Jessica sighed deeply as she walked right into the door, the weight of the previous week still heavy on her shoulder. Ethan's visit to her office had just found its way back to her mind, and the more she tried to let of it, the more she found herself haunted by the thought. Returning to work would always give her a temporary place to escape from everything, but every moment since she found her office, has always been one that brought her the same unease.She placed her Gucci bag on the countertop and walked into the kitchen, hoping to get something to eat and retire to bed without much conversation. But Ricky was already staring at her from across the room, his eyes narrowed in on her, and concern filled in his eyes."Hey," he said quietly, trying not to startle to her. "Long day?"Jessica hugged him, managing to reply with a smile on her face as she let go immediately. "Ueaj, something like that."Ricky watched, his gaze searching her entire countenance. "Jess, are you okay? Late
Jessica buttoned her little girl's thick coat and adjusted the scarf on her neck, the frosty air coming through their breaths as they stepped out into the noisy and bustling streets in their car. The sidewalk was packed with snow, festive lights adored the windows of every shop they could see. It had been months since had given herself time to relax, and Avery's excitement was just too contagious."Mommy, please can we go to the toy store first?" Avery begged her gloves hand pulling on Jessica's coat.Jessica smiled, blowing away a strand of hair from her face. "We're for clothes, Avery. But I promise, if we finish early, then we can go look at toys that you like."Avery's face lit up with excitement, and she skipped along beside her mother as they entered a chic boutique filled with winter wear for the season. Jessica let her daughter wander ahead of her, her eyes glowing as she saw the colorful display while she inspected the racks of coats.Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling a
Jessica gently unfastened her daughter’s coat, her hands shaking slightly as her thoughts continued to cause chaos in her mind. The boutique encounter with Olivia had thrown her off balance more than she wanted to admit.“Mommy, can I have my hot chocolate now?” Avery asked, her voice cutting through Jessica’s clouded mind.Jessica managed to smile at her, brushing back the strand of hair on Avery’s face. “Of course, sweetheart. But first, go wash your hands and I’ll go in and make it extra sweet for you.”As Avery skipped towards the direction of the bathroom, Jess exhaled for a moment, her chest tightening up.Ricky stepped into the room, his sharp blue-coloured suit, which was wrinkled from a long day of work. “You’re late.” He said with a playful tone before he noticed the look on her face. “What’s wrong?”Jessica hesitated, glancing towards the bathroom to make sure that Avery would be unable to hear anything. “You wouldn’t believe that I ran into Olivia today.”Ricky’s jaw dropp
Jessica leaned back on the cream coloured sofa in her parent’s living room, the envelope that she had received from Ethan’s lawyers lying on the coffee table untouched. The legal notice couldn’t feel more heavier than this, it was like a boulder had been dropped on her thoughts.Her mother, Janet, sipped on her ice tea, her eyes fixed on the document. “Hmm, custody battle?” she repeated to herself, her voice barely audible to others.Jessica nodded, her hands folded together. “So Ethan really wants Avery, Or at least, Olivia has gone and poisoned his mind. I’m sure she has her hands behind all of this.”Her father, Joseph, leaned closer, the look on his face very stern. “This man has no right to do this. After being absent for many years, Jessica. How dare he! When you’ve been the one raising Avery, alone. This is just absurd.”“I know.” Jessica said, her voice cracking as she spoke. “But after many years of knowing Ethan, I’m sure he is going to try to do everything that he can
Jessica's knuckles began to whiten as she held the edge of her desk tightly. Across from her, Olivia still leaned against the wall of her office, an irritating picture of confidence on her face. The air in the room began to feel suffocating, her once peaceful office had to turn of lionesses."Olivia, speak plainly," Jessica said to her, keeping her voice so she wouldn't cause a scene in her workplace. "What do you want here?"Olivia took a step forward, her heels making a sound as they clicked on the polished floor underneath her feet. "Oh, sweet sweet Jessica." She began, her tone as slippery as honey. "I'm here to give you a simple deal. Dump Ricky and give the father of your daughter more access to her. That's all I want."Jessica's eyes closed in on her. "And why would I do that for you?"Olivia smirked, fetching her mobile phone from her sleek Birking bag. "Because if you don't do as I say, this right here might just end up in court as evidence during your custody battle." She ta
Jessica sat across from her lawyer, Lois, in a very meticulously organized office which was in downtown LA. The room had the smell of leather and freshly brewed coffee in it, the bookshelves completely cramped up with legal books, and accolades that adorned the walls. Jessica began to slowly lose her composure as she began to speak of her past, the memories jumping and eating her from the inside out."I waited for five years, Lois" Jessica said, her voice now trembling with emotions that she had tried to suppress for so long. "Five long and very painful years. After all the tests, and endless outings of looking like a disappointment before finally getting pregnant. There I was thinking that a miracle had finally happened."Lois leaned closer, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Ethan Mitchell? Wow, I never knew all of this had happened when you came to me many years ago. How did he feel when you broke the news to him?"Jessica let out what seemed to be a very bitter laugh. "Ne
Jessica sat across from Lois, their lawyer, her gaze being distant as she tried to organize the documents that had been spread across the table. The office, with its well-polished furniture and perfectly set up shelves, for some reason, felt very oppressive today. Ricky sat next to Jessica, tapping his pen on the table in front of him while he waited."Jessica." Lois began, finally breaking the silence that engulfed the room. "We need to try to focus on building a case that focuses on Avery's well-being as a child. This kind of case can get ugly quickly, and Ethan's team will most likely play dirty and try to attack the fact that you hid Avery away for years. We need to be ready for that."Jessica folded both of her arms, her facial expression remaining resolute. "Let them. I'll narrate everything to the court so they understand my point of view. Ethan had no right to know about Avery. He didn't care one bit for me and he sure didn't care about the idea of me having a child when he ki
Back at her parent's house, Jessica paced around the living room, her phone fixed tightly against her ears. Ricky stood close by, coordinating with his private investigator on the matter. Janet and Joseph both rested on the couch, worry visible on their faces. Ethan, who had shown up after multiple furious phone calls from Jessica, leaned against the wall, feeling guilty that he had teamed up with Olivia."The police are en route to the location," Jessica said, immediately ending the call. "They just found the house that Olivia is currently hiding in. It's on the outskirts of the city so it might take a while to get there." She threw her phone onto the nearest table by her side, her hands trembling with fear."We need to go," Ricky said with a firm voice, grabbing his jacket as he got to his feet."Wait, Ricky. Leave this for the police." Janet protested, standing up to her feet to reach him. "Jessica, you can't run head-on into a situation like this. What if something happens to you?
The office was just as sleek and fierce as Lois herself. Polished dark wood filled most of the space, from the shelves that held legal books and tomes to the expensive desk that kept Jessica away from the woman who was there to help her save her daughter. Jessica adjusted the strap of LV purse nervously as walked inside. The air smelled of leather and freshly brewed coffee, and the morning light coming in from the talk windows felt more sterile rather than warm.Lois glanced up from her Lenovo laptop, her glasses perching down on her nose. “Jessica,” she said, standing to give her a welcome hug. Her handshake was firm, her countenance welcoming and soothing. “Thanks for coming just in time. Take a seat. We are going to be discussing a lot today.”Jessica sat across from Lois’s desk stiffly in her chair, the smoothness of the leather gracing her palms as she held onto the armrest. She nodded silently, her throat feeling itchy as Lois began to shuffle a huge of papers.“I know this isn’
The quiet singing of birds settled over Jessica’s house like a blanket, comforting yet very heavy. She stood at the large window in her living room, holding a coffee mug in both hands. Steam rose into the air in tiny wisps, curling up as the sunlight formed different patterns on the marble floor. It should have been a peaceful moment for her, but her mind would let her be, her thoughts moving between her unexpected visit from Ethan last night and her new relationship with Ricky.The sound of hesitant movement behind her caught her attention. She turned around to see Ricky walking into the living room. His expression was guarded, but he smiled at her. He picked up his mug, though, from the way he took his eyes away from her, it seemed like the drink was just a little excuse to occupy his hands and keep them busy.“Morning,” Jessica said, offering him a small smile in return.“Mor..morning,” he said, clearing his quiet voice. He crossed to the other side of the room, taking a seat on th
The sound of the doorbell echoed through the Johnson house, pulling Jessica from her thoughts. She glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall to see that it was 8:47 p.m. Too late for casual visitors to stop by. Avery was already tucked in bed, and Ricky had left an hour ago to go get some documents from his apartment.Her stomach began to twist as she walked to the front door to find out who it was since the camera room was far from where she was. She peered through the peephole on the door, she froze when she recognized the face.Ethan.For a moment, Jessica considered not walking back to the kitchen and not answering. Her fingers hovered over the lock for a moment, but the second ring felt more insistent than the first, it destroyed her indecision. She unlocked the door and opened it just enough to lean against the frame, blocking his view of the rest of the house behind her."What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice clipping.Ethan stood on the front porch, his hands buried in
Jessica faced the clock as she quickly hurried down the hallway, the sound of her wedge heels echoing against the floors. "Avery darling, we have to go! We are going to be late again!" she called out to her daughter, trying her best not to sound impatient.From the bedroom door, Avery appeared tightly holding her backpack, her tiny face looking all confused. She pointed at the tall man standing near the door. "Why does he always have to follow us around, mummy?" she asked, her tone showing frustration. "I don't need him watching me all the time, mummy. Please."Jessica crouched down to her daughter's level, smoothing a hand over her little head. "He's here to make sure that you are safe, sweetheart," she explained softly. "You know how we have like an extra seatbelt when we drive or the alarm system at home? It's not because anything's wrong, it's just... important to be ready for such situations."Avery looked at Kyle, the new bodyguard, who stood like a shadow near the front door wi
Ethan sat in his office, letting the weight of the past weeks press on him like an iron blade. The only photo of Avery that he had managed to get from the last time they hung out seemed to mock him as it lay on his desk, her tiny smile frozen in time for him to stare at whenever he wanted. A complete contrast to the storm that he had just unleashed into her life. He pressed his palms on his face, trying to breathe through all the anger and guilt that he was feeling. Jessica's voice from the phone call began to ring in his ear; "Best for Avery? You think dragging our daughter into a custody battle is what is best for her?"His door creaked open, but Ethan didn't look up to see who it was. "Not now, Carla," he said, believing it was his assistant that had walked into his office."Carla? That's new." His father's voice, came into the room steady and authoritative, it sent a chill down Ethan's spine when he recognized who it was.Ethan straightened in his chair as his father, Richard, wal
Jessica slammed the room door behind her, the sound echoing loudly through the quiet house. She barely registered in her mind the glow of the living room lamps or the humming coming from the dishwasher in the kitchen. The tension weighing heavily in her chest grew tighter with every passing second she spent, and she paced right in front of the couch, her heels hitting the hardwood floor.Ricky walked with her inside, setting down his keys on the side table. "Jess, I need you to breathe.""Breathe?" she sneered at him unconsciously, spinning on her heel to face him head-on. "How do you expect me to breathe knowing that the woman who kidnapped my child is somewhere out there?" she asked as her hands flew up in the air. "Goddamnit, she took my child, Ricky! And now she's walking around town like nothing had happened."Ricky ran his left hand through his hair, frustration showing on his face. "I get it. Believe me, I understand. But yelling at me isn't going to solve the problem. Running
The sunlight filled the living room from the windows, casting a glow on Avery's little face, who was curled up and playing with her stuffed bunny. Jessica sat nearby, her laptop on her knees as she typed while her other eye remained on Avery. Though the nightmare of Avery's kidnapping had been solved three days ago, Jessica still carried the weight of it. She glanced at her phone, which sat on the coffee table. Another call from Ethan. The sight made her jaw tighten and her fists squeezed."Mommy?" her daughter's soft voice broke off her thoughts. "Can I get a snack?"Jessica faked a smile, closing her laptop and setting it aside. "Sure, sweetheart. What do you want to have?""Peanut butter and jelly?" Avery asked, her tiny face lighting up as she hoped her mum would agree.Jessica ruffled her daughter's hair and headed straight into the kitchen, grateful that was alive to make requests. There she was, spreading the peanut butter on a slice of bread when her phone buzzed one more
Back at her parent's house, Jessica paced around the living room, her phone fixed tightly against her ears. Ricky stood close by, coordinating with his private investigator on the matter. Janet and Joseph both rested on the couch, worry visible on their faces. Ethan, who had shown up after multiple furious phone calls from Jessica, leaned against the wall, feeling guilty that he had teamed up with Olivia."The police are en route to the location," Jessica said, immediately ending the call. "They just found the house that Olivia is currently hiding in. It's on the outskirts of the city so it might take a while to get there." She threw her phone onto the nearest table by her side, her hands trembling with fear."We need to go," Ricky said with a firm voice, grabbing his jacket as he got to his feet."Wait, Ricky. Leave this for the police." Janet protested, standing up to her feet to reach him. "Jessica, you can't run head-on into a situation like this. What if something happens to you?
Jessica sat across from Lois, their lawyer, her gaze being distant as she tried to organize the documents that had been spread across the table. The office, with its well-polished furniture and perfectly set up shelves, for some reason, felt very oppressive today. Ricky sat next to Jessica, tapping his pen on the table in front of him while he waited."Jessica." Lois began, finally breaking the silence that engulfed the room. "We need to try to focus on building a case that focuses on Avery's well-being as a child. This kind of case can get ugly quickly, and Ethan's team will most likely play dirty and try to attack the fact that you hid Avery away for years. We need to be ready for that."Jessica folded both of her arms, her facial expression remaining resolute. "Let them. I'll narrate everything to the court so they understand my point of view. Ethan had no right to know about Avery. He didn't care one bit for me and he sure didn't care about the idea of me having a child when he ki