His fingers slowly wrapped around hers and squeezed. his eyes were trained on her but she could only look further ahead. She couldn't stop staring at those flowers. Something about them gave her a sense of peace she couldn't really understand. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. "Not really." She quickly wiped a tear from her eyes before it slipped and got his attention. She sighed, looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "Alright then. We can sit here all day, looking at that garden without saying anything. I don't mind." She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but chose not to think too much about it. His hand was still holding hers and she leaned into him as it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Everything with him just felt effortlessly right, she thought. They remained like that for several moments, his back pressed against the lifted trunk of the car and his head resting on his shoulder. He was still rubbing her hands, and staring ahead. "
She couldn't wait for dinner to finally be over. Sitting beside Asher after his promises of what the night was going to be like was proving to be difficult. He didn't even have to do anything to get her on edge, just having him there, watching her was enough. His chef, a mature woman who reminded her a lot of her grandma, served the food. It felt awkward for her having to sit there and have someone as old as her serve her food but the woman was just as nice as her grandma if not more. "This is all I've ever wanted for you, son. I'm so proud," the chef said, unable to hold it in any longer. "Well, better get used to it because it's going to last for a very long time," Asher responded and a warm fuzzy feeling engulfed her. Even if deep down she didn't believe it, hearing him say it made her feel all kinds of good. "I'm so happy to hear that. I'll be willing to work every single day to fatten up these little munchkins over here," she continued, filling up Danny and Damien's plates.
The room was dark, but she could make out a figure in the corner of the room walking toward her. It was the hooded man and she thought she could see him smiling menacingly down at her as he walked closer and closer. Her first instinct was of course to move, run away, defend herself, understand what the heck was going on, but her limbs and every other part of her remained unmoving and useless by her side. She tried to scream but couldn't, only watching in horror as he came slowly but steadily. Her heart was pounding but even her fear of being under the mercy of the hooded man didn't give her enough adrenaline to immediately spring into action. She thought she saw him holding something in his hand, a weapon, a knife perhaps. She kept trying to scream, the worst scenarios filling her mind. Just when she thought it would be the end, she felt hands over her body, but these ones were not wielding weapons, they were calm and tender. "Hey, hey, relax. You're just having sleep paralysis. Wha
As they were driven home in his rolls Royce, Anne leaned her head on his shoulder at the back of the car, wishing their little trip there would never end. She was not so happy she would be leaving that day with her children, especially since she and Asher had just officially become a couple the night before. It felt different thinking he was now her boyfriend, but it was a good kind of different. It already felt like they'd been dating for a while already, but having the name made it all so special. Asher pulled her in a for a kiss and she wrapped her arms around him, slipping her tongue into his and taking control of the kiss. Ever since they'd become official, they'd kissed over a hundred times already and each one felt better than the last. "I'm gonna miss you," she said, burying her face into his chest to keep from crying. Anyone who saw them would think she was departing forever and would never see him again. "Ssh. I'm going to make sure you see me each and every single day
"Where are you going? You just got back," her grandma asked, concerned. she'd just managed to lift her head from the boxes to notice her grand daughter was getting ready to leave the house. "I need to go to work," she responded. "And the kids need to go to school." "What? Today?" her grandma asked, as if she'd just been told she was going to sell the house. "You never give yourself a rest and that's not fair. You don't even want to spend time with your nana. And you're also pushing the boys away from me as well.* "I'm sorry, but they've missed enough days at school and I've equally missed enough days at the bakery. Besides, I've been resting for days. It's time to actually put myself to good use. Boys, get ready. The old woman sighed and shook her head."It's no winning with you. You just got back today and instead of giving yourself the day of and giving me all the details you know I so desperately crave, you decide to go to a work that doesn't even need you. Is that fair?" "G
"Arson?" she asked, her voice shaking. Surely she hadn't heard right. "Yes. The fire experts detected an accelerant which definitely caused the fire right there in the living room. It burned noticeably more than everything else around it. We assume the arsonist must have broken in, set it on fire and placed it where it would spread, or thrown it in through the open window when your mother was asleep." Her lips trembled. Someone had tried to kill her grandmother, on purpose. But why? Her grandma was the purest person she knew. She'd never hurt anyone. Unless the arsonist wasn't trying to kill her grandma, but wanted someone else - herself or the kids. But she never hurt anyone either, at least not on purpose. Who would want her dead, or at most injured?"We have asserted the fire began around two in the afternoon and went on for over thirty minutes before the neighbor called us. Your grandmother was probably asleep and couldn't escape in time until it was too late because the first r
When she woke up, she realized she was lying on Asher who was fast asleep. She couldn't remember falling asleep on him. It was quite late and she wondered what she would do. He stared awake when the uncomfortable but now familiar weight of hers left his body. He pulled her back to him and planted a kiss on her head even though her face looked like she'd just eaten a lemon. That however helped make her feel better. Rubbing her face, he assured her once again that everything would be alright. She nodded, wishing she could believe it when he said it. "Come home with me. You and the kids. You can't keep them there forever, you know," he said but she shook her head. "They know Lola. I called and they're fine. I'll go see them. I'll think up something. But I can't leave my grandma here, alone. I just can't." He sighed. "Your being here or not being here will not make her any better. In fact, when she wakes up and finds out you neglected the kids and yourself just to watch her unconsci
They watched carefully as the nurse checked her grandmother's vitals, raising her, checking the wires plugged to her, and finally turning back to them and shaking her head. Anne shut her eyes as disappointment washed over her as she leaned in closer to Asher. "They're just regular muscular spasms. It's a reflex action that happens often among patients in coma," she said. "Thanks," Asher responded when Anne didn't say anything. The nurse kept watching them like there were things she wanted to tell them about but was afraid to. "You know," she began uncertainly, rubbing the file she was holding. "It's actually much better she's in this state. More humane. If she woke up right now, she'd be in so much pain, you'd wish you could put her out of her misery." It felt like something had just exploded in her brain. Was she allowed to say that? She tried to get up, with no clear cut idea of what she would do, but the anger at the nurse's words was enough to make her do something stupid. Fort
Six months later "Stop shuffling Danny. Don't you want to look good in the Christmas photo?" Anne warns, trying to keep smiling and also tell her kids what to do at the same time. It's Christmas eve and they're taking a family photo but the kids for some reason can't stay at a spot for more than a minute. "You heard your mother," Asher says in a deeper, sharper voice and the boys stay still as the cameraman once again takes the shot. "Aha. This is perfect!" he exclaims, urging them to remain in the same spot. After a few minutes, the photoshoot is finally over and they collectively breathe a sigh of relief. The pictures look so clean and beautiful on camera, even the boys look delighted. "I'll send the photos immediately after I'm done editing them," he says. "You have a beautiful family," he adds before leaving and Anne mouths 'thank you', with a blush. As they all sit down to have dinner, all in their pajamas, the word 'family' keeps ringing in Anne's ears. Even after six mon
"Trevor?" Anne repeated, not sure she'd heard right. But when she saw Trevor walk up to them with a determined look on his face, she knew he really had something to say. At the far end of the room, Lola and Asher's sisters kept gaping with open mouths. They were obviously just as unaware as she was. No wonder he'd shown up randomly and seemed to know about the wedding even when no one else did. When he reached up to them, he smiled and shook Asher's hand like they were old time friends. "A lot of you don't know, but Mr Ingram is now a very good friend of mine," Trevor began, addressing the crowd. "I have just started a small company in Chicago and it's very successful, all thanks to him." He gave Anne a slight nod of acknowledgement before he brought out a small flashdrive. "Some months ago, I met up with an old friend, Jason in Chicago. Unknown to me, he'd traced me there because he needed a favor from me. The favor was to burn down Anne's home with all of them in it." The cro
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason asked, taking a step backwards. Asher smirked, turning to Gabby who looked like she was about to explode in tears. "You tell me," he shrugged. "You're the one who's desperate for this wedding to hold and I wonder why. You're in love with Gabby, she's carrying your child, yet you want us to be married. Why is that?" The congregation watched with keen interest as the drama unfolded before them. This was not what they'd expected but it was much better. Anne couldn't say anything. So this marriage was a sham from the start. It was comforting but strange. There were more questions than answers and she hated being in the center of attention but not knowing what would come next. "Asher," Gabby whispered in a weak voice. "Why are you doing this at our wedding? The baby in my belly belongs to you and you know this." "Will you just shut it already?" Asher said, rolling his eyes and turning to face her. It was evident he was sick of pretending
Halfway through the makeover, Anne already felt her spirits returning. The old man was in another room and Lola had joined in to help select the perfect dress that would turn heads, according to her. Within an hour she looked even more breathtaking than she'd looked at the ball a few weeks ago. Her jewelry matched her skin tone perfectly, her gown hugged her curves and flattered her glossy skin which glowed from the expensive ointment Yvette rubbed on her. Heads would definitely turn. "We should open a beauty salon," Lola gasped, shaking her head like she couldn't believe what they'd just created. "And Anne will be our model." "I second that," Yvonne said, honestly. "You really think so?" Yvette said, trying to mask her pride. "You look absolutely gorgeous.""Asher's definitely going to rethink everything when he sees you." Danny and Damien came in with Trevor who was wheeling in the old man when he heard a lot of noise. "You make me regret losing you." They laughed.The kid
Lola and Trevor agreed to wait in the car for her while she went in, simply because Yvette's voice had sounded very frantic on the phone and they didn't want her mincing words because of them. When she entered the house, she suddenly felt on edge. Breathing in again and again, she went up the staircase to the room Yvette assured her she'd be, and tried to remove the memory of her fighting and humiliating herself on that very staircase. She heard their voices before she reached the room so they were easy to spot. They? She'd only hoped to see Yvette. When she heard the throaty male voice come out from the room, accompanied by Yvonne's voice, her expression turned sour. This had not been part of the plan. She wanted no business with the horrible man who was Asher's father. Sometimes she wondered why God had taken her grandmother and not him. "Anne!" Yvonne called, just when she decided to go back down the stairs. "oh thank God you're here. Please come in. Asher's about to make th
"You need to go there," Lola said, trailing after her."And wreck their wedding?" Anne asked, trying to mask the anger and betrayal in her voice. "Of course. You're always letting things go. You want him and if he gets married to her, that's gonna be the end. Even if you don't do this for your own happiness, do it for your sons. She's a slimy bitch and that's how their relationship is gonna be forever. If he continues to take custody of them, they'll have to grow up with her. Forever." "Where else do you think I'm going?" She asked getting into her car. "I knew you had it in you, girl." Lola said, getting into the passenger side of the car beside her. As they zoomed off, Trevor gave them the directions to the wedding arena while Lola hyped her up. She didn't know what she would do when she got there, but it would all be worth it. As long as the anger in her remained, there wasn't going to be a wedding. "Wait!" Lola suddenly screamed, making Anne screech the car to an abrupt halt.
Her newfound admiration for Asher died down the moment he bade her goodbye, revved his car and started to leave with the kids. Perhaps she'd been wrong to assume that after the culprit responsible for her grandmother's demise had been found and him taking her out, the least he could do was let her have her children back, at least for some time. "I don't really think you're in the right frame of mind to have the children hovering all over you. I don't want you to lose it," he'd said before giving her an apologetic look and driving off. Now she was in her new house, telling everything to Lola after finally finding her voice. "Did you just say Jake was arrested?" Lola asked in disbelief. "For arson?" "I'm just as surprised as you are.""Hmm. I knew he was wicked but not a murderer. Are you sure the detective was right?" "They've been trailing him for a while now and even got his confession on tape." "Hmm. I suppose I'm lucky for everything that happened. Imagine we were still datin
Fear engulfed her body, making her mind run places as she searched for her sons. They were nowhere to be found. Oh God. Why did she have to turn her face away to listen to what Asher had to say. "Damien, Danny!" Asher screamed their names and she followed suit, suddenly remembering it was a possibility.Where had they gone? She had to be positive, she told herself, and realistic. No one could have possibly kidnapped them right under her nose without them screaming or yelling for help. They'd either left to find some other more interesting place not so far from there or worse, like the last time, they'd seen someone they knew and followed them."Danny, Damien!" She called, desperation entering her voice. "Mommy!" She heard from not so far away. She turned immediately to the sound of her sons' voice. "Oh, God," she breathed in relief as she ran to where the boys were. Asher was still on the other side of the field looking for the boys but she called him over, signaling to him th
Having the kids all to himself had not been anything like he'd expected. There were several things he never thought he would experience. He was only used to seeing them once in a while, usually when they happened to be on their best behavior because they were just excited to see him and tried to please him, but when the excitement wore off within a few days of them spending day and night with him, everything changed. Just at breakfast the other day, they'd asked for their mom and when Gabby told them she wouldn't be joining them soon, they began to complain about how the crusts of the bread hadn't been cut off like their mom always did. Danny made a fuss and threw the contents of his side of the table away and Damien soon followed suit. When he tried to get them to stop, they only spat at him and threw tantrums.. He wished that was the end but it wasn't. They complained about the most random things and threw a tantrum anytime anyone corrected them. The most unbearable part of it was