“I am working as his assistant while I wait for a vacancy in the newsroom.” She seems to be confused by that statement but she doesn’t show it.“So you went to school, and studied journalism for four years just to be an assistant and a babysitter?” I roll my eyes.“No Mom, the babysitting was a one-
“Hey girl,” Tracy says peeping from the door and I look up from my computer and smile at her.“Hey.”“Are you busy?” She asks as she walks in; I take one glance at the paused movie on my screen and shake my head. I didn’t even have anything major to do. Matter of fact today has been a slow day. I am
“Fine, let me see it,” I tell her and she turns the laptop to face my direction, I scroll through the document and it’s not just a single news story, there are a lot of stories here.“How long do you need to go through it?” She asks.“Thirty minutes or so.”“Great, I’ll see you then.” She says and I
This is my third cup of coffee this morning but it’s not just working the magic. The caffeine isn’t just hitting like I need it to. I keep yawning after every five minutes and it is almost getting weird at this point. I’m just glad I’m seated at the back of the board room so I’m glad that people can
“I was hoping I would find you in here.” She says as I’m drying my hands in the hand dryer and I am tempted to act like I didn’t hear her amid the machine’s noise but she is kind of behind me, I can’t play pretend, so I let out a sigh and turn to look at her.“About what?” I ask her.“What is your d
“If you’re sleeping with him this will end so ugly for you.” I burst out laughing. Whatever she said is not only crazy but stupid. She is fighting an invisible battle because if her hate towards me is because she thinks I am sleeping with Abel then she is sick in the head.“I don’t sleep my way to a
I hear Dylan laugh beside me.“Mind your language Mildred!” Abel warns in a low deep voice and I roll my eyes.“I told you she is disrespectful, you need to fire her,” Toni says and I lean back in my seat and take a deep breath. She should start using another threat that one is getting stale.“Toni,
“Okay, sir.”“And you cannot go out with Dylan.” He says and I raise a single brow.“Why cant I? He is a good-looking fella.” I wasn’t even going to go out with Dylan but since he seems to be concerned I might just take him up on the offer. Dylan is one sexy-looking man, something I noticed on the f
“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