedly."We're about to leave now," Laura replied."Alright, so how are you feeling?" Daniel asked."I'm better now, Daniel. At least I can stand on both feet," Laura said, rolling her eyes dramatically.Daniel let out a sigh of relief. "I'm happy to hear that. I have to go now, but I'll call you later," he said befo