“Mildred, breath.” He says cutting me off and I let out a long exhale.“You weren’t supposed to see that,” I add and I watch as his face turns into a little grin or a smirk, I can’t exactly tell.“That’s your private business Mildred; you don’t have to explain anything to me.” He says and I sigh aga
“Just come to the back,” Clay says on the other end of the call before hanging up. She asked we meet at the Walker’s fashion house a little earlier on for the fitting of our dresses and I know it was already clear that Ellis is indeed getting married in like a couple of weeks now, but it just feels
“I guess we can do that, but it might take longer to have another one delivered,” Clay says, and Ellis sniffles. She is fighting back the tears. Like seriously fighting them back.“Can’t Tobias do something about it, I mean, he is influential?” She asks and the moment Clay shakes her head, the tears
“A rushed wedding, a gown that doesn’t fit when the measurements that were sent in were correct, a moody you, and the sudden addition of weight that you’re so hell-bent on denying. I have been pregnant twice before, I know when I see a pregnant woman.” She says and I’m just staring at her in horror.
“Abel asked to see me,” Tracy says as she walks into my office. I look up from my computer and nod at her. He hasn’t told me, but I guess he must have called her.“Just go in, he is in,” I tell her and she casts me a smile and walks into his office.When I came to the office, Abel was acting differe
“What was what?” I don’t know what he means; you don’t just throw around a random question without any type of context. I thought he was smart enough to know something as simple as that.“You seem to be a little too excited that you will be working under me lesser than you normally do.” He says and
As I stand in front of the teleprompter, I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. It's my first day in the journalism studio, and I'm rehearsing for the evening news. I can hardly believe that I'm here, in this prestigious newsroom, after being approved by Abel, himself. I feel a mixtur
“Why is the studio so full?” She asks, her tone sharp and accusatory as she is walking in with a laptop in her hands, and her makeup looks freshly retouched. I was glad that I haven’t had an encounter with her today, but I had forgotten that with Abel having me work from this side of the building, i
“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