~~Writer~~She was happy, happier than she'd ever been. How could she not be? Her family was here, bonding and making memories. Once again, she found love with the same man but this time she didn't regret her actions. She. . trusted him. She wasn't sure a mafia don could be trusted but she didn't mind taking chances. Even while teaching the twins math now, she thought of him every spare second. He was all she could think of."Mommy, I'm done with my calculations! Daddy said he'll treat us after all the work today." Josh beamed. She ruffled his hair adorably,"Okay that's alright. I'll go get him now to fulfill his promise," she told them and Josh agreed, while Drake sleepily nodded.She opened his office doors without bothering to knock. But he wasn't here. She opened his bathroom door and poked her head in but he wasn't here either. The blush on her cheeks intensified. He would have been butt naked, Fremantle, what were you thinking? She asked herself. She strolled across the room fo
~~Writer~~"And if you like the way you look that much. .Then baby, you should go and love yourself. ." Frema danced around as she turned the scrambled eggs in the pan. She was a staunch belieber and she could go on and on with Justin's songs. She silently laughed as she remembered Riley. The girl could kill for Justin Bieber. She knew all his songs from the scratch to finish and she always said she hated Hailey for stealing her man. The eggs were done soon and she took it out, humming to herself. The door bell cut her off and she found herself curious. Nobody ever visited Eron. He was literally the most closed person she knew, so she was curious to know who had decided to pay him a pity visit. She followed behind a servant who pulled open the door, as she hid behind a wall."Hi! My name is Matilda, everyone calls me Titi," the teenage girl at the door flipped her hair dramatically and Frema wanted to convince herself it wasn't her. "And I'm here to see my dad." The words rung in Frem
~~Writer~~"I don't like her,""Josh. She's your sister." Fremantle said sternly, brushing his hair whilst he sat on her lap. He turned to look at her."Are you her mommy as well?" He asked. She smiled weakly."No. Um, your dad.. he.. and her mother used to be friends." She said. Josh sighed."Do you like her, mommy?" He asked again, his voice strained.She flinched slightly. "Of course, she's your daddy's daughter and she's part of the family, too.""I want to leave. When are we going home?""We're not leaving because of Titi, J. She's your sister.""I don't want her, I want daddy.""You can't have everything you want. Be contented, Joshie.""Because you love him, right?" His voice was cracking. "I love him. . so much. Look at me, baby." He turned. "Just because your sister's here now doesn't mean we have to leave your daddy. We're all family and we just haven't come in good terms with each other yet but we can get to do that. We can be nice to her and love her, just as we love dadd
~~Writer~~Frema pulled her panties back in place, her face reddening in embarrassment. The last person she'd wanted to encounter at the moment was her.Kayla stood there, teeth glistening in a mocking smile. Of course, she couldn't be chased out because her daughter was here. Her disrespectful, scheming daughter, Frema thought to herself, surprised by how good it was to admit it. She looked over to Eron who had his eyes on her like Kayla wasn't even standing there, then she looked towards Kayla. She had her arms crossed and her eyes screamed, "get the fuck out of here, bitch.""Kayla, leave." Eron's voice came but Frema spoke up,"No. She's going to stay, and she's going to tell you what she came here to say. I'm not going to stop that." Then she left the room without another word.Eron was pissed, he was just about to give his most favorite human in the world some mind-blowing orgasms but the universe always worked against them when it came to these things. He was sure the devil sen
~~Writer~~"Marry daddy, mommy." Drake's small voice called her attention from where he peeked through a slightly ajar door. She blankly stared at him for some seconds, before turning to look at Eron, who at that moment, looked like the most upright man she had ever come across. She knew better, though.She loved him, that was a given. She loved him with all her heart. But was love truly enough? Wasn't he the same man who made sure that everything her family owned crashed to the ground, thereby reducing her to nothing? Was he not the same man who left her all by herself before? Was there any proof that he could not easily leave her again? And the fact that he had another family.. another daughter, made her aware that she would be signing up to be a stepmom as well. Was love worth all the hassle?"Fremantle?" He asked in a more tender voice than he had first proposed and she felt her knees go weak at the sound of it. She knew she had to answer now. So she took a deep breath, her eyes t
"Accepted my ring and back to avoiding me like a plague. What's wrong, Fremantle?" Eron questioned as soon as Frema closed the front door of the mansion. She stayed frozen at the spot for some seconds, her guilty bright blue eyes staring back into his contrasting angry gray ones. "I'm not.. avoiding you. What's making you think that?" She asked him in return when she got a hold of herself, taking off her floral facemask that matched her sleeveless knee-length dress at the same time which she spoke. He rolled his eyes."You've gotten better at lying. Should I be getting scared?" He stood at the same spot, not bothering to move an inch. Not that she wanted him to. If he moved any closer, he could easily hear the pounding of her heart, a give away of how much she was lying to him."If you wish, but I'm not telling any lies right now, if that makes you feel better. I was out with Riley and she finally managed to get a job for me.." She trailed off when she noticed how much his expression
Kayden, Frema's father, had a huge smile on his face as he laid his big, black briefcase down on an opposite couch from them, awaiting an answer. Frema swallowed, uneasy before looking back at her mother for help but Heather looked away nonchalantly."Frema?" He prodded, looking between the two women suspiciously. "Y-yes?" She stuttered, stalling with the answers he was looking for."You want to get married and spend the rest of your life with who?" He asked clearly now, lowering himself onto the couch. She knew she had to say the truth now. She should have listened to Eron when he suggested his more 'technical' approach which involved allowing her parents to warm up to him. Now there was no turning back. She was here now. Hopefully, her father would be more understanding. So she raised her right hand in the air briefly, showcasing the light, but overly expensive diamond ring which sat on her ring finger."With Eron, dad. I love him. I love him enough to be able to forgive him for al
"I want to go back to my father! Why can't I be with him and the bastard boys get to stay?" Titi cried out in frustration as she paced about the small room. Her mother lay on the bed, her eyes fixed on a particular spot on the ceiling."They're not bastards, Titi. They're really your father's kids." Kayla replied calmly. "No." Titi objected and Kayla turned to her."No, what?" She questioned in annoyance."No, they're not. I mean, they couldn't be. I'm so beautiful, just like my father but they look like hideous creatures. They're so ugly, I can't even stand them." Titi alleged and Kayla rolled her eyes, diverting her eyes back to the ceiling."We need to think of a way to take over that house. We need to win. I have something that I can use against Frema, but I'll need your help." Kayla said, turning to stare directly at her daughter's face. Titi's eyes immediately shone with mischief and she was sitting beside her mother on the bed in no time."What is it, mom? How can I help?" Ka
EPILOGUETHREE YEARS LATER"She was such a beautiful young woman, she did not deserve to die." Someone murmured behind Frema, but she couldn't bring herself to turn and feed her curiosity by seeing who it was. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and at this point, she truly had no tears left to cry. All she could think of them, was the fact that Riley had promised. How could she not keep her promise afterward? She'd obviously not been there for her friend enough, she hadn't even guessed that Riley would lose her life so soon. She died in the most painful way to her—chatted with her all night and then slept, never waking up after. How could she not notice the emptiness in her friend's eyes? How could she have missed the pain?"I'm sorry, Riles. I'm so sorry." She muttered weakly, staring at Riley's immobile figure. Her beautiful face and body stayed stiff now, . She could not count the amount of times she'd looked around, hoping for a miracle—just like what had happened with Eron, b
"I'm pregnant, you assholes! Could you let me out of here first, so I can get this baby out of me?" Kayla yelled, clutching the protectors tightly, even trying to climb it. Titi was in juvenile prison and the truth was, she was almost going crazy without her daughter by her side. No one paid her attention, though and she kept screaming until a figure walked up in front of the cell. The other inmates in the cell, glanced up at the visitor and on seeing who it was, the women sprang up and watched him intently, like he was a favorite snack. Only Kayla shook in fear."We meet again, Kayla." Eron spoke and she shook her head."I'm pregnant, you can't hurt me." She responded. He chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes."You think I'm here to hurt you? What are the guards for, then?" He queried and she didn't reply, just stared at him. He continued, "Wow. Never thought I'd see the day where you'd finally shut up." She scoffed now, replying nonchalantly,"Well, surprise surprise." She b
Blood spluttered inside the sink, creating a gruesome sight. Riley was hunched over said sink, trying to catch her breath. "No, no, no, please. This can't fucking happen, not now, please." She complained, but her voice was filled with genuine anger instead of pity for herself. She was more concerned about staining her dress, in fact, than the actual ailment that had caused her to throw up. Today was Eron and Frema's wedding and Riley could not let her 'stupid cancer' get in the way if their happiness.A knock resounded on the door of the washroom. "Riles, are you okay?" Her husband's voice came and she shouted back right away,"I'm fine, babe. Honestly, you don't have to look for me every two hours. I just needed to pee." "Oh okay, we'll be heading to the church now with the groom. I'll be expecting you all later, okay?" He said and she replied back with an 'okay', waiting to hear him leave. He finally began to head out and then she turned on the tap, washing every evidence of her b
"I cannot believe I'm at Eron's funeral. I've always wanted to meet the man, but not like this, you know." It was yet another fangirl, on the phone with her friend as she passed by Eron's open coffin.Frema stood over the coffin, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she watched him solely.. or better still, what used to be him. She was the only one who stood there now, as she had chosen to be the last to see him again. His body no longer smelt so bad and she realized it must be from the preservatives they'd used on him. She shook her head when more memories of them started to flood in. Her chest was constricting with so much pain and the tears now flowed at their own will but she stood there and let it all out.He had no family member to be here for him and everyone who came were either acquaintances or business partners. And then, her family. Almost everyone walked around nonchalantly, they even looked like they were at a mere business event and the only time she saw them twist t
Frema shook with tears as she caressed her son's hair. Eron had set everything right and the truth was finally out in the open. He had just kept the properties and everything else to multiply everything tenfold. Maybe at first, his plan had been revenge but when he had said he changed, it was actually for real. Everything about him was real and now, it was too late to say sorry. Too late to make anything right. Eron might have died alone, but he'd taken a part of her to his grave while he was at it. A part she was afraid she would never be able to recover. So, the tears flowed down her cheeks until she had to hide her face in her palms as she cried uncontrollably. The boys were asleep, so she tried to be as quiet as possible, but she still got nudged by a small arm after a while. She wiped her eyes frantically and took her time while looking up. Josh spoke first, "Are you okay, mommy?" She nodded immediately, flashing a fake smile in his direction. Josh did not seem convinced. He car
"Mom, I think I'm being followed." Titi complained, breathing heavily as she took out a bottle of water from the fridge and began to down its content. Kayla raised a brow."Followed? Girl, what the hell are you saying? Why would anyone follow us?" She questioned, becoming alert at the same time. Titi finished drinking and tossed the bottle, taking a seat to catch her breath."Hell, if I knew. One minute I'm walking back from this boy's home and the next, a black car—""Hold on, what boy's place?" Kayla snapped, cutting her off, to which Titi rolled her eyes."Stay with me, mom, that's not the problem here. I was being followed. FOLLOWED, by God only knows who, and I was being followed for almost one hour, but since I didn't have money for any Uber, I kept walking faster, hoping I'd lose the creep. I didn't. He only drove past our house when I got here but I swear he was following me." She said and Kayla stared at her daughter some more before grabbing her, only to spin her around to c
Frema tried visiting Riley's ward which was in the same hospital, but she was told that Riley had been discharged. Arsen had actually let her know that Riley was surprisingly getting better and she had a long time to live, according to the doctor. Frema did not want to pay much attention to the announcement of a deadline, so she didn't. If she did, she'd be counting her last days with her bestfriend and even if it seemed like they had some more years, Frema had actually been banking on forever, so it was hard to settle for less.Riley was back in her house, when Frema finally got home and she clapped her new nails in her friend's face as welcome."Your bitch is back." She mouthed and Frema could've burst with joy."Damn right, she is!" She replied, going in to hug her senseless. The two women shook with laughter, and then tears.. but they remained in the same position for long minutes, sapping a feel of comfort from each other. They reluctantly pulled away after a while and Riley cupp
Frema could not help how shame covered her entire skin like a cold blanket. Her flat shoes thankfully produced minimal noise against the tiles of the hospital as she tried to find the ward she'd been directed to. She tried to convince herself that she was only here because of the dream Josh had but it only seemed like she was lying to herself. She had only needed a reason to be here, and upon getting that reason, she called in sick at the ‘new’ place she worked in and prepared herself to see him.On getting to the door of his ward, she pushed it open warily and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her before she looked up at him. Her lips parted in shock at the sorry sight in front of her, and she gripped the door handle for support when she stared on. The person on the hospital bed was anything, but recognizable. The pictures on TV was censored, and did not do him any justice. In real life, he looked like a lost cause. He resembled a corpse, a literal one. He was covered with a f
Monday arrived, three days later and Frema ran around the house again, trying to set everything up for her now ‘three children’. She checked her watch minutes later, while the twins and Halsey ate breakfast quietly. She sat with then too, but she had no appetite to eat.Her phone beeped while she was twirling the contents of the plate around and it made her sigh in relief as she picked up, without bothering to check who it was. She could not have her children know that a woman had called her fat to describe her the other day at the grocery store and a handful of people agreed with her indirectly. She couldn't tell them that. So, she answered with a cheerful voice,"Frema Michelson." "Dad's lawyer called." Arsen's voice resounded from the other end. She sat straighter."What? Why?" She queried, curiosity eating her up already."He refused to tell, but he said it's something very important. You know he stopped talking to dad, right? I'm surprised." Arsen said, sounding as confused as s