NICKI guess it was time to face the fact that I had screwed up. I wasn’t even with my son yet, and I’d already messed things up badly. I had told Marcus to open a branch in Asia, but I swear I didn’t know that’s where we were heading. I just wanted to help him take his mind off things, so he wouldn’t end up overthinking himself into heart problems like I did when I lost Olivia.But now, sitting on the jet, Luke finally told me where we were going. There was no way in hell I was going to confess to what I’d done. If Marcus somehow found us, it would be because fate or whatever was out there was looking out for him.I decided to bury my head in the sand and pretend I had no idea what was going on. “Nick, what have you done?” Luke asked, his voice laced with suspicion. I lifted my head, putting on a neutral expression. I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?” I even raised an eyebrow for effect.There was no way I was going to admit it now. He wasn’t going to hear the truth from
OLIVIAI wasn’t sure what I was hoping for. When Nick and my dad walked in, I found myself looking past them, almost expecting to see Marcus right behind them. I had told the man I needed time to myself, yet deep down, I still hoped to see him. How pathetic, wanting one thing but wishing for something entirely different.But then, seeing the baby, it shattered me. It was the first time I laid eyes on her, and I hadn’t realized she would look so fragile. She was so tiny, like she might break if I even touched her. It didn’t take long for me to notice that my father seemed uncomfortable around her. I understood, though; it was also my first time seeing such a small baby. Still, I felt a sense of relief hearing the doctors say she was doing well. They gave me instructions on how to care for her, and one of them stayed behind at my father’s request to assist with her.I was grateful for the help. Being in a foreign country with a baby who had medical needs wasn’t going to be easy, even wi
NICKI thought I knew what joy and happiness were, but then I heard my son defend me. He stood in front of me, protective and determined, insisting that I shouldn’t be sent away. A warmth spread through my chest, filling me in ways I’d never experienced before, making me feel more alive than I ever had.So, this is what people meant when they talked about the joy of having kids. I’d been grinning like a fool since that guy left and made me angry.“Did you find yourself a woman?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. I frowned.“What are you talking about?”He took a sip of his beer, not breaking eye contact. “You’ve been smiling like an idiot, like you’re thinking about someone you love, someone who makes you happy. A woman.”I laughed, shaking my head. Luke chuckled too, but then he added, “As much as you look ridiculous with that smile, I’d be glad if you found a woman.”I laughed even harder. “Who said only a woman can make a man happy?”They both stopped and turned to look at me at the
MARCUS“Why are you still not doing what I asked? The boss has been on edge, and you’re still delaying things. Do you want to be fired, is that it?” Steve’s voice was sharp with frustration.“It’s not that, Steve, but we can’t rush these things. There are permits we need to get, and those things don’t happen overnight. You only told us about this on Tuesday, did you think everything would be wrapped up in just a couple of days?” My legal team was doing their best to manage, but I could tell they were feeling the pressure.I had just arrived in London after finalizing the deal on the house.“You don’t have to put so much pressure on them, Steve,” I said, trying to ease the tension. “I just want things to be at least clear by the end of the month. I want to be there myself to check the locations. That should be enough time to get the permits, right?” I asked the legal team.“We can’t be sure, sir. Their laws are different from ours, and we don’t know how long a process like this will ta
XANDER“I told you that I am not leaving here until I make Luke feel what I felt when he took my father from me. when he felt me as an orphan with nowhere to go.” I have been looking for that man for many years now. I forgot about him for a while when my wife was still alive. She made me feel complete but then she felt me as well.“All I am saying is that you must be careful. You know what he is capable of.” My friend warned. I scoffed, if he didn’t want people going after his family then he wouldn’t be doing what he was doing. “Man, he makes me so angry. He is out here playing happy family with his daughter and grandson. Does he think about what he has done to people like me.”I would have forgotten about him and continued to live my life rising my son. But I had to see him, a face that has haunted me for years. Happy with his daughter and grandson. He didn’t even know who I was, he even sha
ETHANAfter dealing with that guy, I went looking for Nick. I overheard part of his phone call, but I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. Still, I had a feeling he was up to something. I never fully trusted him, especially when it came to Olivia and Samuel. Those two were everything to me, and I couldn’t afford to fail them again or let anyone hurt them. They had already been through too much."Nick, Nick?" I called out as I approached his room, feeling anxious.He stepped out, looking displeased. "What? Why are you calling me like there's a fire in the hotel?" He was annoyed, but I didn’t have time for that."I need to talk to you. Come to my room, now." I turned to leave, but then he spoke."I’m not going anywhere. If you have a problem, go find Luke. You told me to be a father, and that's what I’m doing. Go sort your stuff out with him."He started to go back inside, but I stopped him.
OLIVIAI hoped Nick would come home early today. He hadn’t been around much since he started working with my best friend, Sandra. Things had been hectic at the office, but I still hoped today would be different, seeing how it was our fourth-year anniversary. I also had big news; I was finally pregnant, and we were about to have the family we’d always dreamed of.I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when I told him, and I didn’t even want to think about my mother-in-law—she’d be thrilled. I’d call and tell her after telling Nick. I was sure they’d cut their trip short once they heard the news of my pregnancy.I hummed as I moved around the kitchen, cooking. I was happy, despite knowing things hadn’t been the same between Nick and me lately. I hoped that after hearing the news of my pregnancy, he would become the man I fell in love with again.Just as I placed the last dish on the dining table, the front door opened. My heart leaped with excitement, and I rushed to greet him. Nick was ta
OLIVIATwo Days Later“Lock her up, and don’t let her see the sun ever again. She doesn’t deserve it!” Nick barked at the New Village Town police. His eyes were cold as ice, filled with hatred. The officer roughly shoved me into the filthy, smelly cell before slamming the bars shut. I turned to look at Nick and Sandra. They stood together, looking like old friends... or lovers. She was why he had turned against me, though I didn’t understand what had motivated her. We’d grown up together, did everything together. We’d watched each other’s backs. And now she stood beside my husband as he threw me into jail for something I didn’t do. A few hours ago, I was cooking dinner for my husband, waiting for him to come home from work. Even after the incident with Sandra in the kitchen, and even though things had changed between us since Sandra came back, I still had hope that we could fix things. Then this happened.The way Nick had looked at me when he arrived with the police broke my heart,
ETHANAfter dealing with that guy, I went looking for Nick. I overheard part of his phone call, but I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. Still, I had a feeling he was up to something. I never fully trusted him, especially when it came to Olivia and Samuel. Those two were everything to me, and I couldn’t afford to fail them again or let anyone hurt them. They had already been through too much."Nick, Nick?" I called out as I approached his room, feeling anxious.He stepped out, looking displeased. "What? Why are you calling me like there's a fire in the hotel?" He was annoyed, but I didn’t have time for that."I need to talk to you. Come to my room, now." I turned to leave, but then he spoke."I’m not going anywhere. If you have a problem, go find Luke. You told me to be a father, and that's what I’m doing. Go sort your stuff out with him."He started to go back inside, but I stopped him.
XANDER“I told you that I am not leaving here until I make Luke feel what I felt when he took my father from me. when he felt me as an orphan with nowhere to go.” I have been looking for that man for many years now. I forgot about him for a while when my wife was still alive. She made me feel complete but then she felt me as well.“All I am saying is that you must be careful. You know what he is capable of.” My friend warned. I scoffed, if he didn’t want people going after his family then he wouldn’t be doing what he was doing. “Man, he makes me so angry. He is out here playing happy family with his daughter and grandson. Does he think about what he has done to people like me.”I would have forgotten about him and continued to live my life rising my son. But I had to see him, a face that has haunted me for years. Happy with his daughter and grandson. He didn’t even know who I was, he even sha
MARCUS“Why are you still not doing what I asked? The boss has been on edge, and you’re still delaying things. Do you want to be fired, is that it?” Steve’s voice was sharp with frustration.“It’s not that, Steve, but we can’t rush these things. There are permits we need to get, and those things don’t happen overnight. You only told us about this on Tuesday, did you think everything would be wrapped up in just a couple of days?” My legal team was doing their best to manage, but I could tell they were feeling the pressure.I had just arrived in London after finalizing the deal on the house.“You don’t have to put so much pressure on them, Steve,” I said, trying to ease the tension. “I just want things to be at least clear by the end of the month. I want to be there myself to check the locations. That should be enough time to get the permits, right?” I asked the legal team.“We can’t be sure, sir. Their laws are different from ours, and we don’t know how long a process like this will ta
NICKI thought I knew what joy and happiness were, but then I heard my son defend me. He stood in front of me, protective and determined, insisting that I shouldn’t be sent away. A warmth spread through my chest, filling me in ways I’d never experienced before, making me feel more alive than I ever had.So, this is what people meant when they talked about the joy of having kids. I’d been grinning like a fool since that guy left and made me angry.“Did you find yourself a woman?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. I frowned.“What are you talking about?”He took a sip of his beer, not breaking eye contact. “You’ve been smiling like an idiot, like you’re thinking about someone you love, someone who makes you happy. A woman.”I laughed, shaking my head. Luke chuckled too, but then he added, “As much as you look ridiculous with that smile, I’d be glad if you found a woman.”I laughed even harder. “Who said only a woman can make a man happy?”They both stopped and turned to look at me at the
OLIVIAI wasn’t sure what I was hoping for. When Nick and my dad walked in, I found myself looking past them, almost expecting to see Marcus right behind them. I had told the man I needed time to myself, yet deep down, I still hoped to see him. How pathetic, wanting one thing but wishing for something entirely different.But then, seeing the baby, it shattered me. It was the first time I laid eyes on her, and I hadn’t realized she would look so fragile. She was so tiny, like she might break if I even touched her. It didn’t take long for me to notice that my father seemed uncomfortable around her. I understood, though; it was also my first time seeing such a small baby. Still, I felt a sense of relief hearing the doctors say she was doing well. They gave me instructions on how to care for her, and one of them stayed behind at my father’s request to assist with her.I was grateful for the help. Being in a foreign country with a baby who had medical needs wasn’t going to be easy, even wi
NICKI guess it was time to face the fact that I had screwed up. I wasn’t even with my son yet, and I’d already messed things up badly. I had told Marcus to open a branch in Asia, but I swear I didn’t know that’s where we were heading. I just wanted to help him take his mind off things, so he wouldn’t end up overthinking himself into heart problems like I did when I lost Olivia.But now, sitting on the jet, Luke finally told me where we were going. There was no way in hell I was going to confess to what I’d done. If Marcus somehow found us, it would be because fate or whatever was out there was looking out for him.I decided to bury my head in the sand and pretend I had no idea what was going on. “Nick, what have you done?” Luke asked, his voice laced with suspicion. I lifted my head, putting on a neutral expression. I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?” I even raised an eyebrow for effect.There was no way I was going to admit it now. He wasn’t going to hear the truth from
MARCUSI thought the pain of my wife leaving me was the worst I would ever feel, but I was wrong. The real pain came from losing all of them at once, my wife, my son, and now my daughter. Even the one person who truly understood what I was going through was leaving. I was going to be left alone in my misery, and I had no idea how I would get through it. How was I supposed to live each day without them?It already felt like I couldn’t breathe, like my heart was about to give out right there. We were at the airport, and the last time I held my baby was before we left the hospital. Now she was in an incubator, being carried by the doctors, heading off in an ambulance to the jet.Luke’s jet looked more like a private hospital ward than an aircraft. I had no doubt that my little girl would be comfortable there until she reached her mother. But the sight of them loading her onto the jet, leaving me behind, took the last part of my heart with them. It broke me.“Hey man, remember what I told
OLIVIAMy dad called this morning to inform me that the doctors had approved the baby for travel. I was relieved that everything had gone well, until he mentioned that Nick would be returning with him. The news didn’t sit well with me, but then he explained that Nick wasn’t coming for me; he was coming for his son, Samuel.As much as I didn’t want Nick anywhere near me, I couldn’t deny that he was still Samuel’s father. I couldn’t keep my son from his father any longer. Nick had the right to be with his son, especially now that he seemed to have come to his senses and wasn’t threatening me for no reason anymore.However, our conversation was overheard by none other than Xander, who Ethan had been keeping a close eye on. Ethan made it clear that he wasn’t going to let Xander take Marcus’s place. What he didn’t know, though, was that I had no intention of being with anyone other than my husband.I might have left him after everything that happened, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to
NICKThe doctors spent the night monitoring the baby, running tests to ensure Marcus’s princess was ready for the journey. Luke was the first to leave the hospital, claiming he was tired and needed rest. But we all knew he was avoiding being around the baby. It was almost comical, considering he still had to travel with her.It made me wonder what he would do on the flight or once we returned to Olivia. Was he planning on avoiding her forever, or was this just temporary until she grew and looked less like a rat and more like a human? I wasn’t sure.Last night, I took Marcus out for drinks, and somehow, we ended up at my place. In his drunken state, he helped me pack a few things, most of which I hadn’t planned on taking. I had my own intentions.Leaving the clothes behind would be my excuse to spend some quality time with my son, to buy him things he actually wanted for the first time as his father. But I let Marcus do what he wanted. The man was about to send his daughter off to who