Kelly’s POVI was still staring at my phone screen when Alex walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist and water dripping from his dark curls. His relaxed expression changed the moment he saw me. I noticed all these but my mind was far, very far. My pregnant state has been making me feel heavy but I was feeling an extra weight. Flashbacks of what Holly did to me and how I killed her were playing in my head. Does Mrs Nicole know? Was this karma calling my phone?."You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said, grabbing another towel to dry his hair.I blinked, my mind still reeling. "I might as well have."He smiled, stepping closer. "Have you gotten to the hallucination stage of pregnancy?” I didn't reply, then he realised I was serious, the smile turned into a concerned look “What happened love?”I swallowed hard and turned the phone screen toward him. "Holly’s mom, Mrs. Nicole. She just followed me and liked my picture. Then she sent me a DM, I'm scared that she might
KELLY POV My eyes caught Holly's worried gaze as I took my fifth shot of tequila. She should take a chill pill. I'm not going to pass out on her. We are at Brooklyn's most expensive nightclub, and it's not as if we just got in here by luck. I work here, and they let me take someone with me because I'm a staff.That's why my best friend is here with me, and the main reason is... It's my twentieth birthday! My boyfriend Dain is supposed to be here with us, but he said he had something important to take care of, and I'm guessing it has to do with his mother. That's the only thing important to him apart from me."Kelly, quit drinking. You know I can't handle you when you are drunk. How will I carry you out of this place without any assistance?" She pointed out taking the glass out of my hand as I tried to take another shot."It's a club, Holly; you can ask anyone for help; they will gladly help you; it's a free world; you don't have to worry about anything." I smiled, taking the shot
KELLY POVEverything was a mistake.My life itself is a mistake, and I don't know how I ended up making another. I quickly snapped out of my pathetic thoughts. "You are awake." He stated the obvious as I wrapped the duvet around my chest: "Yes, but I wish I passed away instead of waking up in a stranger's bed." I huffed, picking up my clothes from the floor while using one hand to hold the duvet on my chest.What am I even hiding? The pervert has seen it all while he was having his fill with me last night.Last night... Where was Holly? Why didn't she stop him? Is she alright?"That's not a healthy thought, Kelly," he said, and I paused too angry to let this go."You stupid jerk! Don't you ever call my name again; in fact, I never want to see your stupid face in front of me, fucking pervert. I should report you to the police." I gritted out, but he seemed so chill, like I didn't just threaten to report him for raping me."You are only mad because you don't remember what happened; you
ALEXANDER POV I might have turned into a statue as I watched her go; she just insulted me in the presence of my men.They all stayed silent, waiting for me to shoot her in the head or something, but I couldn't move; instead, I found myself wanting to follow her. I have always loved a challenge, and Kelly seems like the type I would want to keep. "Should I go after her?" Finn, my second in command, asked.He thinks I want him to go finish her off, but it was far from that; I want to keep her instead, which doesn't make any sense. I don't chase women or try to make them stay.Kelly is a bit different from all the women I have met ever since my ex-wife left me. The women usually are the ones to try to get my attention, but I found myself wanting Kelly to look at me at the bar last night.She didn't seem impressed or even try to make advances at me until she was completely wasted. I should have stopped her, but I couldn't because I couldn't think straight.I wanted her so badly.And I s
KELLY POV The tears streamed down my chin as I hopped into the taxi. I couldn't even stop myself from sobbing like a child.The driver was stealing glances.at me, but he couldn't ask if I was okay. This is New York; not everyone is okay with their lives, and a sobbing girl in his taxi shouldn't be his problem. I wiped the tears trying to figure out what I would say to Holly or Dain. I really hope Holly is alright, because I don't understand why she will let me out of her sight.Was she drunk too?Or is it just my fault that I went back to the handsome stranger I met at the bar? I'm such a dumb idiot. All these wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been drinking like that; my head is pounding and my stomach rumbles loudly enough for the driver to hear. I didn't have the time to be embarrassed because I was busy reflecting on my actions. "Here." The driver tossed me a chocolate bar, and I grabbed it, tearing it open.My eyes caught my reflection in the side mirror, and I looked terri
KELLY POVI gasped as Dain forced me to sit, and Holly chuckled before pulling him closer. Then she kissed him again, this time with her eyes on me.It felt as if my heart was ripped out of my chest and her betrayal stinged even more than Dain's. We are like soul sisters, and I love her so damn much.I didn't expect this from Dain or even from her. I have never felt so heartbroken all my life; she pulled away, smirking at me."How did that make you feel?" She taunted."Nauseous," I replied, wiping the tears on my cheeks; it didn't stop more from falling. This is Holly, my nice friend that looks out for me, the one that was worried that I would get lost in the crowd last night. The one I shared everything with, and nobody knows her like she knows me; she is the reason I'm not in college now. I gave her my savings because she had a debt she wanted to pay.This is how she repays me? Sleeping with my boyfriend behind my back and holding a knife at me."Oh, don't cry, you poor thing. Loo
Alex’s POV Phone rings. “Daniela, I'm in the middle of the investors meeting. Why is my cell ringing?” ? “Sir, it's your personal phone; you don't have control over it.”. I checked and saw that it was Finn calling. What could he possibly have to say? I ended the call. **Phone beeps some minutes later; it was a picture of my butterfly in blood from Finn. I stormed out of the meeting while placing a call to Finn. “What the hell happened to her?” I yelled as my heart was filled with rage. “Sir, she was attacked by two people, a lady and a male, in her apartment.”. “Why did you not call sooner? What's the possibility of her being alive? Where are you right now? I asked all these without waiting for an answer from him. “Sir, you need to calm down.” “Don't bloody ask me to calm down and tell me where the hell you are, else I'll make sure you see your maker once I take sight of you.”. “We are driving to the mansion to get her treatment. I just called the doctor, and he'll meet us
Kelly's POV I woke up at noon the next day, and it felt like I'd just woken up from a dream, but the aching pains in my shoulder and thigh as I tried to sit up proved it wasn't. I feel so weak, and there was this metallic taste in my mouth. I felt a bit feverish but not as bad as before when Holly first stabbed me. Yes, the realization hit me: Holly betrayed me with my boyfriend and tried to kill me. I lay there for a while analyzing how it all felt; I guess me passing out did not blur my memory. I can still remember the first stab on my shoulder; it came fast, a heat and pain ripping through my shoulder, my breath cut sharp and shallow. It wasn't just the pain of the knife cut; it was the person stabbing me. I could see the smirk on her face like I meant nothing to her this whole time she has been in my life; the emotional and physical pain triggered me to just leave, and she still went ahead to stab me again. I screamed when the knife came in contact with my skin; fast, withou
Kelly’s POVI was still staring at my phone screen when Alex walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist and water dripping from his dark curls. His relaxed expression changed the moment he saw me. I noticed all these but my mind was far, very far. My pregnant state has been making me feel heavy but I was feeling an extra weight. Flashbacks of what Holly did to me and how I killed her were playing in my head. Does Mrs Nicole know? Was this karma calling my phone?."You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said, grabbing another towel to dry his hair.I blinked, my mind still reeling. "I might as well have."He smiled, stepping closer. "Have you gotten to the hallucination stage of pregnancy?” I didn't reply, then he realised I was serious, the smile turned into a concerned look “What happened love?”I swallowed hard and turned the phone screen toward him. "Holly’s mom, Mrs. Nicole. She just followed me and liked my picture. Then she sent me a DM, I'm scared that she might
Kelly’s POVThe joy from the gender reveal still lingered, filling the air like the scent of vanilla from the half-eaten cake on the table. But as the night stretched on, that joy was soon met with something else something I hadn’t felt in a long time.Unease.It started as a simple notification. My phone buzzed beside me while Alex was in the bathroom. At first, I ignored it, assuming it was Daniela sending yet another nursery idea I’d have to explain away or a spam or an advert. But then I saw the name. Nicole Bane.Mrs. Nicole! My eyes widened as it felt so unreal, I quickly checked the display picture and it was her.My stomach dropped.I stared at the screen, my fingers frozen. It wasn’t just a follow request, she went ahead to like on one of my recent pictures. One I took in Italy.I swallowed hard, my throat dry.Mrs. Nicole. Holly’s mother.I hadn’t thought about her in so long. Not since Holly died. Not since I….My chest tightened. Could she know? Did she find out what happe
Kelly’s POVThe pink cake sat half-eaten on the table, but neither of us could stop staring at it. A girl. We were having a daughter. The realization settled over me like a warm blanket, filling every inch of my being with excitement and a tinge of nervousness. I was happy beyond how I thought, maybe I feared a male child because I felt Alex might train him to be like himself, but a girl child will be protected and cared for, not shown to this dangerous world I'm yet to understand for myself.Alex hadn’t stopped smiling since we cut the cake. He was still holding me, his hands firm on my waist as if grounding himself in this moment. “I love you, the mother of my unborn baby”“I love you too, my baby daddy”. We kissed.“A little princess,” he murmured again, almost like he was trying to convince himself it was real. I could see the smile in his eyes, I was small compared to his build, I could see myself in his eyes.I laughed, wiping at the happy tears that had escaped. “Looks like you
Kelly's POVI stared up at Alex from my hospital bed, feeling the weight of his worry pressing against me. His fingers were tangled with mine, warm and strong, but I could feel the tension beneath his touch. He was still on edge, still shaken by the sight of me collapsing. I hate being part of his worries, I just wanted to bring him peace, and this baby could be the perfect distraction from all the stress, to redirect him and give him purpose."Stop looking at me like I'm about to disappear," I murmured, squeezing his hand. “I'm alright okay”He exhaled sharply, his thumb brushing circles against my skin. "I can't help it, Kelly. One second, I was at the orphanage, trying to clear my head, and the next, I get a call saying you've collapsed. Do you know what that did to me?"I smiled faintly, trying to lighten the mood. "I imagine you ran like a madman through the hospital halls, why were you at the orphanage I thought you went to work"“I went there to clear my head”Right then I kne
Alex’s POV“Good morning handsome” Kelly greeted as I opened my eyes, she's been awake.“Morning sugar” I replied slowly, I looked up at her, it was her side view, I could see a slight bulge, the baby is growing, I let out an ecstatic smile.“Why are you smiling” she asked as she walked to the bathroom.“Just the little things of life that makes a whole lot of meanings”.“What little thing in particular made you smile”.“Not for you to know”.“Do you know I'm already losing my flat tummy to your baby”.“Our baby you mean” I laughed, standing up to go to the bathroom, my phone beeped, some random website notification popped up, I saw the date, it's been two whole weeks of deliberating about my mom.The weight of the past sat heavy on my chest as I watched the city wake up from the bedroom window. The morning sun painted golden streaks across the skyline, but the warmth did little to ease the cold grip of my thoughts, I hate that the thought of my mom always steal my joy.“I sure do hop
Kelly’s POVThe room was quiet, save for the steady rhythm of Alex’s breathing. His head rested against my chest, his body finally losing some of the tension he had carried the entire evening.How tough did it get for his mom go leave her son and go to another man?, how dangerous could it have been.I ran my fingers through his damp hair, taking in the weight of everything he had told me tonight. His mother. His father. His fears. The ghosts of his past clawing their way into his present.And then there was me. My past. My fears.We were both running from something. Against this, I wanted peace for my baby, I don't want my child to know this life, but this was their reality.Or maybe, we were just two lost souls trying to find our way back to each other.I looked down at him. His lashes were dark against his skin, his lips slightly parted. Vulnerable. But If I was certain about something, our baby will be beautiful like his or her daddy.Alex was never vulnerable. Not in front of anyo
Alex’s POVThe city lights blurred into streaks of gold and red as I drove home in silence. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles stiff and aching. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t even numb. I had to regulate my emotions, due to the procedure I recently had, I was avoiding any form of complications that could land me back in the hospital.I was nothing.Or maybe, I was everything all at once.My mother wasn’t dead. Maybe I knew this but lived in denial all these while, maybe I didn't tell myself the truth, why was it affecting me all of a sudden.She hadn’t been taken from us in some tragic accident or fatal illness.She left, now that I was having my baby I promise not to leave, except death takes me away.She chose to walk away.And she chose him, what If Kelly leaves? What if I become too toxic just like my dad?.My father’s last words echoed in my head, looping like a cruel melody I couldn’t turn off."She didn’t die, Alex… She left. She left us for Tyson
Alex’s POVThere are moments in life that shift everything you thought you knew. Moments that carve themselves so deeply into your mind that no matter how much time passes, they remain there, untouched, as vivid as the day they happened.This was one of those moments.I walked out of that private club, my conversation with the concierge still simmering in my mind, when I ran into a man I hadn’t seen in years—Mr. Callahan. A man I had barely paid attention to in my father’s time, yet in a single sentence, he had just shaken my entire world.“That’s odd. I saw her not too long ago.”I had spent most of my life believing my mother was dead. My father had told me she was gone, taken too soon, leaving behind only memories. I had grieved for her, learned to live with the emptiness she left behind. But now, this man was standing here, telling me she wasn’t just alive—she had been seen, living, breathing, with someone else.My hands clenched into fists at my sides, and I fought to keep my voi
Kelly’s POVThe past few days had been blissful. Alex had made it his personal mission to spoil me, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying every second of it. If I so much as sighed, he was already on his feet, asking what I needed. Daniela found it endlessly amusing, but deep down, I knew she loved how much Alex cared for me, she has been by his side for too long.However, as much as I felt safe in his arms, something had started to creep into my nights.The nightmares.At first, I thought it was just stress, my body adjusting to pregnancy hormones. But the images that played behind my eyelids were too vivid, too terrifying to be brushed off as a simple symptom.I dreamt of being trapped in the dark, the walls pressing in on me. Cold hands grabbed at my arms, my legs, and faceless figures whispered my name in eerie, distorted voices. Then there was the sharp pain, the sensation of being dragged away, and always—always—a voice laughing cruelly in the distance, it was from the ca