(Eve’s POV)“Marga!”Isabella cried excitedly as she saw Marga when I opened the front door.Theo and Isabella ran toward her, but my little boy seemed to have a brake on his feet, stopping before them. My daughter wrapped her arms around her waist and then pressed her ear to Marga’s belly as if she could hear the baby’s heartbeat.“Wow!” Bethany curled her lips. “I bought you breakfast the other day, brought you here, and I never got that excited hug from you.”Isabella giggled, easing back from Marga and puckering her lips as she hugged Bethany. “Thank you, Bethany. You’re the best!” Bethany lowered her head to get a sweet kiss from my daughter.“Thank you,” Theo murmured softly and moved closer to Marga and Bethany, kissing their cheeks.“Marga, Mom brought us to the supermarket today, and she bought us a looooootttt of stuff!” Isabella muttered excitedly, walking between my best friends as they entered the foyer.My daughter’s eyes sparkled as she moved her arms upward, gesturing
(Eve’s POV)“This host is making me unhappy,” Marga pouted as she sat at the quaint bistro chair. “Hmm…”She closed her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. She must have forgotten what she was previously complaining to Bethany when her bottom touched the cozy cushion on the seat. I pressed my lips, suppressing a laugh. Between them, Marga was easy to please, and I knew this seat made her feel happy.“Is there something in the foam of this cushion?” She giggled but pressed her lips together when she opened her eyes and saw our best friend frowning at her. “What?”Bethany rolled her eyes, and I was sure when she widened her eyes at her, it meant Marga should not change the topic because I could easily escape from it. As much as they wanted to ask about Callahan while we ate pasta, they could not do it because the children were there, except for Jessy. Rosie said her twin sister was talking to her friends on the phone and didn’t want to be disturbed.As if Rosie knew this moment wit
(Eve’s POV) “Huh? Ben?” Marga furrowed her forehead as she shifted her head slightly to the side to catch a glimpse of Jessy. “Who’s Ben?” I heard Wyatt asking. I parted my lips to tell him who Ben was in our lives, but the words got stuck in my throat. Ben and Marcus were like two peas in a pod. They were best friends. Tears welled in my eyes as I watched Jessy hugging the man my late husband had considered his brother. Ben turned towards me, his eyes red and filled with sadness. “Eve,” he muttered sadly, easing back from my daughter and opening his arms to me. My heart pounded hard, beating in excitement as I rushed forward, leaving my guests on the patio. Without a second thought, I threw my arms around him, and in that moment, nothing else mattered. This must be what Jessy felt when she saw Ben. There was an overflowing joy in my heart; seeing him again was like having Marcus around. Cupping my face, Ben murmured sadly, “I’m sorry, Eve. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.
(Eve’s POV) “Then leave the decision to her,” Callahan snapped, cutting Wyatt. “Why are you so concerned about her welfare?” Ben snarled, looking at Callahan with frustration and confusion. “Grr!” I growled, raising my hands. They were making me dizzy, and my headache was becoming worse. I winced and shouted, “I’m the caretaker of this place. I’ll decide what to do with it.” There was silence for a few seconds, then suddenly Theo spoke. “Aunt Moira told Wyatt to look after us while she’s away,” he wriggled his body, and when Wyatt put him down, my eight-year-old son, who most of the time didn’t want to share his world with us, ran to his little sister. My lips parted, but a sigh escaped my mouth instead of words. I blinked, curiously stared at my son, and wondered how or what had changed. In his growing years, he rarely participated in our daily conversation. Although my son was not disabled, interacting with him was a bit challenging. Since we moved to Moira’s house, I had not
(Eve’s POV)“I thought I’d give birth seven months earlier when I heard Janna about that bowl,” Marga muttered, awed as she walked around my bedroom as if she was in a museum. “God! Everything about this place is old.”She stopped walking and sighed as she looked lovingly at my daughter.“Where did the time go? Why is she growing so fast?” She sat at the edge of the bed and reached for my daughter’s face. “She looked like you in so many ways, and I’m so glad Marcus spared you on this little one.”“I guess he did,” I chuckled and winced.I was glad Callahan had left the room. His concern about my family and me was confusing. He was not interested in me, but he was willing to waste money on the renovation and fixing of Moira’s mansion.Marga shifted on her seat and picked up the key-wound twin bell clock. Her eyes squinting as she studied the classic alarm clock.“So, how much is this one? A million?”I laughed and took it from her. “I bought it on sale. This is my wake-up partner.”“Oh
(Cal’s POV)I had been watching the orientation of newly hired employees on the screen from the CCTV camera in the HR conference room. There were ten, seven of whom would be assigned to shopping mall stores across the country, while three, including Eve, would stay in the office.Eve looked tired but attentive. She wrote notes every time the HR personnel flashed a new slide in the presentation. Whenever she furrowed her brows, I wished I could know what she was thinking.“You want popcorn? It’s always fun watching movies with popcorn and soda,” Bob smirked as he entered my private office, placing a pile of folders on the incoming tray.He glanced at the screen but did not bother coming closer. Instead, Bob sat on the couch, picked up his drawing tablet, and continued the design he had stopped doing when he saw Bethany with Eve.“I can’t wait to have her around,” he said, his eyes on the screen of his tablet. “It’s not that I don’t want to follow you around, Cal, but I want to focus on
(Cal’s POV)“You are…” I winced at the ringing in my ears, my heart pounding erratically in my chest.Suddenly, the woman I was with that weird night finally had a face like she had come to life. My eyes narrowed as I locked my eyes on Eve. It was impossible. Someone must have drugged me that night because of these hallucinations.I must have gripped her wrist harder because as she gasped, her face went pale, and her eyes were wide as she stared at me. Her heartbeat and breathing must have stopped altogether.“Did I do something wrong?” She asked anxiously.“What did she do?” Bob stood in the doorway, not moving like Eve.“She forgot the sugar and milk,” I said calmly, releasing Eve’s wrist and pushing the cup toward her.“You always love your coffee black. When did you start to like it with sugar and milk?” Bob asked, taking the cup before Eve could pick it up.Eve did not just forget the sugar and milk, but she also failed to breathe.“You’re not returning to that training,” I mutte
(Eve’s POV)My tears welled, not because I was in pain but because the overflowing embarrassment I felt was about to drown me. Good heavens, I couldn’t breathe, knowing Callahan was behind me.During lunch, Bethany told me she had to stay because of tomorrow's trick-or-treat program. Although her team had already bought candies and chocolates, the thought of my children being there excited her, so she wanted special treats for the kids.My first day was great so far, and my only mistake was giving him the wrong coffee. That was if it was counted as my mistake. Hugging the employee handbook, I walked toward the door to leave Callahan’s office after turning off his computer, but without him around, bad luck seemed to follow me around.I was a few steps away from the door when the butterfly brooch I used as a button to lock the lapel collar of my wrapped-around dress flew out somewhere in the room. I gasped, feeling the relief and worry at the same time. Yes, relief! My chest was finally