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Chapter Thirty-Seven

Author: Bunmi
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Hurt flashed in his eyes, but only for a second. The mask was on faster than my eyes could follow. I tilted my chin up. “I’m sorry, Cameron, but this is what I have to do.”

“I know why you're doing this, Lana. You’re pushing me away because of what happened in your past, but I’m not; I won't.” He ran his fingers through his neatly combed hair, which, despite all the troubles that accompanied the night, still managed to stay slick. Except for that unruly strand, which I wanted so much to tuck behind his ears.

I clenched my hands by my side.

“I’ll never hurt you, Lana.” He completed. “I love you.“

I turned my eyes away, wanting to hear those words, lest all my resolve melt.

“- you. I love you, Lana.”

It took everything in me to stop myself from crushing my body into his and kissing him right there. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall, then wiped them away.

“I have to go, Cam, sir.” I shook my head, as though that would help stabilise my thoughts. “I’ll like a week off. I have a
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    We sat in the bustling hospital lobby, and my head was swirling with different thoughts against the murmur of conversations around me. I was engulfed in a mix of emotions, and I could not stop thinking of the day my parents died. I had been sitting in the hospital like this, waiting, apprehensive, anxious, and praying that they came out alive. The memories were just there, at the back of my head, and they brought tears to my eyes.I was thankful then that Cameron had insisted on coming here with me. It had surprised me at first, but I guess he was an adult and he could do whatever he liked. And I was happy he came. Whether he knew it or not, he was a pillar of support for me, and that should mean something. I cradled Zoe in my arms while Cameron gently rocked Leo while still trying to keep an eye on me. Perhaps she was too afraid that I would break down, as I had done in that restaurant. I had ruined our perfect dinner and still went ahead to break his heart all in one night, still

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter Thirty-Nine

    The more days I spent here, the more I was reminded of the life I had lived here. I was reminded of my parents before their deaths, the events that led to their deaths, and my marriage to André. Everything kept coming back to me. Mrs. Sanders had been able to recover our family house, which Andre had sold—I had no idea how—but I was thankful to her. It was here that Cameron and I crashed. And I assumed that this was one of the things that made those memories of the past keep coming back to me. I had made a lot of memories in this house. Each room held a piece of me. Although Andre had sold the house, it was yet to be used by the new owners. Everything was still how we left it, except for the photos and most of our personal belongings, which I had removed from the house following my marriage to André. I thought of Cameron. He had provided me and the children with great support since our arrival here, and I noticed that he tried really hard not to bring up his feelings; instead, he w

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter Forty

    “I really don't know what to do.” I told her. “I don't want to make the same mistake I made five years ago. See where it led me? I have nothing now; if not for your mother, I don’t even know where I’d be.” Sally gathered me into her arms and held me there. “I would not tell you what to do, of course.” She said it softly. “You are your own woman. But I’d ask that you open your eyes and try to see things clearly, so you don’t miss out on life again.” “Uhhhh… What’s going on?” We both turned as we heard Cameron’s voice. He was carrying the two children in his arms and stood unsure at the foot of the stairs. I wiped my eyes immediately and went to get one of the children from him. “Here, let me.” I said that and balanced the baby on my waist. “Sally. Lana? I come down to see what’s kept you so long, and... Sally, is your mother alright?” Sally smiled. “Definitely not dead yet. Uhh… Lana was just giving me emotional support.” Cameron nodded his head, but the look on his face said h

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    “Everything is so hard.” I said as I wiped the last of the tears away. Now that I was no longer crying, I was all too aware of the proximity of our bodies. Cameron’s face was too close to mine, so close that if I moved just a little, our mouths would meet. “And you have gotten through the hardest.” He answered with staid calmness. His breath tickled my nose, and my breath hitched. “Cameron.” I moaned, staring into his boundless grey eyes. I could not tell what I was feeling exactly at the moment, but I knew I wanted to kiss him badly, and as if reading my thoughts, Cameron’s lips slowly descended to meet mine. The touch of his lips on mine sent a shock wave through my entire body, and my hand came up to his hard chest. The kiss started slow, then became urgent and exploratory, and in them I felt his hunger and desire. I tore my mouth away from his, as though suddenly realising that we should not be doing this. But my mouth already felt like burning fire, and my body yearned for mo

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    Sally left immediately after. She had to check on her mother in the hospital and do some other things, and all I could do was think about everything she had told me. If what she said really happened, then my status was finally changed.What would happen to Cameron and me then? How would Cameron and I cope with working in different cities? Why was I even thinking of Cameron? He and I were nothing; we shared nothing. But why then did I give a thought to what would happen to us?I glanced at my children. All this was for them, not a man. In the end, Cameron might not even be a part of our lives. What mattered was I and my children, and even if Andre came back or learned that he was their father, I would be able to fight him. I will not need him and his money because I will be capable of providing for myself and my children.I would be able to give my children the life they deserve. And now I will have to work twice as hard. It was not the same as having my father’s company, but at least

  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter Forty-Three

    The image of his lips on mine suddenly came to mind, and I swear that I could have had a heart attack. I almost jumped to my feet, but I knew I needed to act cool and pretend I was unaffected by him. But that was quite impossible to do when my heart was thudding in my chest with this much ferocity and the tingling sensation that was now buried in the pit of my stomach.“Yes.” I replied, hoping my feelings were not present in my voice or tone. “She wanted to know how the children were doing.”He nodded, pushed himself off the door where he had been leaning, and began coming towards me. I sighed. I would have preferred he kept his distance. I could not trust my body not to want him too much. The couch I was sitting on was big enough to hold two of us, and he settled on the space beside me. Did he also notice, or was it just me? Did his body ache as much as mine did? Was I as disturbing to him as he was to me in every way? If I just stood up and put enough distance between us, then I wo

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    “We’re sorry to inform you that Mrs. Sanders did not make it. She died this morning in her sleep.” Sally collapsed into a chair, and I sank in with her, holding her firmly. I drew her to myself and patted her back as my own tears ran freely down my face. I don’t know who was comforting who now. My knees were too weak, and I was sure if I stood up, I’d fall. The whole emotion rushed to me like a river, and it was like I was pulled back into the past. Back to the night my parents died. The only difference was that they had died painfully. I was so unprepared, and I had been left stunned by the whole thing. “Just remember to breathe.” I took a deep breath as Cameron’s voice echoed in my head. “Breath, Lana, breath.” I had to take charge. I had to be here for Sally before anything else. Be her support, because this was the hardest of times. I pulled her up and led her to the room where Mrs. Sanders body would be kept before they moved her to the mortuary. Cameron remained in the lob

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  • TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY   Chapter One hundred and ninety-seven

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