Reyona braced herself the following morning for Thomas’ confrontation. She had been unable to have much sleep the night before, partly because of his incessant knocking and more because of the turmoil in her heart.“Well, there was no going back now,” she said to herself in the mirror as she did her makeup. She woke up earlier than normal to get dressed for work. She had no intention of making any breakfast, not that either of them would be in the mood to eat anyway.She couldn’t believe that she had slapped him the night before, but somewhere beneath the shock, she felt a bit of excitement that she had done it. The bastard deserved more than that, of course, but she had made up her mind fully during her toss and turn that she would simply let go of him and take charge of her life back.She was glad that she at least had some of her money back, and the woman herself was getting what she deserved now. She knew that Thomas's anxiety recently had to do with that as well. She had determine
Blaming herself for the umpteenth time for not being able to keep shut when she should, Reyona pondered over and over whether she should go or not.“Nobody needs you there anyway,” her subconsciousness whispered in anger.Reyona felt like a fool for even asking such a question. What was she going there for? Their father’s wife? The wife whom none of them wanted to know about their existence? She was sure that the children knew who she was.Reyona wondered what the two of them had told the kids about her.Leah was sick. Reyona could see the trusting, blue eyes sparked up with an infectious smile in her mind’s eyes even as she bent over the file that Charlotte brought her. She could almost feel the silky, glossy brown hair she could picture vividly in her hand as she turned the sheaf of papers over.She had promised herself never to go to Ruth’s place again while those kids were still there because of the way that innocent child had warmed her way into Reyona’s heart. Seeing Thomas’ feat
Antsy and anxious about what would happen, Thomas was waiting outside the hospital as he looked left and right to see if he would catch a glimpse of Reyona’s car.“Oh, mom," he muttered to himself in exasperation when his ears perked up at the sound of an engine, only to see that the approaching car was nothing at all like any of their cars.“Why would you tell her the address?” He had asked after he got back to the room where the doctors were administering fluids to Leah. He had just stepped out to ease himself in the restroom, and as he entered, he saw his mother getting off the phone. That was when she told him that she had just spoken to Reyona and that she might be here at any time.“Because I thought that the two of you could have a serene atmosphere to at least talk. If she comes here, she wouldn’t want to argue with you in this kind of situation, you know. At least she could tell you the reason why she wanted to divorce you." Ruth said it heatedly.“And in the meantime, she wou
Reyona could not believe her eyes when she opened the door. She was annoyed because after she called the other person on the other end of the door to come in, nobody answered.“Who is…” The annoyance on her face morphed into shock and excitement as she saw her sister standing on the threshold with a big, wide smile on her face.“Ta-da! Who missed me?” Victoria Dexter, mostly called Toria, squealed with her hands wide open right before she grabbed her sister in a hard, enveloping.“Euf, what have they been feeding you over there?”Reyona said with laughter as she breathed in the familiar aromatic, balsamic scents that sparked memories."Food. Of course, the Lone Star was especially known for its chicken fried steak, you know. Hmm, those darlings are to die for.” Toria said with a dreamy look on her face as he stepped back from Reyona’s embrace after a while.“Yeah, right. I am just going to take your word for it.” Reyona said as she turned her sister’s arm over, “And a lot of sunshine to
Annoyed that Rohan had made him look bad in front of his friend, or whatever she was,. Thomas conveniently decides not to dwell on the fact that he was the one who jumped to conclusions when he saw Rohan together with the pregnant woman.How was he supposed to know that the pregnancy did not belong to him? After all, what kind of man would follow a woman to the hospital regarding something that was not his? Thomas still didn’t believe that Rohan had anything to do with the woman’s pregnancy, even after the latter said that she was his friend’s wife.That was after she had laughed at him for a full minute while Rohan, the bastard, stood there with his signature-making smile, not attempting to clarify the situation to him.Thomas still didn’t believe that Rohan had anything to do with the pregnancy, though. He wouldn’t put it past the bastard to have something to do with his friend’s wife's pregnancy.“Maybe the two of them were cheating on the husband,” he thought to himself pettily as
Feeling more lighthearted than she could remember ever being in the past months, Reyona drove up her driveway with her sister behind her. Toria was on the phone with her friends that came to Kayooma with her.“Yes, I will be staying with my sister today. Duh, I am not ditching...of course, it is before pals,” she said after a pause, sticking out her tongue as if the person on the other end could see her. “Yeah, say hi to Jake for me, yeah, girl! Don’t do what I wouldn’t do. On second thought, please don’t do some things that I would do!” She laughed out loud as he listened to what the person on the other end was saying before she shook her head. “No, don't..."Reyona smiled as she tuned out her sister’s conversation, and then her smile vanished when she saw that Thomas’s car was already parked in their lot. Toria saw the car simultaneously and told the person on the other end that he would get back to her.“Yes, probably tomorrow. bye” she said breezily as she disconnected the call and
Reyona realised in a split second that she might have judged Toria’s temper too fast because of the fury she felt regarding the bastard that stood in front of her at that moment, as he calmly told her that it was her fault that he smashed her TV screen, which was unlike any she had felt recently.Her fault? He thought it was her fault that he damaged their property? Did he think it was her fault too that he cheated on her?It was her fault that he decided to damage their marriage.It was her fault that he chose to deny her the joy of motherhood by giving what should have been her exclusive right to someone else.It was her fault that...Reyona realised that the more she thought about it, the more likely it was for her to blow off, so she simply put a stop to her spiralling thoughts and gave him a demeaning look as he stood there, weaving a little on his feet as he looked back at her belligerently with no iota of remorse whatsoever.“You broke the screen, and it is my fault?” she asked
“You…you made me do it!”Reyona shook her head to herself as she thought of what happened the night before. She still couldn’t believe that the man she thought she knew was so different from the man that Thomas had become.She thought of the fact that he might have been like that all along while he had successfully hidden it from her, just like everything else. She berated herself for having been a fool, all in the name of love and acceptance. She wondered how many other things she did not know about him that she was wrong about.She never believed that the Thomas that she knew would touch a woman with violence, whether under influence or not.“That shows how naive and unaware you have truly been in this marriage,” she muttered to herself in the confines of her car. Her lips curled in a bitter smile. She drew in a sharp breath as the stiff, pain-filled side of her face protested.Reyona flipped down the rearview mirror to look at her face. She was satisfied by what she saw, and she kne
Dear Reader, Thank you so much for following this journey from the beginning to this point. I appreciate your comments, votes, review and continuous reading. You are my real MVP. Reyona's story has come to an end here as she went on to live happily ever after while navigating the beauty and trials of life with the love of her life. But then Toria's story is just about to begin. What do you say to navigating Toria's new journey as she confronts her rollercoaster feelings for Andreas while dealing with the powerful Kanellis family and forces determined to keep them apart? Would you like to see if a headstrong, free-spirited lady like Toria can fit into the imperious and honourable family while she fights her demons? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you for being here. Do check out my other books. I am Kabirat Aleem.
“.... I promise to love and cherish you for as long as we live and beyond. I will respect you and always remember that you are my partner before anyone else. I will put you and our family first in my decisions. You are mine in totality just as I am yours. Together we shall grow in loyalty, in abundance, in comradeship, in support and eternal love. I will forever be by your side in everything that comes our way on this journey of life….”“I, Maxwell Rohan, take you, Reyona Beatrice Dexter, as my lawfully wedded wife today in the presence of God and man, with the promise to cherish our vow until I breathe my last.”“I, Reyona Beatrice Dexter, take you, Maxwell Rohan, as my lawfully wedded husband today in the presence of God and man, with the promise to cherish our vow until the day I die.”As her sister and her husband completed the vows they had worked on themselves and slid the rings on each other's fingers, Toria tried hard to keep her tears at bay as the minister said, “You may kiss
The past month had been the most heart-filling one for Reyona.She watched as Allysyn lolled Sophie's bassinet while showing her something in the picture book she had in her hand.Meanwhile, Junior jiggled the rattle above Lucas to the delight of the baby and the hopping dog.An inexplicable bliss filled her at the thought that these belonged to her.These beautiful blessings that had been bestowed upon her when she least expected them were a solid part of her story.Reyona leaned back in her chair with a big smile on her face as she reached for her drink.“Rey, you are glowing. I mean, you are literally glowing. You should see your face right now. Hold on.”Toria quickly took a few snaps with her phone before turning the phone around to face Reyona.Reyona smiled as she looked at the pictures while sipping her mimosa.Although she couldn't see herself literally glowing as Toria had said, she loved what she saw.The woman in the picture looked…fulfilled.Long gone was the anxious, sad
Two Months Later“Does this mean we will have to call you Mum and Dad now?” Allysyn asked in a solemn tone.Reyona looked at Maxwell with a smile before responding to Allysyn.“It means we are forever your family now. It means we have got you forever. In as much as you do not forget that, what you call us doesn't matter.”Although she knew how beautiful it would be to hear them use those words.“I am Thomas Junior Rohan?” Junior asked with his head tilted after he pronounced what he had been using his hand to trail in spelling.“Do you like being Junior Rohan?” Reyona asked with a smile.He looked thoughtful for about ten seconds before saying, “I love it.” To Maxwell, he said, “Does this mean I get to drive your car now?”Reyona and Maxwell laughed as Allysyn rolled her eyes.Reyona sucked in her breath as the laughter waned.“Well, maybe in the future, if you've been very good, of course. But not yet.”“Aww,” Junior said with a pout. Then he brightened in the next second. “I will be
The call was from his head of security.Reyona listened to his terse response to the person on the call.Then, just as he took the turn towards his estate, she felt her phone buzz.She frowned as she saw that it was a message from Maxwell.“We have a guest,” it says.She looked at the back of his head as she wondered why he couldn't just say that directly instead of sending it as a message.She was about to ask him who it was when she looked beyond the windscreen and saw the police cruiser.Her heart kicked against her rib and she looked downwards to check if the even-breathing Allysyn had slept off or something.“Look, Max! The police!” Junior shouted excitedly as he pointed at the spot where the police officer was just turning away from the man he was speaking to, the head of security.Allysyn's lax body went taut as she jerked upward, looked in the direction that Junior was pointing at, and then back at Reyona.She had a mixture of fear, question and uncertainty in her face.Reyona
Reyona and Maxwell went together to take the kids from school that day.Despite their fears that some unrelenting reporters might have decided to call them about what happened or ambush them for an interview about what they felt about Thomas's death, nothing of such happened.The school was also free of any lurking reporters or paparazzi.It was either they had decided that Thomas's death was not as worthy of news as his scandal had been, or they were still jeering up to blast the family with all they got later.Whatever it was, they were glad as they waited in silence in front of the school for closing time.Soon enough, school was over for the day.Maxwell came out as the students came out en masse.Soon enough, they saw Allysyn and Junior.Junior was skipping alongside Allysyn while dragging his backpack along and shouting some words at a friend who was going towards another car parked close by.He was being his jovial self as he waved hard at the friend and asked him not to forget
Reyona's head jerked upward as she heard Maxwell's voice.Then she looked sideways when she heard a growling sound.Jerking his head from Reyona to Maxwell, Skippy's pupils had dilated so much that they almost covered his entire eyes.His growl continued as he looked confused about where he should escape.Reyona realised what was going on as she saw Maxwell standing at the entrance, blocking his escape route.He felt cornered!She realised as the dog backed away while his growl increased in pitch.“Maxwell, move,” she said urgently, and he automatically stepped aside.The dog hopped past him in a flash.The dog kept going without stopping at all.Maxwell shook his head and went to Reyona. “What was that about?” He asked in an incredulous voice.“We were building a friendship,” Reyona said with a pout.“That was friendship?” Maxwell asked in disbelief.“Well, we were about to. Then you…do you think they do therapy for dogs?” She asked in contemplation.Maxwell started chuckling, “Ah, a
The soothing sound of the water reminded Reyona of the brook that ran through their homes in Bellevue Hill.She felt completely blissful in the oasis that Maxwell had surprised her with.It was exactly a replica of the one in her home in Sydney.After their dinner that night, Reyona was still pretending to be miffed at him because he wouldn't tell her if he really was the one who donated to the orphanage she had opened in her grandmother's name.Then, as if he didn't notice, he told her to check out something.“I am still mad at you,” She had said as she folded her arms above her belly and gave him a mutinous look.“It is a good thing that you are a versatile woman then. You could be mad at me and still come check this out. You will be glad you did. I promise.” He said innocently.Then, just as Reyona pretended she had not made up her mind yet, he swept her off her feet.How can he still carry her so effortlessly? She wondered as she squealed “Maxwell!”That was the first time the pap
Reyona had no intention of having the wedding while she was still pregnant.“It is called ‘walk down the aisle’, not waddle down the aisle'. Thank you.”That had been her argument and everyone had agreed with her.Not after Toria had added that their dad could carry her.“Then it will be ‘float down the aisle'” she had said in jest.They all came to an agreement that the wedding preparations would start after she had given birth in about two months.They spent the night in the hotel, and they all visited The King’s Creek to pay obeisance to Grams before their parents’ and Toria's departure.Maxwell, Reyona and the kids will stay back in Boowag until the jet got back.Stefan and his co-pilot were to carry Gladys and Carlisle to their destinations before coming back for them.It would take Gladys home first, then make a stopover at Milan to drop Carlisle before coming back.Toria had a standby jet that had brought her to Boowag and Kayooma for the preparation of the surprise and all.Of