"What's going on here?" Nichole demanded, her voice loud and angry. "Why are you in a room alone with this woman?"Carmela ignored her, and instead walked toward the door. Nichole stood in front of it, blocking her path. "Let me by," Carmela said, her voice low and threatening."No way," Nichole said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not until you explain what's going on."Carmela pushed past her, and Nichole stumbled backward. Max just watched, saying nothing.Carmela hurried out of the room, her heart in her chest.She raced down the hallway, searching for her children. Finally, she spotted them, playing in a room down the hall. As soon as they saw her, they ran to her, Hannah first, followed by Noah.Carmela scooped them up in her arms, holding them close. Hannah snuggled into her, while Noah clung to her. She held them tight, feeling a wave of relief."Mommy, we've been waiting for you," Hannah said, her little voice full of wonder. "What took you so long?"Carmela smiled at he
"How dare you speak to me that way!" Nichole snapped, her voice harsh. "I'm an adult, and you're just a child. You don't know anything about what's going on!"Hannah's eyes filled with tears, and she turned and ran back to her brother. "It's not true," she sobbed. "My mom didn't do anything wrong."Carmela put her arm around Hannah, pulling her close. "It's all right, sweetie," she said, her voice soothing.Pedro walked into the room, his eyes taking in the scene before him. He looked from Carmela to Nichole, his face confused. "What's going on here?" he asked, his voice low and even.Nichole's face went pale, and she looked away from him, her eyes full of shame. "Nothing," she said, her voice small. "They were just leaving."Pedro turned to Carmela, his brow furrowed. "What did she do?" he asked, his voice full of concern.Carmela told Pedro everything that had happened, from the missing head pin to Nichole's accusations. As she spoke, Pedro's face grew more and more concerned. When
Nichole's lips curved into a smirk, her eyes glinting. "I know her all right," she said, her voice smug. "And I know a lot more about her than you do." She took a step closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "In fact, I know something that could ruin her."Pedro's eyes narrowed, a look of suspicion crossing his face. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone wary. "What do you know about Carmela?"Nichole let out a low chuckle, her eyes shining with amusement. "Oh, I can't tell you that," she said, a smug smile playing on her lips. "It's too juicy. But I can tell you this - Carmela has a secret, and it's not a good one."Pedro's eyes flashed, his jaw clenched tight. "What kind of secret?" he asked, his voice tense. "Is it something illegal? Something that could get her in trouble?""Why do you care so much about Carmela?" Nichole asked, her voice curious. "You seem very interested in her. Is there something going on between the two of you?"Pedro's face turned bright red,
A curve appeared at the edge of Nichole’s lips. A hint of mischief.“No,I’m not.”She bent her neck playfully and sat on Pedro’s table, her slender legs in a seducing figure, “I was kidding earlier of all those nonsense about secrets I said earlier, but here’s the real deal. Your out of the business Pedro.”Nichole was being true this time and they was no act of denial that not only did she plan to destroy Carmela’s peaceful life but also does she intend to have every of the Atom’s Property to herself.“What did you do?” After discovering her intention, Pedro flame out of his seat and held Nichole by the throat, his breath against her face, his lips inches away from hers. He was very angry at her that he felt like punching her in the gut.Instead he restricted himself, this was because Nichole was his ex wife and he couldn’t just place a hand on her due to the thing he still felt for her. “Chill, you wouldn’t want to be my enemy,”Nichole said in a sly attitude, bringing her face even
“Carmela, there’s a call for you,” Carmela heard Sarah’s voice from the sitting room.“Who’s that?”Carmela yelled from the room she sat inside. But instead of an honest reply, Sarah answered, “I don’t know.”Because she didn’t want to tell Carmela who it was so she wouldn’t get to answer the call. Either way, Carmela was already on her feet and out already in the siting room. Carmela strode to the phone stand and collected the phone from Sarah who shrugged her shoulder once more, “Hello, who’s there?” She whistled. “Carmela,” a voice hummed from the other end and immediately, Carmela's eyes walked back to Sarah who was standing in the kitchen her hands crossed. “Max, why did you call?” Carmela angrily replied, remembering how he treated her when she came to get the kids at his place. Before Max could reply, Carmela whispered in the room to Sarah, “Why didn’t you tell me it was Max??”“Uh…” Sarah on the other hand, acted like she didn’t know. She shrugged her shoulder and pouted
"We should talk somewhere private," Pedro said. "Let's go to that cafe down the street. I'll buy you a coffee."Carmela was hesitant, but she couldn't deny her curiosity. "Okay," she said. "Lead the way."They walked side by side, not saying a word. The cafe was bustling, but they managed to find a quiet table in the corner. Pedro ordered them each a coffee, then sat back in his seat."Alright, tell me everything," Carmela said.As they approached the cafe, they saw that it was completely packed, with a line of people snaking out the door."This place is a madhouse," Pedro said. "Why don't we just go for a walk instead?"Carmela nodded. "Sure, let's go," she said.They left the cafe and wandered through the streets of the city, chatting idly. The sun was setting, and the air was cool and crisp. They strolled past shops and restaurants, and eventually came to a large fountain in the center of a square."We can sit by the fountain," Pedro said, and Carmela nodded, following him to a be
As the clock ticked toward 6pm, Carmela heard the front door open, followed by the sound of little feet running down the hall. She went to greet the kids, but when she reached out to help Noah with his backpack, he shook his head. "I can do it myself!" he said proudly. Carmela's heart sank a little, but she nodded, trying to smile. Just then, Sarah emerged from her room, a sleepy smile on her face.Sarah looked at Carmela and said, "Hey, Carm, the little guy is growing up. He's getting so independent! But I know it's tough when they start to push you away. I'm here if you want to talk." Carmela's heart sank even further, and a lump rose in her throat. "It's not just that," she said. "I'm worried about something else." Sarah looked at her, concern evident on her face. "Tell me," she said."I think Noah is acting this way because he's upset that I won't let him see his father," Carmela said. "Max wants to see him, but I just don't trust him. He's not the man I thought he was." Sar
Carmela waved a dismissive hand. "Well, that's wonderful," she said, her voice flat and uninterested. "I'm sure it'll be a beautiful baby. But I must say, I don't see what this has to do with me."Carmela turned back to a mirror, fussing with her hair. "You know, if you're planning on keeping it, you'll need to make some major changes in your life," she said, her tone dismissive. "No more late nights out, or partying.Nichole sat down on the edge of the hospital reception chair, facing Carmela. "Carmela, now that your here, enough about me. You came all this way, all the way to the hospital. What's going on? Are you... are you okay?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice.Carmela hesitated for a moment, her face unreadable. "I'm fine," she said, her voice clipped. "I'm here because I wanted to see how I was doing. But now I think it's time for me to go." She stood up, grabbing her purse and starting for the door.Just as Carmela was about to leave the reception area, a nurse