Noah POVBriana gasped when I pulled her for a hug before Jimmy Ferguson could make his move on her.I saw the way he looked at her.He was attracted to my Briana.I abhor the way he looked at her.He was like a vulture ready to snap his prey.Briana returned my embrace. She must have momentarily forgotten about our visitors because she did not make any move to let go until Jimmy Ferguson cleared his throat.I felt her body go rigid at the sound of Jimmy’s throat clearing and squeezed her body to assure her.Still, I could sense Briana was embarrassed when she stepped away from me.I loosened my hold on her but did not allow her to leave my side. Instead, I snaked an arm around her and clipped her to my side, which Jimmy noticed immediately.I gloated at the envious way he looked at my arm around Briana.If he thinks that I will allow him a moment to touch what is mine, then he is highly mistaken.“Thank you, Jimmy,” Briana said.Jimmy extended his hand, and his smile brightened. “My
Briana POVI pretended to be busy for Noah’s sake.But when he closed the door behind him, I stopped the pretense and put down the pen and paper I was holding to lean back on my chair. Tiredness seemed to seep from every pore of my skin.I closed my eyes and sighed.There was a knock on the door. I knew it was Martina.“Come in.”The door opened and Martina came in.She frowned when she saw me.“What’s wrong? You looked troubled … and weary.” She sounded hesitant like she did not want to verbalize what was in her thoughts. “Has Noah left?” I asked, ignoring her comment.“Yes.” She replied, and I nodded slowly.I took a deep breath. I don’t know what I was feeling. I felt like Noah abandoned me. We had a misunderstanding, but he did not even stay to fix it.He has changed. He was not like this. Before whenever we had a misunderstanding, he wouldn’t leave my side until we made up. But now…I shook my head, wanting to dispel the sad thoughts. Maybe that’s how couples behave as they g
Noah POVI heard Briana’s surprised gasp and deepened the kiss.It was a gentle kiss aimed to soothe the pain I inflicted on her due to my insensitivity. Still, the minute my lips closed in on hers, passion burst inside me. I cannot seem to stop feeding on Briana's lips. They taste so much like honey, forgiveness, love, and lust. “I love you,” I told her when I pulled away because my phone had been ringing nonstop. “It was Langley,” I told her apologetically when I pulled the phone out of my pocket to check. Briana’s lids closed. But before that, I saw the yearning and the longing that matched my own. “Later, wife,” I promised and swiped the phone’s screen to receive Langley’s call. “What?” My voice came out harsh as it came between panting. I looked at Briana. She was panting, too. While my ears were glued to the phone, my eyes refused to abandon her face. I kept looking at her flushed face, wanting to continue where we left off. But Langley’s waiting. I took deep breaths t
Noah POV“Oral defamation case is not a criminal case in Redwood City.” My attorney explained when I told him what I wanted to do with Britney’s recent action that caused me a two-day staycation at the hospital.Brent brought a compilation of evidence against Britney. Unfortunately, we cannot file a criminal defamation case against her.“So, it was a useless case?” I asked, thoroughly disappointed.“If you want to put her behind bars, the law can’t help you.” My lawyer said, shaking his head.I clucked my tongue, feeling lost and drained.I thought I already had enough ammunition to make Britney accountable for her actions, but it seemed as if the prevailing law in Redwood restricted my hand.“Is there any other way?” I asked my lawyer, feeling discouraged that my plans won’t push through.I realized that my recent actions against Britney only showed Briana that I was protecting her when it was not my intention. Now, I intend to rectify that misconception and make Briana feel less thr
Briana POVWhen Noah left, my stomach started to churn, and my gums salivated.Bile rose from my throat.I tried to suppress it by covering my mouth with my palm but to no avail.Immediately, I rose from my seat and ran to the bathroom, where I puked my heart out.“Gwark! Gwark!”Acid spread through my throat and mouth, making me gag until another round of vomit hit me.I pushed my hair away from my face and opened the faucet to gargle tap water.Then, I pulled several paper towels from the dispenser to dab at my sweat-beading face.
Briana POVWe bought several packs of home pregnancy kits. Then, we also visited the neighboring convenience store to buy food.“The hotel has everything you need and want,” Martina commented when she saw me buy some items from the grocery that were also available in the hotel’s kitchen.“I want this brand. It’s different from our supply at the hotel.” I explained and dumped all my haul at the counter.I paid for our purchases, and we hurriedly left.“Are you ready?” Martina asked.We finished attacking the food we bought at the convenience store to stall the planned test. But now that we are full, there is nothing left to do but to face what we set out to do.“Are you?” I countered back.And we both chuckled at our silliness.“I’ll go ahead,” I told her, walking briskly to the bathroom. The faster the task is done, the better.I peed and collected samples in a small container provided in the box. Then, I soaked the white absorbent end of the strip in the urine for five to ten second
Briana POV“What do you mean she left?”Marcus roared when he got into the office and found me holding my head with my hands.I kept staring alternately at Martina’s resignation letter and the divorce paper she signed, and Marcus' thundering voice startled me.My brother's agitation
Noah POV“I did not know that sitting for a very personal interview could be draining. “ I complained to Brent and Chris after Amy Smith and her crew left the office.It was only fifteen minutes, but it sure felt as if all my energy had been zapped out of me.“Serves you right. You did not even give us a heads-up. Consider yourself lucky that Amy Smith grabbed the chance to get a scoop. Otherwise…” Brent trailed off.
Beth POV“We did not have anything when we were younger, Beth,” Brent said ruefully.His words reminded me of how we scraped for money after we married young. “I wasn’t able to give you anything.”Brent continued to explain, and I could feel his deep sadness over it. It was like he regretted that we did not have much, and he could not afford to give me anything beyond the basic necessities. But I clearly remembered that those were the happy times of our lives. I never asked for anything Brent could not provide. “When I already amassed wealth, we were divorced and you have too much pride to receive anything from me.”“Because that is the right thing to do. We don’t have anything connecting us except Krizzie. I was no longer your wife to warrant accepting your generosity. But I never denied you the opportunity to give Krizzie whatever your heart desires, even if you did not want her in the first place.” I saw him wince and was eager to take back the words, but I already said them
Beth POVI woke up to the sound of children’s giggles and realized I was already lying in something soft, a bed, maybe? Frowning, I sat upright, my eyes scanning the room I was in.I was in bed alright but it looked too elegant to be my room. I could only hazard a guess that I was in a hotel. “Mommy! You are awake!” I heard Krizzie’s voice and was relieved when I saw her. She was hiding her body at the back of the door. “Who are you with? Where is your father?” I asked. Krizzie pouted. “He had someone on the phone. He was just outside. He said he did not want to wake you up.” I nodded and beckoned for my daughter to come to me. She turned to her back and gestured for someone. When she approached my bed, the Hunter siblings followed her. “Daddy said we have to watch over you,” Krizzie reported and giggled. “But how can I guard you against Daddy?” The innocent question had me frowning. “Why? What did Daddy do?” I asked curiously. He kept kissing your lips, your eyes, and
Brent POV“Brent!”From somewhere, I heard Beth’s shaky voice, and not long after, I felt her arms wrapping around me from the back.The fight went out of me when I felt her trembling arms surrounding me.My hands released their hold on Dr. Roberts to grasp Beth’s hands with mine.“Beth,” I uttered her name, feeling an uncontrollable fear engulf me.Immediately, the fight went out of me, especially when I heard her choking sobs.Beth's tears made me weak. 
Brent POVI was trying so hard to control myself because I knew that if I let myself go, I would mince this man to a pulp.“How dare you accuse my wife of cheating when it was you who was guilty of the crime?”The audacity of the man stumped me. How could Beth agree to date someone like him was beyond me?“Well, she was lying to us both. She was stringing you along while she dated me. What does that make of her?” Dr. Roberts said with enough conviction.It was clear what he was doing.He wanted to sow distrust between Beth and me. He wanted us t
Beth POVI looked at the time and realized I had skipped lunch. My patient had a very demanding visitor. I could not leave my station because she rang the emergency bell all the time. She was gone now, and I heaved a sigh of relief.“Beth, someone’s calling you while you were attending to a patient.” My co-worker informed me when I got back from my rounds. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was Brent who called. I was about to type back a reply when Dr. Roberts called my name. “Beth, may I have a word?” My body stiffened silently, rejecting the request.I do not want to talk to Jeremy because he lied to me. I thought he was a friend, but clearly omitting that he was married while he was dating me was a big no-no for me. It was my non-negotiable. “What do you want?” I did not intend for my words to come out sharp, but what happened last night was still fresh in my mind. I trusted him, and he was one of the reputable doctors in the hospital, so it was hard to imagine him doi
Brent POVAfter ensuring Beth’s bodyguards were in place, I drove home with Krizzie.“Daddy, are you going to leave me with the triplets while you go to work?” she asked.We were seated on the bed. Krizzie was sitting in my lap while I held her long hair in one hand to tie it with a pink ribbon that she loves so much.“Yeah. It’s just for an hour or two. Aunt Briana will look after the five of you.”“Yey! Are we going to stay at the hotel?”She asked, eyes lighting up because she often visited Rosewood Hotel t
Brent POVI turned to my side to look at my daughter and Beth.Seeing them content in sleep made me smile to myself. Krizzie sure knew how to thwart her old man’s happiness. I thought as my eyes lingered on Beth. I so wanted her.It had been years, and I could not wait to meld our bodies together as I had promised earlier, but Krizzie put a damper on my plans. I chuckled to myself.At the same time, I was thankful that Beth had finally seen through the doctor. For a moment, I thought she would be heartbroken when she found out about his duplicity. Beth liked him enough to date him. That night I got back from Arkadia was the first time she had shown interest in a man after so many years. That is why the idea of her dating alarmed me. If I hadn’t acted sooner and allowed Beth to date the man, there would be no turning back for us. Beth would have been taken away from me.But fate had been kind. And a simple investigation put the doctor in a landmine. I gritted my teeth, vowi
Beth POVBrent bent his head to kiss me, but we quickly pulled apart when the door to our room was aggressively flung wide open, and our daughter came in.“Mommy! Daddy! Are we going to live in one house from now on?” She asked, eyes glowing in happiness when she noted Brent's presence inside my room, which is technically our room from now on.Brent bent to sit on his haunches and pulled Krizzie toward his lap. She was already in her PJs and was ready for bed.“You like that. Don’t you, baby?”Krizzie nodded. “Yes! I do! I always wanted to sleep beside my two favorite
Brent POV“We both made mistakes, Beth,” I said, eyeing Beth with the corner of my eye. “Release yourself from the bondage of self-blame and just savor what we have now. Life is too precious for self-recrimination and regrets. We have to keep moving forward. Let’s be happy, Beth. You, me and Krizzie.” Beth sighed. “I will try.” My hand left the steering wheel to pat the back of her hand, lying on her lap. “That’s my woman. Do it because from now on, I don’t want you to be unhappy, Beth. I wanted to fill our lives with laughter and happiness.”“Daddy, can we go to the playground to play?” Krizzie butted in at the back when we were near one of the famous indoor playground facilities in Redwood. I turned my head to look at Beth, seeking her opinion.Since it was a Friday and Krizzie had no classes the following day, Beth nodded her assent. “Sure, baby,” I said before entering the facility’s parking area.We went to a gated playground with slides and cute trees. Krizzie had a gr