LOGINI wanted to tell her everything right then. About Dianella. About how I had carelessly followed her home, but only because I needed to cook. And then… I fell into her trap, and I am terrified because something had happened between us that night. No! I couldn’t possibly say this to Charlotte! How the hell was I supposed to fix this without breaking her? Mei’s voice was still ringing in my ears. “She might not recover. Not right now.” So I kept my mouth shut. Again. "I am waiting..." Charlotte's voice interrupted my thoughts. “That was the truth… I… I swear.” I said tightly. She stared at me for a while then nodded with her lip in a thin line in a kind of way that says. *You choose to lie again* “By the way, while you were gone, I decided to name our baby. Since, well… she’s not important enough for her father to even give her a name. Her name is Alicia.” She told me. I dropped to my knees and then lay flat on the floor, face down. “What...what.... are you doing?” C
LEO'S POV"You are right, I wasn't there but I met with him outside with that friend of his and confronted him. The friend was the one who told me what happened and even said that they had a playful fight before he was able to let Leo come back to us. I guess they must be really close".Her mother replied and walked towards her.Charlotte's gaze was still burning into mine as if trying to figure me out.I swallowed tightly and avoided her eye contact.“Playful fight? Does it look like a playful fight? How old are they, twelve? And very close friends, really? How come you never talked about him, Leo? And where is this friend of yours? He can’t even say hi to your wife but he came with you to this hospital? Does he even have a name?”She folded her arms and pouted.Mei carried the baby. I looked at her, and she gave me a look.“His...his..."I cleared my throat."His name is Richardo. He said he will pay you a visit at home instead, so he...can be..prepared....he is like that...,” I rep
For a split second, the room went completely silent. Leo’s hair was disheveled, his shirt wrinkled and slightly torn at the collar, and there was a faint red mark blooming on his cheek. His chest heaved with every breath. “Leo…” I whispered, my voice barely audible, a mix of relief and worry flooding through me. Musa and Angela exchanged glances, then looked at me. I was surprised, to be honest. Leo wasn’t the guy to get into fights. Did he have a fight with his old friend? That was if his old friend was built like an animal with claws, because of the marks on his neck. I wondered if he was okay. I was speechless. “Daddy!” Angel shouted, breaking the silence. She went and hugged Leo. Jayden too lifted his face in excitement. Leo forced a smile and carried Angel up. “How are you, my love?” “Daddy, you smell so bad. Where did you go?” “It’s… it’s… the drink…” He replied, walking towards me. “You’ve been drinking all night?” I asked. He froze. Before anyone could say an
CHARLOTTE'S POV It was already afternoon and all the information I got was that Leo was perfectly fine, just chilling with an old friend. This wasn't funny anymore. Why is he neglecting my needs? They had a lot of time yesterday. Why wis he not back to me? I had to see him before I leave this hospital. I sighed and looked up, bored and frustrated. I woke up after a nap to find out I was alone, I don't even know where Mei went to. Then later one the baby woke up and I started attending to her. And even after that assurance from Lois . I couldn't stop thinking about the possibility that Leo's old friend might be a woman. My insecurities found a way to creep back in. However... it's most unlikely for someone like Leo to have a female friend... and if he was okay being platonic... no way a sane woman would see a man like Leo and say, “Yeah,let's be just friends.” What was I even thinking about? There was no way Leo had left me to stay with a female friend, right? The door s
To be sincere, those words of hers hit harder than I expected. Twenty-five years ago. I was six… still in the Philippines surviving even though I was supposed to be like the son of the king. It was Daniella who was kind enough to play with me. The other kids looked at me weird, especially the boys, knowing I was a boy who dressed like a girl. The boys told them, of course. It was Daniella who still hung around, bringing food for me. But that was only for a few months before they moved away and I was only six… six… Of course, I remembered a girl was nice to me but I can’t remember how she looked or even her name… as I grew older. But now it’s all coming back. I dragged in a slow breath, forcing my mind back to the present. “Leonard, seeing each other again is…” My gaze hardened. “…Stop,” I said quietly. “Stop? What do you mean stop? We found each other, didn’t we?” Her lips trembled. “Yes, look, I truly, truly appreciate what you did for me back then and if
“You….” She smiled and walked down the staircase. “You remembered me last night, now you are looking at me like I am a complete stranger. You've grown into a handsome man Leonard... however, you can say the same for me, won't you?" I drag a hand down my face. "What the hell are you talking about? We didn't have any type of sexual contact last night,right?" I asked, the words feeling like a spear to my chest. She simply smirked then shrugged. “You did ask for it but I declined." “Do you know how stupid you can be to be involved in using such drugs? You are a medical doctor. Drugging me and holding me here against my will? You want to end your career that bad?” She didn’t flinch. Just looked up at me with those calm, dark eyes. “Drugged you? Oh please, you got yourself drunk. Really drunk. Can't you smell it all over you? After the second plate of Jollof you just… passed out. I put you on the couch. Covered you. That’s all.” “Bullshit.” My voice cracked. “I rememb
I looked up at him and found him staring. “You’ve been spacing out for a while. What’s wrong?” he asked. I tried not to cry. “I… I… I’m sorry. I haven’t been a good girlfriend to you.” His face shifted instantly, shocked. “What… what are you saying?” No. I don’t want to explain and cry and h
Then I heard him chuckle softly as he watched me fumble with the melting ice cream. “You’re adorable when you’re shy,” he murmured. “Stop staring at me like that,” I whispered, though my voice betrayed me—quivering just a little. He leaned closer, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his
I was smiling, speechless, checking out my brand-new phone when I suddenly noticed Leo dropping to his knees between my thighs. “Emmm… Leo, why are you down there?” I asked, my heart racing at my own assumption. “Step two of my apology,” he replied, pressing his face gently against my thick thig
Charlotte tilted her head, a spark forming in her eyes. “I have an idea to make this dinner a fun one…” Leo raised a brow. “I’m listening.” “Since Robert wants to play a game, we’ll make it hard for them.” Leo sat back on the bed, intrigued. “How?” She gave a subtle, mischievous smile







