“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
“Thank you Zeddick, I can take it from here,” Abel says as he takes the car keys from the driver. He is the same driver that came to pick me up from my apartment early in the morning. I thought he was the one that was going to drop me home but it seems like Abel has a different idea.“Are you sure s
“Fine, I will find someone else,” I say but the younger taxi driver walks in front of me making me stop.“I could take you for forty.” He says and I shake my head. First, I still can’t afford that, and second I don’t trust him. He looks a little off to me, with the tattoos and piercings, I don’t car
“Excuse me?” Abel says seeming a little pissed by that stunt.“You lied that she is your girlfriend, but I can tell from the look in her eyes that she was shocked when you said that, So, whoever you are Mr. rich guy, I’m not letting you go anywhere with this innocent girl.” He says and my jaw falls
“You don’t have to return the money.” He pockets the money when I tell him smiling now.“I will go with him now, and don’t worry, I am safe with him,” I tell him and he nods but the look he is giving Abel is one of a warning like he still is ready to pounce on him if he dares do anything to me.“Oka
“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