Throughout the night, Arthur could hardly sleep. He couldn’t get his mind off what he heard over the phone when he was talking to Anita. He knew deep down something was wrong, but he couldn’t say what. ‘But, I am going to find out.’ He said to himself. ‘Though I have no thoughts of letting her walk into my life again, she’s a person and I can’t help but worry about her. What if her life is in danger?’ He put on his shoes, picked up his briefcase, and walked out of his room. Getting to the living room, he met the boys on their way out too with Theo. They were ready for school. “Daddy! Good morning.” They all greeted, running towards him to embrace him. “Good morning, boys. How are you this morning?” Arthur asked with a wide smile, noticing how happy the boys were. “Great! Mummy is coming to visit us at school today. You should come with us.” Ryan uttered, and his brothers nodded in agreement. “Really?” Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows and they bobbed again. “Yes! We talked on
Aurora returned to Lake Charles after spending quality time with the boys. She headed straight to Jack’s restaurant and met him and the other workers busy in the kitchen. “Jack! I’m back!” She uttered as she made her way into the kitchen.“Hey!” He uttered with enthusiasm, flipping the scrambled eggs in the frying pan. “I’m sorry I came back late. I couldn’t help but spend more time with the boys.” She uttered, reaching for an apron. “Oh please, it’s fine. I understand you.” He answered, and she nodded, moving closer to him. “Where should I start from?” She asked, and he pointed to the crate of eggs. “Can you help me beat about eight of them?” He asked, and immediately, she got to work. While she beat the eggs, Jack stole glances at her, smiling softly as he watched her beat them with all seriousness. ‘She’s so beautiful.’ He thought, staring at her. “Jack, the eggs are burning already!” One of his workers called him back to reality, causing him to jolt. “Oh sh*t.” He cursed
Two days passed and Anita refused to show her face at Arthur’s office. Arthur became extremely worried and at the same time, tried not to blow her phone off with his phone calls. He expected her texts and calls but he got nothing. He feared something was wrong, but didn’t want to be too forward. He believed that she’d reach out sooner or later. Getting to the office on a Monday morning, Arthur got preoccupied with so many meetings and conferences, making it very hard for him to stay in his office. Anita arrived in his office and sat next to his door as she always did, waiting for him. She waited so many hours, hoping he was going to show up and have her time, but she was wrong. He was way busier than she thought. But she refused to leave. Instead, she kept herself busy on the phone till he had time for her. It was seven in the evening and Anita was beginning to doze off on the chair she sat on. Arthur finally got out of the hectic meeting and when he got to his office, he found
It was another busy day for Aurora in the restaurant, Carter could hardly see her outside the kitchen. He sat at a corner in the waiting area, waiting for her to finish from work so they could go home together. Carter found an apartment to move into not so far from Aurora’s. He was excited because he was finally getting away from Derick. Though it was nothing close to easy for him, he was gradually starting to get his life together. A life without Derick. He took a glance at his phone and saw it was 8 p.m. already. He knew Aurora wouldn’t finish until after 10 p.m., so he had to wait for another two hours. It didn’t seem tiring to him because he often saw Jack come out of his office to the counter. His face was too cute for Carter to get bored of staring at it. He could also see the chemistry between him and Aurora, even though she told him countless times that she wasn’t interested in any man until further notice. Carter hated that he couldn’t get himself to like another man l
Carter’s eyes widened in awe, he looked around and saw people staring at them. Some were clapping, some had their phones out and some couldn’t stop smiling. He looked up and saw Aurora and Jack standing next to each other, clapping and grinning widely too. “Say yes!” Aurora yelled in a whisper, and Carter read her lips. He had always wanted this. That Derick took their relationship to the next level not just using his words but also his actions. “Please say yes,” Derick uttered, the emotions in his eyes weren't going to let Carter say no. His eyes shimmered with hope for the future with Carter. Carter’s eyes heated up as he nodded slowly, smiling heartily at Carter. “Yes?” Derick asked, and Carter nodded, chuckling with tears. “Yes!” He answered. “He said yes!” Derick yelled in excitement, and everyone in the restaurant applauded them. Smiling happily like it was their moment. Derick’s hands shivered as he reached into the ring box and pulled out the ring. Carter could feel h
~After A Week~ Anita ghosted Arthur again, leaving him extremely worried. He’d wait at the office for her to show up until late at night. He barely even had time for the boys, and this was beginning to get to him. ‘Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn’t get involved with her. I’ve always wanted her to stay away. Why am I worried now?’ He thought, staring at the numerous messages he left her on iMessage, which she saw and refused to reply to. He felt angry at himself for worrying so much about her after he promised himself never to do it again. He headed back home from the office and met the boys playing in the living room with Theo. Usually, the boys would run to him and embrace him, but this time, they were cold to him. “What’s wrong boys?” He asked, and Ryan folded his arms around his chest, staring at the television, pretending not to hear what he said. “Ryan?” Arthur called, moving closer to him. He wanted to touch him but Ryan moved away. “No!” They chorused, catching Art
~The next morning~Opening his eyes, Arthur felt Anita’s arms cuddling around him. He looked at her face and saw she was still fast asleep. The swollen marks on her face were now flat, but they were still pretty red. ‘Why would a man lay his hand on a woman?’ Arthur wondered in anger and disgust. He needed Anita to tell him what really happened so that he could deal with the motherf**ker who kept maltreating her. He slowly and carefully reached for her hand, moving it away from his chest. He placed her hand on the bed as he moved away from her. He got out of bed and looked back at her. He succeeded in not waking her up. He couldn’t believe he could sleep with her in the same bed after so many years of hating her. ‘Does this mean I want her again?’ Arthur questioned himself as he made his way out of the guest room. ‘No, I don’t want her. I just care about her. And we have a common enemy and that happens to be the man that came into my office to threaten me.’ He convinced himself.
Getting to the living room, Anita slowly settled on the couch as she could still feel mild discomfort in her body. “How are you feeling now?” Arthur asked, sitting on the couch adjacent to the one she sat on. “I’m much better. All thanks to you.” She answered with a wide smile. Arthur bobbed, letting out a soft smile too. “I’m glad you are feeling better.” He responded. Nodding to his response, she stared at him speechlessly, her smile slowly fading off as every second passed by. “Are you going to at least tell me what happened?” Arthur asked. Anita let out a loud sigh and lowered her head. She began to fiddle her fingers as she nodded slowly. “Last night, we had a fight…” “We? You and who? The man that came to threaten me in my office?” Arthur asked with great enthusiasm. He couldn’t wait to bring him down. “Yes. We had an argument about you, actually. The other night you dropped me at the house, he saw you from the window. He had warned me to stop seeing you, but I didn’t l
~After A week~ While Aurora slept, she perceived the strong smell of pancake in her nostrils. She shook her head, furrowing her brows while her eyes were still closed. “Aurora.” She heard her name in a whisper, and this was when she slightly opened her eyes. Very close to her face was Arthur’s face, which had a large smile on it. “Good morning beautiful.” He uttered, and she smiled faintly, rubbing her eyes with her hands. “Good morning.” She mumbled, her eyes falling shut again. “I made you breakfast.” He added, and her eyes opened again. She looked down at his hands and saw a tray with him. He wore an apron on his singlet and black pants.“You did? I can smell pancakes.” She answered with a smile, and he nodded. “These are the fastest things I can make.” He responded, and she broke into laughter. “Baby, you didn’t have to. You shouldn’t stress your leg, remember?” She answered, sitting up and collecting the tray of pancakes from him. “My leg has gotten better, okay? I don’t
After making love to Arthur, Aurora fell asleep in his arms. Arthur could hardly sleep because he kept staring at her, thinking of how far they had come. Without a doubt, he knew they were destined for each other. ‘I have to make this work again. And this time, without mistakes.’ He thought, slowly and carefully caressing her face in a way that wouldn’t wake her up, but unfortunately, she ended up waking up. She slowly opened her eyes and when she saw him staring at her, she smiled widely. “Hey.” She uttered in almost a whisper, and he responded with a smile. “You didn’t sleep?” She asked, and he shook his head. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop staring at you.” He answered, and she scoffed, looking away. “Stop teasing. How is your leg?” She asked as she sat up. She took a look at his leg and looked at his face again. “I wasn’t teasing. And for my leg, I don’t know. It feels numb.” He answered, causing her to furrow her brows. “Is that a good thing?” She asked, and he shrugged with
The same day, they all went back to Arthur’s house, including Derick and his husband. They helped Aurora bring him out of the car and place him on the wheelchair, while she pushed him into the house. “God, I’ve missed this place so much.” He mumbled and raised his head to look at Aurora, who had a faint smile on her face. “I do miss it too.” She answered, looking at his face. Then she recalled the doctor had told her to clean the scratches on his face which were plastered. “We should clean your scratches as soon as they are gone.” She added, and Arthur nodded. “Okay, Ma’am.” He responded teasingly, which made Aurora furrow her brows. “Ma’am?” She asked with a chuckle, and he nodded. “Why is that?” She further asked. “Because I’ll be doing whatever you ask of me without questioning your opinion.” He answered with their gazes locked. “Can somebody get these two a bed already? They've been so flirty since we left the hospital,” Carter muttered, rolling his eyes. “You know we can
Getting back to the hospital, they met Rachel, Aurora’s mother sitting next to Arthur on the bed. The kids also sat in the bed with Arthur. Arthur sat up on the bed, his back resting against a pillow. “You’re back,” Rachel uttered with a large smile as they all walked into the ward. “Mom, when did you get here?” She asked, opening her hands so she could embrace her kids who eagerly climbed down the bed just to embrace her. “About an hour ago. I was finally told you were around today, and I couldn’t wait one minute longer to see you. I got here and saw that you and the others have headed out.” She responded, and Aurora nodded. “We went for Anita’s court hearing.” She uttered, moving closer to Arthur’s bed. She held his hand and smiled softly. “How are you feeling now?” She asked, taking a glance at his wrapped leg which now lay on the bed. “Better. I feel much better. Thank you.” He answered, and she nodded. “I’m glad.” “How was the hearing?” He asked, and Derick scoffed. “Th
~After A Week~“My Lord, the only evidence against my client is one provided by one man, who I am sure is not a friend of hers and is just looking for a way to complicate her. This may all just be a coincidence.”“Objection, My Lord!” “Objection overruled.”“Thank you, my Lord. Apart from this man who claims to be my client’s friend, there are no other witnesses to prove that my client is guilty. These were just words heard, and I must say that there are so many people who sound the same. It must have been someone else on the phone.” “Objection, My Lord!” “Objection sustained.” “Thank you, My Lord!” Arthur’s lawyer, Mr. Smith stood up to defend Arthur too. “My Lord, I bet my colleague here must have forgotten we also have a video of her on the phone with someone, saying this person should make it seem like an accident. I’ll play this tape now.” He said, giving a USB stick to one of the officers. Aurora looked at Alec, who sat beside her, with fear in her heart. She feared that A
Aurora left the police station with Derick, leaving Alec to do as he had promised. Getting back to the hospital, they met everyone where they had left them. “Aurora, welcome back.” Carter greeted, hugging her, before planting a peck on Derick’s lips. “How was it?” He asked, and Derick heaved a sigh. “It was Anita,” Derick uttered, and Theo scoffed. “I know it. That witch. When will she ever stop? After Mr. Arthur paid her to leave us the hell alone. She just wouldn’t listen.” Theo uttered in anger. “Paid her to leave? What are you talking about?” Aurora asked with her brows furrowed in confusion. “Yes. She came to the house after you left and Mr. Arthur was a total mess. She said he could give her a huge amount of money to make her disappear from our lives totally, and this included getting rid of the baby she claimed was his.” Theo explained, making Carter and Derick exchange looks. “How are we just knowing this? She probably used that money to fuel her next operation! Why wou
In the evening, Aurora and Derick visited the police station while Carter and Theo stayed with Arthur and the kids. Getting to the police station, Aurora walked behind Derick as she was unsure about where to go and what to do. Derick walked up to the cop behind the counter and said; “We are here for Arthur Howard. His wife is here.” Derick uttered, moving away so that the cop could see Aurora who was behind him. “His wife? I thought they never got the chance to be official.” The cop answered with a chuckle, and Derick raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What? It’s all over the internet. She ran away on her wedding day after another lady claimed to be pregnant for him.” He added, and this time, with laughter. Aurora scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. “Do you want to gossip? Or are you going to take us to your boss?” Derick answered with a stern look. “What exactly are you seeing him for?” The cop further asked. “He is just here to frustrate us, Derick. We should leave.” Aur
Aurora arrived at the hospital the next day. She ran into the ward, and when she saw the boys, she broke into tears, kissed them, and embraced them tightly. “Oh God. I was so scared it would be more than these. How are you feeling?” She asked them, and they hugged her again. “We have missed you so much, mummy. We are much better now. They keep giving us injections and drugs, and now it’s as if nothing happened.” Ryan said, and she nodded, tears still streaming down her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay now.” She answered and then looked up to see Theo, Carter, and Derick staring at her. She had almost forgotten they were there. “Hi.” She mumbled as she stood up to greet them. One after the other, they embraced her. She hugged Carter the tightest, burying her head in his shoulder. “Where is he? How is he?” She mumbled in tears, her eyes shut very tight in anticipation of the horrible response she could get. “He’s behind the curtain. Let me walk you there.” He said to her as he hel
While Alec was in Aurora’s house, sneakingly looking for clues about what her next evil agenda was, her landline rang. He furrowed his brows as he walked up to her bedside table and answered the phone. He remained quiet and waited for the person from the other end to speak. “Anita, it’s done. When do we come for the balance? He’s not going to survive it, that’s for sure.” Because he couldn’t answer, he hung up and hastily walked out of the room. “He is not going to survive it? What have you done, Anita!”He got out of the house and left, making sure he wasn’t seen. Driving to his house, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. He feared that Arthur was in great danger, and he wasn’t sure what to do if that was the case. Getting to his house, he turned on the television and drew his phone out of his pocket. He sat on the couch and began to search for news channels. He believed if it was Arthur, the news would carry it because of the influence he has in society. He passed