“Yeah!” I croaked while I clenched my fist, trying hard to control the little tremors that racked my body.
I do not know if it was his presence or the accident that made me like this, but I feel so light-headed that at any moment, I would pass out.
Caleb frowned when he looked at me. “You don’t look okay. Are you hurt anywhere?” he sounded concerned.
I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
How many times in the past have I wished him to talk to me like this?
“Caleb, she does not look good.”
My body
“Did you know before today that we are having twins?” Caleb asked once more. I could not believe my ears. Last time I checked, Caleb wanted to conduct a DNA test to prove his paternity. Now, he was taking responsibility and owning my kids as his. Strained silence followed right after. I was in no mood to respond. But my companion seemed oblivious to my mood or he was just plain thick-skinned, I could not decide because this was the first time something like this happened between us. “When is your next doctor’s visit?” I shook my head. Well, I have to give him points for persistence. But it brought my long-buried resentment to the surface. I lashed out. “Why? Are you coming along?” I asked, voice dripping in sarcasm. Caleb ignored the barb. He shifted his gaze from his driving to me. It was just a quick look, but I was not comfortable with the expression I saw on his face. “Yeah.”His admission threw me for a loop. “Are you pranking me or pissing me off?” I could not
Caleb's POV"Boss?" My assistant Marco straightened when I reached the table reserved for our company. He motioned to one of the chairs so I could sit, but I waved my hand to decline and shook my head no. I prefer standing while watching my ex-wife bask in her popularity. Marco joined me, standing at the back while my eyes kept glued on the stage, still reeling from the explosive news that threw me for a loop. The great J. W. Croix was my ex-wife. "Why didn't HR fact-check her records before hiring her three years ago? Why did it slip our attention that Cassy was related to the Burkes of New York." It only came to my attention recently that my ex-wife was the heiress to the Burke’s fortune, and now this!Marco pulled his eyes away from the stage and replied."We never hire people based on their family background, boss. We hire them based on their skill set and job fit."“Why did she keep it a secret?” I persisted. Marco shrugged his shoulders. “Sir, Mr. Kingston, only Cassy
Caleb’s POVAmanda pulled her body away from me, but before that, she left a lingering touch, tugging gently on the end of my necktie.I lifted my hand to grab the end of the necktie from Amanda’s grasp and stepped back, giving her a wide berth.Then, I looked at Cassy.She had her head bent down to the shattered glass on the floor.“I am sorry, Ms. Burke.” One of the crew staff for the night was crouched near her legs, expertly picking up the pieces of broken glass on the floor.“It’s alright. Sometimes, people miss and make mistakes. Don&rsquo
CALEB’S POVI felt her body stiffen like she was disgusted by the skin-to-skin contact. Unable to stand the sudden tension between us, I pulled her to sit to the side. I was relieved when Cassy did not fight back. Instead, she kicked her shoes and leaned back. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the side of her head. “Does your head hurt?” I asked when she started massaging her temples. She ignored me, but I was trying hard not to smile. At least she did not insist on leaving. After a while, she rested her head on the sofa’s back. Her position allowed me to see her face.There were shadows under her eyes. She was so pale that purplish veins showed on her face. “Are you hungry?” I remembered she had not eaten anything during the event and was concerned for the babies in her tummy. Since I learned she was pregnant, I read many books about expecting parents and read that pregnant women were always hungry. After a while, Cassy’s eyelids opened. I thought she would ig
Cassy’s POV“Why are you doing this?” I slammed the paper he just handed me earlier to his table, not understanding his actions. First, he wanted to give me alimony after our divorce. Now, he wanted to withdraw the offer to buy the franchise for my book. What is Caleb Kingston up to?My eyes narrowed into slits. I hate it when people play games with me. “What are you up to?” Suspicion laced my voice as I bent my body to the waist and leaned toward Caleb’s desk, challenging him. I did not, for one second, trust Caleb’s words. He had an underlying motive, I am sure, about it. Caleb, sitting at his desk, looked up from the document he was reading to lean in my direction, bringing his face closer to mine. The move startled me. I did not realize that we were too close. We were almost touching noses, for Pete’s sake!Uncomfortable with the sudden proximity, I pulled back so fast to put distance between us. For my own peace of mind, I straightened my body to stand in front of Ca
“The babies are going to be fine.”The doctor assured me when I inquired about them after the ultrasound test.The assurance brought a sense of relief.I sighed at the same time Caleb’s hand squeezed mine.It was then that I realized he never let my hand go, especially when the doctor’s transducer skimmed my belly to check for my babies’ condition.“There were no signs of fetal distress.” The doctor said once more.“Thank God!”I heard Caleb mutter under his breath.But I wanted to make sure. “Why did I bleed, doctor? Is there a possibility that I am going to lose my babies later?”The doctor smiled in understanding.She tried to explain as best she could.“It’s called spotting and happens sometimes. This is because sometimes, the cervix bleeds more easily during pregnancy. After all, more blood vessels are devel
Cassy’s POV“But I broke our family’s tradition. I am divorced and pregnant.” My words hint at disappointment, but I could not blame anyone except myself. It breaks my heart to know that I let them down. “Am I a bad person, mom?”Mother looked at me with all the love in her eyes. She sat on the edge of my bed and combed her fingers through my hair, just like she used to do when I was just a little kid. “Of course not, baby. It’s just that sometimes what we want is not what we deserve.”“Don’t I deserve to be loved?” I bit my lip. It was something that had been bothering me for a while now. Mother smiled tenderly at me. “Everyone deserves to be loved. But it was not our call whom to love. It’s fate.” I nodded. “And I was stubborn and headstrong.”“Yes, you are. But not in a bad way. Sometimes, to get what we want, we must have the heart of a warrior. We must know when to fight and when to stop. Don’t fret. True love will come your way at the right time.” “And when is the
The next time I opened my eyes, Tory was watching me.I looked around, checking for that one familiar face of a man, but he was not around, which made me heave a sigh of relief.“Hey, you are awake. Are you hungry?” Tory rose from her seat when she noticed me sitting on the bed.Then, she crossed the small living area to the mini-pantry and started rummaging through the mini-fridge inside my room.“Your ex brought a lot of stuff. Enough to feed an army.” She announced, ticked off in her fingers the food on the fridge.“You name it, and it’s here. All I have to do is reheat whatever you fancy.” Then, she closed the fridge.“I don’t know.” My nostrils twitched after taking a whiff of what was inside the refrigerator and not finding any of the aroma to my liking.My stomach started to churn.In haste, I grabbed the IV drip’s handle and ran to the restroo