“...the hell out.”“... shouldn’t be here.”“...care about her.”Distant voices roused me to consciousness. I sounded like I was in a cave listening to echos bounces off the walls.Slowly, I started to gain feeling in my limbs, wiggling my toes and clenching my fingers. These movements were small but painful, especially my hands.My eyes opened but it was like I had the sun right over my bed. I quickly shut them and slowly opened them back up to adjust to all the light. Everything I could see was white. I slowly turned my neck to the left and right seeing the massive room I was in. The commotion had dulled into hushed tones. I tried to raise my head up but pain sliced up my neck to my scalp.“Don’t move too quickly.”Suddenly, all the light around me was eclipsed and everything went dark for a moment but my eyes adjusted again and the sight before me shocked me to no end.I first recognized my parents, then Tristan and Sadie, then Jesse and, of all people, Petra. It took a bit of eff
Jesse left and Petra followed after giving me one final astonished look. Celia watched him go with so much pain etched on her face. I couldn’t find it in me to feel sorry for her even though I knew I should.She was a mother whose son could barely stand to be around her. That ordinarily would be such a sad situation but knowing Celia, she put herself in this situation and probably deserved way worse than him just walking away.“Don’t worry about him, mom,” Oscar said. “That’s how he’s always been. Acting like a spoiled brat. Let him go.”Celia was staring longingly at the door, seeming like she wasn’t even hearing anything Oscar was saying. “I’ll be back,” she blurted out, leaving before Oscar could offer any protest.“I don’t know why she bothers with him.” Oscar scoffed. Multiple feet shuffled over. My neck was less painful then so I craned it up, just enough to see Tristan and Sadie trudged over.“Remi, my dear, I’m so sorry about this. I feel terrible. If I hadn’t–”“Tristan stop
“What–”“No further questions,” she said with a smirk. “You’re kidding,” I said, eyes still as wide as saucers.Was she really going to drop this bomb on me and carry on like it was nothing?The bad blood between them now made so much sense. That must have been why dad took Tristan out..“It’s important to me that you know those men would never do anything to harm you. I trust them with my life.”I couldn’t help my “Aren’t they…”“Criminals?” She scoffed. “No more than every other person. Most people do despicable things regularly. You never know who’s secretly planning something nefarious. They’re just discrete with it. These men are open and honest in their misdeeds,” she finished with a bright smile.“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”She chuckled. “Relax. I already told you your safety is important to me. But if you don’t want them around anymore, just say the word.”I stayed silent as she stared at me expectantly. To be fair, the man had helped me. Debbie had overpowered
The ride was silent for most of the way. Celia had been wailing but stopped when we kept ignoring her. Oscar was probably battling his own inner turmoil of defying his dearest mother.The silence was finally broken by Celia.“My own son can’t stand being in the same room with me, yet here you are. How is that, Remi? How is it that you are able to forgive Oscar so easily?” she asked, her voice dripping with bitterness.I froze. Of all things, that question wasn’t on the list of things I’d expected.“My son who I carried for nine months and fed from my own breast can’t find it in his heart to forgive me. He wants nothing to do with me–” She tried to stifle a sob. “–but you, Remi, you found a way, didn’t you? Or maybe you have an ulterior motive.”She was digging and striking gold every time. My brain was scrambled. How the hell had she hit the mark so quickly? She was going to blow this whole thing up before it even started.The tracker in my pocket suddenly felt like it weighed a milli
“Bright and early and reporting for duty,” Petra said, giving me a mock salute.“Welcome back Petra.”I rolled my eyes and carried on to my office. It was a new week and a seemingly fresh start. Word had gotten round to Jesse that Oscar and I might be getting back together. Oscar couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut when it came to one-uping Jesse.Unfortunately, that had the effect of making Jesse further distance himself from me. As if my dad’s warning to stay away from me hadn’t been enough.I called and called but everyone of those calls went unanswered and unreturned. He seemed to have forgotten where he worked and who his boss was.****Later that day, I sat in my office chair, hands steepled in front of me, staring intently at him. He was quietly sitting opposite me, seemingly staring at something right above my head, shoulders squared.“Jesse…” I said, my voice inadvertently quivering with hurt. “Why have you been avoiding me? Is it my dad? Or Oscar? I know I’ve said this bef
“Stage one is going well,” Deandra’s calculating voice said. “We have his movements tracked and we know where he lives. Still reeling from my outburst on Jesse, my grip on my phone tightened. A mix of anger and determination made me feel wide awake.“What comes next?” I asked, doing my best to keep my voice steady and free of emotions.“Ooh, eager, are we?’ Deandra chuckled. “For now, just keep him on a leash, throw him a bone once in a while so he doesn’t suspect anything. Don’t worry about your safety. Hugo and Mikel are your guardian angels. I promise no harm is going to come to you from now on. Not on their watch.”I assumed Hugo and Mikel were the burly men that had separated the fight between me and Debbie, and called the ambulance. It felt odd being told I was going to be constantly followed by them. But shit was getting real. Two muscular guardian angels with a checkered past might have been just what I needed.“Alright, Deandra. Let me know when phase two starts.”I hung up
I blinked back tears while staring at the worthless piece of paper. Memories of a life I left long ago flooded my mind.‘Congratulations. You are ready to run a company!’The words, etched in gold, seemed to mock me. There I was, with a duster in my hand, cleaning my husband's house.I couldn't allow myself to think like that. I loved him, with all my heart.Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I straightened my back, focusing on the task at hand.Five years ago, I chose my husband over wealth and power and I haven't regretted it. If only I was sure he felt the same way…“Remi,” my mother-in-law, Celia yelled. “You better get your ass in the kitchen right now.”The smell of burning food invaded my nostrils. Oh no.I flew down the stairs into the smoke-filled kitchen just in time to see Celia walking out and giving me a dirty look. I could have sworn I set the cooker to low heat.“Here I am expecting grandchildren and you can't accomplish a task as simple as cooking without burning
Morning came like a sledgehammer to the face. I didn't feel good. Why didn't I feel good? The empty spot next to me felt radioactive. Like a black hole that pushed me away instead of drawing me in.I felt something in my hand and squeezed; cool, plastic. What was it? – pregnancy test. Last night's events played out in my head like a movie on fast forward.I was out of line, so blinded by my goal, I didn't stop to think how it would affect him.A crashing sound made my head snap towards my dresser at the foot of my bed. Celia stood staring at me like a deer in headlights.“I was just borrowing your makeup,” she said, squaring her shoulders with a determined look on her face. “It's not good anyway so I didn't bother using it.” My purse was on its side. I always set my purse upright. A niggling feeling took shape in my mind but was quickly swallowed up by the more pressing issue at hand.My feet hit the ground before the thought formed fully in my mind. I needed to make him a hearty br