ElianaDorian, Rachel, and I tiptoed inside Robert's house after climbing through the kitchen window, which, luckily for us, had been left open. I had called them immediately after Nicholas left for work and told them everything that had happened. Rachel, being the crazy one as usual, suggested we snoop around my mom's things and see whether we'd find my father's documents. I was up for it, because losing my father's house wasn't something I was just going to sit and allow. So innocently, I called Robert and asked him where he left, citing that I wanted to visit him and mom and talk."Where do we even begin?" Rachel whispered while munching on an apple she had picked up from the kitchen counter."Why are you whispering dumbass? There is no one home." I laughed at her."Why are you tiptoeing and we are alone? Dumbass," she reiterated with her mouth full, using my words against me."We don't have time to eat, Rae; they could be back any minute." Dorian pulled her towards the L-shaped st
Nicholas"Nora Smith and Marya Sanders are the same person," I whispered, the reality of the matter sinking in while my body unfroze. Instead, my fingers began shaking as waves of shock ran through me with such uncontrollable intensity."And she is no doubt using her stepson to eliminate Eliana. She is behind it all," Allan added, while my eyes remained glued on the impostor my brother had married. How was he going to deal with it? How would he survive such a fucking painful revelation? I could relate given what Brittany did to me, but while I was young and stupid, Rob was mature and in love with Nora.I had trusted his decision to marry her, but it seems he didn't run a thorough background check on her. Otherwise, he would have noticed that something was wrong with her."How will I tell Eliana and Rob? Where will I even begin knowing it's going to break the hearts of the people I love?" I dropped the photo on my desk and buried my face in my shaky hands. My mind at that moment was sa
Eliana"Eliana." Someone was shaking me, but I couldn't make out who it was between Rae and Dorian. It was almost as if my mind and my senses had travelled into another dimension. My eyes didn't blink, staring at the passport photo on the licence until they started burning, moisture filling them.Slowly, I stretched my hand and picked it up, mouth open."It can't be," I whispered. She had a different eye and hair colour and looked much younger, likely in her late teens or early 20s, but it was definitely her. Every single thing on the paper was printing out a side of her that I couldn't even comprehend.The licence was obviously from Utah State and not Indiana, and the residence was some street I wasn't familiar with. Who are you, mom? I thought out loudly, squinting my eyes."Maybe it's her twin sister," Rachel mumbled, and the tiniest part of me wished that she was right."Shut up, babe. This is not a guessing matter," Dorian chastised, steadying me when I stumbled backwards, my upp
Nicholas"Let her in," I told Reyna, my secretary, after she called, saying that Eliana was outside. I didn't know whether to get mad or happy because it was dangerous for her to even step foot outside the gates of my house now that we knew what her mother was capable of. I was happy because she was safe, and I had missed her even though I had made love to her before I came to work."She lied." That was the first thing she said when she got inside, a large envelope in her hands."She fucking lied to me, Nick," she hiccuped, using her left hand to wipe her tears furiously. Without wasting time, I shot up from the seat as she went around the table, dropped the envelope in it, and threw herself into my waiting arms."What happened, love? Why are you crying?" I squeezed her tighter into me when she broke out into a loud sob. Even though I had no idea what she was talking about, I could feel her pain in her cries and her hiccups. Her shoulders shook as I carried her onto the office couch a
ElianaA wave of acid welled up from my stomach as it contracted into a tight ball. I turned my head around, my gaze darting around the room, trying to process every bit of Nick's words. I didn't know whether to continue sobbing, scream, run to my mother for more explanation, or just sit there."Sanders." I tested the name on my tongue, trying to make out whether I had heard the name before. Then my eyes dropped on the driver's card on Nick's hand, and that is when it hit me. Every doubt I had and every hope about the young woman's photo on the driver's card not being mom, was washed away when Nick revealed mom's past. Like Rachel, a part of me had hoped that maybe it was my mom's twin sister that I knew nothing about."Marya Sanders," I whispered, blinking rapidly as my spine tingled, but not in a good way."H-ow?" I stammered for the umpteenth time that day, closing my eyes as my head throbbed."She managed to hide her past all these years," Nick said, while I bent over, putting my
Nicholas"What do you mean you are not coming?" I asked Rob via the phone, looking at the time on my wrist watch. It was a little after 7 p.m., and he was supposed to have arrived already."My wife needs me right now, sorry." My curiosity arose."Is everything okay?"He sighed, "Not really. Nora's turning the entire house upside down, looking for something she claims was stolen.""Something?" I pressed."She won't say what was taken, but she's screaming, saying it's a matter of life and death." Sure enough, I heard her annoying screeches in the background as she shouted at my brother to help her look."Well, maybe she just misplaced whatever she's looking for." I shrugged, but deep down, I knew she must have been looking for her documents."Have you called the police?" I intentionally asked, wondering whether my brother was questioning why she wasn't telling him what was taken."She's refusing." She screamed again, this time around, leaving my ears ringing."I'll make it up for today's
Eliana"You barely slept, baby, so you need to sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there." Nicholas said this beside me on the luxurious bed, without looking up from his laptop. We were inside the jet's master bedroom, with cool gold accents on the walls and a white modelled ceiling with inbuilt lights. Beside the bed was a plush wall leather seat and a table where a bowl of fruits lay. The jet was sectioned into a general sitting area, a mini-bar, a guestroom, and an office."You didn't sleep either; let's do it together," I suggested, a yawn following right after. It was around 6 in the morning, and according to his pilot, we were going to land around 9, so we had one or two hours to make up for the previous night."I have work to do, Eliana. Just sleep." He dismissed me without sparing me a glance yet again. An ache formed in my chest, and instead of adding any other words, I turned and faced the other side. I couldn't understand what changed when we had such a fun night of making
NicholasEliana's palm on my hand was wet; she was already sweating as we went up Sander's porch stairs. It was a pretty decent home with a white picket fence in a pretty cool neighbourhood. After ringing the doorbell, Ellie started shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She could barely look at me, puffing air out through her mouth."Look," I stood in front of her, my back facing the door. Then I placed my finger on her chin, lifting her face, and then softened my gaze."I understand you have a lot of what-ifs running through your mind right now. But you don't have to be nervous, baby; everything will be okay, and even if it doesn't, we'll always find a way." I honestly believed that every problem, even the ones that seemed impossible, were solvable."What if he kicks us out?" Before I could even answer, the door was opened, making me turn around."Good morning, Mr. Sanders." I extended my hand at the tall man with blonde short hair shaved on the sides and a light stubble wit
Eliana Two Years Later "Hurry the fuck up, Eliana. I do not want Rachel's wrath on her wedding day," Nicholas shouted from downstairs, making me roll my eyes as I strapped my silver 4-inch heels on, right at the top of the staircase. "Stop cussing around E.J," I responded, running down the stairs. Nicholas was carrying our son, tapping his foot on the floor while staring at his watch. "Well, you made me do it," he defended himself, shrugged, then headed for the door while our son giggled. "How? We agreed that we wouldn't be using that language, especially now that E.J. is learning to speak." I walked after him to catch up. "I'm sorry it slipped. You can be so annoying, especially when you are required to keep time," he defended again, nodding at our chauffer as he opened the passenger door and the back seat door. "Wait until he starts cussing; your sorry won't make sense anymore." I stood behind him as he strapped E.J. into his baby car seat, then used the other side to
Three Months Later Eliana "I hereby sentence you to life in prison without the possibility of parole." The judge finished, staring right at Gavin, who hung his head, closed his eyes, opened them, and then outright glared at me with moisture in them. His father protested, violence ensuing between his security men and the Court's enforcement officers. I was quickly escorted out by Nick and his security, shielding me from the violence. Despite the adrenaline levels rising inside of me, the smile inside me couldn't be wiped off. My efforts had totally paid off, and I could finally breathe a long sigh of relief. My mother had already been sentenced to death, Matthew to two consecutive life sentences, and the family doctor and lawyer getting reduced sentences of 15 years each for entering a plea deal. Finally, my father's soul could rest in peace. "You did it, Ellie; you put him right where he deserves," Allan stated with an equally big smile as we descended the stairs leading to the p
Nicholas "How can you even say that?" Eliana shot up, closing her eyes suddenly, while the doctor rushed to her side. "Do you really think so low of me to even imagine me carrying Gavin's child?" Her voice rose. I could feel the pain in it, making me wish I hadn't mentioned Gavin. "I will have to ask you to leave, sir. My patient needs peace right now, and you aren't exactly providing it," Dr. Dave sternly said, adjusting his spectacles. "Leave us." Eliana lowered her voice, her chest rising as she let out a loud breath. "But Nick is not exactly habitable right now," Allan argued, looking at Eliana, trying to make her change her mind. I could, however, see the determination in her eyes as she scooted back to the bed. "I need only a few minutes, please," she added, looking at the doctor. "We just stabilised your pressure, so I need you to know that stress might force it to rise—" "I will be right outside; if things go south, I will intervene," Allan chimed in, assuring the doc.
Eliana I ran into the ladies washrooms, trying to lose a number of paparazzi who were coming after me. The last thing I wanted was to do an interview about what had transpired. I leaned over one of the sinks, letting out a short sigh of relief. "It's done. I did it." I whispered, looking at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. What I saw were dark circles peeking from some concealer I had tried applying. I attempted to put on a smile for pushing Gavin out of Nick's way, but instead my lips trembled. The pain I had managed to push down while dealing with Gavin was knocking, threatening to consume me. "Why?" Nick's voice filled the space, making me close my eyes. I could feel his presence, but I wasn't sure I could face him. "Why didn't you tell me?" He pressed, his steps sounding louder the closer he came. The smell of alcohol hit me, making me close my eyes while I attempted to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat. I lowered my eyes, unable to look at his reflecti
Nicholas "Come on, Nick, we'll miss the most important part of the event," Allan nudged, looking at the time on his wrist watch, while I leaned on my leather couch. "I told you I am not going," I responded in a bored tone, the urge to open another bottle of Hennessy Paradis brewing up inside. Attending the Annual Excellence Business Awards was out of the question, knowing that Eliana would be there with Gavin. "But that is a great opportunity to meet other businessmen and women. You know the best deals we've bagged so far usually originate from this event." I covered my face with my hand, closed my eyes, and pulled my brows together. "You always do that without me, Allan. You know I have always hated parading myself out there for any media attention." I sighed, just yearning to be alone in the quiet, with a bottle of alcohol to numb my burning and broken insides. "Eliana is going to be there," he spoke, making me swallow heavily. "The very reason why I am not going," I mumbled,
Eliana "Finally, I was beginning to think that you had backed out of the deal," Gavin said when I walked into his study, one of his men holding the door for me. "Aren't we impatient?" I rolled my eyes, sitting down on the office chair opposite his. "I thought your head would be killing you after all the clubbing last night," he said, dismissing his employee with a wave of his hand. "Clubbing?" I asked, removing my cat-eyed glasses. He squirmed a bit but quickly covered it by moving his swivel office chair. In fact, if I hadn't been so keen, I would have missed his quick reaction entirely. "How do you know I was clubbing? Are your men following me?" I put the glasses on the desk, then leaned over, looking at him in his evil eyes. There was nothing in them except malice, which sent shivers down my spine. "What? Ha ha, no. Uuh, I mean, why would they?" He stuttered, making me place my clasped hands on the desk, right beside my glasses. "I just saw your red eyes and puffy lids," he
NicholasI covered my head with my pillow when my phone rang somewhere on the bed. The ringtone felt like it was playing inside my ears, tormenting my banging head. I almost shouted "hallelujah" when it stopped, only for it to ring again after a few seconds."The fuck is wrong with some people?" I groaned, wondering why the person hadn't just left a simple voicemail instead of being stubborn. The only way to stop the disturbance was to grabble on the bed for the phone with my eyes still closed. When I finally found it, I blindly pressed on the screen, hoping it would end the call."Why in the hell aren't you answering my calls? Been calling since 8 and you just let it ring, are you ignoring me?" Allan went all loud, shouting over the phone like a madman, while I struggled to cover my ears. It wasn't enough, though, because I heard everything. I was pretty sure the phone wasn't on loudspeaker, even though Allan was clear."Shut up," I weakly responded, with my eyes still closed."Wait,
Eliana"I want to be left alone," I said when the guestroom door was knocked."Open up, Ellie; it's me." Allan's voice drifted inside."If he's there, I will close the door on your face," I warned, dragging my feet."If you mean Nicholas, he left without a word as soon as you closed your bedroom door." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to stop emotions from taking control over me. The Nick I knew would have followed me, but to hear he had already left? I couldn't pretend that it didn't make my chest ache."Come in." I stepped aside when I opened the door as Allan stepped in."He is hurting, Ellie," he said, his words making me swallow thickly to soothe my drying throat."I attached the chip to his SIM card slot," I uttered, deciding not to comment on Allan's previous statement."For real?""Haven't you seen anything from your end?" I asked, sitting on the bed."I was a little caught up," he rubbed his neck sheepishly, avoiding eye contact."I understand. Catching up with friends
Nicholas"Shit! Eliana." My stomach constricted into a tight ball. The thought of her in the presence of Gavin had my brain freeze for a moment."Relax; Gavin wouldn't dare hurt her. He knows she's important in his stupid plan." Allan stood, placing his hand on my shoulder and making me step aside."She is out there," I pointed at the door, then continued, "right now, with him. What if he just snaps and decides to..." I couldn't finish up the sentence because the next words jammed in my throat."I'm calling her," Rob stated, fishing his phone out. Their relationship seemed to grow stronger with every passing day, given the fact that she had chosen to stay with him.I watched as he placed his phone against his ear, triggering the waiting game. Tapping my foot on the floor, I began counting the seconds. When she didn't pick up, my adrenaline just shot up. Without a word, I turned for the door, my vision kind of tunnelling before me."Nick wait!" Allan called, stopping me right in front