“Quinn, what did you do?” I ask and she looks away.“I ate most of it.” she blurts out and I shake my head.“No you didn’t.” the food in the trash bin would disagree with her. I don’t even know how I am supposed to handle this situation. She looks so innocent no one would even think she tried to tri
I am awoken by voices outside my room. I open my eyes my heart racing trying to mentally prepare myself for the intruders, but when my eyes land on my environment, I realize I’m not at my place, and this is definitely not the room I was told to sleep in. The little leg propped on my stomach is evide
“Hi princess,” He says as he walks towards her and I head for the door. I want to fly out of this place hoping I can do that without his sister seeing me because I feel like my being here was a big mistake. I should have just kept my mouth shut yesterday when he was all out of options because then I
“I need to go home first and change,” I tell him and he shakes his head. I can’t go back to the office in the same outfit I was in yesterday. My God, now that will be a walk of shame. I already have the staff’s attention on me with the very dramatic intro Toni made of me; I don’t have to give them
Someone knocks on the door just as I am walking out of the washroom. I am wrapped in a towel, so letting someone in won’t be good.“Who is it?” I ask as I walk to the closet and grab a pair of sweatpants that can fit me and a t-shirt.“It’s Harmony, your dress is here.” She says.“Give me a minute,”
I walk into the bathroom; apply the lotion and body oil that is on the counter before dressing up. The moment the dress is on my body I know without a doubt this is going to be one of my favorite dresses. I check myself in the full-length mirror and it fits just so perfectly. I do a little foundatio
I’m tuned in to my favorite reality TV show just trying to pass time with a bowl full of popcorn in my hand when my phone rings and I reach for my phone as I press pause. It is the weekend and since I have had a busy week following my boss around in all his meetings, I just wanted to spend some time
“I know, Clay took care of that.” She says and I have no doubt that was all her sister’s doing. She has the money to have her sister get a gown from the world’s best wedding gown designer. There is excitement about her getting the gown and as much as I am concerned about the hurried wedding, I am ha
“Abel, you are proposing…” The words tumble out of my mouth in disbelief, more of a statement than a question. He nods, and then, to my utter shock, he gets down on one knee. I feel the world around us blur and slow down, my pulse pounding in my ears.“Mildred Turina, will you marry me?” His voice w
She scoffs playfully, giving me that familiar look that says she’s still got it all under control. “I know how to take care of children, honey. We will be fine. You two go have fun.”Relief washes over me. Even though we’re leaving them in the best possible hands, the part of me that has grown attac
We’re heading to Abel’s lake house for a weekend getaway—just the two of us. He said he got the place a few years ago but rarely gets to use it. He has only taken the twins there a few times because the only time he gets enough time to spend with them without many distractions from work is during th
Epilogue"Come here,” I call her over, and she reluctantly pulls her fingers off her brother’s chubby cheeks, then walks back to where I am. I crouch down to be at her level, trying to mask the amusement I feel at her little pout.“If you keep harassing your brother, I will have him stay with me at
“Did I?”“You bitch!” I burst out laughing. He has definitely been holding that back.“I was busy dealing with a concussion to see anything, oh, and my mom has way more money than you, you know, and her money combined with the money my dad left me, which I just found out was a lot by the way, then A
“Mom, I…”“I should have taken you with me when he died, but I thought you were already a grown woman and you wouldn’t need me anymore, and I will never forgive myself for that because if I did, then you wouldn’t have ended up with an abusive man. I could have protected you from repeating the cycle.
"Abel, he is good for you," she repeats, this time more firmly. There’s a strange sadness in her eyes, as if she’s remembering all the times she wished someone had said those words to her. I nod, acknowledging her observation, but I don’t want to delve into a discussion about Abel with her. "I feel
"Are you ready to go home?" Abel asks, and I nod eagerly. The sterile scent of antiseptic clings to the air, making me desperate to leave this hospital room and everything it represents. My heart pounds with a need to escape—to feel the cool air outside, untainted by the trauma that haunts these wal
“Oh…”“I love you, and I would want you in my life and the twins too, but you need to accept that fact about me. I don’t even know if I can be a mother to your children or a stepmother. I just don’t know if I have it in me, even though I love them, and I love you,” I say, and I’m nervously waiting f