VERONICAFor a moment, I felt as if my world had ceased, and everything around me seemed to freeze as I watched my car tilt to the side.Cadence's fearful cry and the commotion of people burned within me, breaking me into tears of fright and loss. "ZEON!" An earth-shattering scream reverberated into the air; it was me, my anguished wail, as I felt the weight of my misfortune.“No-no-no! Please help!” I cried out, rushing toward the car with my crying daughter in my arms. “Oh God, please! Zeon!” I was shaking as I tried to look inside. “someone please help!” I cried out again.I watched my son, grabbing onto the seat tightly, trying not to slip down to the crushed side. “Zeon!” I called for him.“Mom!” His broken voice rang in my ear, making my tears flow even harder. “He-elp me.” He whispered.Meanwhile, a few people gathered there, including a police officer. “Calm down, ma'am. Please step aside and let us help him; getting too close could hurt your daughter as well.”“Mo-om, my ha-a
VERONICAChristian approached us, or more accurately, Zeon, with haste. Overwhelmed, Zeon embraced Christian in a warm hug, as if they were reuniting after a long separation.I admit, I felt jealous, and my jealousy intensified when Cadence whispered "pa-pa" while looking at Christian. Seeing her longing gaze and desire for his affection shuddered me, but it is something I accepted long ago. To Christian, Cadence will never be his daughter. And Cadence would grow up knowing her father had left her before her birth.Call me selfish, but the cruelty I faced in that family, from Christian, and the way they forced me to stay apart from my son means I can never be kind again. Letting them know Cadence's true identity would only bring misfortune to me and shatter my last thread of hope. Not to mention that now he is planning to have a child with Celine…Fuck! That hurts!But, hold on—a frown creased my brows as I stared at Christian. How did he manage to come here? I mean, I didn't inform h
VERONICAAfter taking a deep breath, I knocked on William's door in the Exclusive VIP section.“Enter.” came his cold voice that sent a chill down my spine. For a moment, I considered turning around and leaving, but—the images of my children made me stand upright.Rounding my lips, I let go of a breath, “You can do it, Veronica.” Muttering to myself, I put on my best smile and stepped inside.“Beautiful, you’re here…” William greeted me with a charming smile. Seeing him in person now, I felt rather awkward all of a sudden. It's not easy for me. After all, he is someone I would like to avoid, but alas! The irony of my fate had brought me just before him.“Hey…” I muttered, pressing my lips together, not sure how to proceed. However, he made it a little easier.“Come sit, let's talk.” He suggested, and I obliged, settling into the chair beside his bed. It seemed someone may have been here before me.“Uh—Thanks for giving me a chance to be heard.” I said gratefully.He gazed at my face,
CHRISTIANI frowned as I gazed at the survey report. “So, it was all planned?” I inquired, a surprised murmur escaping me."Yes, sir," Blake replied.Tapping on the table, I turned pages of the report one by one, going through it cautiously.“A black Toyota appeared to have been trailing Dr. Granger for two days, though she may not have noticed. In fact, our assigned security detail following her failed to detect it as well. The vehicle had been parked in her neighborhood lot for two days, and the driver's face was partially visible in the security camera footage.” Blake explained."Hmm," I hummed, staring at a photo of a man. It was taken from the surveillance camera footage. His face was covered by a cap; almost nothing was visible. "But why?" I questioned myself. "Why would someone follow Veronica?”The memories of her abduction with Cadence flashed across my mind. Were both incidents related? Were those men going after her again? If so, then why hurt Zeon? Were they trying to scar
CHRISTIANThe next two days felt like a torment. At home, Mom and Celine haunted me as if they were my sworn enemies. At work, I faced new trouble with the Denstones; it seemed they were trying to get back at me since I had upset Mrs. Denstone, and not to mention Veronica, who was constantly in my thoughts. She was never tired of running around in my fucking head!Nevertheless, amidst the various challenges, only the accident investigations demonstrated measurable progress… In the last two days, we found some relations between the two incidents. It seemed it was done by the same men who abducted Veronica. The black Toyota they used in that accident had been seen near the abandoned warehouse where Cadence and Veronica had been kept.Aside from that, it was found outside the city area and has been thoroughly checked. The fingerprints matched those of the kidnappers.In the further investigation Blake did, it came out that those men were the illegal immigrants. They weren't actually traf
VERONICAI stared at the cold, selfish man standing right before me. His blazing gaze met mine, and for a moment, I was startled. They were burning, accusing, and—hurt.A displeased frown shrivelled my brows as I questioned, “what are you doing here?”Christian, however, didn't reply to my query; instead, he stepped forward, aggressively violating the distance between us, and stopped right before me when my breasts were almost touching his sturdy chest.His delating gaze swept across my face with a hard glare, “why?” He asked suddenly. “Why did you involve him in my children's lives?”I gasped at his words at first, unable to understand. But soon, I realized who he was referring to: William Denston seems to be his problem.So, he knows. Fair enough, but he has no right to question me.My expression hardened as I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms across my chest. “And who are you to judge?”His jaw clenched, and his face tightened. Blue eyes dilated with darkness. He seemed abo
VERONICAFoolish, Foolish Veronica. Keep getting hurt by the same man repeatedly, and yet, no shame…For years, I have considered Christian a protective father. Pressing a stone on my heart, I gave up my rights, knowing Christian would love his son above all else, or at least, I thought so.I swallowed the poisonous ache of the separation from my son and lived in a burden, thinking, at least my son was having a good life with his father. His father loves him to the fullest that no one— no one can intervene.Oh, Veronica, how wrong you were.In the end, I only realized that to Christian, Celine remained above all.Proof? Well, it's right in my hand. The mastermind behind both accidents turned out to be her, his beloved woman.I turned around to face Christian. My gaze met his indifferent, cold eyes, and suddenly, some events became clear as water…His delay in the investigation, his sudden arrival in my home just when William had taken part in the investigation, his outburst, his pains
CHRISTIANAs soon as I entered my villa with Zeon, Mom hurried toward us and hugged him. "My baby, you came!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Nana has prepared all your favourite dishes.”Zeon blinked, hesitantly watching me as he evidently fell into a dilemma.“He has eaten already.” I said blankly.Mom’s face darkened immediately, “didn't I ask you—”"Zeon, go to your room," I instructed, my tone conveying a serious and firm demeanour.He immediately obliged, and his governess followed him in haste. Once they were out of my sight, I turned to Mom. “Yes, you wanted to have dinner with him, but they had an early dinner today. Now what? Do you want to force him to have dinner again to satisfy your ego?” I couldn’t help the chilliness in my tone.Mom gasped, her eyes widening. “I- whe-en did I say that?” A frown formed on her face. “Christian, can you stop being mean to me and making me a villain when I was only trying to protect my family?”"Mom, just leave me alone and stop trying to protect
VERONICAEvents unfolded rapidly. The kidnapping, the rescue— everything. But what pierced me the most was Celine's hoarse shouting at me and her evil sneer even in her pathetic state.And that scares me—’Many people want your life and even if I go away, someone else will come and destroy you!’—those words are still ringing in my ears like a sharp dagger.I am still puzzled and shaken to the core. It is gruesome and odious. I just want to take my children and leave somewhere where no one would know about us. I want to protect them with everything I have, but if people are attacking us like this, how can I possibly do that?And most importantly, who are these people? Who is behind me?A soft whimper broke my concentration as I began to pat Cadence's chest. She was asleep at the time. Following her rescue from Christina, she was unconscious and experiencing respiratory distress, so I promptly transported her to the emergency room for a comprehensive evaluation; she has since been transf
VERONICA“What?” I gasped aloud. I felt numb as my entire world started darkening.The sound of Aunt Lucy's weeping rings in my ears. "I was walking with them when a car suddenly stopped, and two masked men emerged. They shoved Zeon and me aside and abducted Cadence! Veronica, I-I'm still in shock over how quickly it happened!” She cried.I swallowed hard, “I-I am coming right now! Please take care of Zeon.” And hurriedly rushed out of my chamber.On my way out, I bumped into Stan and he grabbed me. Noticing my anxiety, he frowned, “what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?”“Aunt Lucy called. She was saying two men kidnapped Cadence!” I blurted out, tears streaming down my face. “I-I have to find her!”“Alright, I am coming with you!” He said. I did not stop him, and both of us rushed out of the hospital in our hospital uniforms.Stan entered the driver's seat, and I sat beside him. My body has turned cold, still shaking as I turn on my phone's tracker.I almost slipped my phone out of
VERONICAAll gazes were on me, and Doctor Hart's face turned black. He did not expect me to go against his word, as that was very unlikely of me. However, I am very disappointed by him and how he handled the matter when my life was on the line. Now, I do not care.“What do you want?” Dr. Hart questioned. His voice was heavy, just like the atmosphere in the room.“Pretty simple, actually. I want compensation for the harassment I have been through. I will be filing a complaint against Ms. Johnson and then the court will decide.” I stated, I was very calm and composed.“Ple-ease do-on't.” Ms. Johnson spoke for the first time. “Do-on't do this to me.” Her voice was shaking, and her face was pale. “I have a family, a five year old son. Wh-what effect will it have on him and my family?” She cried, her eyes pleading.My heart sank at her words. The faces of my children flashed before my eyes, but then I recalled the scene of how she had slandered me in front of everyone…“Dr. Granger, I thin
VERONICAI woke up feeling great this morning, and the first thing I saw was my two kids staring at me with their gorgeous shades of eyes.Blinking, I weighed my body on my elbow and slightly raised my head. "Hey, guys.”“Mommy!” Cadence leapt onto my chest, and I gently caught her as we fell back onto the pillows, sharing a happy giggle.I looked at my son and stretched my one hand to him. “Come here.” I said.He was probably waiting for that call, and then he snuggled up next to me as I put my arm around him.I felt so light and less burdened. Finally, I can reclaim my position. I was not at fault; it was the patient. But I'm not going to the hospital till I hear from Dr. Hart…The rest of my morning was really good. With my children around me and Aunt Lucy's motherly care—all felt so good. After a full day and night of sleep yesterday, I felt wonderfully refreshed.However, I felt a slight sense of emptiness deep down. I couldn't seem to get Christian's thoughts out of my mind.His
CHRISTIANI wanted to ignore the call at first, but then, keeping my anger aside, I received the call. “What is it?” I couldn't help the coldness in my tone.I still couldn't believe that she tried to hurt the children just because she hated Veronica. Perhaps her initial intention was not to harm the children, but what if something unfortunate had befallen Zeon? What might she have done in that situation?I couldn't believe that being blinded by her hatred, she agreed to Celine's dangerous and stupid plan.Veronica didn't know about it yet. If she did, it would be even harder for me to convince her.A sigh came from the other end, “Christian, I know you are angry with me. Maybe I have no right to even ask for forgiveness. But please, for once, can you hear me out?”“Please, Christian.” Mom pleaded.I glanced at sleeping Veronica. I didn’t want to leave her side, but mom's broken voice was also something I couldn't bear. She might make a wrong choice, but at the moment, she is all alon
CHRISTIANI gazed at the gorgeous woman laying beside me. Her eyes are closed. Her long lashes touching her beautiful, delicate skin. Her face was covered with a pink hue, the after-glow of our love.She was sleeping peacefully as I wore her out. The strained expression on her face had disappeared, making her expression lighter and more relaxed.Raising my hand, I caressed her face gently with my fingers. I can watch her all day and night without feeling bored. She may become mature and give birth to two children, but that pure innocence on her face remains unchanged.She was still the same Veronica I knew.Her pink lips were slightly parted, breathing steadily.I couldn't help but lower my head and kiss those alluring lips. She moved her lips meekly in sleep, making me smile in amusement.From our wedding day until now, Veronica never initiated intimacy between us, but today was different.I felt her strong response today. The way she stopped me and pulled me closer—my heart danced w
VERONICALying in bed for a long time, I was bored without sleep. Therefore, I chose to review all my patients' records.The first file I found was Roy Johnson. He was a twenty year old obese boy with diabetic and hormonal issues. I opened his file and began reviewing his reports.Maintaining copies of patient reports is a crucial practice for doctors, contributing to both their safety and professional efficacy. Therefore, I always have a copy in my files.However, while going through his reports, I suddenly recalled that the boy was very eager to lose weight. He even asked me if he could take other supplements between treatments, but I made it crystal clear, explaining all the risks in detail.Indeed, I ensured clarity in my written report as well.A strange feeling stirred in my heart. Something feels wrong. He had a bad reaction, but it couldn't possibly be my fault.Feeling suspicious, I grabbed my phone and dialled Stan's number. In the hospital, only he can help me go through it
VERONICAI woke up with a jolt. The ordeal I had of my children being taken away from me turned my blood cold.This can't happen! I can't lose them!However, as soon as my eyes flew open, I noticed Christian looking worriedly at me.“Veronica…” He murmured as I stared at him in a daze. He felt so surreal. Did he really come? Or am I hallucinating?“Hey, are you okay?” He asked again. His gentle voice was very soothing to my ears.I blinked and then slowly nodded. Still numb at his presence.The images from a while ago started crawling within me. I was in jail; I called him, but he switched off his phone. Stan secured my release from jail; I returned home, and subsequently, Christian arrived…“Veronica?” I was drawn back to Christian's voice, and I felt his hand on mine.I lifted my gaze at him. I honestly don't know what to say or what to expect from him. In my nightmare, he was the one taking my children away from me. But, upon opening my eyes, I discovered him at my side.Which Chri
CHRISTIANI drove my car to the seaside. I require some time to digest everything. Tonight, Veronica rejected my advances for the first time. It hurts as if a sharp dagger pierced through my heart.Why did she look so disappointed by my presence? What made her step back from me? Was it because of that Stan guy?Devastation rolled over me. It felt like I was drowning in the unknown. Despite my consistent efforts, Veronica remains unresponsive. Our meetings mostly bring out the worst in us.It no longer constitutes her first love. It felt like she just wanted me gone.Why is it too hard to accept me, Veronica?I stood alone on the beach, unable to understand Veronica's choices anymore.Should I give up on her and move on? Not that I never thought of this possibility, I just couldn't find myself to move on from her. If I even try to get away from her, my life feels so empty and shattered…Feeling quite disoriented, I returned to my car and drove back to my villa. The servants bowed and t