Andre’s POV I was a fool. I had been one for a long time without even realising it. Still, it was not too late for the tables to turn, and it was time they did. My mother had had me under her grasp for a long and it was a shame it took me so long to realise who she really was. I was sorry—to myself more than anyone else—that I was more of a victim in her web of lies, deceit, and endless plotting than all the others combined, but no one would ever know. When I was finally in the privacy of my room—thankfully, Marc was not here—I let out the tears I had been holding on to. I could not believe the calibre of person my mother and her influence had reduced me to. Her greed had seeped into me at some point, and I had failed to see that there was more to life, especially when you were with the people you loved and who loved you back just as much, and because of that, I had lost two beautiful women. It was her fault; I had no one to blame but her. Still, I had to accept the fact that s
Andre’s POVCartonica was indeed one of the most beautiful places to exist, and we had not even walked for that long. The soft crunch of leaves and twigs beneath our feet provided a soothing accompaniment to our chatter-less walk, filling the air with a gentle rhythm. In the distance, my eyes spied high-rise buildings radiating the rays of the evening sun and imbuing the rest of the surrounding buildings with their warm glow, which illuminated the vibrant hues of the city. “I’m glad we came out here,” Sally said from beside me. Her voice had an otherworldly tinge to it. It was as though she was far away, even when she was right beside me. “I never knew such a beautiful place existed.” She took a deep breath in, and from the corner of my eyes, I could see the tension in her shoulder. “So peaceful.”At a loss for words, I could only nod in agreement. Although, for a moment, I had been distracted by the peaceful facade that we walked around through and the air, which scented like a co
Lana’s POVThe panoramic night view of the country of Carica from the balcony of our suite was bedazzling. It had a calming effect on me, and the longer I stood in front of the railing, glass in hand, staring at the dust of twinkling stars scattered about the horizon, the more I felt I could fly. I just opened my hands wide enough. “Let us move here permanently.” I said this as I felt Cameron’s arms curl around my waist. “The kids would love it here.”“But then they would miss their school and all the friends they have made.” He placed a kiss on my cheek. “The change would affect them at this stage, and what about Lukem? It’s still young and growing.”I shrugged. “The kids will adapt. They always have.” Turning around in his arm, I returned the kiss. “And I don’t give a damn about Lukem. We will be happy here.”Cameron threw his head back and laughed. “You know you don’t mean that. Lukem is like your child, and you wouldn’t just give her up.”“Don’t assume that. We would be happy her
Lana’s POV“Is there a problem?”Of course there was none; I hoped there would be none. But my heart would not stop beating, and my imagination would not stop conjuring unlimited thoughts, all of which were worse than the former. “I used to sit with her here.” He continued in that lilting tone. I was sure that if I looked into his eyes in that instant, I would catch the memories as they unfurled in his vision. “We would sit here for hours just watching the stars. During that time, I used to feel content. Happy even... I wanted her to be happy; she worked a lot for me, and I would have done anything to pay her back.”Including giving her my life. I thought wryly, though I did not voice out the thought. I glanced instead at the twinkling stars and tried to imagine him with Kathy, sitting on this cold but oddly comfortable bench, stargazing. Was this how they were? I thought. The same way he and I were now, only that they were no strangers to each other. They had both been familiar w
Lana’s POV“Thank you for coming, everyone.” Fred's voice sounded melancholic. Although his expression was stoic, it was not hard to see that he was hurting and that the cool facade, which he was trying very hard to keep up, was slipping. “This way, please.” A lady, who I assumed to be the cremator’s assistant, gestured towards a narrow hallway. “How are you holding up?” As we all staggered behind the assistant, I whispered to Fred. “You should join us for dinner after this. We’re not close, but I’ll not advise that you should be alone during this period.”Fred opened his mouth to speak; the look on his face said he was going to turn down my request, but Cameron chipped in. “She’s right. A dinner after all this is over would be a good way to send her off with only good memories, and you should be there. Grieving all alone can be hard, and we would love to be there for you.”The atmosphere around the crematorium was sombre when we arrived. The assistant who had escorted us into the
Lana’s POVThe diner was only several kilometres from the cemetery, and by the time we arrived, it was almost dusk. Still, I made sure to send Fred updates by the minutes just to ensure that he did not forget to join us once he was done and lost his way. Although the place seemed to have stood for a long time, it appeared to have undergone recent reconstruction—I had no idea how it had looked before—and this made it appear quite appealing to the eyes. Cameron held my hand as we trudged into the place, and for the first time since our day began, my stomach rumbled. I had not even realised I was that hungry. The smell of coffee, spices, tangy vinegar wafting off fresh coleslaw, and melted butter wafted through the air and into our noses as soon as we stepped through the thingy curtains, and a hard-looking waitress in a brown and white uniform met us at the door, featuring us towards one of the boots nestled against the newly painted walls and large windows.From here, we had a view
Lana’s POV “All this is so surreal.” I voiced. “I still find all of this hard to believe. My father was so...”.Fred's face hardened. "Your father abandoned us.” He spat. “He chose his other family over us. That's the story as I know it. For a long time, I was upset and bitter; I still am."I hung my head. “I’m sorry.” Although I had no idea what I was sorry for, I had no idea about anything that was or had been happening, but still, I felt the need to fall on my knees and claw at his feet till he softened his heart and forgave my family.Cameron interjected, "But Marcus has new information, right? Maybe it can shed more light on what really happened."Marcus nodded. "Yes, but it's circumstantial. The only person who might have a concrete story is Freda, André's mother. And she's not exactly on our side."Andre sighed. “I wonder how all of this relates to Freda.”“She was my mother’s best friend.” Fred answered, and all our eyes turned to him. “They were friends for the longest of ti
Lana’s POV I woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of calm, happiness, and all-round happiness. The sky above was clear, reflecting my mood, and the day looked promising. Sally and I spent the first half of the morning preparing our plans for the day: the places we were going to visit, the shops we would patronise, and the provisions we would get. In all, the day promised to be quite eventful and filled with fun activities. It was going to be our last day in Cartonica before we once again returned to our realities—the harshness of it—and it was only right that we spent the day doing something fun. As for the men, they would spend the day while we were away preparing for our return (I had no idea of the things they might have already planned out, but I was sure it was going to be something naughty and childish). Once we returned from our trip to all the beautiful places in Cartonica, we should visit the beach as a group, and after that, we would meet Cameron’s family for one