Kelse and Sarah got kidnapped? 😲 Olivia and Jackson are still very much married? 🤯 What on earth is going on? READ ON TO FIND OUT. Maybe leave a comment or review while you are at it. <3 <3 <3
______________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."We are still very much married."My jaw dropped.The world around me seemed to spin, and for a moment, I felt like I might pass out.And I almost did.Jackson's hands shot out to steady me, but I stepped away from him, my body trembling with rage. "How could you?" I whispered."I wanted to tell you," he began, but I didn't let him finish."You had five years, Jackson!" I yelled, my voice causing a few of the mall-goers to turn their attention to us, but I did not care. I couldn't care less about their reaction when I had been hit with two of the biggest horrors of my life at once. "Five years to tell me that we were never really divorced!"Jackson looked at me with pleading eyes, but I was not in the mood to hear his bullshit. "You knew!" I accused him. "You knew and you did not say anything!""Liv-""Don't you dare!" I cut him off, my voice echoing through the mall. "You don't get to call me that. Not after what you've done. And
_________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.Something was amiss.Jackson had been too calm. Too... rehearsed.The Jackson I once thought I knew was anything but calm when it came to his family. Maybe it was because we were not his family, but the way he acted with Kelsey was sending mixed signals. The thought niggled at the back of my mind as I watched him from the car. He walked out of the bank with a duffel bag that was probably stuffed with money. The transaction was simple, but the situation was anything but."Ready?" He asked as he got in and tossed the bad into the backseat.I squared my shoulders and nodded. "As I will ever be."Jackson's eyes stayed on my face for a whole minute even though I refused to look at him before he started the car.The drive to the park was silent, tension crackling in the closed atmosphere of the vehicle. The GPS giving the directions did not help at all.My forehead wrinkled.Of course, he didn't know around the place. He was on the other si
_________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.I did not say a word on the way back home.Should I have told Jackson that Kelsey knew?My mind was racing with a hundred thoughts as we drove back home. Every minute that passed felt like an eternity.But when we reached the parking lot, I felt as if we had reached too fast - that I did not get the time to prepare myself for what was to come.Jackson parked the car and turned to look at me with wariness in his eyes. "Why are you not happy?" He asked.I ignored him and stepped out of the car, my legs feeling like jelly. "We need to talk." I said, walking towards the elevator."What is it?" He asked as he followed me. "I know you are mad. I know you blame me for what happened. But I swear, if I knew something like this was going to happen, then I would have been much more careful than this." I jabbed on the call button of the elevator and then turned to face him with a glare on my face. "Oh, so you do admit that you could have more car
_________________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."Oomph!" I tripped backward by the momentum with which my monkey charged onto me as soon as the door of the elevator opened. I would have fallen flat on my butt with her in my arms if it was not for Jackson who caught me from behind, his hands landing straight on my breasts again. I looked up and glared at him as he steadied me and he immediately retreated his hand. Good choice, mate, good choice. I bent down and quickly picked my daughter up, peppering kisses all over her face as I wrapped my arms tight around her while carrying her out of the metal box. "Are you okay?" I asked her.Kelsey nodded her head vigorously, her eyes wide. "I'm fine, Mommy. The misters were nice. They said they had to go on a trip and couldn't play with us anymore. That's why they brought us home."She looked over my shoulder at Jackson."Daddy!" She grinned at him. I stiffened as I turned around to face him.Jackson's eyes lit up as he took a tentative st
____________ ...~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~.I had lunch with my daughter, my wife and her annoying friend and then continued to stay with my kid till late afternoon.And then unceremoniously, Sarah Hopkins kicked me out while Kelsey was taking a nap.I smirked as I turned off my car.How long was Hopkins even going to be here?She was going to be gone today or tomorrow and then I will have my girls all to myself. And then, it will be easier for me to have Livy where I wanted her.I got out of the car and passed the keys to the valet, strolling towards the elevator with a bounce to my step. My daughter knew who I was. And Olivia knew that she could not fight me now. Everything had just gotten ten times easier in just a couple of hours. Reaching the hotel room, I was not surprised to find William at the bar. The man had not left the hotel suite since we had gotten here. "Someone looks happy." William raised a brow as he took a sip of his whiskey. "Olivia went down and gave you h
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."How about this?" Kelsey stepped out of her closet wearing a tie dye t-shirt and a purple tutu."Seven out of ten." Sarah said after pretending to inspect the outfit for a moment.I couldn't help but laugh at the expression on my daughter's face. She looked absolutely confused and adorable. "Why not ten?" She asked pouting."Because, my little fashionista, we need something that will make you shine brighter than a star in the sky!" She exclaimed, kneeling down to her level. "Let's keep looking, okay?"Kelsey nodded and disappeared back into the closet, her giggles echoing around the room.Sarah turned to me with a knowing look, her smile disappearing as soon as Kelsey was out of sight. "You okay?""I will be." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It's just...I can't believe he's back in our lives like this."Sarah nodded solemnly. "I know it's a lot to take in, but we're in this together, Liv. Whatever happens, I'm here for you and Ke
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.William smirked, looking over at a confused Jackson - or pretending to be confused Jackson - and back at me. "Your husband has been keeping detailed tabs on you since the day you left."I turned to Jackson with a glare on my face."Husband?" Kelsey grabbed my attention with her big confused eyes. "Mommy, you are married? To who?"I looked at her, my heart racing. This was definitely not the time or the place to have this conversation. "We're not married, Kelsey. Not anymore.""But who is your husband?" Kelsey asked. She looked around at Jackson. "Is Daddy your husband?"Jackson cleared his throat, looking at me with a mix of hope and hesitation. "Well, technically, we're still married, Kelsey," he began."But that's not what we are here to talk about, sweetheart," I interjected quickly, cutting him off. "We're here to have a nice dinner and enjoy each other's company, remember?"Kelsey looked back and forth between us, clearly confused by t
_____________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."She is out like a light," Jackson said as he closed Kelsey's bedroom door behind him."Thanks for carrying her," I murmured, trying to keep my voice steady.Jackson nodded and followed me into the living room."What is it that you want to talk about?" I asked, my arms folded tightly across my chest.Jackson took a deep breath, his eyes on the floor before he looked back up at me. "I know I have a lot to make up for, Olivia. I've been thinking about everything since I saw Mom's letter. And now, with Kelsey... I just want to be in her life. To be there for her in a way I never was for you.""Jackson, this isn't just about you and me anymore," I said firmly. "It's about Kelsey and what's best for her. I need you to understand that."He nodded slowly, taking a step closer. "I do understand. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to earn your trust back. Both of your trusts."I shook my head. "Nothing is ever going to happen between the two of
_______...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~.I stepped out of my room in a white and green floral dress with a denim jacket thrown over it. I had my white sneakers on. "Daddy, it's coming apart!" I walked to the living room to find Jackson working on Kelsey's pigtails. "Do you plan to stay up all night, Monkey? Why are you dressing up?" I asked. Both of them looked over at me. Kelsey grinned at me while Jackson had that look of awe that used to make me melt on the spot. Used to. Not anymore. Because I knew it was a farce. "Mommy, you look so pretty!" Kelsey clapped her hands and turned to Jackson. "Right, Daddy? Mommy looks like a Barbie doll, right?" I rolled my eyes as he nodded in agreement before looking back at me. "Even better." "Alright, let's go, shall we?" I asked, holding my hand out for my daughter to take. She held my hand and then turned around to hold her father's hand as well. "Let's go! I miss Pickles!" "Don't tell Grandma that you are going there to meet Pickles.
_______...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ . I could feel him stewing all day long.Jackson did not like the counsellor. That was for sure. Which was fine. Because what he wanted did not matter anymore. He was going to get played so hard that he would not know what had hit him. I would make sure of that. I was going to play his own game against him. The game of manipulation. And this time, I was fully prepared. I had my claws sharpened and ready. "Mommy, is Daddy okay?" Kelsey climbed onto my lap in the living room couch and looked over at her father, who was staring out at the night with a glass of whiskey in his hand. My eyes subconsciously moved to the huge bar that he had built into the apartment after I had moved out. So far it was the only change I could note in the place. "There's just a lot going through his mind right now, Monkey." I told her, ruffling her hair. Okay, call me a bad mother. Or call me an overthinker. I didn't care which but the fact was that I did not fee
_______...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ . "Why aren't we going to the counsellor we planned on seeing in the first place?" Jackson asked as he pulled up to the counsellor's office building."They don't have any open dates for the next three months and it's not like we can wait that long." I said as I stepped out, taking up the cozy minimalistic design. It looked more like a cozy cabin than a counsellor's office. There was a transparent name plate with the name 'Dr. Oliver Warren'. "Olivia. Oliver. Sounds nice, right?" I asked as Jackson walked over to my side. "Does it matter?" He asked. "It's not like we are going to have any personal relationship with him." I nodded, suppressing the twitching of my lips. "Let's go in." I murmured and stepped forward, opening the door and walking into the reception with him on tow. The nice lady behind the desk immediately ushered us into the counsellor's room. The place was empty. "Please take a seat." She said, pointing at the couch opposit
_______...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ . "He got you back in that apartment and you let him?" Sarah screeched at the top of her voice. I flinched away from the phone and looked around as if someone would be eavesdropping on me in my own office. "Yeah, but-" "I literally left you after giving a talk on how not to let him manipulate you and you went and got yourself manipulated?" She continued to screech. I knew that she had her own office, but at the decibel level of her screaming, I was pretty sure that a person in the other building would also be able to hear her. "Listen to me, woman!" I raised my voice. "Listen? Woman, I want to kick you at this point! Why the hell would you move there? You could have come to my apartment. You could have gone to a hotel. Why go there? Why let him take you there?" I closed my eyes and listened to her yell some more. She did not seem like she planned to stop any time soon. But I could not interrupt her because that would aggravate her some mo
_______...~ ~ ~ J A C K S O N ~ ~ ~ . The evening traffic was a bitch and we were crawling like slugs in the highway."You need to get Mommy more presents, Daddy." Kelsey giggled in the back seat. "I am going to get her the best present in the world." I replied, with a crooked smile on my face as I watched my baby play in the booster seat. "What's that?" "Well," I bit my lips to control my smile but I couldn't. "Your Mommy has given me every happiness in the world. So it's time I gave it back to her." William had informed me that Sarah had called to discuss the divorce proceedings. No, not to discuss. She was leaving the entire procedure in his care, thereby eliminating any trouble for us to cover up this mess in front of them. So now, we could just pretend to get divorced. And then every single lie except the one about the will will be over. And then when she signs over the company back to me then, phew, I will have everything I could ever have. "Will she be happy, Daddy?
_______...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ . I choked on the awful smell of awful cooking as soon as I opened the front door. "What is going on?" I coughed as I fanned my face as I walked over to the kitchen, which looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. I watched the scene unfold as Jackson picked up a smoking pan to the sink and turned on the sink. "It's nothing. We were just-" The smoke set off the fire alarm system and the water sprayed all over us. Kelsey's eyes were as big as saucers as she started jumping up and down with her arms in the air."It's raining inside!" She squealed with pure blissful joy. I watched my little one dance around, the smoke subsiding on the pan in the fridge and the man who was looking around like he had fucked it all up. "Where is the control valve?" I asked him with as much calm as I could muster. "I don't know." He slumped. "Does it turn off on its own? Is it automatic?" I asked. "I don't know." He looked... defeated. "What's wrong?" I ask
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~."I gotta say, that is a thoughtful gift." Sarah nodded as she stared at the picture of the bouquet. "To think that he still remembers your Goodreads username." "It means he has a sharp memory. Not that he cares about me." I grunted. "Besides, he always played the gentleman when he wanted to. You do remember that he almost convinced you that all men were not the same five years ago, don't you?" Sarah groaned. "You got your Mom flowers?" She asked. I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee. "Where are my flowers?" She asked. I looked up at her and raised a brow, "You are allergic to pollen." She rolled her eyes. "Then you could have gotten me those fake ones." "Faux." "Yeah yeah, whatever they are called. You could have gotten me some of those!" She waved her hand dismissively. "Fine, I will have them delivered." I took another sip. "Hey!" She snapped her fingers in my face. "That's not the attitude I am looking for!" I gave her a look. "W
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ .The dude did not even let me see what he got for Kelsey.He went straight to the parking without any shopping bags. I wonder if he got her some jewelry that fit in his pocket or something. That would be stupid. She was four. She was not interested in jewelry. But he was stupid, wasn't he? And it was not like he was going to put in any real effort because... why would he? He wanted to pretend to be the good father so he was going to get something to make her happy, without putting any thought into whether she liked it or not. I rolled my eyes as I put the bouquet and the shopping bags in the backseat of my car after making sure that the idiot was nowhere in sight. I sighed. Should I get her something else? I knew she would love the toys. And she had been asking for more toys for Pickles. But still... What if she felt disappointed by what her Daddy got her? I slumped my head against the roof of my car. Well, I guess she would just
_________...~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~ ."Jackson left Monkey with you?" I asked as I stepped out of the elevator and walked to the exit of the company. "Yeah. He said he had some work to finish and that Kelse was missing Pickles." I sighed. I was missing Pickles too. "Maybe I will also come over, spend some time with Pickles." "What's left of the renovation anyway?" My Mom asked. "I thought most of it was already done before you three moved in." "We are pet-proofing the place and getting in a high fence. I don't want Pickles or Monkey to wander into the water unsupervised." I explained to her. "Well, you should have thought it all through before getting a beach house for your permanent residence!" She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. "I remember you telling Jackson what a wonderful idea it was." "I wasn't thinking about the practical implications then. What do I know? I am a airhead socialite. How can you expect me to figure out what you corporate moguls haven't figured out?"