LOGINLoving our growth?
>____I sat beside my husband, my hands folded in my lap, fingers trembling no matter how hard I tried to keep them still.Every sound in the courtroom felt too loud in my ears as I sat there. The shuffle of feet, the coughs, the soft murmur of people who didn't understand that my whole life was about to be ripped apart.Across the room, Ryker sat with Vanessa. Their faces blank.I didn't look at them for long. I couldn't.My eyes kept drifting back to the box.To my son.Derek stood there in that orange uniform, his shoulders hunched like a scared boy pretending to be a man. His face was thinner. His nose was bandaged. His eyes kept darting around the room, landing on me every few seconds like he was half-pleading for me to do something.My chest tightened.God... that was my baby.My heart began to pound so hard it hurt. I pressed my palm against my chest, breathing slowly, reminding myself to stay calm. I had to be strong. Mothers were supposed to be strong.B
>____I listened with rapt attention as Ryker explained the situation to me. Leah and the others already left the room a while ago. Leaving Ryker and me alone in the ward as he recounted everything that had happened under my nose."So, yeah, I'm seeing this through." He concluded, caressing the back of my palm. I blinked. Once, then twice. Too stunned to come up with words. Ryker laughed like this was alright. "What? You look so cute with that expression on your face."I shook my head, snapping out of whatever muddled thoughts were spinning in my head. "Ryker, do you...know what this means for you? For the Hollands?" I asked, carefully. "Yeah. I get to lose the Holland groups and.." he shrugged lightly. "Maybe even be on bad terms with my dad for a couple of weeks. Months. Or maybe years whatever the case might be.""Ryker, I hate that you're about to fight with your family because of me." I whisper-yelled. My fear crept in. I didn't want to be the cause of the
The next few days went by in a blur. Vanessa had been recovering well at the hospital after the surgery. Fortunately, the cancer had been operated on and the baby was safe. And Derek? He was placed on home-arrest because apparently, my father played some dirty cards in the background which enabled Derek to escape being sent to jail right away.But that didn't mean I planned on dropping the case. Seeing Vanessa covered in blood that day at the warehouse made everything inside me snap.I hadn't done enough for her. She deserved so much more than being dragged back to the faces of the people from her past. The people who hurt her shouldn't be allowed to watch another sunset. They belonged behind bars—every last one of them.Seeing her like that gave me a vivid, brutal image of how she must have looked after every beating Derek gave her. Was that how she looked during their marriage?Was her face always marked like that—blood, sweat, dirt smeared together into a portrait of pain she
I remained in that position for hours...or it could have been just a few minutes. I couldn't tell, but time seemed to have stretched. It was just me and my thoughts. Alone in the chapel, muttering inaudible words like a mantra. Until..A loud ringtone vibrated throughout the room, breaking my focus. I quickly snapped out of it and fished out my phone while making my way out of the chapel. My brows furrowed when I saw the caller's ID. Walking into the hallway, I slid the answer button and pressed the phone close to my ear. "Hello?""Ryker, how's it going over there? Have you found her yet?" My dad's calm voice came from the other end. A slight mix of worry in the depth of his voice. It only made me scoff in annoyance. "Why? Suddenly worried about Vanessa?""I don't have anything against her. I just want to know if she's been found."A nurse passed by, gave me a quick look before scurrying down the stairs like a rabbit set on fire. Weird."Are you there?" I frowned. "Yes
>__I wasn’t sure when I started breathing again.All I remembered was the feeling of her body in my arms— limp, cold, and barely breathing.The world around me was chaos: yelling, footsteps, Miles shouting orders, men groaning on the floor where I’d left them.But all I could worry about was her.Vanessa.Her head resting against my chest, face bruised, lashes wet, skin pale as snow, breath shallow.“Stay with me,” I whispered, my voice already breaking as I pressed my cheek against her forehead. “Baby, stay with me. Please. Please.”She didn’t respond.Miles rushed to my side, breathless. “Ryker,we need to move her. Now.”I stood, lifting her carefully, cradling her like something holy. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.And it wasn’t even because of the fight or from the blood on them. But from the terror creeping into my bones.I carried her out of that rotting warehouse, footsteps pounding, heart punching against my ribs like it wanted to break out.The second the
It was never a good experience growing up as the daughter of the woman who snatched another woman’s husband. Mama was the mistress who overtook Vanessa’s mom. I was the spoiled and loved daughter of Mr Thomas, yet it didn’t help to stop the bullies.They saw me as the daughter of a home wrecker—even though dad made sure I never felt that way and gave me everything I needed. But still, it wasn’t always enough. Not with the stigma. The bad reputation. And I vowed that I’d never settle for someone else’s man or lead a poor life as Mama did. Poverty led Mama to choose someone else’s husband. I wouldn’t do that to myself. So I always dolled up. Went for the single men with thicker wallet. Nothing else mattered as long as he wasn’t married and he was fucking rich. Derek Holland had it all. He was single, young, and from a powerful family. I saw my future with him instantly. I wanted him all for myself. Or so I thought. Until I saw someone better. Someone way richer. It made me realize







