Liam's pov"Where are you coming from?" I was shocked to hear my father's stern voice as I entered my living room. He and my mother were sitting there, their faces hard and not smiling at all. Asher sat across from them, her eyes were red, her legs crossed, stamping the left leg on the ground repeatedly. I felt a chill run through me and couldn't move from where I was standing."Where have you been?" My dad asked again. I tried to open my mouth and say something but words were not coming. Lucy and our baby were discharged three days ago from the hospital and I had to spend time with them because I felt I needed to step up and be there for them.I had been ignoring my parents' calls and making excuses whenever Asher tried to reach me. I had told her I was going on a business trip when I left home.I was caught off guard when I met parents in my house, and I didn't know how to explain where I had been. I was sure that my father would be able to tell that I had been lying about my busin
Asher's povMy husband woke up very early this morning and started getting dressed to leave the house. I had made up my mind to secretly follow him and find out where he was going, because I was determined to uncover the truth about his cunning behavior over the years. I was so prepared to spy on him.Yesterday's phone call made me realize that I had to take action and find out the truth. It wasn't the first time my husband had been making calls secretly, but this time it felt different. His laughter with the unknown caller seemed too intimate, too familiar. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on behind my back. The idea that he might be having an affair was too painful to consider, but I had to know for sure.I pretended to be asleep, he finished getting dressed and came over to wake me. He told me he was going to meet a friend, and I nodded without saying anything. As soon as he left the room, I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. I picked a scarf to cover m
Ever since Asher returned home, she has been crying nonstop. It was hard to believe that Liam, who had promised to stay away from Lucy, had been lying all along. He had a two-year-old daughter with her. It was all too much for her to take in. The thought of calling her parents crossed her mind, but she decided against it. She needed to confront her husband first and get the truth from him. He still wasn't home yet, and the evening was stretching on. She couldn't sit still, she was pacing the living room with tears. Her heart was beating faster.She was about to head to her room and try to relax when she heard the front door open. She turned and saw her husband walking towards her. He reached out to hug her, but she recoiled. The hurt she was feeling made her lash out, and she slapped him hard across the face. He looked stunned, rubbing his cheek in confusion. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What happened?" "I want nothing but the truth, are you cheating on me? '' she asked, her voice sha
It was really a surprise that Liam's dad or mom or either of Asher's parents had not confronted him after Asher left the house. She had called Asher countless times but she didn't pick, later she blocked his line. He was unable to reach her again and he didn't have the mind to reach her parents. Lucy on the hand had been calling him but he kept ignoring her calls. She was the cause of all that happened and doesn't see reasons to speak to her.Liam was at the gate of his company, honking his horn, but the gate remained closed, it seems the gate man was not there. Annoyed, he got out of his car to open the gate himself. But when he got to the gate, he saw the gate man sitting comfortably in his chair, pressing his phone. He paused for a moment wondering what could be happening because it was obvious the man must have heard the honking and also saw him trying to open the gate himself. Was he ignoring him on purpose?"Why are you sitting there, doing nothing?" Liam asked angrily. He coul
"So you have been draining the company, taking excess money from the company just to satisfy Lucy" Liam's father said angrily to Liam. Liam looked up at his father, pleading with his eyes for understanding. But Dr. Xavier was having none of it. Asher and her parents were also present, watching the exchange between father and Son."You used my company's money to satisfy your mistress" Dr. Xavier said again, his face turning red with rage. Liam was shaking, his palms sweating, His eyes were shining with the threat of tears."You see, this was what I was avoiding when I told you to stay away from Lucy. I know her intention was to drain you" Dr. Xavier said again."I remembered asking you if you are seeing her but you denied it, I'm not surprised, a cheat will definitely lie"."I'm sorry," Liam said, misery written all over his face. "Help me beg Asher, please". Asher was sobbing silently where she was seated, her face crumbling like a used tissue, her mother's arm around her shoulder, tr
"What is it?" Liam growled into the phone, annoyed by the constant call from Loretta. He had been ignoring calls from both Lucy and Loretta, but Loretta's had been incessant. He finally relented and answered the call. "Madam Lucy fainted this morning and we had to rush her to the hospital," Loretta said, her voice trembling with fear. In the background, Elizabeth's cry could be heard. Liam felt a jolt of panic and rose to his feet as he heard the news."What happened to her?" he asked, his voice urgent and filled with fear. "What's wrong with her?" He asked again."I don't know, I'm not sure what caused it, sir," Loretta said, her voice trembling. "She was feeding Elizabeth when she just suddenly fainted. I called you immediately but you didn't answer, so I and the security guard rushed her to the hospital. We're in the hospital now, but the doctors haven't said anything yet.""I'll be there as soon as I can," Liam said, his voice firm. He hurriedly grabbed his car key and dashed ou
"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you I had cancer before now, '' Lucy said. Liam was seated by her bedside holding her hands. She cried as she talked."This was the reason why I wanted you back so bad" . She said and Liam raised an eyebrow surprised at what she said. Want him so badly because she has cancer. How, he wondered."What do you mean by that?". He managed to ask."Before I came across your wedding invitation, I had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer". She started, tears and her nose running freely as she talked. "When we met at the wedding, I realized that you still cared for me," Lucy said. "I came back to you because I wanted to be with someone who loved me before the cancer took my life."As Liam listened to Lucy's confession, his heart broke into pieces and the tears flowed freely. Lucy had come back into his life, out of a desire to find someone to care for her before she died. It was really a painful truth that made Liam cry bitterly."I only wanted to feel loved before I
"The surgery has been paid for", The hospital billing office staff informed Liam, much to his surprise. He had gone to the hospital to make a partial payment on Lucy's bill, which he was able to get from his mother after much pleading as his father had refused to give him any money. He had to go secretly to his mother. Out of motherly love, Mrs Xavier gave him part of the money for Lucy's treatment."Who paid for it?" He asked the lady, shock written all over his face."A tall, slim woman, I believe she was her sister," the lady replied. Liam was surprised. The description sounded like Loretta, but where had she gotten the money?, he wondered. He thanked the woman and hurried off to Lucy's room, only to find it empty. He rushed to the nurses' station and asked where she was."She's been taken to the operating theater," one of the nurses informed him."Who signed the consent form?" He asked, worried. "Her mother did". The nurse replied. Liam exhaled deeply, thanked the nurse and left
If not for Stanley's earnest pleas on Liam's behalf, Asher might never have answered Liam's desperate calls. But when she learned of Elizabeth's dire condition, all previous animosity dissipated into thin air.Almost breathless with panic, Asher demanded the hospital's address, leaving Liam little to no time to beg for her presence. Her maternal instincts kicked into overdrive, and she was already making a beeline for the hospital before Liam could even thank her."Baby please, eat at least two spoons." Liam said as he tried to coax Elizabeth into taking a bite of the food, her lips stayed sealed in stubborn defiance. Even as he gently spoon fed her, she turned her head away, refusing to eat."I've called your mother and she will soon be here." He said, his tone soft but firm. Elizabeth's silence spoke volumes, conveying her hurt and her obstinacy in the face of Liam's efforts.The spoon hit the tray with a clatter, signaling Liam's frustration and resignation. At that moment, he felt
"Elizabeth" Liam screamed, his voice quivering with shock as he entered his house and only to beheld his daughter, motionless on the ground. He rushed to her, shook her motionless body in a desperate attempt to awaken her but she was just still.Elizabeth had been starving herself, in the aftermath of Asher's departure.She ignored her meals, and couldn't stop crying every day. Her eyes had remained puffy and red from the endless hours of weeping each day. Liam's plea for her to eat only fell on deaf ears, as she would still refuse all food, even her favorite food because of her mother being absent. In a flurry of panic, he scooped her up and rushed to his car, speeding to the hospital, ignoring the jeers of the onlookers, his entire being was focused on one thing, getting his darling daughter to the doctors before it was too late. As Liam sprinted into the hospital with Elizabeth's limp body slung over his shoulder, his panic trumped all protocol. Emergency room nurses, instantly d
In the opulent setting of Stanley's luxurious residence, Liam relaxed on an exquisite couch, his eyes fixated on the pristine glass of wine on the table as he patiently waited for Stanley to return from the washroom.Stanley had called him, inviting him to a small party at his house which he said they would be having with one of his friends. With eager anticipation, Liam anticipated the arrival of their guest."My apologies, Liam, for keeping you waiting." Stanley said with a smile as he walked back to the sitting room, taking his seat next to Liam."No problem, I'm enjoying the ambiance." Liam replied, smiling back."Our guest should be here any moment." Stanley said, as he picked up the remote and turned up the volume on the TV, allowing the actors' dialogues to fill the room."Who is this your friend and why the party,what is the party for? I don't understand." Liam asked."Don't worry friend, it's meant to be a surprise. You will know her when she comes." "Her." Liam asked, confu
The room practically crackled with tension as Liam and Asher exchanged heated words. Liam's face was flushed with fury, as he raged at Asher for hiding her past as a lesbian while in school. He stood like an immovable mountain, resistant to her pleas for understanding. But Asher, after exhausting her efforts to plead with Liam, had reached her breaking point. She stood her ground, matching Liam's ferocity word for word. "This happened before you met me". She said, her voice raised in anger."Have you ever caught me in such an act since we got married." Liam's words were bullets, piercing Asher's soul with every sentence. "You kept this your dirty secret from me, your husband." he seethed, his eyes blazing with hurt and anger. "The woman was even blackmailing you, demanding money in exchange for her silence, and you've been paying her off all this time without me knowing?" His words shook with rage, his hands clenched into fists at his sides."Liam, I know I should have told you abo
"I'm only asking for a small sum of money, and here you are, making such a scene." Pearl said, her voice raised. Her anger ranged as she confronted Asher in her own home, using the compromising photos as leverage."Do you think I came here to joke or play with you? I came to reveal your dirty secret to your husband, but God seems to be on your side today. However, I won't leave without what I came for. Hand over that money, or your secret will no longer be safe with me.""Pearl, to you, a hundred million dollars is a small amount of money? Pearl, are you in your right senses" Asher said, her face hardened with frustration."You are spitting nonsense Asher". Pearl said, her face stern. "If you are not succumbing to my demands, consider your husband being aware of your bad past". She said again, her voice cutting through the air like a whip.The air seemed to thicken with the weight of Pearl's rage as Asher crumbled under the pressure, slumping down onto the nearest chair in defeat. For
Asher's POVMy hands were immersed in a sudsy mountain of laundry when my phone's beep rang out, signaling a new message. I glanced at my phone's screen and saw that the message that came in was from Pearl and it read "I need to discuss something very important with you, and I would like you to come to my house to discuss it."My mind whirred with possibilities as to what she could be talking about, nothing coming to mind that couldn't be discussed via text or call. Anxiously, I dialed her number to find out if it could be discussed over the phone. The call went unanswered at first, but my persistence paid off when Pearl finally picked up. There was no friendly greeting or small talk, only her urgent message, "I'll send you my home address. It's very serious please." She ended the call after that before I could even utter a word.My mind raced with questions as I rushed to finish my laundry, speeding through the last stages of my cleaning routine. As I started to dress, a text from P
Liam's heart rate spiked as he walked into the sitting room, stunned to find the very woman whose identity he had been clamoring for, chatting with Asher in their house. His jaw dropped as if the world had suddenly tilted on its axis.Standing up with a warm smile, Pearl greeted him, but Liam's response was chilly at best, sending an icy chill through the room. Asher, caught in the crossfire, found himself quickly whisked away upstairs by a visibly agitated Liam, leaving Pearl alone to contemplate the reasons behind Liam's coldness."What is she doing here, and remember you haven't told me who she is?" Liam said, his face stern."Baby, like I told you earlier, Pearl is my old friend. I had wanted to tell you what had transpired between us, but you've been so busy lately." Her words hung in the air as Liam absorbed their meaning, his expression a mix of confusion and suspicion."We had a terrible fight before graduation, which was why I reacted so poorly when I saw her." She lied, her
Asher's POVAs I reclined in the comfort of my room, my daughter, Elizabeth, hurriedly entered with a look of bewilderment etched on her face. "Mom". She said "There is someone at the door asking for you," she said her voice laced with perplexity. "It's a woman, and she looks like that strange aunty we met at Uncle Stanley's birthday party. I think it's that aunty Pearl". Her eyes, wide with surprise, revealed the flutter of curiosity that stirred within her.On hearing Pearl's name, panic gripped my soul, and I sprung from the bed with haste. A silent prayer ascended from my heart, a plea that it wasn't her after all. And as I dashed downstairs, my heart racing in anxious fear, I was thankful that Liam wasn't around. If Pearl had indeed graced my doorstep, Liam's presence would have ignited a storm of trouble.My feet carried me swiftly to the living room, where my worst fears were confirmed. Pearl was already sitting comfortably, her very presence an unwelcome enigma. How did she di
Elizabeth's POVMy heart was racing as I approached my father. "Dad," I said, my voice shaking slightly with nerves. He turned from his TV program and smiled at me. "How are you, darling?" he asked, his voice calm and gentle.I'm scared the conversation might not turn out well, but I had to push through the discomfort. I had become desperate to ask him why he had such a negative view of female relationships. To him, it seemed that any sign of closeness between women was automatically seen as lesbianism. I need to understand why he had been so judgmental and narrow minded.My mind raced for the right words, but my mouth remained stubbornly silent. I took a deep breath, willing the words to come out. "I'm fine, dad," I replied, my voice still slightly trembling. "I want to ask you something." I managed to say.My father seemed to sense the gravity of my words and adjusted his seat to face me directly. "Of course, sweetheart," he said, his brows slightly furrowed in concern. "What is it