Rafael woke up the next morning with a banging headache, he looked around the room, it was nice and clean, he got off the bed holding his head, trying to remember the events of last night, all he could remember was him getting himself so drunk and then calling Nicole, God the things he said to her made his head spin, what made it even worst was the fact that after all those things, she still hung up and told him to sleep it off, she really hates him."You are finally up,"Josie said entering his room, she was on an apron, he didn't remember calling her, how did she get here? She didn't know where he lived either, maybe he called her, he couldn't remember anything from last night except talking to Nicole."Josie, hi, did I call you?""Huh, no you didn't, Caleb did, he said you drank too much last night and was drunk calling him, he is out of town as you may already know and he asked me to check up on you this morning, he was the one that gave me your address, I didn't even know you can
"Don't tell me I left the door open,""Huh, oh, yeah, you did, the door was unlocked when I came in, maybe you took a cab home because your car isn't in the yard and also why didn't you take your bodyguard and driver if you knew you were going to get so drunk?'She asked him in a voice that sounded like she was scolding him."I told them to go home, I never intended to get that drunk, one thing leads to the other and well, I couldn't stop myself,""At least next time get a drinking buddy that you will not overdo things or better still drink at home, you are not just anyone Rafael, you are a freaking rich man and anything can be done to you in your vulnerable state and you will wake up in the morning to the consequences and not remembering most of your actions,""I will, I am sorry I brought you out of your house so early,""No, it's fine, I am happy that I can help,"She said, they sat in silence for a while until he got up and went back into his room to get what he needed for work, h
Nicole waited for Rafael to call her for the next one week, but he didn't call her, nothing, it was as if nothing happened between them that night, after one week of no call, she decided to call him, not like she wanted to do anything much, she just wanted to figure out if he remembered and pretended as if nothing happened or if he didn't remember at all, she sat on her bed in her room holding her phone, if he hasn't changed, he would be home from work already and this was the right time to call, she dialed his number, and waited patiently for him to pick up, if he doesn't pick the first time, she didn't know if she will call him again, thankfully, he picked up."Hello? Rafael?"She called but there was no reply."Rafael, it's Nicole, I wanted to check if you are fine, I am sorry I left before you woke up, that day,"She said, she said those words because she wanted to find out if he remembered what happened."This is not Rafael, this is his girlfriend Josie, why are you calling my ma
"I am telling you that you are the one Rafael met first, I am talking about the Jones party, I told you to go with me remember? I left early, well that was where Rafael and I supposedly met but I thought he come earlier but then I found out that it was you he met,""But I don't remember meeting him,""That's because you guys didn't talk and well when we met again, he already had his eyes on me and just approached me,""Oh, but we don't have to talk about that Natalie, it's all in the past,"Nicole said, there was no use passing blame or bringing up the past, she just wanted them to be okay again."I know, I just, I am sorry Nicole, for everything, I was so blinded by jealousy, I came back home, I didn't want the life you had Nicole but everything was going so wrong for me, mom and dad blaming me for running away and for forcing my life down your throat, I was dealing with so much depression and then you were so happy and didn't look at me, I just felt left out and made the worst mista
"Yes we will Nicole, I missed you so much too,"She said."You can tell me about your adventures while you were away tomorrow, I need to sleep, I have a meeting with Gavin tomorrow,"Nicole said with a yawn, she wanted to stay up all night talking to her sister but she knew she needed sleep to be able to function well the next day, Aron's Exhibition which had been moved to January would be her first major event at her gallery, she was going to tell him he could use it tomorrow, they were meeting for lunch, what more Grace would be around the day after tomorrow, she would be spending Christmas at her house and she wanted her to meet Natalie, she already knew Christmas would be fun and she couldn't wait to start the new year, she went to sleep smiling."Good morning Natalie,"Nicole greeted her sister the next morning when she woke up, she checked the time, and surprisingly, she slept past her alarm and didn't even notice, she still had time so there was no need to panic."Hey, I wanted
Nicole got out of her room after getting ready to see both her parents and Natalie in the dining room, she greeted her parents and sat beside her sister, it was the first time in a long time their whole family had sat together to eat breakfast and it felt good, especially with the holiday spirit in the air."This feels like a dream,"Her mom said clearly liking the atmosphere too, Nicole smiled at her mom."Why do you say so, honey?"Her dad asked."Isn't obvious? When was the last time we all sat like this? I don't mean this year, I mean for Christmas, we are always away and they have to celebrate on their own, this year, I wanted it to be different but a lot of things happened and I thought we might get even more apart but thank God, we are a family again, these past months have been hell but here we are gathered together for our first Christmas as a family in a long long time,"Her mom said, she looked really happy and emotional, Nicole didn't even realize that it has been that lon
It took Nicole about an hour to get to the address she texted and now she sat listening to the woman talk and she regretted coming here, it was waste of time, she should have gone to see Aron instead, she had canceled on him for this."What?""You heard me right, Rafael and I are happy together, don't come and ruin it you had your time and it has ended, move on already and stop holding on to the last, as you can see my baby already did,""Your baby?"Nicole asked, she damn well knew Rafael was no baby."Yes, Rafael is mine now, or do you need proof? There are so many everywhere just like well or why else would I be at his place at nine pm?""You guys are dating?"Nicole asked she knew her questions were dumb, knew she shouldn't be asking since she already knows the truth but the lady was acting like a dummy so she was just playing along."Of course we are, and we might get married soon, Rafael has been hinting on it, I guess my baby wants us to be legal real quick, I don't fancy marri
"I am sorry I couldn't meet up the other day, I had so much to do,"Nicole said while sitting across Aron."It's fine, I understand that you are a busy lady now with all the things that you have to do, I was surprised when you said you wanted to meet up with me, I understand,""Yeah, thanks Aron, how have you been?""Being good, I think I am going to cancel the exhibition for good, I don't think I will ever find a good place for it, I already postponed because you know why and if I do again, I don't think anyone will have interest anymore so it's best to cancel,"He said, he looked sad about it, she felt bad for him, he had paid for an auditorium but it turned out that the person he paid to was a scammer, he couldn't use the hall and he couldn't get his money back, that's why she wanted him to use her gallery, the space was big enough and it was an actual gallery, it will benefit her too and it will draw people to her, so win-win."There is no reason to cancel Aron, you can use my pla
Rafael looked up to see his woman walking towards him, she was wearing a simple yet pretty gown that was more of a maternity gown than a wedding gown, she looked so good, every day watching her get bigger and bigger was the new joy of his life, she was everything he never knew he wanted, she was his wife, his love, his family and his life, the reason he existed, she looked up at him and smiled, his heart warmed up seeing her pretty smile.The past three months of his life has been the best so far, every day waking up to her was a blessing, beyond what he had ever imagined, not just her but her family too, the one that also became his family, he couldn't believe he had almost lost out on the biggest love he found, a year ago, he had walked down the aisle with a woman he had thought was Natalie but turned out to be Nicole, he had a motive back them, marry her and get the right to her properties, the day he made those decisions marked the beginning of the biggest change in his life, not
Three months later...Nicole watched as the reporters made a report that was concerning her."The wedding ceremony of two most talked about couples in the past few months is happening today and we are all living for it, the couple who are expecting their first child soon decided to tie the knot before their baby is born, and the whole country is looking forward to today,"The reporter said, Nicole laughed touching her tummy which has gotten bigger over the last three months, she was currently in her sixth month of pregnancy and everything has been blissful for the past three months, her life has been perfect in every way, she had family and friends and most especially Rafael with her and nothing could beat that."You know you are going to be late if you just sit there watching TV and smiling to yourself,"Natalie announced as she walked into her room, she was ready and looked so pretty in her simple yet so beautiful bridesmaid dress, both she and Grace were her bridesmaid."I can't be
She walked back towards her ward in a sad mood, she needed to speak with Rafael and hoped he come back soon, instead of going back to the room, she opted for going to the hospital rooftop, she asked for directions and was shown the way up, she saw a few people up there and went to the more quiet side, sat down and brought out her phone from the hospital gown pocket, she had found the phone next to her when she woke up this morning, she thought she had lost it but thankfully not, she played with the phone before dialing his number, it didn't go through, maybe he turned it off, she wished he could just appear in front of her, she needed to talk to him, they have been separated for too long, she wanted him back now."Rafael,"She whispered his name."What are you doing here on your own, I have been looking everywhere for you,"She heard his voice and turned to see him waving at her, she stood up from where she sat, he appeared, she smiled when he did before bursting into tears, he ran t
Nicole looked around when she woke up again, Rafael wasn't by her side anymore, she looked to where Natalie was seated with Aron by her side, they were talking in whispers, she had told him to go and not return until he has gotten enough rest, he didn't want to leave so she had yelled at him to get out of her presence, it was harsh but she needed him to take care of himself too, she didn't want him to be careless with his health, he had surgery and he wasn't taking care of himself, imagine how scared she had been when all she wanted was to playfully hit him yet she ended up hurting him, the look of pain in his eyes had sent a shiver of fear down her body, she expected to see him again at least before she went to sleep last night but he hadn't shown up, when she woke up this morning, she had looked around for him too, she knew she told him to rest and he needed it but she had things to tell him, it was almost afternoon and he still wasn't back."Nicole, you are awake,"Natalie said as
"What happened?"The doctor asked looking at his hand."I mistakenly hit it somewhere and it is so fucking painful,"He said as the doctor helped him remove his shirt, he saw that his hand was bleeding again, Nicole didn't even hit hard enough for him to be bleeding this much."This is why I told you to look after yourself but you claimed to be fine, now we have to do a restitch or it might get infected and that's not good,"The doctor said to him as he placed a call across, it happened so fast, one minute he was watching the doctor give out instructions to whoever on the other side of the call, and the next minute, he saw himself falling, his head spinning and he couldn't control himself, he heard the doctor yell for someone and that was all he could remember.When he woke up again, he was back on the bed he had run away from, with the doctor, not the one he was with earlier but another doctor fixing something on the drip near his bed."You are awake, you stubborn man, you nearly kil
Rafael looked around the room he was in, the pain in his hands finally subsided, he got up and pulled his shirt on just as the door opened."Oh, you are up,"Lance said walking up to him."Yes, were you here throughout the night?""No, I just came in, I had to go to the police station, the other man was arrested this morning, but sadly Leonard died on the way to the hospital last night,"Lance revealed."What about my wife and her sister? Are they awake yet?"He asked standing on fixing his trousers."I don't know yet, I came straight here when I was told you are here, I can go and check for you if you want,"He offered."No, that's fine I will go myself,""I don't think that's advisable seeing that you had surgery a few hours ago,"Lance said trying to block his way."I am fine, don't you have things to do?""Yes, I will be on my way, call me if you need anything,"Lance said as they both walked out of his hospital room, they parted ways as Rafael walked straight to the doctor's offi
"Nicole?"She heard her name, it wasn't just anyone calling her name it was Rafael, he came, he was here, he came for her."Don't come any closer, don't fucking come closer or she will be dead,"Leonard yelled holding on to Nicole, he pointed the gun at her, Rafael slowed down for a moment, she wanted to run to him, run into his embrace but she knew doing that would be catastrophic, so she stayed still."Rafael,"She cried"Baby, it will be fine I got you,"He said, she couldn't make out his face properly, the room wasn't dark as before but her eyes were blinded by tears and her body tried."Let her go, Leonard, let her go, she didn't do anything to you, fucking let her go,"He told Leonard who pulled her even closer and pressed the gun to her face."You think I am a fool? I should let her go? No way, if I go down, she dies,"He yelled at him pointing the gun at him."Let her go and face me, you moron,""Please don't Rafael don't provoke him, please,"She pleaded, her voice was almost
After the talk with Rafael, Nicole couldn't fall asleep or do anything else again, she just sat and listened, Rafael said he will come and get them and she didn't want to be asleep when that happened, she told her sister to sleep so that she can be on watch, it seems like the younger guy finally left because she hasn't seen him since after their talk the other day. She silently prayed that Rafael will come for them tonight, she didn't want to spend a third night here, she wanted to go home, go home not to her family's mansion but to the house she shared with Rafael, even if he doesn't want to live in the mansion anymore she would stay with him at his new house, anywhere he was would be her home, she couldn't wait to tell him that she was sorry for everything and that she loves him so much,Nicole heard the noise in the distance, not just any kind of noise, vehicles were entering where they are, she quickly got up and walked to where Natalie lay."Natie? Natie? I think help is here, th
"Baby? What baby?"He asked."Nicole is pregnant, I know she hadn't told you yet, and she would want to tell you herself but you have to know that my daughter is pregnant with your child and you have to get them back soon, this is not good for the baby,"She replied, he didn't know what to say, he didn't know Nicole was pregnant, she didn't say a word to him, he thought, God, he thought the doctor said she won't be able to get pregnant again, dies that mean. Oh God, he needed to get her back. Aron collected the phone from him and spoke to Nicole's parents while he sat there still in shock.The police, his own team, and even the twins' parents agreed that it would be better if they involved security to avoid any foul play, he reluctantly agreed.Leonard didn't call back, instead, he texted a location where they can meet for the exchange and it was game on.Preparation for the meet up was super easy, it was the easy part of the whole thing, he wanted to go alone, wanted to just give the