(Anj’s POV)Finn was drinking champagne as he sat comfortably in his seat.Anya was busy taking pictures, and maybe before we reached our destination, she would be done covering all parts of the plane, with different poses in her camera except sitting on the pilot’s seat while we were still on the flight. Dylan pretended to be busy reading a magazine he found on the seat but constantly stole glances and checked on me. After that kiss on the Ferris Wheel, we never got the chance to talk again because, first off, I made sure I never stayed in one place alone with him, and second, I hardly went home to Aunt Rose’s home.My kids were on the bed, playing with Nitro, short for nitrogen, the name they gave the puppy. The dog was a ‘she’, and the entire drive to the airport, they argued many times about what her name should be. In the end, they settled on the largest chemical composition of the sky. When they finally had the name, there was a bit of argy-bargy on how she should be called. Si
(Anj’s POV)“This is life!” Anya exclaimed as she sat on the oversized hanging swing on the porch. She propped a pillow to the edge of the swing and lay down. I sat on the other swing, just across from her. I imagined the waves crashing into the ocean by just listening to their sound.Dylan joined us. “This place is so big, the kids could get lost,” he said, sitting beside me.Anya raised her eyebrows. “Relax, Dylan. You’re not the dad. No offense, dude!”He sighed. “Don’t dude me, Anya. I have lots of work, but you dragged me here.”She got up. “Dylan, let’s relax for a while, okay? Even if we work our asses off, we won’t get to own this place. So please…” She pouted when Dylan shook his head.“Anya’s right. Let’s just relax, okay?” I said, putting my feet up and hugging my knees. I tilted my head to check on my kids playing with Nitro. It must be Sky’s idea to give them the puppy so they won’t remember him.Maybe it was for the best.“Ohhh….” Anya moaned as she closed her eyes. “P
(Anj’s POV)After that conversation with Dylan, I knew the night would be long, and it would be difficult to stop my brain from thinking.For six years, I always settled with tea and books to calm me, but now, with all the lies, Sky and Dylan, and wanting my children to be happy, they were all confusing my brain. I stopped by the bar next to the kitchen, got the same bottle of Vodka Sky and I drank years ago, and walked to the bedroom. My children were sleeping in the most oversized bed I’ve ever seen that even if Dylan and Anya joined us in the bed, there would still be space for Sky and Finn.Sky. Why do I always think of Sky when he doesn’t even think of me?I scoffed and walked to the closet room. I opened the cabinet and saw shopping bags inside with a note. There was nothing special to it, just the scribbled message For Anj. My lips curled into a sneer, but I opened them since I had no plans to wear the same clothes, the only ones I had.A small sigh slipped my lips as I pulle
(Anj’s POV)Earthquake!The bed was shaking, moving up and down, and I could hear my three girls screaming and something whining.My eyes opened wide, and when I gazed at the unfamiliar ceiling, my heart panicked and thumped inside my chest. Fear that my children were in danger made me get up immediately, but perhaps I fought with gravity so much that my blood seemed to pool in the lower part of my body, making me feel dizzy.“Argh!” A short and hushed groan escaped my mouth as my hands held my head, throbbing in pain. I blinked, almost brushing off the little thing sitting on my lap because I was startled and had forgotten that my kids have a puppy. Nitro yawned and whined. “I know,” I almost growled and turned my head, seeing the cause of the earthquake in the bed.“Mommy! Mommy, you’re finally awake!” Leyanne beamed, already panting from jumping as if she was on a trampoline.I had to squint to see the girls better. “Girls, stop. You might hurt yourself.” I opened my arms, and they
(Anj’s POV)My three girls, plus their puppy, running in circles and giggling happily, made the beach much more colorful as if truly completing the wonderful sunny weather. As we enjoyed our smoothies, it went the same with our eyes watching the blue sea, with little waves rocking back and forth on the shore.Despite irking at the thought of being here instead of working, Dylan couldn’t deny he was enjoying himself. I wondered when the last time he relaxed or took a vacation because ever since I met him, he has always been putting his nose at work.Anya herself was happy, humming as she sipped on the straw of her pineapple smoothies. After an hour of arguing about wearing the swimsuit, I finally convinced her we wore the same spaghetti strap top; hers was red, and mine was green. Whoever prepared the clothes inside the shopping bags must have thought I wouldn’t want the colors that they put two or more colors of the same style.It was a waste of money, but Anya called it some sort of
(Sky’s POV)I watched Angela move fluidly in the family room as if she had lived here for a long time. With Anya’s and Dylan’s help, they were able to decorate the room in time for the small celebration. With Anya’s talent, being a school owner herself, she made a cut out of Happy Birthday, while Dylan helped Angela tie up the balloons almost everywhere.The most challenging job was given to me, and that was watching out for the girls. Anyone could get confused with the three of them sitting on the swing together, wearing the same clothes, shoes, and hairstyles.Angela braided the few strands of our girls’ hair the same way, making it more difficult to identify them. Anya wanted to put a name tag on them because she still gets confused with the triplets, but Dylan, perhaps like me, could identify the girls quickly.“Daddy,” Leyanne called, making me look at her. “Why did you leave last night?” She asked as she rubbed Nitro’s fur.I almost chuckled. “You saw me? I thought you were slee
(Anj’s POV)An hour on the beach with everyone exhausted me already, but my children never seemed to run out of energy. I had to sit on the mat Sky placed on the sand before we all immersed and enjoyed the water.Either one of us was a traitor for extending or recharging my kids because they never lost the energy to play in the water. Now it was already Dylan’s and Anya’s turn to play with Leyanne and Lyra Helene on the water. When I came out of the water, Selene clung to me and continued to play, digging in the sand as she tried to follow the small crab she found a while ago.Sky emerged from the water, and as he walked toward me, water was dripping off his body. Biting my bottom lip, I couldn’t stop following his every step, and though I knew he would be coming my way, I still smiled and waved at him.“How did you manage to raise these three kids?” He laughed as he sat beside me. “They seemed to have lots of energy.”I chuckled and handed him the towel. “I don’t bring them to the be
(Anj’s POV)“You and the kids, what were you talking about before their party?” I could not help asking him. They looked serious at the swing this afternoon, and my instinct told me I was part of their whispering and chatting.He shrugged. “Just sharing our secrets.” He raised his eyebrows at me, and his lips curved a wicked smile as if he expected I would be curious about their topic.“What secret?” My eyes widened as I waited, hoping he would share it with me. They are my kids, and I deserve to know about them.“Geez! Angela, have you heard him? Secrets… not meant to be shared without your kids’ permission,” Anya clucked her tongue and shook her head. She clapped her hands. “You used to do that, talking to Uncle Jesse.”I rolled my eyes at her. “Anya, you know it’s called confession, right?”She ignored me. “Okay, listen, people. I have thought of one, and we call this getting to know each other.”Dylan moved slightly away from her, furrowed his forehead, and laughed. She hit him in
(Anj’s POV) Two years later… I glanced at Anya as she rubbed her baby bump. She hissed as she continued to touch her belly. “Dylan was so ecstatic about having a boy that I wanted him to carry our baby. This little one seemed to practice taekwondo inside my belly,” she complained. “I’m not sure if he’s practicing for the Olympics too early.” I chuckled, looking at my girls as they listened to Olivia playing the violin in the pavilion, and then my eyes went back to the three children playing on the sand. “Dayana!” yelled Anya at her daughter, startling me. “Good lord, don’t eat that!” “Relax, Anya. She was only smelling the shell,” I laughed. “Cloud, Rain,” I called my boys, shaking my head at my twins. They giggled and stood up, walking toward their sisters, leaving Dayana as she continued to play with sand. It has become our tradition to visit the Angela Island every year. Although this year was different without Steve, leaving us all last year just before his birthday. “I onl
(Sky’s POV)“I want to marry the Mighty Sky,” I remembered Angela saying dreamily.I looked at Frank, and as he smiled, I recalled telling him that night, ‘I’ll marry this lovely angel today.’“Are you ready?” Father Jesse asked, his eyes wandering at the small chapel I asked to build for this celebration before looking at me.I turned my gaze to him. “Yes, but Father Jesse, I have a question.” Not giving him a chance to talk, I asked him, “I came to you and asked for Angela, but you said you didn’t know her.”He chuckled softly. “You were looking for an Angela with red spots on her face, and you were describing her to me as if she was ugly. I didn’t know any ugly Angela. I only realized she was the same person you were looking for when I opened the envelope.”“My bad,” I smiled nervously, and Father Jesse patted me on my shoulder before entering the chapel.Olivia sat in front of the piano organ and began playing. The wedding organizer smiled at me, giving us the cue, and I walked on
(Anj’s POV)“Aren’t you scared of being on the plane with me?” Sky asked when his new private plane took off.I shook my head.“Then why do you have that long face?” he asked me again, pulling me to him.I placed one arm on his waist and rested my head on his shoulder. I felt him kissing my hair. “I convinced Anya and Dylan to go with us, but I guess she was having difficulty with her pregnancy.”“Have you experienced that with the girls?” he tilted his head to see my face.I craned my neck to look at him. “In my first trimester. It was hell,” I chuckled. “I couldn’t even make my own perfume, but after that, I could study and work again.”He heaved a deep sigh. “I should have been there. You shouldn’t have carried them alone.”I raised my head and reached for his lips, kissing him. “What would you do? Get one baby and put her inside your belly?” I teased him.“I wonder if men will like that,” he laughed at me, then he pouted, looking so cute. “I’m still mad at you. Why didn’t you want
(Sky’s POV)The luminance of the glow-in-dark stickers in the bedroom still shone vividly when Angela and I collapsed on the bed, panting and catching our breath as I pulled her closer to my body. The thought of dying in the plane crash still made me shiver, and I couldn’t imagine leaving Angela alone, raising our kids, and hating me for the rest of her life for not coming back to her. I kissed her again, not wanting to stop, but I knew she wanted to know what had happened.“I hate you, Sky,” she whispered as her fingers traced my cheeks down to the hollow of my throat. Her hand slid down, stopping her palm on my heart and closing her eyes as if to make sure my heart was still beating. “What happened to you?”“Frank and I didn’t expect it to happen. I was about to enter the cockpit when Leo called and reported someone saw Leonard escaping to Macau. I didn’t need a plane to catch him, so Frank and I got out of the plane but gave my pilot and his co-pilot a go when he asked me if he c
(Anj’s POV)Don’t blink!Don’t disappear!Sky claimed my mouth before I could say his name again. If this were a dream, I would probably hurt anymore who would dare wake me up. It was an intense kiss and hungry as if there was no tomorrow.I could feel the tears rolling on my cheeks, and I cried when Sky stopped kissing me and moved slightly away from me, pressing our foreheads together. It was one long second that I thought my heart had stopped beating again.“I love you, Angela!” He whispered, his lips reaching mine and planting a quick kiss.My mouth opened, hoping to utter words, but no sound came out except my sobs. The mixed emotions stirring in my heart and mind made me dizzy, and all I wanted was to be in his arms. Slowly, I raised my hand, placing my palm on his chest, feeling his beating heart.“Say something, pumpkin,” he sounded begging, but I was more afraid to speak.If only Sky knew the news almost killed me and broke my heart. If he only knew that the days without info
(Anj’s POV)“Angela!”My hand stopped from opening the door, and I turned to the female voice I rarely hear in this place. I saw Jocelyn smiling shyly at me, and behind that curve in her lips, there was tenderness in how she looked at me.“Yes, Jocelyn?” I asked, wondering what she wanted from me.“I wondered if our granddaughters could sleep in our room tonight,” she asked.Our room? My eyebrows raised. With Olivia? With Finn? With Steve?“Steve -” She heaved a deep sigh, blushing like a teenager. “Umm… He wanted to ask if the kids could sleep with us tonight.”“Ah!” I exclaimed, opening the door and finding my children, now in their pajamas, jumping on the bed as Anya read them a book.“Mommy! Mommy!” Lyra Helene called me.“Please, girls, stop jumping. You’re making me dizzy,” I smiled softly at them, stopping at the edge of the bed.The girls stopped jumping and ran to me.“Yes, baby?” I asked, brushing their hair with my fingers, starting with Leyanne, then Selene.“Mommy, Aunt A
(Anj’s POV)The large clusters of clouds had been hiding the beautiful and perfect blue sky for two days now. As I leaned my back facing the garden, I noticed that even the flowers were gloomy about the weather, and sadness loomed in the mansion.Elenita shared with me that it has never been this busy in Mars’ residence except when Freya died. In the kitchen, as she claimed her kingdom, the maids seemed to have never stopped cooking. It was only yesterday when Jocelyn came, hysterical with the news about his son was missing and could be dead somewhere. Steve, though looking tired, remained the strong head here at home, but when he saw his ex-wife, I saw him break into tears for the first time.After seeing Steve cry, I understood what he meant when he told me not to break down because when everyone saw him and Jocelyn crying, it was like looking at the top of the tower falling to the ground. All I wanted was to sit in the corner and wept, wanting to scream for Sky.Finn and Leo have n
(Anj’s POV)“Sky is alive!”It was what I wanted my heart to believe.After Sister Grace left, Aunt Rose came, giving me her warmest hug, and for a while, she cried with me. She sniffed as she moved away from me, her palms on my face as her thumb softly touched my cheeks, wiping the tears.“Have you eaten already?” She asked, and when I shook my head, she forced a chuckle. “I’m not asking you, Angela. I’m asking that little Sky in there,” she took my hand and placed my palm on my belly. “He might be hungry and tired. Or should I say, they might be hungry?”“They?” I released a brief laugh, tears rolling again. “Aunt Rose!”She smirked. “What? You’re a Mars now. You should have known the rumors about them.”“Rumors?” My eyebrows raised at her.Aunt Rose grinned at me. “They were wealthy because someone in the family always produced double. Steve has twin brothers, and you knew he has twins, too, right?” She pursed her lips. “I guess you broke the tradition of producing only two. They s
(Anj’s POV)After giving birth to two babies, the doctor asked me to push again. I remembered glancing at my sun and bright star before nodding to her. She was expecting another girl to come out, but she said it was as if my moon goddess helped me push her brother, but despite that, he still didn’t survive, and Selene almost didn’t make it.When I heard Selene’s first cry, I sobbed, wishing Sky was here. With three babies on top of my chest, I told my children that the sky was almost complete. My heart ached for Cloud, but with three babies, I had to live and wake up. They needed me, and with the thought of me being an orphan, I swore to my children that they would not lose a mother.“Mooommmmyyyyy!” My children wailed, crying as they tried to get into the bedroom. Nina has been stopping them because she thought I needed the time alone.I blinked, and my head turned, following the cry of my girls. My lips curved a sad smile as I opened my arms to them. I saw Nina wiping her tears, ste