“As if I care!” Lila hissed. Shrugging her shoulders, Charia said coldly, “I'll not force decisions on you. I can only advise you in the best way I can. It's your choice to still decide if you'd take the advice or not.” The expression on her face and her tone could send notes of anger to Lila. “Alright, what do you suggest I do now?” Lila stood and left her couch and sat closer to Charia before letting the question out again calmly. Charia was hesitant to reply. As if she's dumb, she stared at Lila without an eye blink. “Charia!” She trembled as Lila startled her out of her world of imagination. “I asked you a question,” “Oh! Sorry.” Charia wiped her face as one who just woke up from sleep. “Are you okay, at all?” Lila asked, panicked. It has been long she saw Charia lost in thoughts as this. “Y–yeah. I'm fine.” “I suggest you follow your mind. If left on your own, what would you have done?” Charia's soft tone echoed. After a moment of silence, “I'll leave the country.” Lila
Chapter 15FRUSTRATION “You and I have no business together, so I don't see any reason why I should take your call. In fact, I need to delete this contact once I'm done cooking.” Lila mumbled as she stood and looked at Grey's name on her screen. She hissed and dropped the phone back on the table to continue her kitchen chores.“Just call and hear him out, first.” A voice within her persuaded her, and she reluctantly carried the phone and dialed Grey's contact.“Hey, Lila,” Grey called out and took a deep breath on the other end of the phone the moment Lila received the call.“Finally, thank God you picked up my call.” He said calmly.“What? I can't believe this is Grey talking.” Lila took the phone off her ear, increasing the screen brightness to check if truly it was Grey that was on the other end of the phone.“Wow! I never knew divorce can humble a man like him,” she thought to herself and smiled.Before now, Lila's mind was always brimming with fear anytime she missed a call from
Chapter 16SO RUDE“This is past 2 o'clock, and I have to make it there before 4:00 pm." Lila mumbled and hissed continually as she looked at every passing second on her phone. Her unceasing hissed dragged the attention of everyone in the minibus. They wondered what could be making a young and pretty woman as such to be hissing like one old woman who was thinking of the difference of life in the past and the hardship of the current times.What puzzled them most was that she doesn't look pregnant. Of course she has to be at the Grace hospital before 4:00 pm, or else she won't be able to see her father because the hospital rule is that visitation ends by 4 o'clock.Lila centered an angry gaze at the driver, who was driving at a moderate speed. She wished she could just take the sterry from him and asked all passengers to drop down so that she could fire the car on gear 3 to her destination.Her uneasiness in the car was becoming unbearable for some passengers who got irritated by her h
Chapter 17 STAMMERING “Aren't I supposed to be seen here as well? Or am I in the wrong ward? Lila asked politely, still wearing the intoxicating smile on her ravishing face. “N–no. You're in the right place. Pardon me for asking,” Mrs. Shun, who never ceased to raise her voice and display her bossy nature to Lila, suddenly turned into a stammerrer. She turned her face slowly to look at Ma'am Elena, who was seated beside Lila's father, and she saw the confusion in her face, which was very evident. They couldn't say anything to each other and communicated with only eye contact. “Gosh! I just hope that this girl hasn't been here for long listening to our conversation. Oh! We’re finished,” Mrs. Shun thought inwardly, and coincidentally, that was the same thought running through Elena's mind, but there was no way they could say a word to each other about what they think and how they feel. “Thank you for coming, Mrs. Shun. I know you didn't come because of me, but he's still
Chapter 18Lila stepped out to take her leave. The time was fast approaching 8:00 p.m.; it was late already, and the minibuses were scanty on the road. The few that were still available were either filled with passengers or were not going towards her destination. Lila stood for a while trying to find a shuttle that could take her home.As she stood by the road, her mind raced back to her mother-in-law and stepmother’s conversation.“So after taking my mother's life, they're now after my life?” Lila folded her arms as she stood in disbelief of the women's plan. She suddenly became lost in thought until she was tranced out of her thoughts by a minibus that has been honking incessantly from afar, but she paid no attention.“Where to? Madam,” The bus conductor’s voice startled Lila from her imaginary world.“M-main flower, thank you!” She said with her shaky voice and occupied the last available seat in the bus.Something was awful about her, which most people noticed in the car.Everyo
Chapter 19“Where am I?” What am I doing here?”Lila tried to raise herself up from the bed, but her feeble knees and tired hands were too weak to allow her to do that.She looked around and saw a man in white, with his name tag showing that he's a doctor at Denyce Hospital, smiling at her.“Ah, madam! You're awake! Thank goodness!” The doctor said and let out a heavy sigh.“Lila was dumbfounded; she neither returned the smile nor said anything. She still didn't understand why she was in a hospital gown instead of her clothes and her hands patched with bandages.“Doctor, why am I in a hospital?” She asked calmly.The doctor was not quick to answer her; he just smiled at her again, and immediately, she saw a young lady walk in and stand beside the doctor—probably, she should be a nurse or doctor because she's also on white.“Ok, this is nurse Kate; you can tell her anything you want and how you feel from now on. She'll always be there for you.”“Nurse, over to you. I'm off to my office
Chapter 20The nurse started thinking suspiciously of Lila. She immediately took out her phone to check the latest news channel. In the media platform, current news is always disseminated first before any other news channel would capture it. It always has reports of events happening live and even the ones that took place just thirty minutes a while. “If she's a criminal, I should be able to find something about her here. It's been three days since this accident happened.” The nurse thought.Lila could not tell why the nurse’s look at her changed at the moment.She noticed how the nurse stylishly took her head up and down, looking at her while she pressed her phone. But that one is of no concern to her. The most important thing is that no one in her family knows where she is.Lila looked beside her bed but couldn't catch sight of any of her belongings—her bag.“Excuse me, nurse, do you see my handbag?”“Yes, I was supposed to give it to you when you wake up. Please, excuse me, let me
Chapter 21“Grey shun?” Lila was quite surprised to see that he was the topic of the town. She tried to keep her face away from their sight to avoid one of them saying that she knows her or looks familiar to Grey's wife-ex-wife.Lila wished that something would keep delaying nurse Tonia in the laboratory so that she could have the chance to listen to the full gossip.“Abeg, I'm too curious to hear this gist. Can you just start and stop wasting our time?” One of the nurses said.“Alright, do you know his 2-year-old daughter?” the nurse paused and put her hands on her chin to remember something before she continued.“What is the name of the girl again,... Ehem, Jannel?”“Rumour has it that Jannel is not his daughter!”“What?” All the rest echoed in shock.“Are you for real, right now?” Their voices echoing coincidentally.“Of course, yes. Trust me, I don't spread fake gossip! I always do my research before believing in gossip.” The nurse explained.“And to crown it all, I also heard tha
Chapter 43Aunt Kendy felt pretty numb. Everything Lila had said seemed unnervingly ironic.“Kendy, you have to be careful of the kind of advice you offer to a person in this kind of situation. This is a critical moment in her life, and she's dependent on you now to make a good choice,” she scolded herself.Slowly and gradually, she took her hands from Lila's shoulders and moved to lean on the table, ensuring direct eye contact with Lila.“But did you tell him that you're married?” She demanded softly.“No, aunty. I had to feign having a light stomach ache, which was why he rushed me home.”“Hmmmm,” Aunt Kendy sighs.“I'll advise that you tell him the truth when next he confronts you about that again.”“Aunt Kendy! I can't do that!” Lila exclaimed.“Look, you have to do it, my dear. That's the only truth that can give you peace of mind. If he's meant for you, he'll stay, but if he's not, he'll definitely leave. Besides, you're not too sure if he's married or not, or maybe even divorce
Chapter 42Lila's heart throbbed and swelled up as the question rang in her head. Finally, a day she had earnestly prayed for never to come is here.She feigned dumb to his question and sat without saying anything, until Damian got prompted to ask a second time, “Miss Lila, why is your look on the wall so intense? You love the wall paper designs, I guess?" He said softly with a smirk.Immediately, Lila trembled and nodded as if taken unawares, “Yeah, the design. It looks really amazing, you know,” she remarked.Not until he asked the question, Lila didn't even notice the wallpaper design. What was in her mind was a different thing altogether.He stood and slouched to the fridge, which was at the right corner of the dining room, and brought out a bottle of champagne.“Alright,” he said, dropping the two glass cups on the stool while he gradually poured out the drink into them.“From now henceforth, I'm not only your boss at the office, nor are you only my staff, but we're friends! So l
Chapter 41“I'm alive because of you! Thank you, Mr. Saviour!” She exclaimed in whispers.In great exhilaration, Lila left her seat, and with her arms widely opened like a bird flying in the air, she gummed her body on Damian's in tight clasps.“Thank God you're alive! I'm sorry, I couldn't wait to see you recover,” Mr. Damian whispered, with his hands wrapped around her back and her head on his shoulders.The dim and calm blue light makes the environment extremely cozy for lovers.Lila heaved a sigh of relief, his arms offering her a comfort she had never felt in her entire life.Even her wedding night with Grey was not as enticing as this.Her heart melted; a feeling of problem-less life dawned on her.“I'm also alive because of you! Who knows, I might have passed out completely if you were not with me in the office. Thanks to Joan, right? For splashing the coffee on you,” he admitted jokingly.“Com'on, so you're now mocking me, right?” Lila chuckled as she slowly began to lose grip
Chapter 40Meeting Mr. Saviour As they made their way through the estate, their journey came to a halt in front of a 3-story building, which was remarkably outstanding in the estate because of its elegant features.“Welcome to my home, Lila,” Mr. Damian said with a smile.“Wow! This place looks really amazing,” Lila commented as they got into the well-furnished living room.She expected to see a maid or a servant step out to welcome them, but she saw none.Isn't this house too big for one person to live in?Besides, who does the cleaning and cooking for him? She thought inwardly while her gaze shifted from one angle to the other in admiration for the features on the wall.“Feel free and have your seat, Lila. I'll be with you in a short while,” Mr. Damian goes on to say before he leaves for one of the rooms on the ground floor.“Oh my God!” Lila exclaimed when she saw Mr. Damian ambled with a tray to her front.The aura in the room changed immediately by the savory of the dishes.“I k
Chapter 39Caring for her bossLila walked towards the hospital route, pondering Aunt Kendy's words.But there were some elements of truth in what she was saying!If not, why is she so attached and concerned about him more than a normal boss and staff rapport?But even if she later falls in love with him and he feels the same towards her, what would she do with her pregnancy?Of course, no single man would want to marry a divorced and pregnant woman.She felt an utmost discouragement dawning on her for keeping the pregnancy, but a sharp voice scolded her instantly, “Remember, your child is your utmost priority!”“That's true. After all, my purpose of being in this town is to re-establish myself and my career, not to fall in love.” She consoled herself and distracted her thoughts with a different thing.“Daughter of the devil!” Joan glared and hissed at Lila the moment she stepped into the hospital ward.Lila feigned deafness to her statement and proceeded to stand beside Damian's bed.
Chapter 38 Strong Attachment In a nick of time, Joan had taken a few steps and was standing before Lila already. “How dare you call me ugly?" Joan yelled with her hands raised to land a slap on Lila's face. “You dare not try that!” Lila said coldly as soon as she blocked the hands from reaching her face. “I was only advising you, and you can try that and thank me later, you ugly bitch!” Lila remarked and flung her hands down. The fluorescent lights buzzed as Lila settled into her cubicle. The office looked a bit strange to her. She can't believe that Mr. Anthonio had ordered for some items to be moved from her office to his already. So that's how desperate he wanted her out of the establishment? She glanced at the clock pinned on the wall; she's got a lot of work to do that day, and time was not by her side. She wanted to start immediately but feels uncomfortable in her splattered clothes. She needs to be in clean clothes so that the environment can also smell nice for her. Sh
Chapter 37Joan's Hatred“What's so special about the paper that you wanted to keep it hidden, Lila? Com'on, even divorce papers are no longer kept hidden nowadays,” Joan goaded with a wicked smile.She stood and watched Lila's hand tremble as they stretched to present the paper to Mr. Damian. Although the content is known to her already.“What the hell is this? Termination of appointment! Who gave you this?” Mr. Damian exclaimed. His neutral expression was gradually turning fierce as he sat with annoyance and the chair creaked in protest. “Mr. Anthonio gave it to me, sir,” Lila responded with a stammering voice.Mr. Damian scoffed and paused for a while. “You're barely a month into the job! What must you have done to attract a sack letter?” He demanded with his brows knitted and nostrils widened.“I came late to work, sir. He said I don't deserve the work if I should start coming late at this early stage,” Lila explained in soft sobs within her mind.“So was that why you were leavi
Chapter 36 Joan Again “Cheer up, Lila. Remember the promise you made to your unborn child? You can't let someone influence you to break it!” A voice in her whispered, and her strength and smiles were restored the moment she had a flashback of the promise.Lila had promised her unborn child since the day she learned of his conception that she would never allow him to see frustration no matter what.“Don't worry, baby, I'll shower you with all the love that you need to live and grow. I promise not to let anger and frustration near you,” were her words the first time she held the pregnancy test results in her hands. Never! She'll never allow her child to see her in an angry and depressed mood.She quietly moved to the restroom in the passage to wear her clothes in the proper way before she'd finally vacate the premises. “Here are your keys,” she said with a frown and flushed the keys on Mr. Anthonio's table before slamming the door behind her.Thinking of informing Mr. Damian, who ha
Chapter 35“No way! I can never let them go free with these disastrous plans. For this, I'll be forced to avenge even my mother's death!” Lila said to herself as she lay on the big sofa in her room, going through the soft copy of some company's documents that needed her attention.She tried to focus but she couldn't. Her mind was still reflecting on the fact that Ma'am Elena would despise her family so much that they would want she and her father's deaths at all costs.She's struggling as much to grab some sleep so that she won't be dozing off at work, but the sleep was not coming.And that has been one of her biggest fears. Anytime she's working, she always tries to get enough rest to avoid wearing a dull face at work the next day.“Jeez! It's 7:00am already!” Lila exclaimed and stumbled out of the bed the moment she heard the knock on her door and decided to check out for time on her phone, which was situated on the bedside table.“Gosh! I just pray I don't start by receiving a quer