“I promise you, she'll pay, she'll regret crossing paths with me” he said with an ominous tone.“You just have to let it go, Annabelle isn't worth stressing yourself over”“I won't let it go, I can't. She must pay. I almost lost her, Jane. You have no idea how I felt in those few minutes of my life, seeing her in a pool of her own blood, holding her almost completely lifeless body. I thought I lost her forever. I would kill for her”He drew out of the embrace and wiped the tears on his face, feeling mortified that he broke down like this in someone's presence. Jane sensed his embarrassment and smiled.“No need to be embarrassed Tristan, everybody cries, you're no exception. Angela is really lucky to have you.”He pressed his lips into a thin line. “Thanks”The remaining few hours of the surgery was tense. Tristan would occasionally get up, pace around restlessly, mutter prayers, sit down and then repeat.Jane sat feeling helpless. She knew he was very worried, so was she but him pacin
He woke up the next morning to find his phone ringing. He realized he had fallen asleep on the chair with his head on the bed. He rubbed his tired and sleepy eyes, then checked his caller id. It was his mother, so he answered it.“Hi mum” his voice was hoarse.“Honey!” her sympathetic voice rang from the other end of the line. “Did I wake you up? I'm sorry. Alan called. He told me what happened. How is she?”Tristan glanced at Angela's comatose face and replied “hopefully, she'll be fine. She's unconscious though.”“What happened?” she asked in a concerning tone.Tristan sighed heavily.“It's a long story”“I've got time.”“Well…” He began and then told her everything. From the pregnancy to how her twin came to town to the whole kidnapping, the surgery, the amnesia and her ending up in a coma.His mother was silent for a while, probably trying to process the whole thing. When she eventually spoke, her voice was breaking and shook.“Mum, don't cry, she'll be okay.” he tried to reassure
The next day, Tristan instructed the bodyguards.“Your duty is to stand guard here and keep watch. If I'm not around, nobody else comes in or go out unless you receive confirmation from me first. Is that clear?”“Yes Sir!” they chorused as they left to assume their posts. Few minutes later, Ivy called Tristan. He reluctantly answered the call.“Yes?”“I heard what happened, I'm so sorry about it. Is she okay though?”He weighed the options of telling her or not telling her. He suspected that Annabelle had to have had some sort of help from someone. Someone who was probably hiding her now. It's been two days and still no news about her had reached him. Even though he didn't want to believe Ivy could be helping Annabelle, he knew her all too well. She did tell him that she doesn't consider Angela her friend anyway.He desperately wanted to believe that Ivy was not involved in this but he just couldn't shake the feeling.“She's okay” he responded simply.“That's good” she added in a s
She was discharged a week later when the bruises on her face had healed to some extent. The news about her amnesia was broken to her by the doctor and she was still in a daze for having forgotten three whole years of her life and her supposed boss seemed to be acting like their relationship was more than just an official relationship.For instance, why was she staying at his house if she was just his employee? And why was he always with her in the hospital? Surely he must have other employees and more important things to do but he is always with her in the hospital.Jane had assured her that she was staying at his house for her safety and when she asked what she meant, neither of them told her what it was she meant by ‘safety’Angela felt frustrated about the whole thing. It all seem very suspicious. They didn't even tell her how she had sustained the injury to her brain, all they told her was that she received a serious blow to the head.At a point, she began to suspect that maybe T
Tristan stared at her with mouth agape. “Wh—what did you say?” he asked, looking at her in shock.“D—do you remember?” She squinted her eyes suspiciously at him. He was shaking and no, it wasn't from the cold, it was because he had something to hide.“I had a flashback. I saw a pregnancy test with the word ‘pregnant’ on it. What does it mean?”She asked, scrutinizing him.He raked his fingers through his hair and averted his gaze.“Was that why I ended up with a brain injury? Did someone try to make me lose the pregnancy?”He began to look very uncomfortable now and she was growing impatient from all her unanswered questions.“Come on, talk to me!” she snapped impatiently, causing him to jump a little.He collected himself and held her shoulders.“Hey, you shouldn't be thinking so much, your brain hasn't fully recovered yet. Believe me, I know you want answers and I promise you, you'll get them soon enough. But you need to heal first.”He assured her.She still wasn't pacified. She
Tristan laid face down on the bed. He was having a headache. It didn't help that he was furious too.Why couldn't she understand that he was doing everything for her? The only thing she could point out was that she felt caged. Really?How short sighted could she be?It took all his willpower for him not to yell back at her earlier. Does she thinks she's the only one who can yell?He didn't want to yell and then feel guilty about it later. He already has enough guilt on his plate right now and he didn't need more.Plus, he had been warned that she would be more temperamental now.He heard loud knocking, he listened closely and discovered it was more like someone was banging the door. He sat up abruptly and listened more. The sound seemed to be coming from Angela’s room.He jumped to his feet and darted to her room in confusion. Why was she banging the door? Was she locked in?He got to the door and to his surprise, it was locked from the outside. Who dared to lock her in?He unlocked t
Ivy had always been a manipulative person. She had a way of getting what she wanted, no matter the cost. So when she learned that Angela had lost her memory due to the accident staged by her and Annabelle, Ivy saw that as an opportunity to manipulate her way into Angela's life and steal Jane's place as her best friend and also steal Tristan from her.She watched a doubting Angela fiddling with her phone as it kept ringing. “Aren’t you gonna answer it?” She asked with a gentle voice.Angela balled up her fists, feeling tears stinging the corner of her eyes. She pressed the red button, dismissing the call.Ivy smirked inwardly and patted her back gently.“I know how you feel Angela, believe me, I do. I couldn’t believe it too when I found out. She’s done lots of terrible things to you like uploading an intimate video of you and Tristan on the internet, spreading lies about you and even almost drowning you…”Angela’s head shot up instantly.“Drown me?”Ivy nodded with innocence showing
Tristan could not believe he was about to ask her, but he suspected she knows something. His instincts told him she does. “Ivy, I need to know if you know where Angela is. She's missing”“Oh, my God! She is? How? Where did she go?” she feigned surprise. Tristan sighed and rubbed his temples. “I honestly don't know, she left the house hours ago and I don't know where she is”“Isn't your house like, super secured? How could she have escaped so easily? By the way, have you tried calling her?”“I have, she's not answering.” “Oh. And she's not with her friend?”“She's not and she's not taking her friend's calls either”“I'm so sorry to hear that” She paused, sighed and then continued.“Tristan, I feel I need to apologize for everything. I didn't realize how much Angela meant to you and how terrible of a person I am. I want to apologize for all the pain I caused to the both of you. What I did was cruel and I'm really sorry. I also want you to know that I have cut every form of ties with A
If you made it this far, I'd like to say a big thank you. I couldn't have done this without you. Your support means the world to me. It's not just about reaching this milestone; it's about the journey we've shared. Your encouragement fuels my passion for writing, and I want to express my deepest gratitude. Every word of appreciation from you is a source of inspiration, propelling me to explore new literary horizons. As we celebrate this achievement, I invite you to check out my other literary creations. There's a world of stories waiting to unfold, each crafted with the same dedication that brought us here. Your continued support guarantees more captivating tales ahead. Thank you, truly, for being an integral part of this writing adventure. I cherish your love and can't wait to share more exciting narratives with you.Once again, thank you and I love you so much
THREE MONTHS LATERShe stared at her reflection in the mirror, and a satisfied smile crept up her lips.Today was the most important day of her life. Her wedding day!She closed her eyes and let her mind drift to the day Tristan proposed to her two months ago.***************It was another cold day, as usual. It was a work day, but instead of going to work, Tristan had insisted they go to the same restaurant they went on her first day of working with him, and that they bring Zoe.She didn't understand why Tristan would choose to go to a restaurant instead of work and what was even more strange was that he insisted that he wanted to drive. He usually lets his driver do the driving, so she found it strange.After making sure that Zoe was seated and buckled in with the seatbelt, she sat in the passengers seat in front and Tristan got behind the wheel. As he adjusted the rear-view mirror, he winked at Zoe, who giggled and bounced happily in the back, the entire ride.All efforts to calm
“I'm telling you, Tristan, it's that bad.”She said to Tristan over Facetime.He had called her by eight pm New Zealand Standard Time and she was telling him how things were with Zoe.She couldn't bring herself to sleep on the mattress, so, after tucking Zoe in and making sure she was asleep, she went to the living room and lay on the couch instead. “And get this, turns out she's been living here using my name.”“Are you serious?” He asked, the shock on his face mirroring hers.“I am. Her neighbour called me Angela, and I found these fake documents and ID's inside the kitchen closet. It all had my name. None of it has her name. It's creepy.”“So, her daughter doesn't know her real name either?”“She doesn't. Apparently, she's been living a lie for seven years. As crazy as it is, it did give me an idea.” She replied with a faraway look in her eyes.“What idea?” Tristan asked with raised eyebrows. She smiled at him as she answered, “You know how she told me not to ever let her daught
The twenty-one-hour flight took it’s toll on her. Even though there had been two stops along the way, she was exhausted and sick by the time she got to New Zealand. She had also bought some things for Zoe as a way to earn her trust.Tristan called to check on her three times, and he sounded better. At least that's an improvement.She stopped a taxi and gave the driver the address Annabelle gave her. It was almost an hour drive from the airport and along the way, she kept wondering what she would tell Zoe. Where would she say her mother was? And how would she explain that she was her aunt? Because she was pretty sure Annabelle never mentioned her to Zoe.She was so lost in thought, she didn't realize they were already at her destination. The driver had to honk the car horn to snap her out of her thoughts.“We're here.” He announced after getting her attention.“Oh. Thank you.” She answered as she paid him. He helped her offload her luggage and then, he drove off.Angela stared at the
Tristan, Taylor and Angela arrived at the hospital to find a panic-stricken, worn out Tessa, pacing around. Her arm was bandaged too.“What happened? Where's mum?” Tristan asked, trying to rush into the emergency ward, but was stopped by Tessa.“Tristan, you can't go in there yet. Please, calm down.”“What exactly happened, Tessa?” Angela asked.“Yeah, how did she get shot.” Taylor added.“She went to confront Amy and we were on our way back when our car was ambushed and some men wearing masks surrounded us. They killed the driver and shot mum in the chest through the windscreen. They shot at me too, but it missed narrowly, and my arm got hit instead. They took off immediately and that's when I called the ambulance.”“How is she? Will she make it?” Tristan asked with wide-eyes. Tessa looked dismayed as she averted her gaze. Tristan was about to say something when Tessa's husband Connor came rushing in.“Honey,” he exclaimed as he rushed towards her. He hugged her, then he examined he
The car came to a halt in front of the Perry's grand mansion. Marie stepped out first, not waiting for the driver to open the door for them.Her eyes was red and her complexion was pale. She stormed out of the car and marched furiously inside the house, ignoring her children completely.“Mum, are you okay? What happened?” Tessa asked, trying to block her path. But, one glare from Marie, made her move. She rushed towards Tristan, who was being helped out of the car by Angela and Alan.“What's wrong with mum? She looks ready to murder someone.” She asked Tristan, who exchanged a glance with Angela.“What does that look mean? What's happening?” She asked in alarm.“Is father home?” Tristan asked.“Yeah, but that doesn't answer my question. Why is mum so furious?” She asked again, visibly frustrated that no one was answering her question.“Where is he?” Tristan asked again.“In his study. For God's sake, why isn't anyone answering the damn question? What happened to mum?” she yelled.Just
She sat in front of a tiny glass window in a cubicle, tapping her fingers nervously on the table and lost in thought.It's been three days since she was discharged from the hospital and she had been putting off the idea of seeing her sister in prison till she couldn't anymore.She had to gather up all her courage to come here, concluding that Annabelle could not hurt her again as she was already behind bars.Now, sitting here, all that courage seemed to have faltered and she wondered if it was too late to leave. Just then, she looked up and her whole body tensed as she saw a haggard-looking Annabelle in cuffs, being escorted by a police officer. The officer removed the cuffs from her wrists and she slumped to the chair. Angela inhaled and tried to calm her nerves and her shaking hands as she picked up the phone in front of her. Annabelle did the same and for a few seconds, neither of them said a word to each other. They just stared, with the phone in their ears and different though
She remained silent, just staring blankly, throat dry, heart pounding until Tristan felt the need to speak.“Angela, please say something.”She finally focused her gaze on him, as the blank stare left her face. “Where is she?” she asked.“Detained,” Tristan answered.“Angie, she wants to see you,” Jane said, looking worried. Angela shifted her gaze to Jane as seven of the coldest words she had ever said, fell out of her mouth.“I have nothing to say to her!”“She's still your sister…” Tristan was saying, but she cut him short.“Was my sister! Now, I have no sister. I remember everything she did to me, including hiring those two men to beat me up. I was pregnant! And she knew it. You know what they said to me? They told me that she said they should get rid of it by any means necessary. She's the reason all this is happening. She could have killed you too, Tristan. And you say she's my sister? No, if she were my sister, she would never have done all that to me.”She yelled, angry tears
Her head was hurting so she once again thought she was hallucinating. Even though she just heard his voice, she couldn't bring herself to believe he was looking at her and talking to her. He was in a coma, so how was he doing any of that?“Are you okay?” he asked, startling her.“Y—you. You're awake?”“Surprised?” he asked with a smile.“I am. The doctor said it would probably take at least a month before you woke up.” Her face twisted in horror as she said, “Oh no, don't tell me I was unconscious for a month!” Tristan chuckled as he responded, “No, you weren't unconscious for a month, you were unconscious for a week.”“A week?” Angela asked as her face paled in horror. “Why? What happened?”“According to the doctor, when you fell, you hit your head pretty bad and since you already had a brain injury, it triggered something. But do you feel okay now? Did you forget anything?”She raked her brain, trying to figure out if she forgot anything, but she couldn't think of anything she mig