Courtney looked at me with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Really? Of course I'm open to anything at this point."I glanced around, trying to make sure no one else would hear our conversation as I didn't want anyone to know that I gave her this idea "Well, we are all part of that married women's club, right? And I bet between all of us, we have enough skills to put together a decent meal, so why not just prove to them all what we can do."Courtney's eyes widened as she take in my suggestion. "You mean... we could cook everything ourselves?"I nodded, warming to my own idea. "Exactly. We could divide into teams, each handling different dishes. It wouldn't be too overwhelming that way, and just think how impressed everyone would be. No idle daughters-in-law here! And I also want to impress Kingsley's parents."A slow smile spread across Courtney's face as she slowly took in my idea, liking it. "Ariel, that's... that's brilliant! We could really pull this off, couldn't we?""Absolutely,"
For a split second, I was sure this was it. That this was the end. But the searing pain that I expected didn't pierce through me as she shot her rifle; I felt nothing. Instead, I heard a thud behind me. Opening my eyes, I turned my head slightly and saw the deer that I wanted to shoot earlier had been shot to the ground, not five feet from where I stood.My face felt cold, drained of all color as I breathed out in relief. I just stood at the same spot as my body was still trembling uncontrollably from the shock. Turning back to Ashley, I saw she had lowered her rifle, and I could see that wicked smile still playing on her lips."What's wrong, Ariel?" she asked, her voice dripping with mocking concern. "Did you think I was going to shoot you? I was just trying to get that deer beside you. Silly girl."My fists clenched at my sides as rage bubbled up beneath the fear I had felt earlier. How dare she? How dare she toy with me like this? But before I could find my voice, Ashley turned on
LANCE'S POV***FLASH BACK***For some reason, since I had gotten married to Maya, it seemed like luck had woven itself into my life. Good things just kept coming my way and it's as if her presence in my life had turned everything around. Not only was she kind-hearted and beautiful in her own way, but Maya radiated a charm that felt almost magical which just keep in drawing me to her despite the fact that I still long ofr Ashley. She brought a sense of peace and joy which I thought I could only get with Ashley, and I couldn't wait to share today’s news with her.I drummed my fingers on my knee, staring out the car window as the cityscape blurred by. I just couldn't wait any longer to get home soon and break the news to her. I had just secured a multi-million-dollar deal which I had never imagined that I would be able to get. I even lost hope on it when I found out that I was competing against many best in the industry and I’d been tense for weeks. But Maya, with her unwavering belief,
***MAYA'S POV***The memory of that night came flooding back, gripping my heart with a familiar ache. I could hardly believe that one fleeting encounter not long after my marriage had been the turning point, the reason Lance had grown distant, cold, and unfeeling to me all those years. He’d had countless opportunities to confront me, to question my intentions for what I did. But instead, he’d chosen the silence which brings nothing but destruction into our marriage. I remembered clearly, It was that same day when everything shifted and Lance stopped defending me from his family whenever they mistreated me. The man I was talking to that night was Marlow, one of my cousin Alexandra’s friends. I hadn’t seen him in years and had no reason to seek him out but when I been was about to enter the mall, I accidentally bumped into him with one of his girlfriend, and to my dismay, he wouldn’t leave me alone after telling his girlfriend to leave. He began to followed me everywhere, even as I
*****ASHLEY'S POV**** "No, don't carry that. We won’t be needing it,” I said, waving Hilda away from the box of shrimp. "Why not? Shrimps are…" "My dad's allergic to shrimp. Even smallest quantity of it can be fatal to him. So we have to avoid it," I explained, cutting her off with a shake of my head. “Oh! Got it.” She dropped it quickly and picked up a box of fresh vegetables instead. I carried the last box of ingredients from the car, lugging it toward the outdoor kitchen area which has been set up under the canopy of oak trees. As we walked towards there, a small smile play at my lips as I didn't see that bitch face around here. She would not be joining me in cooking and that brought nothing but satisfaction to me as I knew she was planning something under her sleeves which was why she approached Courtney earlier. Actually I saw her talking before Courtney suddenly called everyone and suggested this. Brittany was usually easygoing and has never for once taken such inter
I never believe that there's always a happy ending after a sad and bad begining but now ... .I do as I was now experiencing mine. I've decided to let all go…everything that hurt me, everything that made me cry, I’ve decided to it go and just seek my own happiness.Seeing Ashley in that condition last time, made me think rethink about what I was doing. I’ve been gradually turning into a monster all in the name of revenge. I couldn't believe that I tried to kill an innocent man because of the mistake of his daughter. And the way Ashley reacted when she was almost hit by her brother, clearly shows that she was once abused either by him or someone else.Deep down the dark heart of all monsters, there's always a reason for their evil act….or always someone that drove them to the path of evilness. Now I’ve decided to let them be..they are free to enjoy their marriage while I also live my own life…with my daughter.Standing in front of a mirror, I looked at my own reflection with a bright sm
The faint blue light of dawn seeped through the worn curtains, casting a soft glow over the cramped space. It's now morning. I let out a small yawn as I leaned back into my chair, stretching my neck and then my arms. I felt a little ache from the several hours I had spent hunched over my computer. Knowing that I didn't have much more time left, I resumed my job. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling slightly from fatigue. It's an all-nighter, again and the deadline for me was just in a few minutes. Life as a content editor isn't that easy especially if you had an inconsiderate client who gave you just a day to complete her job.If not because the pay was nice, I definitely wouldn't have accepted it….no, even if it wasn't, I think I needed to accept it because right now….I'm broke. And we need some cash for this month's feeding. So no matter how rude my clients are, I have no other options than to endure it all.A soft knock sounded, followed by the door creaking open. My ha
We both say it at the same time. Bella raised her gaze and looked at me feeling apologetic. “No, I'm the one that is wrong. I'm not supposed to raise my voice at you when you are confiding in me.” Gently touching her cheeks, “ I'm really sorry.”“ I'm also sorry. I shouldn't have talked about my dad.”“No no, sweetheart. It's good you talk about it. It's just that …you know your mom doesn't like talking about him? So that's why I was a bit worked up. I'm really sorry.” I apologize. “It's alright, Miss Ariel. I'm not angry at you.”“ Do you really want to see your father? why?” I asked She was hesitant a little, “ Not really. Just wanted to ask why he did that to us. Why he abandoned mom and I. I wanted to asked him that.”“ Bella…”“ But now I don't want to know again.” A smile tucked the corner of her lip. “ I'm alright with you two.” With that she went to the dinning but I knew that she wasn't alright but just trying to because of what I did.I sighed heavily as I knew that I real