Megan and Cindy were having their afternoon tea by the pool. They dismissed the maid that was serving them tea as Megan never liked being waited upon cause she always felt that it was demeaning to the maid to stand by their side as they ate.They had spent the better part of the morning house-hunting. Cindy had been urging Megan to move in with her which was a tangible way for Cindy to show her love and support, offering Megan a chance to create a new space where she could begin to heal. It was not about forgetting Benny, but about finding a place where the pain might be a little less sharp, where Megan could rebuild her life piece by piece.The house was turning into a live tomb for Megan and she could hear the echoes of Benny's laugh in the silence and could even sense his hug.Many at times, she would wake up screaming Benny's name while desperately searching for him in the dark. She knew she was going insane due to the loss, and if she wasn't careful, it would be full-blown, lead
"Honey, why are you back so early?" She asked as she stepped forward to take his coat.Rich's unexpected arrival hung in the air, a silent judgment on the tableau before him.Liana, rushed towards him, arms outstretched. Rich, however, bypassed her embrace, his gaze fixed on Liana with an intensity that made her falter. He pulled up a chair and sat down."Liana, I need to ask you something."Immediately she tensed, sensing what he was about to ask."Honey, let's t...talk in the living room and leave the girls to enjoy their tea." She stammered, as she held his arm and led him outside, back to the house."Liana," he began, his voice low and anxious, "I want you to answer me truthfully. Was that you on the recording?" He didn't want to believe that his beloved could do something like this but ever since she fought with Megan in the parking lot, he seemed to be picking out odd things about her character.Liana's cracked as her breath hitched, and the colour drained from her face, lea
The procession led to the cemetery. The mood was somber and dark clouds hung in the sky, threatening to burst open as the crowd walked slowly behind the white casket that was on a cart, highly decorated with purple and green ribbons. The cart was being pulled by black mares that trotted with their heads held high as if they knew the magnitude of their duty.The purple ribbons signified the highest rank that the deceased had held in the army; before retirement, he was the Major General, answering directly to the President. The green ribbons represented the clan color of the Waynes, the wealthiest family that ruled the business society in the country.A lady in her late sixties was being held on both sides by two gentleman as they helped her up the slope where the family cemetery was situated. On her right was her only son while her nephew, the son to her younger brother, held her left hand. She sniffed and shivered slightly in the cold and immediately, a young lady with gentle but sorr
By the time that Megan reached home, lunch was being served in the dining room. She had no appetite not the mood to face any kind of humiliation or insults from the family it was better to just hide in her bedroom.Mother Elizabeth was seated at the head of the table as she had taken over as the head of the family now that the patriarch had fallen. Rich was seated at her right with Liana by his side. Cindy, Rich's younger sister was seated on her mother's left hand with her uncle and cousin who had come to live with them after the passing of Father Wayne. The only seat left was next to Liana and there was no way that Megan was going to degrade herself to seat there. “Mother may I be excused? I am not feeling well so I will not be having lunch.” She did with her head bowed.“Will you stop being such a drama queen? Father is no longer here to see your acting” her sister-in-law admonished her. She had never liked Megan and did not understand why her father had to face her brother I to m
Liana was caressing Rich's back, tracing his spinal cord with her fingers which sent shivers down his back. He loved the feeling of her hands on him and was soon raining kisses on her throat as he grunted. Because she was the facing the house, Liana could see Megan looking out of her bedroom window that was on the first floor. She took Rich's hand and placed it on the slit of her skirt as she spread her legs wide while still keeping her eyes on Megan. The sooner Megan knew her place in Rich's life, the earlier she would work at divorcing him, Liana thought.Rich who’s back was facing the house had no idea that his wife was looking at them and was engrossed in his business of pleasuring his woman as his fingers caressed her thigh.The section of the garden where they were standing was surrounded by various plants making it a good hiding spot so he had no worry of being exposed.As the kiss deepened and the heat was rising between them, Rich took a hold of her panty and stretched it to
“Rich, have you had dinner, I can make a plate for you.” she offered as she got up from the couch. She had saved a plate for him during dinner and all she had to do was to warm the food. Before she could even take a step, Rich turned to look at her, a sneer on his face.“Did I say that I want anything from you? Why are you even talking to me?” He had a disgusted look on his face. He hated this person standing near him with a passion. Just the thought of being in one house with her was always revolting to him.Megan hung her head low in humiliation. Whenever she tried to have a conversation with him, it always ended up in a bad way either with him insulating her of or he would just walk away as if she did not exist.“I am sorry but please I would like to discuss something with you if you can spare a few minutes for me”, she braced herself for more insults but Rich remained silent.He never liked being in the same space with her but since everyone had gone to bed and it was just the two
Megan had already spent two weeks looking for a job to no avail. She would leave the house early in the morning with Benny as she dropped him off at school then head out job searching.It became a routine for her to go into the cyber café in town to search and apply for jobs in the internet. After spending about three hours doing this, she would then start walking in the offices around in search of job vacancies while dropping her resumes.The one disadvantage that she encountered was that the companies wanted someone with at least two years of experience in a prior job so even though she had the papers to prove her qualifications as a Human Resource Manager, she failed in the interviews when it came to work experience.All this could have been made easier for her if her husband had agreed to get her a position at the company.This was all her fault, she thought as she got into the car to pick up Benny from school in the afternoon. If only she had not rushed to get married to her uni
It had been a week since Megan started working. Because Beth neither agreed nor opposed the notion of her getting a job, Megan delved right into it. At least this way, she had a reason of being out of the house and would earn an income in the process. Spending the whole day in the house had become stifling. The people who were still flocking to the house to offer their condolences looked down on her and treated her like the house help. Of course, Beth never bothered to correct them. Her husband was spending more time with his mistress and her sister-in-law had her friends to keep her company. Her cousin-in-law was the only one who occasionally treated her like a human being.She had already fallen into a routine with Benny. She would wake up at six in the morning to prepare breakfast for Benny while she packed his lunch. She would then rush to take a shower before waking up her son. While Benny showered, she dressed and laid down his clothes.After they were done with their morning r
"Honey, why are you back so early?" She asked as she stepped forward to take his coat.Rich's unexpected arrival hung in the air, a silent judgment on the tableau before him.Liana, rushed towards him, arms outstretched. Rich, however, bypassed her embrace, his gaze fixed on Liana with an intensity that made her falter. He pulled up a chair and sat down."Liana, I need to ask you something."Immediately she tensed, sensing what he was about to ask."Honey, let's t...talk in the living room and leave the girls to enjoy their tea." She stammered, as she held his arm and led him outside, back to the house."Liana," he began, his voice low and anxious, "I want you to answer me truthfully. Was that you on the recording?" He didn't want to believe that his beloved could do something like this but ever since she fought with Megan in the parking lot, he seemed to be picking out odd things about her character.Liana's cracked as her breath hitched, and the colour drained from her face, lea
Megan and Cindy were having their afternoon tea by the pool. They dismissed the maid that was serving them tea as Megan never liked being waited upon cause she always felt that it was demeaning to the maid to stand by their side as they ate.They had spent the better part of the morning house-hunting. Cindy had been urging Megan to move in with her which was a tangible way for Cindy to show her love and support, offering Megan a chance to create a new space where she could begin to heal. It was not about forgetting Benny, but about finding a place where the pain might be a little less sharp, where Megan could rebuild her life piece by piece.The house was turning into a live tomb for Megan and she could hear the echoes of Benny's laugh in the silence and could even sense his hug.Many at times, she would wake up screaming Benny's name while desperately searching for him in the dark. She knew she was going insane due to the loss, and if she wasn't careful, it would be full-blown, lead
"Mummy", Benny called out as he giggled.Megan smiled and opened her arms wide, bracing herself for the hug.Benny would always run into her with the assurance that his mother would pick him up in a twirl going round and round until they both got dizzy.Mother and child hugged and laughed as they rolled in the grass."I love you Mummy", Benny said as he looked into his mother's eyes without smiling.Alarmed, Megan sat on the grass and held her son."I love you too, Benny, but why the serious face?" Benny would either be giggling or hugging his mother's neck and smiling when telling his mother that he loved her, but right now, he had an odd expression that was very unlike him.He got up from his mother's lap and gave her a serious look, then ran a few feet away."Mummy, catch me if you can," he said then took off, laughing.Megan ran after him and caught up with him, lifting him in the air."Mummy, I'm sorry I can't be with you anymore". Tears were streaming down his face as he held b
It was the day of the trial.The courtroom buzzed with a nervous energy, a stark contrast to the quiet solemnity of Benny's funeral. Megan sat stiffly, her gaze fixed on the empty space beside her, a phantom presence of her son lingering there. The weight of grief had settled into a dull ache, a constant reminder of the void left by Benny's absence. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow, reflecting the sleepless nights and the constant replay of seeing her Benny in a casket.Cindy sat beside her, offering silent support, her hand resting lightly on Megan's arm. She had never left Megan's side because the doctor said that Megan needed round-the-clock monitoring so she wouldn't fall into depression.Athena, ever observant, watched the proceedings while flanking Megan's other side, now her personal bodyguard; a decision she made on her own. Ever since she went to MountainView for vacation, she had been thinking of a career change because her heart couldn't handle the body count, espec
It was a bright and sunny day; cloudless, the kind of day Benny would enjoy in the park while eating ice cream and telling his mother endless stories about his day at school while listening to the birds chirping away. He would then run to the swings or throw around his ball, his little feet struggling to keep the ball steady as he kicked it. Because he was very sociable, he would make friends easily, always having children around him. He had always been a burbly child, full of life and loved by his teachers and classmates. He was also the most obedient child and over-intelligent for his age, grasping knowledge at an alarming rate. Megan was never worried about him when in the park as Benny was very well trained and wouldn't engage in conversation with adult strangers. In case of any sign of danger, he would quickly rush to his mother. He had a whole collection of dried flowers in the room that were displayed in a book. He would name them and arrange them according to the seasons c
The police immediately dispatched a team to go to Dante's house to get the laptop.******Dante was not familiar with MountainView, so he had to make a stop and ask for directions to the mountain, claiming that he was there for a hike.The bottom of the mountain had sheds where hikers and mountaineers rested and grouped themselves before making their ascent.He got into the one that was nearest the mountain and placed Benny inside. After gagging Benny and tying his hands and feet, he left to make a call.He felt sorry for his boy but had no choice but to do this. He promised himself that he would make it up to him after this was over.They had been in the shed for two days. The ransom money was to be collected that night, so he was just from the train station having a plan of travelling back to the county by train, collecting the ransom at the agreed-upon point, and then hiring a van that he would use to transport the money back to MountainView.He would then lay low for two more days
Dante has just got home from the mechanic shop where he worked. Before the divorce, he worked as the Project Manager at Epic Media Company, where he was in charge of verifying the contracts brought in by agents for their artists and also sourcing for international projects.He had a large office with a view, but after being laid off from work due to anger issues and fights at the workplace, it took him quite a while before getting a job as a mechanic. On that particular day, he was alighting from his car when his phone vibrated and he saw an unfamiliar number calling him."I have a job for you", a gruff voice got him curious. He was short of money and was up for making extra dollars."Excuse me, who are you and what kind of work is it?" He asked."That is not important. I know that you are working for peanuts at the mechanic shop. After doing this work for me, I will pay you enough to make you live a comfortable life"."So what do you want me to do?" His interest piqued."I want you
Dante looked back in shock at the sound of a familiar voice that he hadn't heard in ages. A voice that took him years back, a voice that he had longed for and regretted losing, the one voice that had brought warmth and sunshine into his life, now seemingly lost forever."What's going on? Why do you look so battered? Who beat you up?" Megan asked in concern as the rest of the room stared in silence.A huge scar ran down his face, his shirt was bloody, and he was trying to hide his hand that was bandaged.He looked like a messed up, bloody pulp, like a huge ripe tomato that had been squashed under the wheels."Do you know this man?" One of the policemen who came with the group asked as he removed a document from his jacket."He is my ex-husband", Megan replied, still confused as to what was happening."Ma'am, this man is the main suspect in the kidnapping of a little boy found in the mountains", the man said in an official voice as he stretched the arrest warrant for Megan to have a lo
Liana and Rich cuddled after a round of making love. She had cried bitterly on the phone, begging Rich to see her to no avail. Finally, she threatened him with suicide so he had to drop everything and pick her up.Ever since the miscarriage and Cindy's arrest, she had felt a wide space between them. Rich was slowly slipping away from her and she wasn't ready to lose him.At first, he had questioned her decision to have his sister arrested without consulting her."But she killed our son", she said pitifully."Cindy is my sister, and the miscarriage was an accident" Rich tried to reason with her. "We lost our child and you are taking their side?" Liana rose from the bed where they were lying down as they talked, anger rising in her."Who are 'they'? I am asking about my sister. She is Wayne's only daughter, so her reputation matters!" Rich was now feeling exasperated.He had been avoiding Liana because he wasn't in the mood for an argument with her, and now this! Moreover, he felt lik