Chapter 133 "How're you feeling now?" Mason asked Knox as they stood side by side in the garden. Knox was still clad in the hospital wears since he hasn't been discharged yet. "I'm much better now. I'm sorry I haven't allowed you to have time for yourself lately. Everything is going to be over soon, and I'm forever indebted to you for everything you've done for me," He said to Mason. "Anything for my best friend. So, how's Aliyah? Is she completely healed now?" Mason asked him, and he nodded his head. "Yes. The wound is already closed, although she's still on medication. Also, the doctor asked us to come to the hospital biweekly to get her checked," He explained to Mason, and he nodded his head. "What about Tate?" Mason asked. "He has personal shits to deal with too, so he's taking some time off since Aliyah is here with me. I think his Dad's health is still deteriorating," He replied to Mason. "That's sad..." Mason commented and breathed out. "I spoke with Janice..." Mason sna
Chapter 134A few days later...Finding out everything that happened to Janice was still a nightmare Aliyah didn't seem like she would ever be able to come out of. After realizing the truth, she has been having mixed feelings about it. "Are you kidding me? You still want to go see her even after what happened?" She scoffed when Knox told her that she had an appointment with Janice and was going to see her."Come on, it's nothing to panic about," he tried to touch her, but she stepped away from him and shook her head."That's crazy, Knox. You know this person we are talking about might not like your presence. Are you trying to commit suicide? Going to meet her is as good as...""Come on, babe. You are just being paranoid. I need to see her, ok? I promise, I'm not going to stay long over there, and I will be safe, ok?" He finally held her around the waist and assured her."But...""Shhhh! I know you're worried, but you have no reason to. I promise to come back to you in one piece, ok?"
Chapter 135It was a beautiful and cozy evening. Aliyah had just walked out of the room from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her chest. Knox was already on the bed, wearing his robe as they were almost ready to go to bed."So, how did the meeting go?" She asked, sitting in front of the mirror."It went a bit well," he shrugged, and she raised her eyebrows, tilting her head to look at him confusingly."Lee said he's going to talk to her to turn herself in," he further explained, and she sighed briefly."I feel really sad for her. Nobody deserves to go through what she went through," She sighed sadly."Yeah, she has been through a lot. I feel sad for her, especially knowing what's going to happen later. Whether she turns herself in or not, she's going to jail for murder, and that alone breaks me. Her dad is to be blamed for all the shit that happened," He stated, and she sighed again."How do you plan to help her?" She asked him, rubbing oil on her body."I'm still trying to fig
Chapter 136"I told you to let me do it," Knox uttered as he took the spoon from her and dropped it gently, pulling her away from the counter."Go get some rest while I make breakfast," he hushed, but she shook her head."I'll cook with you," She insisted, and he rolled his eyes."You are stubborn," he huffed, and she smiled."I can't risk taking concoction," she smirked at him, and he scoffed."Who does that supposed to mean? That I don't know how to cook? This is... Ugh! You are so annoying," he pouted his lips."We both know that I'm good at everything. I'm good at cooking, I'm good at eating, and in the other room, I'm good at handling you too. Am I not good enough? Am I not good at everything?" He pouted his lips, and he rolled his eyes."If you have a spare time, you should spend it on improving your cooking skill. I would've given you at most five on a scale of ten, but you just messed it up by bragging, so I'll drop it to two," she smirked at him, and he huffed. Seeing him pout
Chapter 137The night was beautiful, so also Janice. She stood in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection, and wowed at the beautiful creature that was staring back at her from the mirror. The long purple glittery gown fitted her perfectly like it was tailored for only her. Her hair was falling freely down her shoulders with two braidings on each side, and some strands were falling on each side of her face. She had a little make-up on her face, a diamond necklace around her neck, and diamond earrings in her ear each. She was having a date with Lee, within the house, actually.She breathed out, tears brimming in her eyes as she stared at her reflection. How much pain she needed to hold in and pretend to be fine when she was dying inside. It hurts that she was trying to hold the remaining pieces of herself together when it was clearly not working for her. Everything sucks. "Everything is going to be fine," she whispered to herself even though she knew she was lying to herself. No
Chapter 138"Where the hell are you going, Tate? I'm still talking," Mrs. Andrews retorted as she followed Tate to the living room, and he groaned, turning to face her."What do you want from me this time, Mom?" He asked, and she scoffed."We both know what I want from you, Tate. I told you to leave that girl. She's not good for you," she stated, and he groaned again, throwing his head back frustratingly."You are not the one to tell me what is good for me and what's not good for me. I love her, and that makes her good for me...""I won't ever accept her as your wife...""You are not the one that's going to marry her, so it does not matter. I've always respected your decision, doing everything you ever ask me to do, and as I've always said, allowing you to choose a partner for me is out of it. I won't ever allow that!" He cuts her off."She's a gold digger. She's only with you because of your money...""She proved you wrong, Mom. You offered her money to leave me, isn't that proof enou
Chapter 139Aliyah checked herself out in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. She was getting ready for a dinner date at the cinema with Knox, and she couldn't help the excitement that filled her heart. It has been a while since she last tried it, and it felt like a dream was going to finally come true now. Cladded in a white hooded oversized baggy tracksuit and a pair of white sneakers, she looked gorgeous, especially with her hair packed in a ponytail and a face cap on her head. She was everything beautiful."I look great," she winked at her reflection, then took her phone and finally walked out of the room, heading to the living room where Knox was probably waiting for him by now."Oh, my goodness. My heart just fluttered," Knox covered his mouth in admiration as he watched her descend the staircase, and she blushed. The way he always admires and admits it is always sexy."You are so gorgeous," he cupped his cheeks in his palms and said to her, making her blush."Thank you. You
Chapter 140 Mr. Arnaldo paced restlessly along the hospital hallway, worried about Rebecca who was in the ER, fighting for her life. Why was this happening? Who was behind everything that has been happening? He asked himself, running his fingers through his hair, but couldn't come up with any answer, so he sighed deeply. Knox was also present in the hospital, and Aliyah too was worried. She was sitting on the bench and burying her face between her palms, crying her eyes out. She has just lost her foster Dad, and it hurts. "Babe, you need to be strong, ok?" Knox tried to comfort her, sitting beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, but more tears came streaming down her cheeks. "What should I do, Knox? Why is everything falling apart?" She cried, and he wished he could provide an answer to her question. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, slowly patting her hair assuring her yet again that everything was going to be fine even though it was obvious that t
Chapter 148 Two weeks later Aliyah tossed on the bed for the umpteenth time, lazy to get off the bed. Her eyes felt heavy and her head wasn't exempted from the feeling. "What's this?" She mumbled as she finally managed to sit up on the bed, rubbing her fingers gently on her forehead while groaning in pain. Knox has traveled on a business trip since three days and she was left here by herself all alone. Her Mom only comes by once in a while, and now that Tate's fiancee is pregnant and also they were planning to get married, he didn't have enough time to come by. Mason has been busy with work and his girlfriend too, while Janice and Lee traveled on a honeymoon trip to Italy, so she was left here all alone by herself. "I should've just gone with Knox," she regretted her hesitance to go with Knox when he asked her to. "It's just five days you are going to spend there, so it's fine," She had said to him when he asked her to come with him, but now it felt like he has been gone for thre
Chapter 147A lot has happened in the last few weeks. James and Janice have sorted things out, and even after all the hatred, James realized his mistake and asked Janice for forgiveness, and to make up for everything that has happened in the past, he said he was going to take the blame for all the things Janice has done in the past. Janice was going to turn herself in, but he refused. To him, it was all his fault and he should take the blame for everything and let Janice live her life like nothing happened. Besides, she still had a whole lot ahead of her and he didn't want to be in jail.James was put on trial after series of investigation which all proved that he was the culprit, and found guilty of murder, taking the blame for his daughter and going to jail in her place so she could have a good life ahead. Lisa was also given life imprisonment for the murder of Rebecca's husband and an attempt to kill her husband and stepdaughter, Aliyah. Everything has gone back to the way it used
Chapter 146Aliyah stared at her reflection in the mirror, and as she thought about what happened in these past few months, then she could only be grateful that everything although would remain in her heart forever, was always going to be memories to her.Knowing that everything was over now, she was finally at peace. No reason to worry when her husband leaves the house, no need to worry that some assassin might break into the house and harm her. There was nothing to worry about, but most importantly, having her parents alive and healthy was what she was most grateful for, but it hurts knowing that her stepdad died protecting her Mom. He never deserved to die.The sound of the shower in the bathroom finally stopped after a while, and the door opened, revealing Knox. His body was dripping wet and his hair was damp. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist and a little bulge down there."Hey..." He smiled brightly as he walked over to the closet and picked out his robe, dropping it
Chapter 145"I'm scared, Tate. Are you sure about this?" Shirley asked after they alighted from the car."Come on, I told you that there's no cause to be scared. I'm here for you... We are in this together," Tate cupped her cheek in his palms and assured her, looking into her eyes. As planned, Shirley was going to move in to live with Mrs. Andrews. This was the only thing she could do, she was determined to do it earlier, but now that she was here, her fear was already taking over her. What if her plans fail later? What if she ends up getting thrown out of the house? What if she insists that she can't marry her son? What will become of her."I told you there's nothing to worry about. Why do you look so scared like my Mom is a masquerade," He pinched her cheeks playfully, but deep inside he knew that there was really need for her to be worried knowing the kind of tough person his Mom was."Come on, smile for me," He uttered, and she forced a smile."Wait while I go get your things from
Chapter 144A few days later Knox pulled over at the parking lot of the restaurant and stepped out of the car. He then proceeded toward the entrance door, and found Janice waiting for him as soon as he walked inside. She had texted him yesterday and asked them to meet at the restaurant this morning so they could talk about something important, and that had made him curious since last night as many negative thoughts won't stop coming to his mind. Did she change her mind about turning herself in? That was one of the questions he kept asking himself, but he would soon find out about it, anyway."Hi! Did I keep you waiting?" He asked when he got to where she was seated, pulling out the chair across from her and settling in it."Not really. Good morning," She forced a smile at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. She was cladded in a short black armless gown and a pair of black heels like someone going to a funeral."Why is she dressed in all black? Is she planning to do something evil?"
Chapter 143It was a beautiful morning and a special day for Lee and Janice as it was their first day going out as official couples. Janice stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying everything she could to hold back her tears. It was a great day for her, a day she should push all the negative energies away and focus on her man so they could have fun to the fullest, but knowing that this moment won't last long for them was something she couldn't hold herself back for."It's ok, Janice. You already said you were going to enjoy the remaining days to the fullest. You said that you won't let anything tamper with your joy," She assured herself, fighting back the tears that already brimmed in her eyes."Yeah... There you go," She whispered as she leaned forward and cleaned her tears, adding some makeup to cover up her eyebags."Yes! That is perfect," She forced a smile at her reflection, then took a deep breath."Enjoy your day, baby girl," She said to her reflection and finally left t
Chapter 142A few weeks laterArnaldo has long woken up from coma and has been recovering over the last few weeks, but Rebecca was yet to recover although she has woken up too. Knox has been doing well too.It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and the day set for Arnaldo to go see Lisa in the prison along with Aliyah and Knox.Sitting in front of the mirror and staring at her reflection, Aliyah sighed as the thought of everything that has happened in the last few months played in her head. How they were able to survive until now was still like a miracle she couldn't comprehend, and she could only be grateful to her maker for being there for her all along. If anyone ever told her that the one behind the shit that has happened to her was her stepmom, she would've been the last person to believe it. The woman has always been good to her, and although she was never comfortable being around her, she never gave her any reason to doubt her pure heart toward her. She didn't imagine that she c
Chapter 141Aliyah paced restlessly along the hallway, her eyes filled with tears. Her hair was disheveled as a result of constantly scattering it. She looked horrible, but that was the least of the things she cared about at the moment. Her husband and Mom were in the ER fighting for their lives and she was hoping they'd survive it."Just this once, please... Please spare them for me. Please don't take them away from me," She fell to her knees and prayed silently, hoping he'd prayers would be answered. At least just this once.The sound of her ringing phone pulled her attention, and if not that the call was from her dad's maid, then she wouldn't have answered it. "Ma... ma'am Aliyah... There is a problem. Mr. Arnaldo... Blood... He...he was shot," The feminine voice quivered at the other end, and her heart sank into her stomach. Her jaw dropped."Wh... what did you say?" She stuttered, her lips trembling as she stared into space. No! This is not happening, please. Not now."I came ba
Chapter 140 Mr. Arnaldo paced restlessly along the hospital hallway, worried about Rebecca who was in the ER, fighting for her life. Why was this happening? Who was behind everything that has been happening? He asked himself, running his fingers through his hair, but couldn't come up with any answer, so he sighed deeply. Knox was also present in the hospital, and Aliyah too was worried. She was sitting on the bench and burying her face between her palms, crying her eyes out. She has just lost her foster Dad, and it hurts. "Babe, you need to be strong, ok?" Knox tried to comfort her, sitting beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, but more tears came streaming down her cheeks. "What should I do, Knox? Why is everything falling apart?" She cried, and he wished he could provide an answer to her question. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, slowly patting her hair assuring her yet again that everything was going to be fine even though it was obvious that t