"What? How can you make such an assumption?" Scott uttered, looking absolutely flustered.Cora was no fool. She noticed the change in his expression and got more suspicious. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she stood on tiptoes to look him in the eye. "That doesn't answer my question, Scott. Is Zara the reason why you have been so closed off to me? Are you in love with her?"Scott looked away without uttering a word. He was surprised at himself. Turns out, he didn't even know the answer to these questions. Why was he feeling so regretful, yet so angry since Zara reappeared? Was this some kind of—"Answer me!" Cora screamed, breaking his train of thought."Beat it, young woman!" He scolded her. "Stop raising your voice here. This is a hospital, remember?"Cora shook her head vigorously. "I won't stop until you answer my questions, Scott. Why is it so hard for you to answer? Do you have feelings for that bitch? Yes or no?""No!" he yelled and took a deep breath. He then opened his arms.
It had been a couple of days since Tommy was certified fit to return home. Although he was still on medication, he was getting stronger by the day. The doctor had given Scott some good news when he was in torment the other day.According to him, the infection had been gotten rid of and Tommy's good kidney was gradually picking up function. After a series of more tests to be sure, he was sent home with a list of foods to avoid and also vitamins he needed to take daily.Scott was more than happy to see Tommy return to his old self. When they were having lunch a day after returning home, Tommy politely asked, "Daddy, can I attend Jayden's birthday party? He told me about it before he left the hospital. It's going to be fun!""Oh, is that so?" Scott mumbled between mouthfuls while stealing a glance at Cora. Just as he had expected, she was wearing a frown."Can I go, Daddy?" Cora suddenly dropped her pair of cutlery. Before Scott could say another word, she said, "Honey, how about we go
Having been up before the crack of dawn, Zara was tired. She sat down under the small tent to catch her breath and rest her legs before the kids got tired of playing.It was at this time Scott spotted her from afar. He went to his car and took out a shiny box. Holding it with both hands, he walked up to Zara slowly. Her eyes were closed when he arrived. He was just about to turn back when she suddenly opened her eyes."Oh, I didn't mean to disturb you."Zara yawned tiredly. "What is it?"He stretched out the box and said, "This is for Jayden. Tommy personally picked it out for him. I'm not quite sure there will be a gift opening section, so I decided to hand it over to you instead."She looked down at the box with a blank expression. After much ado, she reached out and took it. "Thank you."Scott smiled at her brightly. "You are most welcome." They both shared an awkward silence for the next minute. When he sensed that she was going to walk away any moment now, he broke the silence.
Karen—wearing flip-flops and house clothes—took giant strides to where Cora and Jayden stood. Her shriveled face was twisted in a deep frown. "Do you have a death wish? How dare you lay your filthy hands on my great-grandson?"This confrontation drew a fearful look from Cora. However, she raised her hand and said with feigned innocence, "I didn't do anything to him. He just started crying out of the blue.""You lie!" Karen angrily gave her a slap and then said, "That's for hitting him and then lying about it. I heard everything, so don't even try to play smart with me!""Ah!" Cora screamed. A sting traveled from her cheeks to her whole body. She held her burning cheek as tears flooded her eyes. She was just about to retort, but Karen suddenly grabbed her by the ear and started dragging her out of the house.When they got outside, they met a crowd that had abandoned having fun. Even the other kids were no longer jumping on the trampoline. Inquisitive murmurs came from the onlookers imm
In a crap mood, Scott drove home with Cora and Tommy in the backseat. The woman didn't have the guts to sit in the passenger seat, afraid that he would land one of the blows he had been giving the steering wheel, on her face.Tommy was crying his eyes out as he sat strapped in his car seat, but none of his parents could console him. The road was very free at this time. So, Scott stepped on the gas and refused to stop at any red light. His blood was boiling as his mind went back to what just happened. Quite frankly, he understood why Zara was mad, but he didn't stop Mia from beating Cora up because he cared about her. He just didn't want them to fight in the presence of kids. What example were they setting for them if he allowed that?It hurt that Zara didn't give him a chance to explain and apologize. Worse still, she had been so concerned for Jordan after the punch. He pondered jealously. Didn't she see when that bastard slapped my chest first? Does she hate me so much that she's bl
Zara spent the next hour tending to Jayden. She gave him some medicine for the pain and spent several minutes lulling him to sleep. By the time she walked out of his bedroom, Jordan was still sitting in the living room.His bleeding nose had been cleaned and bandaged with the help of Mia. They were discussing what happened. But when Zara walked over, Mia excused herself, citing that she had an important call to make."Does it hurt?"Jordan brushed his finger over the band-aid before replying, "Like hell! But it's all good.""Sorry," Zara said, twisting the side of her face as if she could feel his pain. Then, she looked at him appreciatively. "Thanks for standing up for me. I was so shocked and confused at the time."He flashed a charming smile. "Don't mention it."The two of them sat in silence for a minute. They turned to the TV, but Zara occasionally caught Jordan stealing glances at her.He suddenly piped up, "You should hire a gatekeeper, so no one will get into this house withou
The cops nearby immediately ran to Steven's side. Cora was screaming hysterically while shaking the bars of the temporary holding cell as if she was a she-hulk. "Someone let me out of here!" Everyone turned a deaf ear to her. In a matter of seconds, the paramedic was deployed and Steven was taken away to the clinic. It took about thirty minutes before the cop in charge of the case received news that Steven was now in stable condition. "I need to go see my father! Let me out!" Cora yelled for the umpteenth time. The cop banged his desk again. "Enough, Ms. Anderson. I just said that your father is in a stable condition. His life isn't in danger, so until we get the matter straight, you won't be released. You had better cooperate with us. Tell the truth!" Looking like a madwoman at the moment, Cora screamed at the top of her lungs, "I said it before and I'll say it again. I didn't hit Jayden. He was being a brat, so I just tapped his head in correction." "What do you have to say abou
It was as if the air was sucked out of Zara the moment Scott's lips landed on hers. She held her breath. To be exact, her lungs failed her all of a sudden. Her eyes were bulging out of the sockets as she stood frozen on the spot.Zara's mind went blank as he moved his steamy lips against hers. The moistness was alien at first. Before she knew what was happening, he patted her lips with his tongue. He gave the insides of her lower lip ticklish licks and bites.Wrapping one hand around her waist, he pulled her body closer to his. Her soft bosom pressed against his hard chest. A strange heat traveled between Zara's thighs. She swallowed hard as her eyes fluttered close. Unknowingly, she clutched Scott's shirt for dear life. Her lips soon moved in sync with his. After smiling against her lips for a millisecond, he increased the tempo. He sucked her tongue until it hurt a little.Zara didn't know where she was or who she was. She was completely lost. The car key in her hand dropped to the
Ten months later."Wake up, Daddy, Mommy! It's morning already!"Scott and Zara, who were snuggled up in bed, woke up to the excited squeal of their son. Zara opened her eyes and yawned. She nudged her husband as he was already drifting to sleep again."Wake up or he will come jumping on the bed again," she whispered to him.Scott stirred and rubbed his eyes. "But I am so tired. You wore me out last night.""It's not my fault. The baby wanted to eat a lot last night and she refused to let me sleep until I satisfied the cravings.""You know that's not what I'm talking about," Scott chuckled. "How can a pregnant woman have so much energy?"Hearing this, Zara slapped his arm while blushing. "Shush! Don't let Jayden hear you or he will start asking questions again. Help me up, will you?"Scott pulled her closer and gave her a kiss. Looking at her slightly swollen face, he said, "Good morning, beautiful.""Me too! I want a kiss!" Jayden shouted, running into the room without shutting the do
Time seemed to stop as Zara let out a scream that reached the ears of the policemen outside the gate. She lost the sense of her surroundings as she looked at Scott's face. Even the gunshots from nearby and the thud that came moments later didn't draw her attention.Her tears fell on his face. He stretched his bloodstained lips again, flashing his red teeth at her. Coughing, he muttered, "Take care of Jayden. I love you two… So so much."Zara nodded her head. "I will. I'll take care of him. But don't leave me. Let's take care of him together, okay? I can't live without you. Stay with me, okay? I love you, Scott. Always have."Still smiling, Scott raised his hand and touched her face. He held her gaze for seconds which seemed like minutes. His hand slowly dropped. Zara held on to it and continued to tell him to stay with her.But at this moment, his eyes slowly closed. Zara's cry increased in tempo alongside Jayden's. The little boy was just as horrified as his mother. Zara shook Scott'
All of a sudden, a loud noise came from not too far away. Portia and Cora looked in the direction of the exit."What was that?" they uttered at the same time.A gunshot came from a distance above. It was followed by several thuds, louder than the first one."It's the police! You are surrounded. Surrender right now!" a shout came from above.Portia immediately swung into action. "Stay here! I don't think they have found this place. I'll go handle them. Don't let these two get away, okay?"Being instructed, Cora nodded her head even though she was shaking. She sat on the ground while still holding Jayden's hands together. Portia quickly headed for the entrance with the knife still in her hand.Outside, several policemen broke down the door of the house with multiple battering ram. They took several positions while the best of them matched into the kitchen with guns.The door of the pantry was kicked down in the blink of an eye. They broke into twos, looking around in the pantry. A duo s
"That shoe!" Scott's eyes widened as he leaned forward. He zoomed in on the live footage to have a better look. The other men also opened their eyes wide. Their eyes were on Portia's pair of blue and white trainers."I have seen that shoe somewhere before," Scott mumbled as he began typing on the keyboard again. Another tab opened. He clicked on the surveillance video Portia had given to them. Without wasting time, he looked at the footwear Zara had on when she arrived at the Andersons' home. It was a pair of pink and black sneakers. Quickly, he fast-forwarded the video to when she was leaving. Strangely, her footwear was no longer pink and black. It was blue and white!Scott increased the brightness level of the screen and zoomed in more just to make sure he wasn't mistaken. The footwear had indeed changed."Holy smokes!" Anthony exclaimed at the mystery that was unfolding before him.In silence, Scott scrolled up the body of "Zara". It was at this moment he noticed that the body s
The person she was looking at was Scott. She imagined slapping him in that hard face of his for all the pain he caused her child. The nerve of him to show up here after everything!"Mrs. Anderson... Mrs. Anderson," Detective Marshall called out, snapping his fingers.Finally, Portia drew her gaze away from Scott. She looked back at the cop and said, "Can't we talk here?""I'm afraid, no. I also need to speak to your daughter."Portia turned. "I could call her out.""No, there's no need. To the best of my knowledge, she's under house arrest, I don't want to stress her more than she already is. Also, she could get into trouble with her probation officer. Just let us in. Or is there something you don't want to see in there?"Hearing this, Portia's face changed immediately. She eyed him and then turned around. She walked into the house, leaving the door open. The four men walked in immediately.As soon as they entered, Scott's eyes swept around the house. He walked around while the others
"Mommy!" Jayden screamed as soon as he saw Zara sitting on the chair with her head hanging low. A rope was tied tightly around her. There was a dry patch of blood on her neck. Wisps of her hair stuck to her sweaty face. Her hands were tied together in front of her pelvis. Her collarbone was visible at this time, it was deeper than it had ever been. At the sight of his mother in this state, Jayden leaped to his feet and darted to her. Before he could get through the door of the cubicle where Zara was, Cora pushed him down with a smack. He fell to the dusty floor, hurting his back yet again. He screamed, "Aaaah!""Shut it!" Cora roared at him, raising her hand to hit him again.Jayden held his lips as he looked up at Cora with fear. His pale face instantly turned red. He coughed hard but still didn't let go of his lips. Suddenly, something caught his attention. He looked away from Cora. He soon screamed again, "Mommy!"Cora turned to look in the same direction as the little boy. She
Cora drew her head back. Looking up at the ceiling, she let out an evil laughter that reverberated in the entire living room. There was a bloodstain on the figurine. The sight of it made her more joyful. She looked down at Zara again and smirked. "Stupid bitch!"The patter of flip-flops suddenly came from the side. It was followed by a scream-whisper, "Cora! Why did you do that?"Cora looked at her mother with a smile still on her face. "I told you she was going to come, Mom. She was about to search the whole house. I had to stop her."Holding her forehead, Portia didn't know what to say for a while. She looked upstairs to make sure Steven was nowhere in sight, then she asked, "How did she get here? Did she come in her car or taxi?""I don't know!" Cora shrugged. "Why do you ask?"Portia put two fingers on Zara's neck. After confirming that there was a pulse, she said, "Use your head, Cora! We can't just let her go. And if we keep her here, the cops are gonna come here. You could be s
The mood in the Hall family's home was sadder than it had ever been in more than fifteen years when Zara's parents died. At the time, many people were crying, but today, it was a one-man crying marathon.Zara, who hadn't taken a shower since the day of Jayden's kidnap, dragged herself from the sofa and sat on the cold floor. Her crying increased in tempo. She dragged her greasy hair and scratched her red face. She looked like a woman who had just lost her husband.Mia moved closer and reached out. "You need to stop crying, Zara. You have been crying for more than two days.""If I don't cry, what else can I do? Eh! What else can I do? My son is missing. And the police keep telling me stories upon stories without having a single clue as the where Jayden is. Yet, I am not supposed to cry?" Zara asked sniffing hard.She suddenly slapped Mia's hand off her shoulder. "Leave me alone. Let me cry!"On the sofa opposite the two young ladies, Karen was seated in casual clothes. Her eyes were he
"Yes!" Scott punched the air as he stared at the masterpiece he had made. There was a big smile on his face at this moment. He had taken the day off work and spent the entire morning and noon painting the huge Spiderman figure on the wall of a spare room.With one of his hands on his hip, he muttered to himself, "I just have to put a child's bed here and make it more comfortable. Then, I have to convince Zara to allow him stay the night a few times."The thought of bringing up the topic made Scott shiver. He could already imagine her shooting him a deathly glare. But he was going to give it a shot anyway. "She can't kill me, can she?"Scott chuckled as he imagined her agreeing after his incessant pleas. "She can be very stubborn, but once I make her see the good in this, she will surely agree."As Scott continued to talk to himself, there was a knock on the door. The nanny's voice came from outside, "Mr. Brown, your phone has been ringing. Sorry to disturb you."Scott turned to look a