Kelly I stared at Aiden, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Evelyn told him what? Aiden’s word echoed again in my head. “Grandma told me I was adopted. That you’re not my real mom." For a moment, I couldn’t even breathe. In what cruelty would make someone stoop this low to orchestrate something cruel like this. The weight of his words crashed down on me, suffocating and unbearable. I couldn’t bear with the pain of knowing that my son had spent years believing a lie. A cruel, twisted, manipulative lie. My body goes cold, my heart stuttering in my chest. Not because I believed it—God, no. I know I gave birth to Aiden. I carried him, I held him in my arms when he was barely minutes old, I nursed him when he was sick, comforted him through his nightmares. He is my son. There is no doubt. There has never been doubt. “I know it’s not true,” Aiden said quickly, his voice unsteady. “But when I was little, she said it so many times that I…..I started wondering. I mean… I don’t look
KellyEvelyn’s smirk is maddening, her confidence annoyingly chilling. She sits with a perfect poise, legs crossed, completely unbothered by my presence, by my anger. I am shaking. The audacity this woman has."You lied to my son," I say, my tone sharp. "You told Aiden that I wasn’t his mother? For what reason?" Evelyn raises an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Did I lie?" It was as if my anger button was pressed. I lunge forward, only for Anderson to step between us, his hands up in a silent plea. I stop myself, breathing heavily, my fists clenched so tight my nails bite into my palms. "Why?" I spit the word out like poison. "Why the hell would you tell him something like that?" Evelyn sighs, tilting her head. "Oh, Kelly, do you really not see it? You were never fit to raise Aiden." My stomach turns. I glance at Anderson, expecting outrage, expecting anything, but he’s silent, his expression unreadable. What did I expect? He couldn’t even stand up to his mother even when he
Kelly I barely remember rushing out of Anderson’s house. One moment, I was standing in that suffocating room, watching Evelyn’s annoying expression and Anderson’s hollow apologies, and the next, I was outside, my hands shaking as I yanked open my car door and slid inside. And then, it hit me. The complete and utter disbelief. My chest heaved as I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. I tried to keep it together, but the second I blinked, tears spilled down my cheeks. How could Anderson fail Aiden like this?How could he sit back and let Evelyn plant such a horrible lie in our son’s mind? How could he let her manipulate and gaslight an innocent child, and do absolutely nothing? Did he really love being controlled by Evelyn that much? A choked sob left my lips as I wiped at my face furiously. No more tears. Anderson didn’t deserve them. Evelyn sure as hell didn’t deserve them. Just then, my phone rang, jolting me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the scr
KellyHarper finally opened her eyes. The moment her lashes fluttered and she let out a soft, drowsy sound, Aiden and I practically collapsed in relief. "Mom?" Harper’s small voice croaked. "I’m here, baby." I brushed her hair back gently, forcing a smile even as my heart clenched. "You scared me." Aiden let out a choked laugh, rubbing his eyes. "Us. You scared us." Ever since Aiden and Harper united, and I revealed to her that he was her brother, Harper had been happier than ever.Harper blinked at him, confused. "Did I do something bad?" I laughed softly, my throat tight. "No, sweetheart. You just need to rest, okay?" She gave a tiny nod before closing her eyes again, exhaustion still weighing her down. But she was awake. She was okay.The doctor checked on her, reassuring us that she would be fine as long as she continued her medication. By morning, she was alert enough to complain about the hospital food, and I knew she was truly back to herself. The second we were di
AndersonKate sat across from me in the living room, her arms folded, her expression unreadable. It was a messed up week for me, Mom’s disappearance, Ava not talking to me, the house was empty, and kate, I finally honored her invitation.The weight of everything pressed down on my chest like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t stay silent anymore. "Did you ever love me, Kate?" Her eyes flickered, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she let out a breathy scoff, crossing her legs. "That’s a loaded question, Anderson." I clenched my jaw. "It shouldn’t be." She gave me a look, one I’d seen too many times before. Evasive. Like she was choosing her next words carefully, not out of love, but out of self-preservation. "Why are we even having this conversation?" she muttered. "Is this about Kelly? About Evelyn? You’re suddenly having a moral awakening because your ex-wife is making you feel guilty?" Her words were meant to provoke me, but I didn’t take the bait. "I’m asking you a simple q
KellyI sat at the head of the long glass table, fingers resting lightly against the smooth surface as my fellow board members exchanged knowing glances. They had been waiting for this moment, waiting for me to finally return to my seat after weeks of absence so they could pounce.Congresswoman or not, power was a fragile thing in a room full of men who thrived on watching a woman fall. "Kendra, you’ve been absent for too long," one of them said smoothly, leaning forward with a practiced frown of concern. "It’s become quite a... topic of discussion." "People are talking," another chimed in. "Your ability to lead has been questioned." I forced a calm smile, though my blood boiled beneath my skin. "I wasn’t aware I had to ask permission to be a mother before being a congresswoman." A few of them looked shocked, not expecting me to hit back so quickly. "Of course not," the first man said, lips twitching. "But as you know, this position requires constant attention. Absences lea
KellyI barely took three steps outside before the chaos erupted. The moment the front door cracked open, camera flashes exploded in my face, blinding and relentless. Voices clashed over one another, reporters shouting questions I didn’t have answers to, their microphones thrust forward like weapons. "Kelly! Is it true you were married to Anderson Grant for ten years?""Kelly, did you blackmail him into the marriage?""How does Aiden fit into all this?I clenched my jaw, forcing my expression to remain neutral. My heart pounded, but I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. With my head down, I pushed forward, my driver already opening the car door. Hands reached out, some brushing against me, others shoving recorders too close to my face. I barely made it into the car before the doors slammed shut. The driver didn’t wait for instructions, he knew what to do. As the engine roared to life, more flashes burst through the tinted windows, desperate to capture my ev
AdrianThe moment I could walk without feeling like my stitches were pulling apart, I left my hospital room. Sitting around, waiting for answers, had never been my style. If I wanted to understand Evelyn’s true connection to Davis, I had to start digging. I was supposed to meet up with Susan last week, but I couldn’t due to my injury, so today I decided to take matters into my own hand.I made my way to the hospital’s archives, it was one of the oldest hospitals in D.C. A place most doctors rarely had a reason to visit, so I took that as an opportunity. As someone who had spent years working in hospitals before I got mine, I knew how much information could be buried in patient records—names, dates, relationships no one thought twice about at the time. I sneaked into the private room, make sure nobody saw me enter.After logging into the old database, I started searching. Evelyn, Davis. - Any shared medical history.I cross-referenced hospital bills, patient visits, anything that
Kelly Susan and I went to visit Mom from there. A few scattered families stood by headstones, murmuring to the dead, leaving flowers, brushing dust from names carved in stone. It always struck me how the world never truly stopped, even in places like this. People kept grieving, kept visiting, kept remembering. I wasn’t sure if I had come here to remember or to forget. Susan walked beside me, silent but present. This was her first time here, her first time seeing the name of the woman who brought us into this world. Our mother. The woman Susan never really got to know. The wind was cold against my skin as we approached the grave. The headstone was simple, weathered but still intact. Jadeline Brook. Beloved Mother.That word, beloved, felt like a weight on my chest. I swallowed hard. “Here she is.” Susan stared at the headstone, her eyes tracing the letters slowly. “She was so beautiful,” she whispered. “She was.” My voice was quieter than I intended. Susan crouched d
Kelly I never thought I’d be the one to suggest visiting our father. Few months, I told myself I was done with him. That whatever love I had left had withered the moment I found out about Davis’s father. But as Susan and I sat in her living room, talking about everything, the uncertainty of the future, the idea slipped out before I could stop it. “We should go see him.” Susan blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Who?” I nodded, gripping my wine glass tighter. “Dad. You’ve never met him, Susan. Not really.” A beat of silence stretched between us. “Can I really do this ?” she asked carefully. No. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. But I nodded anyway. ……We drove to the nursing home. Susan was quiet as we walked down the hall, her arms crossed over her chest. I could feel her nerves, her uncertainty. I felt the same. When we finally reached his room, I hesitated. My fingers hovered over the door handle. “Are you okay?” Susan asked softly. I wasn’t. But I opened t
KellyI don’t remember driving to Susan’s place. One minute, I was standing outside Anderson’s hospital room, my breath coming in short, panicked bursts, and the next, I was gripping the steering wheel in front of her house, my knuckles white. I hadn’t planned on coming here. I should’ve gone home. But home didn’t feel like an option right now. I stepped out of the car, my legs stiff, my chest still tight from everything that had just happened. My fingers trembled as I rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door swung open. Susan stood there, barefoot, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and leggings, her dark hair tied up in a loose bun. Her eyes widened the moment she saw me. “Kelly?” Her gaze swept over me, taking in my disheveled state, the tear-streaks on my cheeks. “What happened?” I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Susan didn’t wait for me to answer. She stepped aside and gently took my wrist, pulling me into the house. “Come inside.” The warmth of her hom
KellyThe hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitor beside Anderson’s bed. The air smelled sterile, cold, almost suffocating. I stood by the door, arms crossed, watching him. He looked thinner than I remembered, paler too. His once-sharp features were dulled with exhaustion, and his usually piercing blue eyes seemed… tired. Anderson looked at me like he didn’t quite believe I was real. Like if he blinked, I would disappear. “You came,” he rasped. I swallowed, keeping my expression neutral. “You asked me to.” A humorless chuckle left his lips. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I did.” Silence stretched between us. He shifted in the bed, wincing slightly, then ran a trembling hand through his thinning hair. “I don’t know where to start,” he admitted. I didn’t help him. He exhaled heavily. “I hurt you.” His voice was quieter now. “I ruined you. And for what? Ego? Power? I thought I was untouchable. That you’d always be there, no matter what I did.” My j
Kelly I couldn’t move. The phone still lay on the couch where I had dropped it. Anderson had cancer. The words circled in my mind, looping over and over, but they didn’t feel real. They couldn’t be real. He was lying. He had to be lying. Right? I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the living room. My legs felt restless, my heart pounding too fast, too loud. Every part of me screamed that this wasn’t my problem. That I had left Anderson behind, that his life, his choices, weren’t my burden to carry anymore. But what if it was true? What if he was really dying? A sharp pain settled in my chest. Aiden. Harper. How could I tell them? Should I tell them? My son had barely healed from the wounds Anderson had left him with. And Harper, she barely even knew him. Would she even care? Would Aiden? Or would this just reopen the wounds I had spent so long trying to heal? I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the thoughts away. But they only grew louder. I needed to talk to someone.
Kelly The phone buzzed against my nightstand, the vibrations loud in the silence of the room. I didn’t glance at the screen right away. I was curled up on the couch, knees to my chest, staring at nothing in particular. My mind was a mess. I had barely slept since I saw those two pink lines. The pregnancy test still sat on the bathroom counter, mocking me every time I walked past. My stomach churned at the thought of it. A baby. Anderson’s rejection of Harper played on repeat in my mind. The memory made my chest tighten, but then, another buzz. My gaze moved to the phone, and then I saw the name. Anderson? I stiffened. I should ignore it. I wanted to ignore it. But something in my gut, some strange, unsettling instinct, made me reach for the phone and swipe to answer. I didn’t speak right away, neither did he. For a few long, tense seconds, all I could hear was his breathing. Shallow. Uneven. Something was wrong. “Anderson?” My voice was flat and cold. A pause
AndersonThe headache started in the middle of a meeting. A dull, nagging throb at the base of my skull, like a warning sign I had learned to ignore. I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temple as the voices around me droned on. My assistant, David, glanced at me, his brows knitting in concern, but I waved him off. I was fine. Just tired. I hadn’t been sleeping well. My appetite was shot. I’d lost weight, enough for people to notice, but I told them I was just busy. Stress did that. Didn’t it? I reached for my water, but my hand trembled. I quickly curled my fingers into a fist and set it in my lap. The room felt too bright, the voices too loud, my pulse hammering in my ears. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but the dizziness came fast, a wave crashing over me. Then everything tilted. The voices blurred. Someone shouted my name. And then, nothing. ……..I woke to the sound of something beeping. I opened my eyes. Sterile white walls, scent of antiseptic. The
KellyI barely made it to the sink before my stomach twisted violently. Gripping the edges of the cool porcelain, I gasped as another wave of nausea hit me. I coughed, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and squeezed my eyes shut. Not again. For the past few days, something had felt… off. It wasn’t just the exhaustion, though that had been bad enough. It was the way my stomach rebelled every morning, how certain smells made me gag, how even the scent of my favorite perfume suddenly disgusted me. My hands shook as I reached for the glass of water on the counter. I took a sip, wincing as the taste sat heavy on my tongue. This couldn’t be happening. Could it? A cold dread settled in my chest as my mind drifted to a single possibility, one I didn’t even want to consider. But the signs were there. The nausea, the fatigue, the way coffee, something I normally craved, made my stomach turn. My breath caught in my throat. No. It had to be stress. I had been a rough week, ru
Kelly The sight of Anderson in my office felt like an old wound being torn open. I had barely gotten through my morning meetings when my new assistant, Mara, hesitantly walked in, her expression wary. “Kelly, I know you don’t take unannounced visitors, but… he’s here.” I didn’t need her to say his name. It was nobody else than Anderson Grant. I had been avoiding his series of calls and messages, and of course have been wary of places i go to. So, for the past 2 months now he had not seen me.For a moment, I considered telling her to send him away. But I was tired. Tired of running, tired of avoiding, tired of pretending his existence didn’t scrape at the edges of my peace. So I lifted my chin and said, “Let him in.” When he walked through the door, I barely recognized him. Gone was the polished arrogance, the effortless confidence that once made him confident. His suit hung looser on him, his face was pale, and his eyes, once sharp, looked sunken. He was thinner. And yet, d