~~~LANCE'S POV~~~Tapping my feet against the tiled floor, I checked my watch for what felt like the hundredth time. It had been four hours and seventeen minutes since Bryan and I had been sitting here in the doctor's office after bringing in the man whom they had mysteriously found on my property.I was still surprised by how exactly he got whisked there because the man I saw didn't look like someone who could afford a boat or yacht to bring him to my penthouse.And with his condition, I didn't think he could swim either. When Bryan and Bella found him, he was in bad shape, with blood trickling from his nose, ear, and mouth.We had no idea what was wrong with him, so we called the emergency line, which sent the fastest boat here and took him away while we followed on my own."I still can't figure out how he got there," I said, more to myself than to Bryan. "The property is completely surrounded by water. The bridges are monitored. There's no way someone just wandered onto the island
~~~MAYA'S POV~~~The Miami sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and pink as Bella and I stepped into La Marina, one of the city's most exclusive restaurants—so we had heard, as this was our first time here.But I think that person who directed us here did sweet talk about it. The restaurant isn't that great.Well it got a nice view.The maître d' led us to a table near the window, where one could get a nice view of what was happening outside.And we can't even ordered from our table. Had to stand up. I asked what Bella would like to have, as I was going to wait for Lance to get here, but I doubted Bella would be able to."Can I have the chocolate milkshake?" Bella asked.But it was too sweet. She had already had a lot of sweet things."Just this once, please… It's still my day. Remember you said the whole week is my day. Pretty please?" she pouted.She really looked so cute as she begged."Alright. Just this one," I smiled, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "And
I felt my face flame brighter, and right now, I felt like my lips were swollen. I was certain my carefully applied lipstick was now smeared across my mouth.Lance waved at Bella, who just shook her head, probably wondering what type of parents she had.Bryan then headed in, and once we were alone, I pushed at Lance's chest. "That was completely inappropriate," I hissed.Lance caught my hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on my palm that made my breath catch. "But you love it when I'm inappropriate," he murmured. "And later tonight, I plan to be very inappropriate indeed and continue where we stopped in the morning."Heat pooled low in my belly at his words. I remembered every single thing that happened in the morning. With his head between my legs. I suddenly began to feel all sorts of emotions as I remembered how amazing it all felt.But I forced myself to focus and turned away from him, heading in. I didn't even know if he followed or not, as I didn't want to look back.
“ Congratulations Mrs Wells, you are two weeks pregnant.” The doctor’s words repeated played on my head as I headed out of the hospital. “Oh my God! Lance and I are having a baby, this is officially the best day ever!” I sequeled in happiness as it was so hard for me to believe that something this amazing could happen to me after everything that I had went through in my marriage with Lance. At the thought of Lance, a slight frown flashed across my face. Lance has been acting totally weird over the last couple of months. He’s getting distance, more angrier at me for making a slight mistake and even hit me few times. It's been four good years since I married Lance. I gave up him everything and abandoned so much for him but he gave me nothing except pain and despair. I knew Lance had always loved another woman; Ashely Miller, the woman who abandoned him. But with this child, I knew everything would change between us. Putting tthe test results on my bag, I walked down the hospita
I got out of my car and headed into the house, only for me to find both my mother-in-law, Laura, and sister-in-law, Morgan, at the entrance of the house with packed boxes. Seeing them like this, surprised me and at first, I actually thought they were traveling somewhere but with their dressing, it definitely doesn't look so. "Heading somewhere?" I asked with a bright smile on my face but Morgan only smirked at me as she replied me in a rude manner. “No, Maya. We’re not going anywhere. You are.” "What do you mean?” "Mom, she's a real drama queen. How can she act like everything's fine when Lance just served her divorce papers on a hot plate?" Morgan's said in a mocking tone that cut deep. What the fuck! They already know about everything? “Let's not say much. Just leave immediately.” My mother-in-law said with a dismissive hand in the air as Morgan continued making jest of me. The smile on my face faded immediately and my shoulders slumped. I really had no idea they already kn
I stumbled down the drenched streets of LA, my clothes clinging to me, heavy and soaked from the rain. Although the downpour had stopped, a bitter chill remained, and each raindrop that lingered felt like an icy needle pressing into my skin. Wrapping my arms tightly around myself, I shivered as a cold wind sliced through the empty streets. As I dragged my heavy feet forward, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a foggy storefront window and for a moment, I froze, staring at the massive figure staring back at me. My eyes roamed over my face, my chest, then to my entire body, and a weary, hollow expression grace onto my face. As I looked at my own reflection, for the first time in my life, I hated what I saw. I hated myself. I hated the way I looked and the way I felt, the weight of everything pressing down on me. Growing up, I’d been teased mercilessly by families and even mates for my plus-size figure, but I’d always found solace in the belief that there were at least three people
I sat on the hard chair of the dimly lit police station with my hands trembling. I had never been to this place and what scared me most about this place was the the loud voices of thugs and criminals. And yet, here I was, caught between regret and humiliation. I was also surrounded by strangers and criminals. Glancing around, I swallowed hard, trying to remind myself that not everyone here was guilty of being here. After all, I wasn’t either. After some minutes, one of the cops from earlier returned and sat across from me, holding a clipboard. His stare was unyielding as he tapped his pen against the paper, a hint of impatience lining his face. “Alright, miss. You need to call someone to come down here,” he said, his tone brusque. “as you’re facing assault charges.” “ Assault charges?” I repeated and he nodded. No matter what I say to defend myself, they just won't believe me. I have been telling them since that I didn't hit him hard but it's just as if they had set their mind on a
After four long years of endurance, endless nights of tears, and the quiet, gnawing ache of one-sided love, here I was—divorced, broken, but not defeated. Eight months ago, I had thought my marriage to Lance left me with nothing but scars and regrets. Yet, as I cradled my daughter Bella, watching her tiny face as she slept, I realized she was my unexpected miracle, my blessing born from pain. Bella yawned softly, her pink, toothless mouth stretching as her tiny hand instinctively reached up, gripping my finger. My heart swelled at the sight of it, remembering the intensity of her birth. The labor pain was like fire coursing through my veins, far more excruciating than anything my mother had described when I wasn still pregnant. But holding Bella now, I felt every ounce of that pain was worth it. I'm now back to my parents house, it was a difficult journey but I'm still trying to reclaim my life back, especially when my parents had lied to everyone that their daughter was studying in
I felt my face flame brighter, and right now, I felt like my lips were swollen. I was certain my carefully applied lipstick was now smeared across my mouth.Lance waved at Bella, who just shook her head, probably wondering what type of parents she had.Bryan then headed in, and once we were alone, I pushed at Lance's chest. "That was completely inappropriate," I hissed.Lance caught my hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on my palm that made my breath catch. "But you love it when I'm inappropriate," he murmured. "And later tonight, I plan to be very inappropriate indeed and continue where we stopped in the morning."Heat pooled low in my belly at his words. I remembered every single thing that happened in the morning. With his head between my legs. I suddenly began to feel all sorts of emotions as I remembered how amazing it all felt.But I forced myself to focus and turned away from him, heading in. I didn't even know if he followed or not, as I didn't want to look back.
~~~MAYA'S POV~~~The Miami sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and pink as Bella and I stepped into La Marina, one of the city's most exclusive restaurants—so we had heard, as this was our first time here.But I think that person who directed us here did sweet talk about it. The restaurant isn't that great.Well it got a nice view.The maître d' led us to a table near the window, where one could get a nice view of what was happening outside.And we can't even ordered from our table. Had to stand up. I asked what Bella would like to have, as I was going to wait for Lance to get here, but I doubted Bella would be able to."Can I have the chocolate milkshake?" Bella asked.But it was too sweet. She had already had a lot of sweet things."Just this once, please… It's still my day. Remember you said the whole week is my day. Pretty please?" she pouted.She really looked so cute as she begged."Alright. Just this one," I smiled, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "And
~~~LANCE'S POV~~~Tapping my feet against the tiled floor, I checked my watch for what felt like the hundredth time. It had been four hours and seventeen minutes since Bryan and I had been sitting here in the doctor's office after bringing in the man whom they had mysteriously found on my property.I was still surprised by how exactly he got whisked there because the man I saw didn't look like someone who could afford a boat or yacht to bring him to my penthouse.And with his condition, I didn't think he could swim either. When Bryan and Bella found him, he was in bad shape, with blood trickling from his nose, ear, and mouth.We had no idea what was wrong with him, so we called the emergency line, which sent the fastest boat here and took him away while we followed on my own."I still can't figure out how he got there," I said, more to myself than to Bryan. "The property is completely surrounded by water. The bridges are monitored. There's no way someone just wandered onto the island
~~~~MAYA'S POV~~~Stepping into the bathing tub, the warm water sprinkled out from the showers, cascading over my body. I used my hand to push my already wet hair backwards as I raised my face, letting the water pour over me.I smiled as I remembered how happy I had been for the past three days here. Yes, we have spent three whole days here, and today was the fourth day.And it's been amazing so far.I love it all and wish it would never stop. I don't know why, but I sometimes feel weird, or should I say, I am anxious that my heart suddenly begins to beat faster. And this is all because I am afraid of losing this newly found happiness of mine.It came so much easier than I expected, and I am afraid it will fade away easily as well.But I pray such never happens and wish all the sad days are gone.Stepping out of the shower onto the plush bathroom mat, I picked up a fluffy white towel from the hanger and wrapped it around my body, then walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom.I too
As she heard her mother's voice, Maya’s body tensed immediately, and without even thinking, she stepped toward Bella, ready to take the phone away from her.But before she could reach her, I caught her wrist and pulled her back."It’s okay," I whispered, my lips brushing against her hair."No, it's not. She might—""She won't say things that will make her lose another chance to seek your forgiveness. So let’s give her another chance. The same way you did for me." My voice was quiet but firm.Maya was still hesitant, the war raging inside her was visible in the way her jaw clenched."Please," I added, squeezing her hand.She exhaled sharply, and her body slowly relaxed against me. But I could still feel the anger simmering beneath her skin."Hello, child. How are you? Are you feeling better now?""Yes, I am. Thank you for asking." Bella responded politely, though I could see the confusion in her eyes.It seemed her call wasn’t a surprise to us only but also to Bella. I could tell she w
~~~~LANCE’S POV~~~~I felt as if my heart had stopped beating. Time itself even seemed to have frozen around us.Daddy.Mommy.Did I just hear Bella saying that?Others might not know, but those two words alone were not just simple words. They carried a strong weight of emotion and longing that I had silently held onto for so long—words I had dreamed of hearing but never truly believed I deserved.Now she finally said it when I thought it might take a while for her to accept us."What did you just call us?!" we both asked at the same time, eagerly waiting for her to repeat it.I really wanted to hear it again.Bella’s tiny frame stiffened, and I feared we had scared her with the way we both asked at the same time.Then her brown eyes flickered between Maya and me as she said, "I… I said good morning, Daddy. Good morning, Mom."My heart swelled like a balloon that was ready to burst, as I heard that again.Tears burned in my eyes as I took in the sight of our little girl standing there
Something feels different this morning.Even the scent on the air was totally different but familiar. I slightly stirred on the bed, turning on my side and as I slowly opened my eyes—the first thing I saw was Lance’s sleeping face. His peaceful, sleeping face was just a mere inches from mine. Oh I see. He's the one. The familiar scent in the air.A soft smile crept onto my lips as I watched him. Right now, he looked totally different and he reminded me of a soft, warm and harmless puppy. And I couldn’t help but admire his face. My gaze travelled over his face, memorizing every details. Starting from the smooth forehead, the gentle curve of his eye brows, the straight bridge of his nose and finally…..his lips.The moment my eyes landed on his lips, my mind wandered back to last night kiss. Not the one in the garden but the one after.A sudden warm spread across my cheeks as I recalled how I tucked Bella to bed again, bid her goodnight, and as I shut her door behind me—i felt a firm
And then, another picture appeared on the screen.This time, it wasn’t just me.It was us.It was the picture of the day I stepped into his life. The day that he knew that someone like me even existed in this part of the world. In the picture, Lance, who was now drawn in alcohol, sat at a restaurant as he had just been publicly rejected. And there was I, standing before him with a smile on my face. In the picture, his dazed eyes were locked onto me, and the expression on his face was like a savior had been sent to him. That exact moment that I approached him was captured and I wondered how he got the picture.But I noticed that at the bottom of the picture, there was date was written on it. It was May 15 and today… was also May 15.That was what all these are about. The day we met. My body trembled as Lance’s voice broke the silence.“I was a fool.” I was startled at first and quickly turned to him, looking up at him. “I was a fool for not realising my love for you sooner,” he sa
~~~~LANCE'S POV~~~I tucked Bella into bed gently, looking at her peacefully sleeping face. It’s surprising how early she had fallen asleep today, as I know her to be a night owl. But I guess it must be because she was too tired, as she had been running around with Lance all day.They had been outside since morning, playing and learning how to ride a bicycle, while I just watched from inside.Lance had told me that he found a lot of things she wanted to do with him, hidden at the back of her teddy, and one of them was to learn how to ride a bike from her dad.And they did it all through the day.Well, there isn't much about me on her list, as she must have made it while she thought Mia was her mother, and it seems she has everything she wished for and every moment she ever wanted with her mother—with Mia.I felt a little sad, but I am still happy that she got all the motherly love she could ever want.That alone should have made me happy, right? But the question she asked me before fa