Ximena/Angela's POV
“I’m pregnant!” The words slipped out instantly.“Does that matter?” Hudson asked, still straddling me.Despite my desire for him, I couldn’t bring myself to cheat on Davey. He would never forgive me. “Yes, it does,” I said, and Hudson got off me. I sat up, adjusting my dress.“I’m developing feelings for you, Angela,” he confessed. “I have tried to control it, but every time I see you, I’m drawn to you like a moth to a flame. You have this allure that captivates me. It hasn’t been long since we met, but it feels like I have known you forever. I can’t stop these growing feelings. I love you, Angela. Will you give me a chance?” the way he said those words made cheating on Davey cross my mind.“I just said I’m pregnant,” I reminded him.“I know, but how does that change anything? I can take care of you and your child, and many more if you would like,” he insisted.“I’m married!” I revealed. He narrowedXimena/Angela’s POVEleanor’s doctor and caregiver arrived the next day. Hudson and I excused ourselves, stepping out to the veranda. I took a deep breath, enjoying the cool breeze on my face.“I hope she gets better soon,” Hudson said quietly.“She will,” I assured him. “She is strong. If she could survive the struggle and the effects of those drugs, she will be fine.”Hudson hesitated for a moment before asking, “So, when are you leaving?”“I’m just waiting for Nevaeh to come back. Then I will be gone,” I replied, focusing on the flowers in the yard.“Will I ever see you again?” Our eyes met briefly in the silence.“I don’t know.”“Will you miss me?”“I’m not sure.”He sighed. “Do you remember the second time we met, when you asked if my wife caught me cheating?”“I do. You admitted it without saying much,” I smiled faintly.“After Camila, Nevaeh’s mother, died, I promised m
Ximena/Angela’s POVWithout a word, Davey turned to leave with Tristan. “Davey, please,” my voice trembled as I hurried to block his path. “It’s not what you think, okay? I’m sorry,” I pleaded, tears streaming down my cheeks.“You made your choice, Angela,” he said, disappointment lacing his voice.“And I chose you and our son. I don’t want to go back to my past anymore. I want to embrace the future with you, please,” I begged, holding his hand.“Sir?” Tristan called, looking up at Davey.“Don’t make Mommy cry,” he wrotr in his writing tablet. Davey ruffled his hair gently.“Just promise me you will come home with me and never go back to this again,” Davey said.I glanced at Hudson before nodding. “I’m going with you,” I declared.“Angela, please,” Hudson stepped closer. “I know you have a family. I know you can’t ever love me, but you can’t stay away from me forever,” he said, turning to Davey. “She l
Ximena/Angela’s POVI was singing a lullaby to my little angel, Raven. She hardly sleeps these days, and I wonder why. Putting her to bed has become my daily and nightly routine since Davey traveled. She prefers his arms to mine, and these past few days have been hectic for me.“Come on, baby, you need to take a nap now. Mommy is tired,” I whined, feeling sleepy and frustrated. She was just three months old, but her cries were as loud as a ten-year-old’s. “Davey, please come back soon. I can’t handle this.”“Ma’am?” Rita, Tristan’s nanny, came over, holding the landline. “You have a call,” she said.“Who is it?” I asked, taking the phone from her.“I don’t know, Ma’am.”“Hello,” I said.“Is Mrs. Jackson on the line?” a hoarse voice asked, and I instantly felt uneasy.“Yes, who is this, please?” I asked, motioning for Rita to take care of Raven as I stepped out of the room.“We got this number from the v
Ximena/Angela’s POVIt was already too much for me to handle. I sat on the floor, my back against the bed, listening to the pitiful cries of my child, but I couldn’t do anything.“Ma’am?” Rita called suddenly, rushing over to me. “Why are you on the floor?” she asked, trying to help me up.“Leave me alone!” I snapped, pushing her away. “Why did you take so long?”“I’m sorry, ma’am. There was traffic,” she explained as she handed Raven to me.I cuddled my baby, more tears running down my face. She cried a lot, but never this much, and never without me or Davey. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t accept that I would never see Davey again. It was a torment I couldn’t endure.“Should I get you lunch, ma’am?” Rita asked after helping me put Raven to sleep.“Just leave me alone,” I told her.She stayed beside me, her soft hand resting on my shoulder. “I understand how you feel, ma’am, but you can’t go on like this. I
Ximena/Angela’s POVI didn’t know how else to feel. Suicide crossed my mind so many times, but when I remembered my two bundles of joy, I wanted to live for them. I can't let my kids suffer the way I did. Though I didn’t grow up with my father, I still had someone to care for me–my crazy aunt. But not my kids. Davey’s mother died two years ago. He lost his father at a young age too, and his only sister, Clara, hates me. She never liked me, and it was why she fought with Davey before moving to Canada.“Can I come in?” Rita asked, cracking the door open.“You are already in,” I replied.She moved to sit beside me. Taking a deep breath, she began, “I know this is really hard for you, but I need you to be strong and push through. If anything happens to you, I don’t know if I can give your kids the life you would have given them,” she said, and I listened. “It's not easy to bear all the grief, the loss, and the burden alone. But I’m here for
Ximena/Angela’s POV“Angela,” he called, his footsteps approaching.“What are you doing here?” I asked.“I called him, ma’am,” Rita responded.“Why?”“Tristan said I should call him,” she said, moving closer. “Besides, ma’am, we need to get you away from here. I don’t know what Clara will do next.”“She is right, Angela. You are not safe in this house anymore,” Hudson said, taking my hand.“Excuse me,” Rita said as she left.I pulled my hand away from Hudson’s. “Why are you here?” I whispered.“They told me everything that happened. Why didn’t you call me earlier? I know you must be going through a lot,” he said, holding my hand again. “What did the doctor say about your sight?”Tears streamed down my face as Hudson reopened my concealed pain. He squeezed my hand in sympathy. “It hasn’t been easy for me, Hudson,” I confessed. “Davey left me alone in this cruel world. He didn’t even think twice
Ximena/Angela’s POV“There is a step,” Hudson said as he led me into my room. I had to agree. Tristan had no place to play around in the hotel. I pitied him. He was always stuck with me inside. It wasn’t that he couldn’t go out, but I feared an evil might be lurking, ready to snatch my child away.“Thank you,” I said as he helped me sit on the bed.“I will show you to your room, Rita,” Hudson offered.“No, she will stay with me,” I insisted.“But there’s only one bed here,” Hudson pointed out.“There was only one bed at the hotel. We will manage. I can’t do without her.”“Then Tristan should come with me to my room. That will make more space for you...”“No,” I interrupted. “Thank you for your hospitality, Hudson, but we will stay together in this room,” I said firmly.“Fine, as you wish. I will go call my doctor to find the best optician,” he said.“Thank you,” Rita and I said in unison, and Hudson left.“You seem uneasy, ma’am. What’s the problem?” Rita asked, sitting beside me.“I’
Ximena/Angela’s POV"Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked Hudson. We were both sitting in the living room after breakfast. He had refused to go to the office, weighed down by the melancholy of what had happened the previous day."I didn’t want to add to your worries, Angela. You are already going through a lot," he replied sadly."I know, but at least I could have reassured you. Besides, I know a friend of Davey’s who works at the U.S. embassy. Maybe he could help," I suggested."They have refused a fine or any other negotiation. I doubt he could do much," Hudson said, his tone hinting that he had already given up on recovering the goods."Does that mean you are going to let them keep the goods? What about your investment? How will your company survive? Are you just going to go bankrupt?" I listed the possibilities, panic rising in my voice."I’m already bankrupt, Angela." His words hit me like a punch. "The company has been losing m