“Excuse me?“ Lorraine raised her head, tilted her head, and then crossed her legs from where she sat.“I said you should come assist in the kitchen. We are having a lot of people over and we need to get things done faster,” Nancy repeated.Lorraine chuckled dryly, leaned comfortably in her seat, and then pointed her index finger at her belly.“Did you see this at all?”Her bump had grown bigger and it was even more evident that she was carrying a baby.“I don’t understand.”“Why would you expect a pregnant woman like me… a heavily pregnant woman to join in the kitchen? You want me to lose my baby?”“Oh, Come on, Lorraine. Don’t take it personally, okay? I will find you a place to sit. You could just help with the cabbage and carrots. Or help to chop other vegetables. It’s nothing serious at all.”“Exactly, why should I help you to do anything at all?”“What?”“What is going on, Mom?” Maxwell joined them in the sitting room and asked.“I don’t… I don’t understand why she is being this
“My wife? What had she done?“Jonathan asked, his brows raised.He had not even walked away from his car before his mother and sister rushed to him.“That woman, Lorraine, insulted me!” Nancy snapped.Jonathan sighed and turned his head to look at Maxwell who nodded her head in agreement and then scratched her forehead.“In what way, mother? What did you do to her?”“What? What did I… are you seriously asking me that?”“Would you just tell me what transpired between you two already?” He sighed.“Okay, you know we’re having guests over in a few hours, right? So, I asked that she help out in the kitchen as the work is too much for Maxwell and I. Guess what she said.”“Mother, Lorraine is pregnant. She shouldn’t be doing hard chores like that.”“Are you insane, brother?” Maxwell snapped her brows together.“What?”“I told you, mother. I told you it was useless talking to him about it. He is never going to take your side. He has been brainwashed already. Can you not see that?!”“How dare
“You will buy it?!” Lorenzo breathed out as his friend hollered, and then leaned in comfortably.“Yes, you heard right.”Both sitting in Lorenzo’s study, Lorenzo announced his plan to buy the house and car that Lorraine had placed on sale.“Why would you? Do you have any idea how much you have lost and how much you are about to lose again if you do that?”“No one will agree to buy the house and Car without seeing it first. And besides, it’s not like that is a scam. I will be getting the original documents of both properties so Jonathan and his family will have no other choice than to leave.”“I really think you have gathered enough proof to apprehend that woman. And Jonathan too.”“And where is the fun in that? I only get to see him suffer for the money he stole.”“Is that not better?”“No. He needs to be homeless, miserable… with nowhere to go. That is the plan.”“And the money?”“That money is mine, regardless. It is going to be a piece of cake getting it back from that woman. I pr
“Do you think he is going to show up at the event?”“Who?” Aaron asked after he drank from the glass cup and then picked up the serviette paper.“Benzo,” Arthur answered and then exhaled.“Are you still thinking about that person?”“Do you think he will show up?” He asked again.“I don’t know. He hasn’t shown up for once in over five years that he has been invited. Wonder if he ever got the awards, in fact.”“I heard no one even showed up in his place to receive his awards,” Shane butted in.“He is definitely trying not to leave any chance to be seen,” Aaron added.“What if he shows up and then considers you? You have been sending messages the longest, haven’t you?” Shane asked.Arthur nodded his head and then smacked. “I really wanna know who this person is.”“I thought he was found though. I heard someone claiming to be him.”“It was a lie. I went in search of the person and they were not real. Tch,” he breathed out in frustration and then grabbed the glass of water.“The event is i
“Oh, how beautiful you are, Leilani!”Mia exclaimed as soon as she returned to the room and saw the woman standing in front of the dressing mirror.“Oh, how much you flatter me!” Leilani rolled her eyes and they both laughed.“I am dead serious, sis, you’re so gorgeous, Jesus!”“Uhm-hmm,” Leilani nodded her head, blushing.The make up artist moved over to her, did the final touch on her neck and then moved back.“You look like you walked out of a painting.”“That compliment beats it all,” Leilani groaned and Mia laughed.Mia scrutinized Leilani again and shook her head. “How did my brother get this designer? She is so good!”Leilani was wearing a fully beaded blue gown which flared from her waist and stopped above her knees. The V-neck of the dress was deep and was held up by two small spaghetti straps, but then there was also a drapey off-the-shoulder cap sleeveLeilani had first worried that the style would make her shoulders look huge, but now, with the pushup strapless bra that s
“I am sorry to inform you that we lost the baby.”......Silence ensued as Leilani tilted her head and stared at the doctor for a few minutes before he moved closer to her and shook her gently.“Are you okay, ma’am?”“I… I didn’t get you,” she shook her head.Did he intend to pass that news to someone else?“We are sorry. We tried our…”“Hold on. What baby?” She cut him short, her brows pulling together.“What?”“You said I lost my baby. I don’t understand you,” she let out a dry chuckle.“You… you didn’t know that you were pregnant?”Leilani stiffened and widened her eyes. Pregnant?She had never been pregnant for once since her four years in marriage, so how could she have miscarried a baby she didn’t even have?“You are mistaken,” she shook her head.“I'm sorry, ma’am.”“No! There is no way I was… pregnant!” She cried out.“You are wrong with the test result. Run it again.”Her eyes darted as she shook her head at the piece of information that she had just received.There was no
She was trying her best not to look at the woman who sat on the couch, her hands on her belly, like she was announcing to her that she was indeed carrying a baby in her womb.But all of this was still confusing.She needed a proper explanation as to why her husband had brought another woman home and why her in-laws were not seeing any problem with it.Jonathan returned with a brown envelope in his hand and she swallowed hard when he stretched it at her.“What is…” she sniffed.“It is divorce documents, Leilani,” he said, confirming her doubts.He had settled beside the woman again and now the paper in the envelope was already in her hand and she was scanning through it with tears in her eyes.“W… why?” her voice broke.“Why?” Nancy, her mother-in-law answered instead and burst into laughter.Nancy might actually have been the root of everything that was going on in the house.She and Jonathan had started off pretty well.Although Nancy had never been in support of their union right fr
With shaky legs, Leilani staggered up the stairs, struggling to not burst into tears so those people laughing loudly behind her wouldn’t have leverage over her. Not like they didn’t already. It was as if the world she had known was crumbling away and it hurt more because there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it. Turning the knob of the door to her room, she breathed out and then entered. However, she had not entered fully before she caught the whiff of luggage settled in the corner of her room. Her matrimonial room. Their house had just three rooms, and her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were occupying two, leaving one for her and Jonathan. Even though she was aware of how the man was displeased with them sharing a room, they still had no other choice than to. He rarely comes home and sleeps in the bed with her anyway. “Her luggage is here… already,” she stated as if anyone was there to hear her. She dropped the document on the bed, walked to the bag
“Oh, how beautiful you are, Leilani!”Mia exclaimed as soon as she returned to the room and saw the woman standing in front of the dressing mirror.“Oh, how much you flatter me!” Leilani rolled her eyes and they both laughed.“I am dead serious, sis, you’re so gorgeous, Jesus!”“Uhm-hmm,” Leilani nodded her head, blushing.The make up artist moved over to her, did the final touch on her neck and then moved back.“You look like you walked out of a painting.”“That compliment beats it all,” Leilani groaned and Mia laughed.Mia scrutinized Leilani again and shook her head. “How did my brother get this designer? She is so good!”Leilani was wearing a fully beaded blue gown which flared from her waist and stopped above her knees. The V-neck of the dress was deep and was held up by two small spaghetti straps, but then there was also a drapey off-the-shoulder cap sleeveLeilani had first worried that the style would make her shoulders look huge, but now, with the pushup strapless bra that s
“Do you think he is going to show up at the event?”“Who?” Aaron asked after he drank from the glass cup and then picked up the serviette paper.“Benzo,” Arthur answered and then exhaled.“Are you still thinking about that person?”“Do you think he will show up?” He asked again.“I don’t know. He hasn’t shown up for once in over five years that he has been invited. Wonder if he ever got the awards, in fact.”“I heard no one even showed up in his place to receive his awards,” Shane butted in.“He is definitely trying not to leave any chance to be seen,” Aaron added.“What if he shows up and then considers you? You have been sending messages the longest, haven’t you?” Shane asked.Arthur nodded his head and then smacked. “I really wanna know who this person is.”“I thought he was found though. I heard someone claiming to be him.”“It was a lie. I went in search of the person and they were not real. Tch,” he breathed out in frustration and then grabbed the glass of water.“The event is i
“You will buy it?!” Lorenzo breathed out as his friend hollered, and then leaned in comfortably.“Yes, you heard right.”Both sitting in Lorenzo’s study, Lorenzo announced his plan to buy the house and car that Lorraine had placed on sale.“Why would you? Do you have any idea how much you have lost and how much you are about to lose again if you do that?”“No one will agree to buy the house and Car without seeing it first. And besides, it’s not like that is a scam. I will be getting the original documents of both properties so Jonathan and his family will have no other choice than to leave.”“I really think you have gathered enough proof to apprehend that woman. And Jonathan too.”“And where is the fun in that? I only get to see him suffer for the money he stole.”“Is that not better?”“No. He needs to be homeless, miserable… with nowhere to go. That is the plan.”“And the money?”“That money is mine, regardless. It is going to be a piece of cake getting it back from that woman. I pr
“My wife? What had she done?“Jonathan asked, his brows raised.He had not even walked away from his car before his mother and sister rushed to him.“That woman, Lorraine, insulted me!” Nancy snapped.Jonathan sighed and turned his head to look at Maxwell who nodded her head in agreement and then scratched her forehead.“In what way, mother? What did you do to her?”“What? What did I… are you seriously asking me that?”“Would you just tell me what transpired between you two already?” He sighed.“Okay, you know we’re having guests over in a few hours, right? So, I asked that she help out in the kitchen as the work is too much for Maxwell and I. Guess what she said.”“Mother, Lorraine is pregnant. She shouldn’t be doing hard chores like that.”“Are you insane, brother?” Maxwell snapped her brows together.“What?”“I told you, mother. I told you it was useless talking to him about it. He is never going to take your side. He has been brainwashed already. Can you not see that?!”“How dare
“Excuse me?“ Lorraine raised her head, tilted her head, and then crossed her legs from where she sat.“I said you should come assist in the kitchen. We are having a lot of people over and we need to get things done faster,” Nancy repeated.Lorraine chuckled dryly, leaned comfortably in her seat, and then pointed her index finger at her belly.“Did you see this at all?”Her bump had grown bigger and it was even more evident that she was carrying a baby.“I don’t understand.”“Why would you expect a pregnant woman like me… a heavily pregnant woman to join in the kitchen? You want me to lose my baby?”“Oh, Come on, Lorraine. Don’t take it personally, okay? I will find you a place to sit. You could just help with the cabbage and carrots. Or help to chop other vegetables. It’s nothing serious at all.”“Exactly, why should I help you to do anything at all?”“What?”“What is going on, Mom?” Maxwell joined them in the sitting room and asked.“I don’t… I don’t understand why she is being this
“Why didn’t you even give me a hint about this? I literally had no idea!”Leilani asked Mia, smiling.Lorenzo had been escorted back to the house by Martha so it was just her, Mia and the couples who still hung around.“And have my brother take my head for that?” She chuckled, climbed the stool again, and then asked the woman to hand over the frame to her.Leilani picked it up and then smiled as she realized that it was one of the works she had done in the past.“Come on, it’s not like I would have told him or shown it to him that I know.”“A surprise is meant to remain a surprise, Sister-in-law. Leave me be.”“Boring,” Leilani rolled her eyes and stepped back.“God, I have a gist for you!”Mia exclaimed and then got out of the chair.“Tell me.”“Guess who I met at the grocery store two days ago.”“Your mother!” Leilani widened her eyes.“Oh, come on. Jason!”“Jason? Jason…” She tilted her head, trying to recollect where she had heard the name from.“Goodness, Jason! The restaurant o
“No, no, no, this is not possible. This cannot be possible,” she shook her head, taking multiple steps back.“Where is she going?” Mia rushed over to her and took her hands in hers.“What is wrong?”“I can’t… I can’t take this. I can’t… no, no,” she sniffed, yanked her hand gently from Mia’s, and then wiped her tears with the back of her hand.“This is too much. I can’t…” “You know what, guys,” Martha clasped her hands together.“Let’s leave the two of them for a while. We will return to celebrate with them,” she ushered them out and then turned to leave too.After they were out of sight, with the door closed, Lorenzo stood up from where he sat, covered the space between them and then pulled her into a hug without saying anything.“I know this is going to overwhelm you. I know it does,” he said, as he patted her back.“Lorenzo, you can’t do this… again. No, please.”“Why?” He bore his eyes on her as he broke the hug.“I don’t… I don’t deserve this.”“How? In what way? Talk to me.”“
“I can't find Lorenzo in the room. Did he go somewhere?” Leilani asked Martha as she descended the stairs.“Enzo? I think he’s somewhere in the perimeter. Do you wanna go to him?”“Yes. Could you tell me where he is?”It’s been three days since she resumed her class and so far, it was better and together with Anna, they had been staying back at the academy for two more hours just to practice as the competition was fast approaching.If it was up to Anna, she really doesn’t need to be staying back as she could do all the practice that she needed at her space. Unlike her.“Let me take you to him,” Martha stood from where she sat and took her hand in hers.“You do not need to bother yourself, Martha. Just tell me where he is.”“Come with me, really. We could have a little chit-chat while we walk also, don’t you think?”She nodded her head and chuckled gently, “I agree.”Together, they exited the living room and then started to walk slowly around the house.“How has it been? At the Academ
Mia glanced at their grip that was both on the bottle of apple cider, looked up at the man again, and then snatched it from him.“Thank you,” she raised the bottle gently, and then dropped it in the basket in her hand.She turned around and moved away from him to continue with her shopping, but then, she felt his movement behind her.“Mia…”She ignored it and kept trailing her fingers on the goods on the rack.“It has been… a while.”“What?” She turned around swiftly and beaded her brows.“I mean…” he swallowed and smiled.“I haven’t seen you in a while.”She looked at him from head to toe, chuckled dryly, and then shook her head. “Oh, please.”With that, she walked away from where he was and moved fully to another compartment.Jason stood still in his position for almost a full minute before he exhaled and shook his head.He had just been disappointed.He had expected that the woman would flash him her usual wide smile and then call his name the way she used to.But, he was wrong.Sh