DAHLIA'S POVThe air in the courthouse is suffocating with anticipation. I sit stiffly, hands clasped together to ward off anxiety and force myself to focus. Still, nothing prepares me for what happens next.Spencer. I feel my stomach plummet down several heights as he's brought forward. The moment our eyes meet, something cold slithers down my spine. I knew it. My gut has screamed his name all along, his involvement being a suspicion I didn't let take root in my heart.But here we are now to attend his trial.Marigold is at the podium too with her face as pale as death. There's a glimmer of hope in her eyes like she knows she doesn't belong here.Technically, she doesn't. Spencer does.The prosecutor wastes no time. “Spencer Callaghan, you are charged with attempted murder. Do you deny those accusations?”Silence stretches for a beat too long. Then, to my shock, he lets out a low chuckle which the entire room hears. “No,” he says with an eerily calm tone.A murmur ripplds throughout
I shoot up from my chair to break his fall. “Hey! Look at me!” My hands grip his shoulders to shake him but his eyes are unfocused. The severity of the situation dawns on me; he's not faking this.I don't think. I just move. I drag him up, practically carrying his weight as I rush out of the bar. Opening my door is stressful but I manage barely. Thankfully, a guy jumps to his feet and pushes it open. I get him into the car, my hands shaking as I start the engine.“Stay with me,” I snap, stepping harder on the gas. “Just breathe.” I don't even remember parking. The next thing I know, I'm yelling for help, nurses rushing toward us to wheel him away. Minutes stretches into hours and soon, the doctor and I walk out of his office where he's giving me advise on his to manage Tristian's health. As we approach Tristian's ward, a nurse steps out. “He's stable,” he tells us with a clipboard in his hand. My legs nearly give out with my heart slamming against my ribs. I exhale sharply, forc
Dahlia’s Pov, As soon as he's discharged, we begin the drive home. It is quiet in the car. Tristian turns his head and looks out the window, lost in his thoughts. I grip the wheel, my mind replaying everything he told me: his parents leaving, his loneliness, the wash he built himself up from nothing. I never asked. I never cared to know him beyond what he was to me. Guilt creeps in unbidden . I take a deep breath and pull over in front of a mart. When I kill the ignition, he seems to come back to the present. He blinks, turning to me. “What are we doing?” I push open the door with an eyeroll. “Getting ice cream.”He scoffs. “You're kidding.” I don't even crack a smile as I step out. “Come or stay in the car.”A pause. Then, he sighs and follows, mumbling something I can't head under his breath. While inside, I grab a cart and head straight for the freezer section. Tristian watches me, eyebrow cocked. He's clearly unimpressed.“Ice cream, Dahlia? That's what this whole fuss is
MARIGOLDI barely slept a wink last night since Carlton turned down my advances and it's all Dahlia's fault. Ever since she returned, my husband has changed from the doting simp I married to this hard-hearted stranger. Even Andre has no fear for me anymore, ignoring me at most. I doubt he recognizes me as his mother anymore and it's all thanks to that woman who doesn't even know the father of her little bastards. Her constant presence in my life lingers like anad taste in my mouth. How do I spit her out? How do I get rid of her for good?Then almost immediately, an idea crept in like a small whisper in the back of my mind. It will do the job just perfectly. Morning comes and I'm woken by the sound of the usual routines of most mornings. Carlton moving around in the kitchen, the sizzling of food can be heard. I hear him head to Andre's room to get him ready for school and then feed him breakfast. When he comes back to our room, I close my eyes in pretence of being asleep.Jokes on
DAHLIAThe night air bites at my skin, sharp and unforgiving. I wrap my jacket tighter around my body to ward off the cold. Carlton walks behind me with his hands shoved into his pockets. The shoot drained us but the silence of the streets and the distant glow of a coffee shop make it bearable at least. Out of nowhere, Carlton stops walking. “Thanks,” he says when I turn to look at him. “For everything. Helping me the fix the mess at he company.” “Don't mention it.” A smile warms my cheeks. “I mean it.” His expression turns serious, his breath fogging in the cold air. “I don't know what I would've done without your intervention.”“You figured it out eventually, I guess.”“I highly doubt that.” A smirk tugs at his lips and we resume walking again. We push into the warmth of the café. The scent of roasted coffee beans drapes itself around me like a cloak and I exhale, savoring it. We find a booth by the window, and I blow into my hands to keep them warm. “You going to the kids’ bo
Marigold’s POV, Hanging out with my crazy friends is such a therapy. It’s like all I needed After the hell I went through in that sick cell! They had been a whole vibe and energy. Right now, the all four of us are in a SPA getting different SPA treatments.“That Father In-Law of yours is such a psychopath.” Annabel snaps, reading news magazine as a pedicurist is tending to her feet. The SPA room has been buzzing with my friends talking non-stop. More like throwing insults to Mr. Stewart which he very much deserves. And the other occupants in the room are diligently focused on their job just as they should. “I mean if he hated you that much, he could just man up and ask you to leave his son. Accusing you wrongly was such a dumb move.” Cynthia chips in Angrily. She’s laid on the bed beside me getting her facials done just like me. “I wish I got to see his face now that the truth is out. Your parents should consider suing that man you know.” I huff. With my intense hatred for
Dahlia’s Pov, From the moment the ward’s door open, The lively atmosphere morphs into Tension immediately because of the person that just walked in. She halt right at the door, freezing as if she’s seeing a ghost. And I’m the ghost, because her gaze is piercing right through me and unlike actually seeing a ghost, her expression isn’t horrid but that of undiluted rage. Me, I’m simply baffled about her appearance here. I mean she has no reason to be here. And there’s no doubt that everyone else in the ward is also having same thoughts. However, the silence doesn’t last any longer before Mr. Stewart’s high grating voice breaks it. “And what the hell are you doing here?” He asks Marigold angrily. “Such A way to speak to your daughter in law whom you had forcefully accused of a crime she didn’t commit. I should be getting some apology here.” Is marigold’s sarcastic response as she rolls her eyes walking fully into the ward. “Anyways I just came to visit my mother-in-law who h
Warning: Unedited Dahlia pov, It isn’t just marigold who seems to be up to something. My parents too has her backing because few hours ago, After I and the kids arrived home I received friendly Text messages from them inviting me the party too. It would has been a different thing if it was just some general broadcast invitation but it was personal invite with claims about wanting to make peace and meet my kids. I would never really want to get my kids involved in this game but marigold cunningly did in a way I wouldn’t object. She had insisted on following me and Carlton to go pick the kids from school and on our way back she played the charade of being a sweet Aunt and she invited them to the party because she wanted Andre and Carlton to be there. Right now, it’s already evening and about an hour to the party. I’m staring at myself in the full length mirror checking out my outfit. My eyes roving about to see what’s missing. My Raven dark hair is perfectly styled up in high pony
Dahlia “Mummy were you really married to uncle Carlton?” That question pierces through me like a newly filed sword. No, it’s just the question but the innocent eyes of my all four kids as they are bearing through me. I’m feeling different emotions all at that same time. Anger. Guilt. Fear. They were never supposed to find out about this at all. How dare that woman? Words can’t express the amount of anger I’m feeling towards her right now. Towards everything. Right now we are all in the plane as the BOOTCAMP was said to be holding in Los Angeles. Every family are occupying different rows of seat as we are all flying in the plane. Carlton and Andre are somewhere at the back and after settling in, Gavin decided to throw the cold question at me. For the very first time, I’m unable to formulate any words to say to my kids. I don’t want to lie to them but at the same time, I don’t want this discussion. Especially with them. It’ll trigger a whole lot of other questions likeWhat happened
Carlton POV, Most of the parents who came for the Bootcamp seems to know each other. When I and dahlia walked together into the hall, we long splits up as friends who knows us came to greet us. While I leave dahlia with her old friend, I walk off with a business associate of mine leaving Andre behind to mingle with his peers. But I actually regrets doing that because Andre got involved in a fight with some kids right inside the hall. Dahlia’s kids were also involved too. The table quickly turn. Me and the other parents of the kids have to separate the fight while everyone in the hall has their attention towards us. “What the hell happened?” Dahlia yells, glaring at both her kids and the all other kids. “They started it!” Gianna snap, pointing at the other kids they fought with. “They were making fun of Andre.” She divulged and I frown. A girl among the other kids retorts Gianna. “She’s lying. I and my friends just said sick kids can’t survive boot camps.” The kid said wi
Carlton POV, Most of the parents who came for the Bootcamp seems to know each other. When I and dahlia walked together into the hall, we long splits up as friends who knows us came to greet us. While I leave dahlia with her old friend, I walk off with a business associate of mine leaving Andre behind to mingle with his peers. But I actually regrets doing that because Andre got involved in a fight with some kids right inside the hall. Dahlia’s kids were also involved too. The table quickly turn. Me and the other parents of the kids have to separate the fight while everyone in the hall has their attention towards us. “What the hell happened?” Dahlia yells, glaring at both her kids and the all other kids. “They started it!” Gianna snap, pointing at the other kids they fought with. “They were making fun of Andre.” She divulged and I frown. A girl among the other kids retorts Gianna. “She’s lying. I and my friends just said sick kids can’t survive boot camps.” The kid said with o
Dahlia POV, The morning has been a whole new vigor of excitement as today is their BOOTCAMP. But me? I don’t really know. I’m not so thrilled about Bootcamp due to my past traumatic experiences but that Aside, I’m also worried that Tristian isn’t here yet. It’s already 9 Am and my kids are all dressed up already, including me. In fact they are already waiting in the car while I’m just in my room packing up relevant stuffs for the camping. Sunny had really been of great help all morning. And right now, she’s still helping me. “Do you really need these much mattresses?” Sunny asks I’m stuffing several mattresses into a bag while she had been passing them to me. “Of course, I wouldn’t want my kids catching a cold.” I said and she groan then roll her eyes. “And Tristian,” she suddenly hollers. “You said he would be here this morning. What’s keeping him?” She asks with a scoff, feigning her usual annoyance over Tristian. Well, even me would like to know what’s keeping him. If he
CARLTON’s POV, After the marigold sex tape shenanigans has been eradicated, I decided to finally face my father. More he called few moments ago after I just parted ways with dahlia and I drove straight ti the mansion and I found him at the living room standing and facing the glassed wall. Even as an old man, he still bears that intimidating Aura around him and I hated the way my body reacted to him. Especially when he twirls to face me, his stern dark eyed unnerves every inch of me. I just pulls up a firm, unbothered facade as I wait for him to speak. And I’ve been waiting since like the past ten seconds. “Finally, you decided to show up.” He finally speak with a calm voice then he walks away from his position. My eyes follows him keenly and the next thing he does actually stuns me. He walks towards the wine rank. Bring out a red wine and two glasses. He fetches some quantity each glasses and pass one over to me. I hesitate for a second before collecting it then he walks back to
Dahlia’s POV, The drive to wherever we are heading is quiet and cozy until Carlton brings up the subject of Tristian. “You know, I’ve been wondering.” He begins. pulling my attention from the phone I’m operating, I turn to face his side profile. “What do you have on Tristian?” His question completely throws me off and I arch my brows at him. Then As if reading my mind, he speaks further. “Like getting Alan to release marigold sex tapes and still getting him to take it down, couldn’t have been so easy. Yet he he did all that just for your sake. You seem to have something on him and if you don’t, then he definitely has a thing for you.” And there he goes again trying into pry into mine and Tristian’s relationship. I know what he wants to hear and that’s what I’ll be giving him… but in a non pleasing way. “You are absolutely wrong on that.” I began, eyes still pinned to his side profile. “Tristan doesn’t have anything for me. I mean not everyone does good things and expect somet
Dahlia Carlton finds a place to pull over and following the direction that Tristian sent us, it wasn’t hard to track Alan’s apartment. He’s in block B among the many jumbled apartment we passed by in the cranky area. “How does Tristian even get to know this place? Does he runs thuggery or what?” Carlton literally vocalized my thoughts as we step over some piles of woods. From what I know, Tristan never knew Alan before until marigold welcome party. However, I don’t know if Carlton is merely making a harmlessly observation or he’s trying to rob Tristian with a bad image. So I don’t respond, I just shrug and we continue walking. After walking a few distance we finally arrives at Alan’s door. We knocked a couple times on the door but after getting no response, we both walked into the apartment. we haven’t walked for long when I started hearing faint sounds. At first it isn’t Audible but the closer we approaches the place it’s coming from, I get to make sense of what’s going on.
“What are you doing here Grayson?” Sunny’s voice cuts through the thick silence in the Air. She probably figured I needed help and spoke on my behalf. I can only hope that Grayson doesn’t press on with his initial question because heavens know I’ll have to lie to him. Thankfully, Grayson drops the stupefied look on his face and responds to Sunny’s question. “The math Assignment you gave us all.” He walks fully into the room and that’s when I noticed the book in his hand. My eyes follows him as he extends the open page to sunny. “I couldn’t do mine. I can’t find the answers to any of the questions.” He whines boldly like it’s a normal thing for him not to know basic maths. And what gets more into my nerves is the way sunny reacts to it. “Oh sweetie, I’ve forgotten I gave you an Assignment. Wasn’t this in like four… three days ago?” She pets Grayson with her usual sweet voice while giving Grayson a poppy look. Grayson shrugs. “Okay, don’t worry. I will teach you how to solve
“What are you doing here Grayson?” Sunny’s voice cuts through the thick silence in the Air. She probably figured I needed help and spoke on my behalf. I can only hope that Grayson doesn’t press on with his initial question because heavens know I’ll have to lie to him. Thankfully, Grayson drops the stupefied look on his face and responds to Sunny’s question. “The math Assignment you gave us all.” He walks fully into the room and that’s when I noticed the book in his hand. My eyes follows him as he extends the open page to sunny. “I couldn’t do mine. I can’t find the answers to any of the questions.” He whines boldly like it’s a normal thing for him not to know basic maths. And what gets more into my nerves is the way sunny reacts to it. “Oh sweetie, I’ve forgotten I gave you an Assignment. Wasn’t this in like four… three days ago?” She pets Grayson with her usual sweet voice while giving Grayson a poppy look. Grayson shrugs. “Okay, don’t worry. I will teach you how to solve this