It's been a month since their trip to Miami and the accident. However, they had put it behind them. Drake and Esther's relationship was still in a complicated phase, but Sean and Alexa's didn't seem to be the same. From what Jenna had heard, they had a partnership in one of Sean's businesses and they spent many days together. As for Jenna, she worked every day, had the kids in the afternoon, and spent her evenings watching Netflix and eating chocolate ice cream."Your breakfast is almost cold," Lily's voice snapped Jenna out of her reverie. Jenna took one last look at herself in the mirror and hurried downstairs to settle her stomach.She decided to wear something different today. She pulled on a pair of tight black jeans and a white button-down shirt, then tucked them into the shirt and secured them with a thin white belt. She folded her sleeves up to her elbows, smoothed her hair, and wore black high heels."You look beautiful," Lily commented."Thank you." Jenna leaned over and m
Sean introduced Jenna to Aiden and before Sean could say who she was, Jenna interrupted. "Secretary, Jenna," Jenna greeted him and reached out to shake his hand. Aiden stood up and took Jenna's hand and kissed it, which surprised Jenna a little. "You're beautiful," he commented. "Thank you, kind sir," Jenna replied. Aiden burst out laughing and looked at her. He looked as if he was searching for something. Suddenly, a realization dawned in his eyes. "I think I've seen you before," he exclaimed. "That was the worst line of seduction ever," Sean grumbled. Jenna winced at his attitude. "No, really. We've met in the elevator before," Aiden said. Jenna gave him a puzzled look. "A few days ago at the mall. Remember the old lady who said we were perfect for each other just because we wore matching clothes?" he said, and then everything became clear. "Oh, yeah!" Jenna exclaimed when it hit her. Jenna was taking her two children to a restaurant for lunch, and the three of them wer
"Seriously, Casey? I ask you to do one thing. One thing, and you can't get it done in time?" Jenna yelled angrily as she paced the kitchen, running a hand through her brown hair in frustration. "I'm sorry, Ma'am," she said in a shaky voice. "Tomorrow is the charity event, now what am I supposed to serve them?!" Jenna shouted again and hung up angrily. She was completely out of breath. She rarely got angry, and right now she was angry, stressed, and worried. It wasn't a good combination. How could things be so messy? Everything had been organized and Jenna should have been able to relax while waiting for the day of the event to arrive. But suddenly the caterer canceled the contract. Annoying laughter could be heard in the kitchen where Jenna was pacing angrily. She turned her head to the side and glared at Aiden, who was eating the tuna sandwich Lily had prepared for him. The man threw up his hands in surrender, but continued to laugh at her condition. After calming down, Je
The sun kissed her face warmly, as if to say, "Rise and shine." Lazily, Jenna turned over and pulled the blanket over her head. But suddenly she remembered that today was Saturday, the day of the charity event. She woke up with a start. Her brown hair was loose in front of her face. She didn't even want to look at it, because she already knew the condition of her hair, as if it had just been hit by a storm. She walked to the dressing table and tied her messy hair into a ponytail, then went to the bathroom to do her daily routine. "Ah! You're awake. Your dress will be here in a few hours. Get some rest and be at the venue by 6," Aiden said, starting to walk out of her room. "Is everything ready?" Jenna mumbled in front of her toothbrush, which was still covered in toothpaste. She didn't understand half of what Aiden said, but she seemed to understand. Don't ask how. "See for yourself," Aiden yelled and ran out before Jenna could ask or say anything. Jenna quickly did what she
The car pulls up and like any other party, the paparazzi are the first to greet them with their camera lights flashing in full view. Jenna hides behind Sean and uses him as a shield to get her eyes used to the light. When she finally gets used to the light, she follows Sean and Aiden out of the car and runs toward the stairs. Jenna doesn't like posing for the camera, but Aiden disagrees as he takes her arm and makes her smile in front of several cameras. Jenna frowns at their intertwined hands, then Sean does something unexpected. He grabs her hand and pulls her to his side, away from Aiden and toward the large double doors that await their arrival. Jenna wanted to say that he shouldn't act like that in public, but she knew better than that what Sean was like. This man never liked to have his property touched by others, even if he was now too close to Alexa. Instead of arguing with him, however, Jenna let him drag her along. Soon they reached the large golden double doors, wh
Jenna realized that even though she was wearing high heels, the fact was that Aiden was still taller than her. Jenna put both hands on his shoulders and they swayed to the beat of the music. Feeling a sharp look on her back, Jenna looked back and her eyes met Sean's as he stared intently at Aiden's arms wrapped around her waist. His grip tightened around Alexa's waist until she winced in pain. His eyes flicked back to Alexa and apologized for the pain he had caused. Jenna wondered if he would apologize to her for all the pain he had caused her? He used to be so abusive. He had even been rough with her in bed the last time they had made love. And look, he couldn't even stand to see Alexa in a little pain. Jenna looked back forward to meet Aiden's amused eyes. "What's so funny?" she asked as she turned her around and Aiden pulled her closer. "I was just wondering what Sean was doing," Aiden chuckled. "Doing what?" asked Jenna confused. "He's obviously not interested in Al
Do you know the feeling when a bucket of water with lots of ice cubes in it is dumped on your head without warning and you want to scream, but your breath gets caught in your throat, restricting your vocal cords as the cold creeps into your bones? Yeah, that's what Jenna's feeling right now. No one was going to dump a bucket of ice on her head, but right now it would be much better than watching the events unfold in front of her. All of her previous resolve had simply vanished and probably burned up with the ashes blowing away in the wind. Sean and Alexa were standing in the doorway, or should she say they were kissing. Noticing the arrival of Aiden's car, they froze in place without blinking, and Jenna forcibly shifted her gaze from them to Aiden, who sat next to her, staring ahead with a sullen expression. "Are you going to watch them do it here or are you going to drive?" Jenna asked him with calm in her voice. Aiden nodded without looking at her and drove back and out the g
Sean stood in front of the window in his office and stared at his reflection in the glass staring back at him, confusion and uncertainty clouding his vision. He pulled his coat closer to his body and sighed heavily. He had no idea what he was doing or what was happening to him. He woke up this morning with a severe headache, and when it subsided, he looked around and frowned. He had a vague memory of what happened last night, but he didn't know if last night was a dream or not, but it definitely felt more than real. Even if it was a dream, he could tell that it was the scariest dream he had ever had. Even though there was only Jenna in his mind, last night he dreamed of himself kissing Alexa, then Aiden's car pulling into the gate and then driving away. Was Jenna there? Did she see him kiss Alexa? He vaguely remembered Alexa suddenly kissing him, but he let her. He hoped it wasn't real, mostly because he was afraid. Afraid that Jenna would be angry. She would think, what kind
“It was my fault,” Ethan said softly. Valeria’s heart cracked hearing his trembling voice, but she knew she had to let him speak before jumping in to comfort him. “Why do you think that?” she asked gently, stroking his head as he sat curled up, knees pulled to his chest. The boy looked up at her, eyes glassy with tears. “I took her favorite doll and ran. She started chasing after me, yelling for me to give it back. I didn’t stop, and then she tripped and fell,” Ethan explained, lips quivering. Valeria cupped his small face and brushed his tears away with her thumb. “Sweetheart, it wasn’t your fault,” she said softly. She didn’t correct his grammar—this wasn’t the time. “You were just playing with your sister, and that’s okay. But now you know, right? You need to be a bit more careful next time.” Ethan gave a small nod. Valeria smiled and kissed his forehead. “You’re her big brother. It’s in your nature to protect and look out for her. But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to
“Emily! She’s in the hospital!” Valeria gasped, her voice cracking. Her face went pale, and panic clouded her eyes. Ben froze for a second before grabbing her arm. “Let’s go,” he said firmly, pulling her toward the elevator. “Sorry, this is urgent. I’ll make it up to you another time. We have to go,” he told Esther and Carter over his shoulder. “It’s fine, go,” they said in unison, both stepping aside. Valeria’s fingers trembled as she jabbed the elevator button. When the doors slid open, they stepped inside. Just before they closed again, Valeria caught sight of Sean at the end of the hallway. His expression was unreadable—confused, maybe concerned. Only a second passed before the elevator doors sealed shut, cutting her off from him. A few minutes later, Valeria sat in the passenger seat of Ben’s car. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, heart pounding too hard for her to breathe right. It was a cold night. Ben glanced at her, trying to offer a sense of calm. “She’s going to be okay
“Hey!” Valeria greeted the handsome man in front of her with a friendly smile. He looked frozen. His eyes were on her, but his mind was clearly somewhere else. There was something in his gaze a mix of worry and fear that made Valeria uneasy. “What’s going on with you?” Valeria asked. “Jenna…” another man walked up and called out to her. Why does everyone keep calling me that? Valeria thought, frustrated. She let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes. “Sorry, but I’m Valeria, not Jenna,” she said sharply. “Who even is this Jenna, anyway?” Her head was starting to ache. She pressed her temples, trying to ease the throbbing pain that was starting to dig in. “Hey, it’s okay…” Ben whispered softly, his voice calm and soothing. His warm hand wrapped around her shoulder. “Take a deep breath, alright?” Valeria closed her eyes, trying to follow his instruction. She could feel the softness of the couch beneath her, the only stable thing in the middle of her emotional chaos. “Okay, sorry.
Jenna looked so innocent and beautiful that night. Her purple dress hugged her body gracefully, making her look like a teenager who had wandered into an adult party. Sean couldn’t take his eyes off her. He stood beside his mother, who was deep in conversation with an old friend, but he wasn’t paying attention at all. His eyes were fixed solely on Jenna. His jaw clenched when he saw a man's hand around Jenna’s waist. Without realizing it, his fists balled up. The urge to walk over and yank that hand away was strong, but he held back and just took a deep breath. When the hand finally dropped away, he exhaled too. A faint smile returned to his face. “What’s wrong?” Mrs. Veronica’s voice snapped him out of it. He quickly turned to her, trying to fix his expression. “Nothing!” he said quickly, not even sure what she was asking about. Mrs. Veronica raised an eyebrow, suspicious. But before she could press him further, Sean mumbled an apology and walked off toward the minibar. Away fro
Valeria muttered under her breath as another taxi zoomed past without even slowing down. “I seriously need to buy a car.” She’d been standing there for almost an hour, yet not a single empty cab had stopped.The cold breeze made her shiver. She hugged herself, regretting not wearing a sweater or something warmer. Her simple purple dress with black floral patterns looked cute, sure—but it was definitely not made for weather like this.“Maybe I shouldn’t have come at all,” she mumbled, staring down the empty street in frustration.She let out a long sigh. The baby shower still had to be attended, even if Ben had said she didn’t need to. Emily said the dress looked great on her, and Valeria couldn’t resist the idea of seeing that adorable little baby again.Suddenly, a car stopped right in front of her. She flinched, heart nearly leaping out of her chest.“Ben?” she gasped, placing a hand over her heart. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”Ben rolled down the window. “You need a ride, o
“Bye, kids!” Valeria called out, waving at them as they ran toward the school gate. They paused to wave back before continuing on. Once they were safely inside, Ben started the car and they headed toward the café. “You know, you don’t have to do this every day. I can get my own car,” Valeria said, staring out the window, fully aware of Ben glancing her way as they stopped at a red light. “So I’m supposed to risk losing you again? No thanks,” Ben replied as the light turned green and they drove on. This time, Valeria turned to look at him. “Come on, Ben. That happened months ago. I’m fine now, totally capable of driving myself. You can’t babysit me forever, you know?” she added, turning her gaze back outside. “I can, and I will,” Ben said firmly. The rest of the ride was quiet. When they reached the café, Valeria got out without saying a word and headed straight inside. He didn’t seriously expect her to never drive again, right? She let out a deep sigh, dropped her bag behind t
Ben walked up to her, smiling. She smiled back until she bumped into someone. She looked down and found the same little boy from the cafe. “Oh, it’s you!” she said, crouching. “Mom?” Oliver said with a big smile. The word made Valeria uncomfortable, and she glanced at everyone—especially Alexa. Alexa was right there, so why was the kid calling her “mom”? “Oh! You live here?” Valeria asked. The boy grinned, his missing front teeth making him look even cuter. “I went to Colorado with my dad,” he said simply. Valeria’s eyes moved to the little girl next to him. “And this?” “I’m Oliver,” the boy said with a proud smile. “And this is my sister, Olivia.” Valeria chuckled, remembering how adorable Emily and Ethan could be. “You can call me Val,” she told them. Oliver’s eyes shifted to Ben, who was standing beside her. “This is Ben,” Valeria added. Ben crouched beside her with a mock scowl. “Hey, bro,” he said, then winked at Valeria, making her heart race. Ben chuck
A woman walked, pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame as the cold wind hit her. The click of her boots on the floor was the only sound echoing through the space. She still couldn’t believe her eyes when she found out Jenna was alive. A year ago, she had felt so relieved, thinking she’d finally gotten rid of her. But now the girl was back— that annoying little thing who once clung to their lives like a parasite. The woman turned sharply left and stepped into a dark alley. The path was narrow barely enough for one person to walk through without brushing against the brick walls on both sides. The alley was long and pitch black, forcing her to squint and step carefully. Part of her grumbled at how she couldn’t see a thing, but another part was glad the darkness was hiding whatever creepy crawlies were on those walls. She shivered and almost screamed when something scurried across her $26,000 boots. A flickering bulb at the end of the alley gave her a target, and she ran to
Valeria walked into her apartment, struggling to carry Emily and Ethan who were fast asleep in her arms. "Thanks so much, Mrs. Smith," she said with a grateful smile to her neighbor, a woman in her mid-fifties who lived alone. "It's no problem, dear. You look a little busy," Mrs. Smith said, nodding toward the two kids. Valeria chuckled softly and nodded. "Good night, sweetie. If you need anything, just knock. I'm only a few steps away," Mrs. Smith added with a wink before heading back to her place. That was just the kind of woman. Mrs. Smith was the type who’d open the door with a baseball bat raised high, day or night, always cautious. But deep down, she was the kindest, most caring soul. Valeria smiled, remembering the night Mrs. Smith almost whacked Ben with her bat because Valeria had been late answering the door after a shower, and forgetful Ben had left his keys. Mrs. Smith thought he was a thief. Carefully, Valeria tucked Emily and Ethan into their beds. "Good