JADE"Your brother? Who are you talking about?" Max went on one knee and asked Ella.I quickly got off the bed and pulled Ella's ear, "Naughty girl. Why are you being foolish? Haven't I told you not to refer to Aurora as a boy? She is a girl and she's your sister.""But mummy...""Shut up, Ella. No buts!" I cut him off. "Phyna, how does mummy feel about stubborn children who don't listen?""Mummy doesn't love them," Phyna replied."Good," I turned Ella to face me and asked, "Do you want mummy to stop loving you?"He pouted and shook his head, "I'm sorry, mummy." He threw himself into my arms and began to cry."Shh, it's okay, baby." I wiped his tears. "Mummy loves you, Phyna, and Aurora so much. Always listen to mummy, okay?"He nodded."It's okay, Daisy," Max said. "If they want me to stay...""Come with me, Max. Both of you, don't come out." I held Max's hand and took him out of the room."Listen, I don't want to tell you how to raise your kids but don't you think you are being too
JADEI looked at where my phone was, got up, and turned on its recorder.Afterward, I turned my attention back to Aurora and said, "It's okay, Honey. You can tell me.""I'm afraid of my mummy," she said.Seeing the fear in her eyes, my heart broke as I wondered what my daughter must have suffered at the hands of Stacy. No matter what, I needed to find out what it was.I spoke softly and gently coaxed her, "It's okay, Honey. You are safe here. I won't hurt you and I won't let your mummy hurt you, I promise. Tell me the truth and I won't tell anyone."She hesitated for a while but I waited patiently until she began, "My mummy was angry with me because I accidentally poured her cup of coffee.Aunty Agatha was not around so, my mummy took me to her room and burnt me with her cigarette. When I began to cry, she told me sorry and bought me ice cream.She asked me not to tell anyone otherwise she would burn me again."My mouth fell in shock as my eyes brimmed with tears, "Did you tell your d
MAXSomething didn't seem right. Too many things were happening all at once and Daisy had an explanation ready for every single one of them. There were suddenly too many convenient excuses that I was forced to believe that something was going on. Daisy was certainly hiding something from me and I was going to find out what it was.Stacy suddenly called my phone and I went out to take it because I could not let Daisy overhear my conversation with her."Where the hell are you, Max?" She asked angrily. "My daughter didn't spend the night at home and neither did you. You knew my flight was landing first thing this morning and nothing would have made me happier than being welcomed by you and our princess.""Relax," I told her. "You just got back and you are already so angry. How would our princess feel if she saw you being so upset?"She sighed, "I can't help it, Max. You know how much I love Aurora. I feel so much at ease when she is around me. I don't trust other people, they may hurt m
JADEMax turned and stared at me quietly for a while before walking out of my room.I followed behind him as I realized I was showing too much anger. I had to control my emotions or risk losing everything I had worked hard for.It was still difficult to believe that my baby had gone through so much suffering right in her father's house. Her nannies were all useless and even Agatha had some explaining to do. Max waited in the living room while I went to my kids' bedroom and came out with Aurora. He went on his knees and pulled her into his arms as he said, "Can you show me where you were burnt with a cigarette?"She looked up at me with fear in her eyes and I smiled at her. Caressing her cheek, I told her, "It's okay, Honey. You can tell your Daddy and everything will be fine. He will punish Stacy and make sure she never sees you again."She smiled at me at turned to face Max whose eyes carried complicated emotions in them."Daddy, will you really not take me back to mummy?" She asked
JADE I saw Max's phone in his hand and heaved a sigh of relief."Aurora is fine," I replied and held his free hand, dragging him once again into my bedroom."What is the problem, Daisy?" He asked, impatience written all over his face.I took a step closer to him and said, "I'm very sorry, Max. I lashed out at you earlier without consideration for your feelings. I got carried away as a mother because I couldn't bear to see my child or children being hurt by others. I blamed you, whereas you were hurting as Aurora's dad. I felt very guilty after you left and didn't know how else to bring you back so I came up with the emergency story.Please do not be mad at me."He pulled me into his arms and hugged me, "Thank you so much, Daisy. I can't be mad at you. If anything, I feel immensely grateful.If not for you, my daughter would still be living a miserable life while I am under the misconception that I am giving her the best.You were right. I failed Aurora because her suffering happened
MAXAfter speaking to Daisy again, I felt a little calm, as opposed to earlier when I thought I was going to explode from anger.I was close to my house and had already called the police. Stacy's call came into my phone again and I answered it."Max, where are you?" She asked impatiently. "You are keeping me waiting and I don't like it. What can be more important than being with your fiancee?"I gritted my teeth, "Be patient. I'll be there soon."Once I entered my house, I saw Stacy sitting on the couch with an aggrieved expression on her face. Her long legs were stretched out and her head leaned against the arm of my couch.Just as I reached her, I asked, "Why did you burn Aurora with a cigarette?"Her eyes widened in shock at first, but almost immediately, her expression changed and she exclaimed, "Excuse you! Why would I do such a...."She was still speaking when I gripped her neck and began to choke her. Her face turned red as she struggled to speak and push my hand away at the sa
MAXOnce Stacy and her cohorts were taken away, I slumped onto the couch. I felt sad and miserable and found myself taking a journey down memory lane.I recalled the first time I met Jade when she walked into my room at the club and everything that transpired between us that night.I remembered how she showed up at my father's house months later with a protruding belly. I gradually became fond of her and even fell for her. If it weren't because of my dad, we might have been one happy family.Thinking about it, I could not help but blame him. He so badly wanted Stacy to raise my children and would not give up after I begged him to leave Jade alone.Perhaps it was a good thing Jade was able to run away with two children. Who knows what Stacy would have done to them if they had all been with her?Jade! I had done everything possible to find her without success. What if she was already dead? What if my sons were no more too?I always avoided these thoughts because they made me feel uneasy
JADEListening to Max, I felt as though I was imagining things. Being his wife for real and living together as one big family with our children had to be the best thing ever.As he stared at me, waiting for my answer, I found myself smiling and my heart beating fast. However, the smile on my face disappeared when I remembered that to Max, I wasn't Jade but Daisy.If he came to know that I was the woman he had been searching desperately for, he would go ballistic and take all our children from me. If that were to happen, I would lose my will to live. Worst-case scenario, one of us would wind up dead.I could not outright reject him since I had no idea how far away it would push him from me or what the result of that action would be. I had to bid my time until I had gotten my daughter's full trust and was ready to leave.I smiled and circled his neck with my wrists as I stood on my tippytoes and kissed him, "Max, I'm honored that you chose me to spend the rest of your life with.Frankly