Carmela followed Pedro to his car, a sleek black sedan with tinted windows. As they drove through the city, she noticed that they were headed to a very fancy neighborhood, filled with huge houses and perfectly manicured lawns. When they pulled up to a large, imposing gate, a guard stepped out to greet them. "Mr. Lone, welcome back," the guard said. "Is this your guest?""Yes, this is Mrs. Martins," Pedro said. "She'll be staying with me for the night. Please make her feel at home.""Yes, Mr. Lone," the guard said. He turned to Carmela with a smile. "Welcome to the Lone estate, Mrs. Martins. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable."Carmela felt a little like she was in a dream. Everything seemed so surreal. She followed Pedro into the house, marveling at the opulent furnishings and the massive chandeliers. A maid was dusting in the foyer, and she nodded politely as they passed.A swarm of Maids followed along with a lady in front to greet C
Just as Carmela was starting to feel a little more at ease, her phone rang. It was the police station, calling to tell her that she needed to come in right away. Her heart sank as she hung up the phone. "I'm sorry, but I have to go," she said to George. "The police need to talk to me."George looked worried. "I hope everything is all right," he said. "If you need anything, please let me know."Carmela nodded and left the room, feeling a mix of fear and confusion.As Carmela pulled up to the police station, her heart was pounding in her chest. She had no idea what was going on, but she had a feeling that it wasn't good. She took a deep breath and walked into the station, her hands shaking.The officer at the front desk greeted her with a smile. "You must be Carmela," she said. "Follow me, the chief wants to speak with you."Carmela followed the officer down a long hallway, her mind racing with possibilities. What could the police possibly want with her?The officer led Carmela into a s
"I know this is a lot to take in," Andrew said, "but we need to figure out what to do next. We can't just sit here and do nothing. We need to take action, and we need to do it quickly. The longer we wait, the harder this will be on everyone involved."Carmela nodded, her mind racing. "What are my options?" she asked.Andrew took a deep breath. "There are a few different paths we could take," he said. "I can help you explore all of them. But first, we need to answer one crucial question.""What do you want?" Andrew asked. "What outcome do you want from all of this? What's your end goal?"Carmela thought for a moment. "I want my kids to be safe and happy," she said. "I want them to have a stable, loving home. I don't want them to be caught up in a legal battle. I don't want them to be hurt by any of this."Andrew nodded. "That's a good place to start," he said. "Now, let's talk about how we can get there.""I think the best thing we can do is talk to Max," Andrew said. "We need to hear h
But before Carmela could speak, the door flew open with a bang, and a tall, imposing figure strode into the room. "Stop right there," the man said, his voice booming. "This is not the time for this conversation."Carmela recognized the man immediately - it was the chief of police, and he looked furious. "Chief Johnson, what's going on?" she asked, her heart pounding.The chief's eyes were cold and hard. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to come with me," he said."I'm sorry, but I need you to come with me," Chief Johnson said, his tone brooking no argument. "I'll explain everything once we're at the station."Carmela hesitated, torn between staying with her children and doing what the chief said. But then she looked down at Hannah and Noah, and knew she had to go with them. "Okay," she said. "But please, tell me what's going on."Chief Johnson looked at the twins, his expression softening slightly. "I'll explain everything," he said.The car ride to the police station was te
There, sitting at a table in the middle of the restaurant, were Max and Nichole. They looked happy, laughing and talking as they sipped their wine. Carmela felt the color drain from her face, and her heart started pounding in her chest. How could they be here? She thought. What are they doing?Max looked up and saw her standing there, his eyes widening in surprise. "Carmela," he said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"Carmela tried to keep her composure, determined not to let Max and Nichole see how much this was affecting her. "I'm not here for you," she said, addressing Max directly. "And I'm not interested in your personal life. Please, just enjoy your meal and leave me alone."As she spoke, she felt Pedro's hand move to her hand, gently squeezing it. "Come on, babe, do you know them?" he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Let's go get a drink."She looked at him, unsure of what to do.“Ohh, sorry. This is Max, my ex-husband and my Best friend Nichole. They’re get married
Carmela was silent for a moment, her mind racing. She looked up at Pedro, her eyes wide. "I appreciate that," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't know what to do. I'm so confused."Pedro reached out and took her hand, his eyes full of compassion. "It's okay to be confused," he said. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you, no matter what. You're not alone."The next morning, Carmela woke up in a bed that wasn't her own. She was in Pedro's guest room, and for a moment, she wasn't sure where she was. But then the events of the previous day came rushing back to her, and she sat up, running a hand through her hair. She heard a soft knock on the door."Come in," she said, trying to steady her voice. The door opened, and Pedro walked in, a cup of coffee in his hand. "Morning," he said, giving her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"Carmela took the cup of coffee and sipped it, savoring the warmth. "I don't know," she said. "Everything feels like it's spinning ou
Carmela took a deep breath, willing herself to focus. She needed to be strong, for herself and for her kids. "I can do this," she said, her voice growing stronger. "What's the plan?"Andrew leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "First, we need to get all the facts straight," he said. "I need you to tell me everything that happened between you and Max, from the beginning. Don't leave anything out, no matter how small or insignificant it seems. We need to know everything."Carmela took a deep breath and began to tell her story, starting from when she first met Max. She talked about their marriage, the birth of the twins, and their eventual divorce. She told him about the aftermath of the divorce, how she had been struggling to make ends meet. And finally, she told him about Max's sudden reappearance in her life, and his request for custody of the twins. She spoke for what felt like hours, reliving every painful moment. But finally, she was done.Andrew sat back in his chair, hi
Carmela let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, her body shaking with relief. She turned to Pedro, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, her voice trembling. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."Pedro gave her a gentle smile. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "I'm just glad I could help. Are you okay?"Carmela nodded, trying to compose herself. "I'm okay," she said, her voice gaining strength.Just then, a car pulled up to the curb, and the driver's window rolled down. "Carmela?" a familiar voice said. "Is everything okay?"Carmela's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. It was her friend, Sarah. "Sarah!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the car. "Thank goodness you're here!"Sarah got out of the car and rushed to Carmela, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I was so worried when I heard what happened," she said. "What's going on?""Let's get out of here," Sarah said, her voice firm. "We can talk in the car. Come on." She ushered