SHAWNAA groan escaped my mouth as I opened my mouth, the bright lights of the room weren't helping matters either. My head aches a lot and my head is so blank.And to top it all, the room looks so strange, I can't even remember how I got here.“You're awake." A familiar voice said, startling me. The person soon came into view and it was none other than Damien.“Where is this?" I found myself asking.“It's my house. You don't remember anything that happened?" He frowned.Shaking my head was a big problem on its own, and the headache worsened. What could have caused this? I can't even remember anything, my head is so blank right now. “No, I don't." I had to do it verbally. “Here, this should help your hangover." He handed over the glass of water in his hand with a pill to me. Hangover? That only happened after excessive intake of alcohol right? What's he talking about? The frown on my face ebbed away when I vaguely remember myself going into a bar.I took the pills from him and swal
SHAWNA“You can't keep me here, I'm carrying your baby," Eugene said. Those words have to be the craziest thing I've heard in a while.I looked at her face, expecting her to laugh or something but she looked very serious, dead-ass serious. “What? That's not even possible." Damien scoffed, looking as shocked as I was."I'm not lying. I'm pregnant and you're the father.” Eugene shrugged, looking unbothered with a smirk on her face. She looks so confident, the kind of confidence that comes from having planned something out.“What are you even saying? I used a condom.”Those words made my heart shatter immediately, the warmness I was feeling towards him immediately turned into a very cold one. Condom? They had sex?“You both had sex?" I asked out loud.“Yes, he didn't tell you? We've been doing-" Damien cut her off with a glare on his face."Shut it Eugene, I only did it because you said that was the only way to get Shawna out of prison.” He snapped."You had sex with her because you wan
SHAWNAI lifted my head from my mother's shoulder as Phoebe walked further into the room. I cleared my throat and wiped the tears off my face.“Hey baby, I didn't see you there." I forced out a smile."Did our daddy make you cry, Mom?” She asked me with a little frown on her cute face."Why do you think so? Not, I was just being emotional.” I moved closer to her, bending down to her level."But I heard you say it.” She immediately ran away from me. I assumed that she was upset or something till she came back with her brothers.“Mom, did our daddy make you cry? Have you found him already? Who is he?” Jasper asked.I was speechless, I didn't know what to say or do. They looked like they wanted nothing but the truth from me and I knew I couldn't look them in the eye and lie to them again.But at the same time, I'd never tell them that Damien is their father. This is just so complicated, more complicated than I ever thought it would be.These kids deserve to know who their father is. But
LIAMShe looked at my face for a response, my head and face went blank immediately and I just had to calm down my nerves and then look around the room.“Let's go to the balcony, I don't think it's good if we talk about this here." She said, referencing her children, those kids act like adults at times and I won't be surprised if they heard us.“Okay," I mumbled and we walked over to the balcony, the cool evening breeze blowing our skin. It's a very pretty sight from here but that's the least of my problems.“Why did you ask that question though?” I asked her and she sighed."I feel like he deserves to know technically that they're his. But at the same time, seeing as he has gotten someone else pregnant makes me want to repel. A lot of things are at stake right now and my kids deserve to know the truth too.”"It's not just that, I thought I was getting somewhere with him then this happens. We were good, I thought he was changing for good really.”"I just don't know what to do right now
LIAM“What the actual fuck, man?" Damien growled, his eyes flashing in anger. The anger that's coursing through me is more than the one in him, the alcohol seems to be amplifying my anger.“I warned you, you're the last person I want to see right now," I said, going to sit down back. I wasn't able to sit properly before he dragged my back by the collar.He punched me squarely in the jaw, making my head loll to the side. A metallic taste appeared in my mouth which is blood.I didn't let him rest too, I didn't even wait to revel in the pain of the punch, I just punched him back. The fight got pretty much more than it was intended to be we were separated by policemen.When did they get here and who called them? The bartender standing behind them made me realize that he must have called them.I threw a glare his way as we were dragged away by the cops, neither of us tried to resist them, we just followed them peacefully.Arguing with them or resisting will only draw attention to us. We we
SHAWNA“I love you, Shawna. And I'm tired of hiding it from you.”I choked on my cough immediately after he said that the words caught me by surprise.“What? What are you saying?" I stuttered.“I love you, I'm deeply in love with you." He repeated those words.“You don't know what you're saying. You're drunk at the moment, you need to sleep." I said, nodding at myself for coming up with that ideology.“I'm drunk but not drunk to not know what I've been harboring for years now. I'm madly in love with you, I've been in love with you for a while now.”"I mean every word and letter of everything I've said and about to say. I don't think I can live without you at this point. You intoxicate me, Shawna. My heart skips a beat each time I see you, it beats for you.”"You don't seem to understand how crazily in love I am with you, I love you with reckless abandon,” he concluded.I couldn't even maintain eye contact with him, the intense look in his eyes was too much for me. It felt like he was
LIAMWaking up has never felt this peaceful, I feel so different. A happy kind of different, the scenes of last night started replaying in my head the moment I woke up.The person in my arms was just like my dose of happiness, her cologne wafted into my nostrils and I was more than happy to sniff it even more.On opening my eyes, I was met with her thick brown hair and her very beautiful face. She's currently sleeping in my arms and she looked very peaceful.A smile came up on my face as I remembered how her pretty face morphed into pleasure as I rammed into her last night.We only stopped when I saw how tired she was, she fell asleep somewhat early while I cleaned her up then slept off with her in my arms.I stared at her all through the night and up till now, I can't just get enough of her. I almost can't believe that we did all that and she's in my arms right now.She stirred in her sleep a bit and I stilled till her eyes opened, clashing with mine. She looked confused at first til
SHAWNAI never imagined that life would be this easy and beautiful. Liam showed me a side of life I never knew existed, he has been showering me with nothing but pure love.I turned off my phone for two days. Yes, I've been here for two days and I've not had any communication with the outside world except to call my kids and mother at night just so they'd know I'm still alive.Liam has been more than good to me and life is just very easy with him. I've been happy and undeniably glowing, it's just so obvious.I'm currently in his arms which has been my favorite position since two days ago. His arms are synonymous with comfort, I can stay here forever.I'm now confused as to why I've never felt this way about him, I've always looked at him like my friend and nothing more. This side of him is one I've never seen or experienced before.He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, his phone in his hands. The phone was right before me and it's almost like we were operating the phone together even
PHOEBEI paced in the living room, arms crossed so tight my nails dug into my skin. My jaw was clenched and my whole body was tense. Jasper was taking too damn long, and every second made my blood boil hotter. The moment he walked in, I was on him."What the hell was that?" I snapped, stepping right into his path.Jasper barely spared me a glance, rolling his eyes as he shrugged off his jacket. "What was what?"I scoffed, my patience snapping like a rubber band. "You know exactly what I’m talking about." My voice rose, shaking with anger. "Dragging Ramon out like some criminal? Talking to him like that? You humiliated me, Jasper!"Jasper scoffed, crossing his arms like he was the one who had a reason to be pissed. "Oh, I’m sorry. Should I have waited until after you threw yourself at him?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.My face burned. "You’re such a jerk!""You’re being reckless, Phoebe!" Jasper shot back, stepping closer, eyes blazing. "You don’t even know this guy! You’re acting l
RAMONI hadn't even realized how close I was standing to her until it hit me, her warmth, her scent, the way she wasn’t moving away. It was like the whole world had faded, and it was just us, caught in this moment.I leaned in, slow, testing, watching her reaction. She didn’t flinch, didn’t push me away.Her lips parted slightly, breath warm against my skin. I could hear it, soft, uneven, like she wasn’t sure what to do next. But she wasn’t stopping me.I took another step, just a little closer.She bit her lip, hesitating, shy, but still, she didn’t move back.So I didn’t either.My heart pounded, a steady, insistent rhythm against my ribs. I could feel her breath hitch, see the way her lashes fluttered as she struggled with whatever was running through her mind.Just a little more…My hand hovered near her waist, not quite touching, just close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. Close enough that if she wanted to step away, she could.But she didn’t.Instead, h
RAMONI leaned against my bike, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the house. The street was quiet except for the distant hum of traffic. I checked my watch for the tenth time. She was taking too long.Then, finally, a cab pulled up. Phoebe stepped out first, followed by her brothers.Her eyes widened when she saw me. "Ramon?" She rushed over. "Have you been waiting here this whole time?"I shrugged. "Figured I’d see what was going on."She smiled, a little tired but still warm. "That’s… really sweet."Her brothers exchanged looks. I already knew they didn’t like me. Not that I cared.One of them, the tallest, sighed. "Look, man… we don’t like you."The other crossed his arms. "Yeah. But… thanks. For saving her."I smirked. "Wasn’t looking for your approval, but you’re welcome."Phoebe sighed, already exhausted. "Can we not do this right now?" She turned to me, eyes hopeful. "Come in."The tallest one immediately shook his head, arms crossing over his chest like a human wall. "No way."The o
SHAWNAThe phone buzzed in my hand, and I frowned at the screen. Eugene. We hadn’t spoken in a while. I hesitated for a second before answering."Come to this location," Eugene said without preamble, then rattled off an address."What? I’m busy right now," I said looking so confused."Just come, Shawna. It’s important."The line went dead before I could ask anything else.Zaverio, who had been watching me, raised a brow. "What was that about?""I don’t know," I admitted. "But she sounded serious.""Then we go."The drive was tense. Neither of us spoke much. My mind raced with possibilities. What did Eugene want? I had a lot on my plate at the moment. Why the secrecy? When we arrived at the rundown warehouse, Kyle and Eugene were already there, waiting."What’s going on?" I asked as we stepped closer.Kyle crossed his arms. "We’ve been trying to help you. But there’s only one thing left to do now.""And what’s that?"Eugene gestured toward a door. "Confront him."I glanced at Zaverio,
EUGENEI let out a long breath, my chest tightening with frustration. “This isn’t fair, Kyle. Shawna’s done nothing wrong, and yet she’s the one getting torn apart. Meanwhile, the real criminals get to walk free.”Kyle nodded slowly, his expression dark. “Yeah. And if we don’t do something fast, this thing will bury her.”I leaned forward, pressing my palms against the table. “The worst part? She doesn’t even deserve this. She worked hard, followed the rules, and now her whole reputation is on the line because of a lie.” I clenched my fists. “It’s infuriating.”Kyle studied me, his eyes sharp. “You really care about this, don’t you?”I scoffed. “Of course, I do! I may not have always been on Shawna’s side, but I know she’s not guilty. And I can’t just sit back and let them ruin her.”Kyle leaned back, rubbing his jaw again. “The way things are going, it won’t be long before she’s facing real charges. If that happens, we might not be able to help her at all.”I swallowed the lump formi
SHAWNAI stared at the screen, my hands cold and shaking. Greg Dawson’s words echoed in my head.“She told me to cut costs. Said to ‘make it work’ no matter what.”Lies. All of it.I fumbled with my phone, trying to find his number. I dialed, pressed call. It rang once. Twice. Then, it said the same thing.“This number is no longer in service.”I swore under my breath, trying again. Same result. I tried another number, one I had from years ago when we first worked together. Straight to voicemail.“Damn it.”Phoebe was watching me, her face tight with worry. “Mom?”I exhaled sharply. “He’s not picking up.”Jasper paced across the room. “That’s because he’s too busy lying on national TV.”Zaverio sat on the armrest of the couch, arms crossed. “We need to get ahead of this.”Billy scowled. “How? The guy just threw Mom under the bus.”I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I need to find him. I need to talk to him.”Before anyone could respond, my phone buzzed. A new number. I answered fast.“
SHAWNAPhoebe and I barely made it through the front door before I saw them waiting, Jasper, Billy, and Zaverio. Their faces were tight, eyes scanning me and Phoebe like they were expecting the worst.Jasper stepped forward first, his brows furrowed. “You okay?” His voice was tense, but there was something else there too and that was concern.I sighed, rubbing my face. “No. But that doesn’t matter right now.”Billy’s eyes flicked between me and Phoebe. “What happened?” He took a step closer to Phoebe, checking her over like he expected to see injuries. “Are you hurt?”Phoebe shook her head quickly. “I’m fine.”“You don’t look fine,” Jasper muttered, folding his arms. His eyes narrowed on her clothes, the dust on her jacket, the faint scratch on her arm. “What the hell happened out there?”Phoebe hesitated. I could tell she didn’t want to say it.Zaverio, silent until now, gave me a knowing look. “Trouble?”I exhaled sharply. “A crowd recognized Phoebe on her way to the warehouse.”Bil
PHOEBEI couldn’t tell where we were going. I could barely think.“Car. Now,” Ramon ordered, his voice sharp.I barely heard him over the shouting, but I nodded, running when he did. We pushed past people, dodging debris. My heart was hammering so hard it hurt.Finally, we broke through the crowd. Ramon yanked open the car door, practically shoving me inside before slamming his own door shut.“Lock the doors,” he said, breathless.I did.For a second, we just sat there. The chaos outside continued, but inside the car, it was silent except for the sound of our breathing.My hands were shaking. My whole body was shaking.Ramon’s jaw was clenched. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel. “That was bad,” he muttered.I let out a shaky laugh, though there was no humor in it. “No kidding.”He exhaled through his nose, his grip loosening just a little. “We’re going home.”“No.” My voice was stronger than I expected. “Take me to my mom.”“Phoebe…”“I’m not leaving her there.” I tur
PHOEBEI was halfway through reviewing the latest architectural sketches when my phone buzzed, vibrating insistently against the wooden desk. I barely glanced at the screen before answering."Hello?""Phoebe, have you seen the news?" Billy’s voice was tight with urgency.A strange sense of dread curled in my stomach. "No, why? What happened?"There was a pause, too long. My fingers tightened around the phone."Check now," Jasper’s voice cut in, sharp with worry. "It’s bad. Really bad."I fumbled for the remote with one hand, my other gripping the phone like a lifeline. My heart pounded as I pressed the power button.The screen flickered to life, and I felt my breath hitch.Lancaster Empire was plastered across every channel, the words BREAKING NEWS flashing in bold red banners beneath a flurry of images. Protesters flooded the streets, waving signs that screamed MURDERERS and JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS. News anchors spoke in grim tones, standing in front of the remains of our warehouse,